“It’s like ripping a Band-Aid off,” Toby insists. “The old man will be furious, but he’ll get over it once the truth sets in.”
Cole shakes his head. “I can’t do that to him. It’ll break his heart.”
Some things are best kept in the past, and this could very well be one of them. Toby means well, but Cole has a point, too. We always agreed to stick together and weather the storm, if the truth were to come out, but I certainly don’t want the truth to come to light in the first place.
Sheila prefers to let sleeping dogs lie, as well.
“It wouldn’t do anyone any good, especially if Dad can amend the will,” I tell Toby. “He could get angry enough to give Terrence what he wants just to punish Cole. It’s a risk we shouldn’t be willing to take.”
Terrence wanders in, looking like he just fell out of bed. His red hair is a mess, his shirt is unbuttoned, and he has dark shadows under his green eyes.
“I forgot the three of you were coming over,” he grumbles as he pours himself a cup of coffee. “You might as well leave. Dad isn’t coming down for breakfast most likely.”
He takes a sip of coffee, then winces from the bitter taste and adds sugar and milk for a more palatable concoction.
“Ourfather, you mean,” Cole says, giving him one of his signature glares.
We used to give this kid a hard time, but he always asked for it, often and brazenly. These days, he’s asking for a hell of a lot more, but civility and the legal repercussions have restrained us, and Terrence loves to take advantage of that, the weasllyprick.
“He became my dad the minute he married my mom, in case you forgot. I mean, I know it’s a hard pill to swallow, but you might as well accept the truth.”
“The truth is you’ve been a parasite your whole life, and your bullshit doesn’t fly with us,” Toby replies. “We’re going to wait here for the old man to come down. He insisted.”
Terrence shrugs and takes another sip of coffee. “I guess you want to spend as much time as you can with him before… you know…”
“Before what?” Cole asks, a vein twitching furiously along his temple.
“The inevitable occurs.”
A split second later, Cole is up and pressing his forearm into Terrence’s throat while Toby and I struggle to pull him back before he does something worse. The mug hits the floor with a loud crash, coffee splashing across the grey marble.
Heels click hurriedly from somewhere nearby, echoing louder and louder.
“Say that again, you piece of shit!” Cole snarls.
“Get off me, you jackass!”
“Cole, calm down!,” I can barely contain our younger brother when his temper takes over. Not that I’d mind Terrence getting his ass whupped, but it just isn’t the right time. With one final pull, my brother and I manage to separate Cole from Terrence just as our stepbrother’s face turns blue from the impromptu chokehold, just as Sheila storms into the breakfast room with a shocked look plastered across her filler-riddled face.
“What the hell is going on here?” she hisses and rushes to Terrence’s side. “Are you animals?”
“Your precious offspring was asking for it,” Cole says. “He seems to be under the impression that if he’s poking the bear, the bear isn’t going to bite back. I’m hoping he’s learned his lesson this time.”
“Cut it out, Cole,” Sheila replies. “You’re brothers. You can’t be fighting one another, not when your father needs you all united by his side.”
“The three of us are brothers, yes,” Cole shoots back. “I’ve got no business with Carrot Top, over there.”
“Call me that again!” Terrence makes a move to start another brawl, but Sheila’s grip on him is surprisingly tight.
“Or Little Orphan Annie, if you prefer.” Cole is relentless.
It’s hard to keep a straight face, but I can’t let this devolve into something worse. “Guys, come on. It’s early morning. The coffee is good. Dad’s trying to make his way down here. We should at least try to get along for his sake,” I say, not really believing a word coming out of my own mouth.
Sheila and Terrence take their seats at the table first. Cole remains standing, and Toby sits close to him. I sit next to Terrence and Sheila. Whether we like it or not, they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Cole has a point about potential repercussions if the truth does come out, and that leaves us at an impasse.
“William is getting worse,” Sheila announces after a long, painfully awkward silence. “The last thing he needs right now is a skirmish betweenhis sons.”
“His sons aren’t fighting each other, Sheila,” Toby cuts in. “We’re fightingyourson. Spin this all you want, but that’s the truth.”
