long have you been back together? And how come none of us knew about it?”
“A couple of months,” he said, sidestepping the second question.
“I always loved Cassie. Even though I was so much younger, she always made me feel like I was important. Always made sure to include me in whatever was happening, and she introduced me to all her friends when I went to visit at Brown.” Luke was the youngest of the Harringtons, and his brothers had treated him like a little kid long after he’d left the training wheels behind, but Cassie had gone out of her way to make him feel like he was part of everything they did.
“Yeah, you followed her around like a lost puppy hoping she’d throw you a bone … or a smile that would give you a boner.” Jake’s goading remark didn’t even earn him a scowl from Drew.
“Hey, I was just a kid, and she was like a rock star. Closest I’d ever been to a college girl I wasn’t related to, and she was so nice to me. Always brought me bags of Swedish fish and orange jelly beans when she came to visit. Give me some chewy candy, and I’ll be your friend forever. I’m easy, what can I say?” He shrugged.
“Surprised you’re down here with us. Where is she, with the girls?” As usual, Mark wasn’t going to let it go.
“Nah.” Drew took a swig from his glass.
“Did she leave already?”
“She’s staying at a hotel across town.”
“Did you guys have a fight?”
“No. What is this, the Inquisition? That’s why I didn’t say anything, because you ask too goddamn many questions.”
“You must have one hell of a technique, if your girlfriend—one who you went out with for years —is staying across town instead of in your bed.”
His brothers snickered mercilessly.
He gripped his nearly full glass without saying a word, and with a few large gulps he finished his beer and grabbed the pitcher for a refill.
It got real quiet, real quick, around the table.
Mark watched him intently. “Hey, man. The appropriate response to that was something like ‘fuck you, asshole.’ I was just yankin’ your chain. I’m sure whatever’s going on has nothing to do with, you know, your skill in the bedroom.”
“Yeah, well, fuck you, asshole.” And Drew got up and left the table, passing his cousins Talia, Ella, and Helena, almost knocking them down on his way out of the bar.
“What was that about?” asked Ella pulling up a chair.
“He’s on the rag,” Mark answered without thinking, and Ella smacked him on the back of the head.
“What the—”
“Someone has to teach you.” She looked over at Will, for a better answer. “What happened?’
“I don’t know. Sounds like something’s up with Cassie and Drew.”
“Or maybe something’s not up,” said Mark, cruising for another sharp lesson.
Will gave his brother a pointed look. “She’s not staying here at the hotel with him.”
“Maybe she’s not as serious about him as he is about her,” Jake said, shrugging. “I don’t understand why everything involving women has to be some big drama.”
Ella glared at him. “You’re lucky I can’t reach you and my feet hurt too much to get up.”
“All I’m saying is, it doesn’t have to be that complicated. Sometimes it just boils down to she’s not that into you.”
“For all we know, he’s not that into her, and his sad sack attitude has more to do with his dic—disappointment—that he didn’t get lucky tonight.” Luke stole a glance at Ella to make sure her butt was still planted in the chair.
“No way,” Helena said shaking her head. “Did you see the way they were looking at each other while they danced tonight? There was enough light beaming from their faces that we could have lit the barn in a power outage.”
There was a collective male groan.
“Okay. Here’s the thing, ladies. Whenever some guy’s face lights up when he’s looking at a woman, it doesn’t mean he’s in love with her. He’s just trying to get some, and Mother
Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Martin A. Lee, Bruce Shlain