“What?” Urgency replaces his upbeat tone. “What are you talking about? What kind of trouble could youpossiblybe in?”
“Can I stay with you?” My voice shakes. “Please?”
He hesitates. “Of course. You’re always welcome at my place. You know that.”
“I know.”
And if not, there are three more brothers on the list—it doesn’t matter. I can always count on Everett.
THEO
“Hey…” I fiddle with the pen between my fingers. My jaw is tight, my mind wrapping around the words I’ve been rehearsing for the last few hours. “I can’t make it. Can you let her know?”
My office is the biggest on the floor, but I feel like the smallest man in the world. Everything is out of my control. That’s how life goes, and I have to accept it, but it doesn’t get any easier.
I swivel in my leather chair, an attempt at distracting myself from the storm brewing around me. This call is only one tiny issue, barely a speck on my radar compared to everything else. I wouldn’t be calling if it were up to me.
EverettknowsI don’t have time for this, but he pushed me out of my comfort zone anyway.
“Theo.” My friend stares at me through the phone. “You have got to be shitting me.”
Everett embodies sunshine with his light hair, sun-kissed skin, and baby-blue eyes. A smile is usually plastered on his face, but it’s nowhere to be seen as he sits in a dimly lit room and prepares to lecture me. He doesn’t have to voice his thoughts—he’s disappointed.
Join the club.
“I know, I know.” I run my fingers through my dark curls, quivering under his frustrated glare. “This is a bad look.”
“No shit. The least you can do is let her knowyourself, man. Come on. We’re too old for this.”
He’s right—of course, he is. Everett is my best friend and the one person who can make me feel guilty for prioritizing my work over everything else. My jobisimportant. No one else seems interested in doing anything to save the planet, and I’m just one man, but I’m doing my best.
Some people say I’m doing too much, and my private life suffers for it.
Everett set me up on my first date in months. Awfully nice of him, until I’m stuck turning it down in favor of work—afterI accepted it. Most people would call that standing someone up, I guess.
God, I’m an asshole. I wouldn’t want to date myself.
“There’s nothing I can do about it,” I say. “I mean, I guess we can reschedule…”
“You don’t sound thrilled at the idea. What? You don’t like her?”
“I do! You know I do.”
“You’re a liar. You didn’t want to go on this date in the first place. Admit it.”
“That’s not what I’m saying.” I hesitate. “I mean, how can I know if I want to go out with her? I barely know her.”
“I knew it.” He chuckles, his hair shaking as his head moves back and forth. “I fucking knew it.”
“What? We only talked for a second. It’s not like I could emotionally attach to her that fast.”
“What about attraction?” He lifts a blond brow. “She’s hot.”
I roll my eyes. “Not everyone experiences instant attraction. We can’t all be likeyou.”
“Meaning that you don’t stick your dick in anything that moves?” He rests a hand on his chest. “Well, neither do I. I’m offended.”
I have half a mind to end the call. “That’s not what I said at all,” I snap. “Stop it. You’re putting words in my mouth.”
