CHAPTER 1
Chase
“Why doesthis always happen to me?”
My middle brother, Luke, sighs through the phone. His question, overly dramatic per usual, is rhetorical—or should be.We both know the answer. But he’ll wait for a response because he likes to wallow in self-pity and because I’m a fool for answering his call in the first place.
Damn him.
“Oh, I don’t know,” I say, returning his exasperation. “Ever think that maybe you’re just an asshole?”
“No.”
“Well, maybe start there and work backward.”
My windshield wipers squeak, working overtime to clear the rain from my view. Unfortunately, the precipitation hasn’t let up all day. I’m soaked to the core, my bones ache, and the intense pain in my shoulder exacerbates my frustration—the frustration my brother compounds.
I want to get home.
“That’s pretty rich coming from you.” Luke laughs.
“Hey,youcalledme.”
“Andyouanswered.”
I remove one hand from the steering wheel and stretch my arm to the side, desperate for relief. “Do you want anything? Or did you call to remind me not to have an odd number of children?”
“Huh?”
I sigh. “Never mind.”
“So back to this thing with Alyssa,” he says, not missing a beat. “I don’t think she’s coming back.”
She won’t if she’s smart.
I instantly regret that thought because it’s not fair. I’m cold and exhausted and have a fourteen-year-old girl waiting at home for our weekly pizza-and-movie night. Luke might be a pain in the ass—and more of a diva than my daughter—but he’s a solid guy.
I still don’t want to do this with him.
“Are you listening to me?” Luke asks. “I’m having a crisis over here, and you’re acting like it’s no big deal.”
“Do you want to know what happened to me today?”
“Well, I?—”
“I was fifty feet in the air fixing a power line when an old lady came around the corner. She doesn’t see the cones, plows ahead, and clips the back of the truck. Jason jumped out of the way, or else he’d be dead. I fucked up my shoulder on the corner of the bucket.”Thank God that was all that happened. My jaw pulses as the memory of thinking I would meet my maker passes through my brain. “So excuse me for not classifying your pussy problem as a crisis.”
Gravel crunches beneath my tires as I turn onto the old country road that leads to my house.
Luke’s silent. He’s unsure whether to press forward or retreat from the conversation.Wise. Although there are a fewthings that I’d rather be doinglessthan acting as my brother’s sounding board, I have ten minutes to go until I get home.
I can suck it up that long.
“Why did Alyssa leave in the first place?” I ask with as muchgive-a-shitnessas I can muster.
“She said she was sick, and I told her I had all the vitamin D she needs.”
I roll my eyes. “You’re twenty-seven years old. Grow up.”
