“Because it’s real once you say it.” Luke said confidently.
Nick let out a breath; he hadn’t even realized he was holding. He swiped a hand down his face. Jake felt bad for him, and at the same time he admired him he didn’t have the courage to admit what he was feeling for Cara, so as far as he was concerned it took a real man to speak up, especially to Luke.
Nick nodded and looked back at Luke. “I have a question for you.” Nick said.
“Shoot.” Luke made himself more comfortable.
“If you knew this whole time, why wait until now to bring it up?” He leaned against a wall. “I’ve been struggling with this shit for years, man. Part of the reason I never acted on what I was feeling was because of you.” He glanced at Jake. “No offense.”
Jake held up a hand. “None taken,” he said.
Luke stood up and walked over to Nick standing in front of him. “Bullshit.” He stared him down. “Don’t blame the fact that you were a coward on me.” He pointed to him. “You didn’t go after what you wanted, because you were scared.” He put his hand up to stop Nick from interrupting him. “And before you say, scared of me, and what I would say, I call bullshit again. You ran the fuck out of town when you realized Sam was more than just my little sister.”
Angrily Nick straightened his shoulders, rising to his full height, “Yeah, because of the respect I have for you and your family. I wasn’t ready to accept what I was feeling for her. I knew one way or another I was going to have to make a move, or that witch of a mother of mine would ship me out of here. Where would that leave Sam?” He pushed past Luke and stared out across the lot of cars. “I didn’t know if I was coming or going, but there was your sister, looking, like my saving grace.” He turned back and looked at Luke. “Should I have ruined her life too? At the time, I felt like I had to go. Do you understand that? Would you rather I had been selfish and had taken her away from you guys? Because she would of came. You know she would’ve.”
They were silent for a moment. Nick walked over to the little fridge and grabbed a beer.
“Yeah, she would’ve. What happened when she came to see you?” Luke asked.
Nick turned abruptly. “Came to see me? What are you talking about?”
Jake flicked his cigarette into the lot, and turned around just as abrupt as Nick. Finding out that Sam had gone to Seattle to visit Nick was news to him. How did his brother know and not him? “Yeah, what the hell are you talking about, bro? When did Sam go to Seattle?” Jake asked.
Luke looked directly at Nick, which infuriated Jake. She was his sister too, and he wanted answers. “We’re going to play this game?”
“I don’t give a shit about the game you two are playing right now, Talk Luke. When did Sam go to Seattle?” Jake spat, his patience was just about done with these two clowns.
Luke studied Nick’s face, not paying much mind to Jake, who was two seconds from throttling him, brother or no brother. Realizing Nick was being sincere and that Jake was probably going to snap, he fessed up. “When she graduated, mom and dad sent her to California. They thought she was visiting Uncle Johnny. We all did.” He nodded toward Jake, and then looked back at Nick. “But I was the only one home, when Uncle Johnny called and said she never got there. I called the airlines and found she traded in her ticket, for a one way to Seattle.”
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell anybody?” Asked Jake, he could feel his blood pressure rising, as his head began to throb. “What if something had happened to her? We thought she was in a completely different state!”
“Because, I knew she’d be with him!” Luke yelled back at his brother. “He wouldn’t have let anything happen to her. Besides, I thought, maybe they’d finally stop dancing around each other and why should any of us stand in the way of that.”
Nick sat down, taking in Luke’s words. Jake lit another cigarette, wishing he had a shot of whiskey instead. “She never came to me.” He looked up at Luke.
“She called me the next day after she landed. Asked me to put money in her checking account, claiming she spent all her cash on Rodeo Drive.” He shrugged his shoulders. “She needed the cash to buy her return ticket. Guess she chickened out.”
Jake shook his head, exhaling a cloud of smoke. “Nah, she don’t, chicken out for shit. She’s got more balls than all of us put together.”
“He’s right.” Nick said dully. “Why didn’t you call me and tell me she was in Seattle, after she called you?”