I start typing a message back, but stop because I can’t decide if I want to say Go to hell or What happened? Are you okay? But does it even matter? He could have the best excuse in the universe but he chose not to include it. Two texts and four words are all I’m worth to him apparently. Well, he can be worth exactly zero.
We’d met at a bar one night and hit it off while watching a football game. We’d gone on two dates and I was sure there had been some sort of chemistry there. Our text conversations would go on for hours. It’d been going so well. I was confident we were headed toward date number three.
What if my lack of long-term relationships made it impossible for me to find the right guy?
“Alright,” Avery cuts in, stopping my spiral and Ruby’s rage. “Back to the basics: you got to know this guy Tom. Went on a date?”
“Two,” I say.
“And you invited him here to celebrate?”
I take a deep breath. Avery always values practicality. When Ruby and I are ready to carve people up, Avery dissects every aspect of the situation. It’s what’s going to make her a kickass surgeon someday. Maybe she could do some open-heart surgery on me to see if there is a malfunction that scares men away.
“Yeah. We talked this morning and he was still on board.”
Ruby thinks for two seconds, tapping her empty shot glass against the bar top. “Did you put his name on the list?”
“Of course she did. That’s the only way to get in here tonight,” Avery says. Her eyes flick to a corner of the room where my brother and his friends have set themselves up. I had kept my distance all night, so I could wait for Tom not directly under my brother’s ever-watchful eye. There’s something in the air with that group right now with all the coupling up. I watch Cassie laugh on Ryder’s arm and Savannah hug on Cash. They look like pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly together.
I had been hoping to capture some of that magic tonight, to start a romance of my own. I imagine being part of a couple while hanging out with my friends, having a pair of strong arms around my shoulders.
“I put Tom on as my plus one,” I say.
Avery gives me a knowing look. “Was this before or after the guys reviewed the list?”
“Why would that even matter?”
“Because your brother goes into monster mode any time a man even looks at you suggestively,” Ruby says.
The waitress brings over three martinis. I guzzle mine before she’s fully gone.
“So you add a plus one,” Ruby starts, plucking the olive out of her drink.
“To the list your brother checks every night,” Avery says.
“How much do you want to bet that Jackson gave the list a little tweak and took Tom’s name off?”
“Jackson wouldn’t do that,” I say, defending him, more because of familial obligation than because I believe he’s innocent. Jackson’s had my best interests at heart since he stepped up to the plate after the car crash that left us parentless. He’d want me to find someone. To have something like what his friends have found.
Ruby places her martini glass on the bar, shrugging. “Jackson’s a nice guy, but as an older brother he’s a guard dog that just refuses to back down. The only way he’s gonna let go is if someone makes him roll over and rubs his belly.”
“When was the last time Jackson focused on his own sex life?” Avery adds.
“He’s too busy ensuring that I don’t have one.” I frown at my empty glass. They’re right. Jackson’s got issues with my dating and he shows no signs of lightening up soon. Before it was cute, normal protective brother behavior, but if their theory is true, Jackson’s graduated from slightly exaggerated concern to the control of a dictator.
“A girlfriend would do him a world of good. Jackson’s way too uptight.”
I shudder. Too much talk of my brother having sex creeps me out. Plus, this isn’t just about him and his nonexistent girl troubles. It’s about the two of us, our relationship. He definitely needs to loosen his hold over my life. He can’t shadow me forever.
“This has to stop,” I say, resolving myself. “You’re right.”
“Give him hell,” Ruby says as I zero in on him. “And if that fails, give him a kick to the balls. At the very least, it might buy you time for sexcapades while he recovers.”
Several men nearby balk and Ruby gives them a small wave. All balls and brass—that’s Ruby for you.
I push my way through the crowd to my brother’s group. Jackson holds a beer, which might be the most relaxed thing about him. He seems to be enjoying himself, though, even if he’s as serious as ever. I’d bet good money that he sleeps in his suits. He chats with Ryder and Parker, while Cash entertains Cassie and Savannah with some animated story. I brush past the outer circle and into their inner sanctum.
Cassie and Savannah wave hello and I return it, but with a forced smile. Under normal circumstances I’d be hanging out with all of them, but not when my brother decides to be a royal asshole.