She smiled. It was nice to hear him in high spirits again. “We’ll try harder to keep you in the dark next time. But anyway, happy birthday, Bink.”
“Thanks.”
“When mom called me earlier, she said you’re not at home.” It was very likely that was going to put her foot in it, but she asked the question regardless. “Everything okay?”
She heard a heavy breath on the other side of the phone and it seemed like his mood dipped a bit. Oh, she had such an exceptional talent, always knowing just what to say to make someone feel better. “I’m driving down to Florida,” he said softly. “There’s something I need to do.”
“You’re going all that way by yourself?”
“No.” Another loaded breath. “I’m…I’m with…someone.”
She was still wondering why he was being so cryptic when she heard a girl’s voice in the background.
“See? I’m back,” Jordan heard her say. “That walk across the parking lot was very scary, but I made it back in one piece. And all on my own. Admit it. You’re proud.”
Jordan liked her already, picking up on the sarcastic undertone the girl used to speak to her brother.
“You’re a jackass.”
“What?” Jordan asked, confused.
“Not you, Jo.”
“Thanks for waiting outside for me, Kevin,” the girl said, unperturbed by his rudeness, and Jordan could now hear a very distinct accent.
Her brother gave an irritated snort. “I wasn’t waiting for you. Now if you don’t mind, I’m on the phone.”
A door opened and closed before Kevin’s voice came over the line again. “Fuck, she’s so goddamn annoying!”
Jordan laughed at his aggravation. There were very few people in this world that he actually liked, so she wasn’t really expecting a different reaction. “What’s her name?”
Hesitation preceded his response. “Jazz…Jasmin.”
Her brother was travelling a very long distance with a girl he didn’t seem to like very much and she was quite intrigued by this arrangement. “That’s a pretty name. Is she pretty?”
He was quiet for a long time and she knew that would be her last probing question before he snapped. “She’s beautiful…” he whispered, “…in the most unconventional way.” He sounded a little awe-struck, but that changed very quickly. “I just wish she’d shut up once in a while. She’s fucking annoying!” She heard the door open again. “So I hear you got a boyfriend.”
And the mere mention of Tyler had her swooning. “Where’d you hear that? Mom?”
“Nope.”
“Shane?”
“Just answer the question, Jo.”
She smiled. “Yes. I have a boyfriend and he’s great.”
“Well, when you’ve been with the likes of Billy Mason and that douche face, anyone else is—”
It sounded like the call dropped out. There was absolute silence. “Bink? You there?”
“Jazz…” The name seemed to catch in his throat. “What are you…uh…Jo-jo, I gotta go.”
“Wait, Bink. What’s—”
He hung up, leaving Jordan very unsettled. That whole conversation was very strange. And what the hell happened to make him hang up like that? She didn’t know Jasmin, but there were a few things she’d picked up. It may have been Kevin’s tone, his annoyance, or it may have even been the soft way he said her name each time. At the end of that call, Jordan could conclude one thing with certainty. This girl was getting to her brother in a way he really didn’t like.
*****
