I stepped out of the way as he opened the fridge and peered inside. I tried not to let the ‘kid’ label bug me…and mostly failed. I hated that I felt so less than, especially in front of his fancy female best friend. She looked so classy in her bright wrap dress and killer shoes. Meanwhile, I was in my two-day-old black jeans and shirt that I’d spraypainted in last night. I still had some crusty paint spots on my pants.
I definitely felt the differences in our stations.
Maddie bopped around the apartment, collecting the most random things—books, a comb, athletic socks.
“What happened to the bag I had in the corner over here?” She asked, pointing at the far end of the dining area.
Dylan looked around dazedly then shook his head. “Um, I think I put it in the spare room after I finally installed the Murphy bed. Should be in the closet.”
Maddie rolled her eyes. “I move out, and you finally get a second bed? Seriously, Dyl?”
Dylan bent over his sandwich ingredients and didn’t answer. Maddie huffed and stomped down the hall. I just stood there, feeling so damn awkward. I didn’t know their dynamic and felt a little weird about her going into ‘my’ room, but what could I do?
A beat later, Maddie popped back into the living room. “Uh, do you mind if I look around what appears to be your room, Mindy?”
“It’s Indy,” Dylan snapped. “Like Indiana Jones’ nickname. It’s short for Indigo. In-dee.”
Maddie’s eyes widened. “Indy. Sorry. Do you mind helping me look for my bag in your room? It’s a gray roller bag.”
So awkward. But I nodded and fast walked down the hall to the bedroom. Entering the room, I walked over to the closet and pushed my bags out of the way.
“I really am sorry about the name. I honestly thought he’d said Mindy. Or maybe my brain filled in with a more common name. But it’s a nice name. Great even.”
I grunted as I pulled a gray roller bag out of the far side of the closet. “It’s fine. I’ve heard it all before. The Indiana Jones jokes. The ‘are-you-sure-you’re-from-Ohio’ jokes. The ‘did you say Cindy’ questions. It’s fine.”
Maddie nodded slowly. And when she didn’t reach out for the bag, I pushed it on its smooth wheels toward her.
“Um, did you leave anything else in here?” I asked when she continued to look at me with that discerning, thoughtful expression.
Finally, she shook her head with a small laugh. “No. Dylan never bothered to make it into a spare bedroom for me when I was staying with him.”
I looked around the room with new eyes. The art supplies now shoved into a corner, the Murphy bed against the far wall with the bed still pulled down. “Oh.”
“You must be someone special to him.”
My eyes widened. “Oh no. Just in the right place at the right time. I…Dylan’s been great,” I finished lamely. I didn’t want to tell her all the gritty details.
Maddie cocked her head. “Dylanisgreat. I’m glad he has someone in his life who sees it. Maybe he’ll finally stop punishing himself for his past mistakes.”
And with that enigmatic statement, Maddie gave me a smile, grabbed her suitcase handle, and walked away, pulling her suitcase behind her.
Chapter 7
Dylan
I might’ve had Nathan’s approval, but we all knew who really ran the show at Badass Builds, and it wasn’t me. Or Nathan.
I should’ve done this before I offered the job to Indy, but I’d been so excited to line her up with something better than minimum wage. I hadn’t thought it completely through.
Which was why I was currently standing alone on Austin’s front step.
“Come on, asshole,” I muttered to myself. “Grow a pair.”
Before I could talk myself out of it, I rang the doorbell.
Immediately, the sound of a dog barking pierced the previously quiet street. Unlike the rest of my brothers, Austin was deep in suburbia. He’d moved into this place with his fiancé and her son from a previous relationship. I winced. I really hoped I hadn’t woken Wyatt up from a nap. Did he still take naps? I was ashamed that I didn’t know.
A second later, the door ripped open, and Austin stood scowling in front of me. “What the hell do you want?”
