I rolled my eyes because Garth could be a pain sometimes. "I ... I'm here with someone."
"Right." He laughed at length. "Did they kidnap you and hold you for ransom? Is that what this call is about? To get the ransom money?"
"Can you be serious for a minute? I wanted some time with him so I took it."
"You're entitled. So what's the problem?"
"There isn't one."
I heard the doubt in my voice and hoped Garth didn't hear it too. Sighing, I wandered to the plate glass door. The calm water in the pool below was at odds with what was happening inside me.
"So why are you hiding from Mom and Dad?" Garth asked.
"I'm not hiding, G. I just wanted you to meet him first."
"Why?"
Garth always insisted on knowing what he was getting into whenever I asked for help. His caution had to do with him having to cover for me one too many times when we were children. Plus, he'd taken more punishment for me than we could count. It didn't make sense lying to him, so I took the direct route.
"Mom might not like Kofi."
"And what am I supposed to do about that?"
"Nothing." My head tipped back and I stared at the ceiling. "It doesn't matter to me whether you like him or not but if you do happen to get along with him, it will make things easier at home."
"When am I seeing you?"
"Are you playing today?"
"Yeah, we'll be at the course by midday."
I wasn’t about wasting this opportunity, so I asked, "Can I come?"
"You're bringing him?"
"Yes, he plays."
"Fine. I'll let the guys know." Garth paused, then asked, "Did you bring your clubs?"
"Seriously?"
"Right." Amusement colored his voice. "I forgot you only used to hang around because of Bryan."
"You're evil to mention that."
"It's my job to pay you back for being so troublesome and sneaky."
"I'm going to ignore that." I laughed, then added, "See you later, and please don't bring up any stories Kofi doesn't need to hear."
"I'll try my best, sis, but I won't make any promises."
A weight I didn't know I'd been carrying left me while I was talking to Garth. He always managed to smooth things over with our mother, who had a soft spot for her firstborn, no matter what she said. Garth had always gotten away with things neither Chase nor I could slide past her.
I started when Kofi circled my waist. "Who were you talking to? I heard my name."
"Somebody smells great." Pulling in a long breath, I turned in his arms and laced my fingers around his neck. "You didn't need to shave yet."
Kofi chuckled and brushed my cheek with his. "Feel that? I left a little something for you."
