“Yes. Rand is the hotshot businessman of the family.”
This just keeps getting worse. “Oh, Knox.” My eyelids squeeze. Secondhand pain is a real thing. “Are they serious?”
“Are you free June 2?”
“Knox Herd, tell me you’re joking. Right now. Say it!”
He snorts. “I wish I could—but nope. Now I need to line up a wedding date.”
I’m a sad, sad case. Worse than poor Knox, even. In the middle of his pain, I find the time to be selfish. Might he have been serious about wanting me as his plus-one?
“The happy news was delivered in person when I went home last week. Right outside Honey’s hospital room. Fun times.”
Beneath the sarcasm lies a smarting wound. I want so badly to get down on the floor with him and hug away the hurt. “I can’t imagine.”
“Well, you know, they had to explain the smooching and handholding somehow.”
Forget this Becca person, I’m not sure I’m going to like this brother of his.
Hold it right there, sister.Who says you’ll meet the guy?“Will you go to the wedding?” I love both my sisters dearly, but…ouch.
Knox stays quiet. In the silence, I realize the pitter-patter of sleet is gone.
His words come softly, like snowflakes that have no choice but to fall. “He’s my brother. I’ll go.”
I smile into the dark room. Time and again, Knox shows he’s a man of character. I prop onto my elbow. “Okay, tell me to shut it if I’m being nosy, but…I can only imagine how it hurt when Becca broke things off, but…this far out, which hurts more? Losing her…or the things she said?”
He doesn’t answer.
“I mean, so what if you do like to play in the dirt? Everyone should have a job they can’t wait to get to in the mornings.”
The echo of a genuine chuckle loosens the knot that’s been sitting in my chest. “Can’t waitis a bit strong. Have you tried playing in the dirt in the middle of December?”
I snicker. “Point taken. But seriously, so what if you’re not the bigshot businessman your brother is? You do what you love.”
He falls thoughtfully silent. “I have a question for you, Everly.”
My heartbeat picks up. “Okay.”
“Wouldyoube happy with a guy who comes home muddy and stinky at the end of the day?”
Me?
Yeah, me. Can he hear my heart pounding in my chest? “Do not let one woman with issues make you doubt yourself.”
His silence clues me in to the deficiency of my response, but before I can right the ship, he moves on.
“Yeah, Becca messed with my head, but it’s not myself I doubt. I can’t tell you how many times…” I imagine him shaking his head back and forth on the pillow. “During our last job, up in Indy, I went in to the local bank branch with a deposit. The teller took one look at me and pointed to their automated kiosk. I prefer to deal with a human, but okay, I didn’t argue. Problem was, the machine wasn’t working right, and when I informed her, she sighed like I was ruining her day.”
The blanket rustles. It sounds like Knox sits up.
“And?”
“I hand her the check, she calls up the account, and all of a sudden, what do ya know, she’s nothing but smiles. ‘Good morning, Mr. Herd. So happy to help you, Mr. Herd. Come back again soon, Mr. Herd.”
I think I follow. “So, the moral of the story is…?”
“Everly, she saw the LHS account balance and nearly choked on her gum. Suddenly, I was her new best friend.”
