onyx
My knee bounced nervouslyas I stared out the backyard of my childhood home. The air was slightly smoky both from the fire going inside and the smoker my dad had me watching for him.
“Why do you look…” My oldest sister Coral’s voice cut through my thoughts as my eyes caught hers.
“So what?” I asked, not giving away that I had been stuck so deep in my head I hadn’t even heard her come out.
“Grumpy?” she said, like a question, then shook her head. “No, that’s not it…” She stared at me like she was really trying like hell to figure out what was wrong with me. “Rave!” she shouted, and I winced.
God, sisters could be loud.
Even years after moving out and hanging out with them biweekly for family lunch, their volume still shocked me. It was a miracle I had my hearing still after enduring decades with them. I tried to picture Candy around them. All my sisters had partnered up, and I liked their guys. My lips twitched into a smile. Candy would fit right in. Coral, though, frowned.
“Now you’re just creeping me out,” she huffed, taking the seat next to me on the bench.
“What’s up?” Rave asked, poking her head out from inside.
“Do you know what’s up with him?” Coral asked, as if I wasn’t right there. She glanced at me, and I tried not to show how I stilled. Sisters like mine could smell blood in the water if they even got one tiny hint of a speck of something.
Raven might be the youngest of the five of us and make it seem like she didn’t catch on to the comings and goings of her siblings, but she knew. Probably more than any of the others. Including my attorney older sister.
“What’s up with you?” Rave asked, stepping out and closing the door behind her as she wrapped an all-too-familiar oversized black hoodie around the other one she was already wearing. My youngest sister had paired off with one of my best friends and business partners.
It was still a little weird, but Bash was a good guy. One of the best. Not only that, but I’d never seen Raven as happy as she had been since they’d paired up, thanks to me. Though, they didn’t like to give me any of the credit.
“Nothing,” I muttered, taking a sip of my beer.
“Ugh, he’s lying,” Cora muttered before hugging me. “You know you can talk to us,” she said, but I knew she was over the cold and ready to head inside.
“I know.” I shrugged as she got up.
“It’s too cold out here for me, and you’re not talking.” I’d called it as she accused. As if she’d really tried. “Why don’t you see if you can sweet talk him into telling you? And I’m going to see if Oleg will watch a Christmas movie with me,” Cora said to Raven before heading inside.
Rave took her seat and rested her head on my shoulder as we looked out at the backyard. The grass was still green even if alittle more overgrown than usual. Weird. Dad was a stickler for cutting the grass every week.
“This about Candy?” she asked quietly. I couldn’t stop the grin that spread on my face. “Candace Kane,” she clarified, but when I didn’t say anything, instead of getting annoyed like Cora had, Raven giggled. Soft and sweet, the sound like a bell. I glanced down at her, but her eyes were already on me, filled with mischief.
“I heard you call her snowflake.” The look I gave her must have been hilarious because she started to laugh.
“How do you?—“
“You do remember where we live, yeah? Small towns like to talk. Especially when one of its most eligible bachelors takes a certain barista to the diner and glares at anyone like a big bear out of hibernation, including the wait staff, as if they’re imposing on your time with her, when all they’re trying to do is serve your food,” she laid out, and I shook my head.
Had I looked like a bear?
More than likely.
Thinking about breakfast with Candy made me smile. Fuck, I missed her. Two damn days, and I missed her.
“Jesus.” I shook my head. “I took her to breakfast.”
“And sat next to her in the booth. Not across from her,” my baby sister pointed out. I grunted. “I like her. She’s always been sweet.”
“She is.”
“So…”
“So, what?”
