Michael looks at me curiously. “Jacob? You mean Jacob Ricks?”
Matt breaks in before I can answer. “Yeah, Jake is an old family friend. He used to live in our rental across the way. We were all kids together. He’s like another brother, right Jess?”
I don't know how to answer. I'm still not comfortable using the wordboyfriendwhen I describe Jacob. Does kissing in the barn, saying “I love you,” and a bunch of emails make him my boyfriend?
“I’ll take Jake’s car then.”
“You can take the rental if you want,” Michael says.
“That’s okay. I wouldn't want you to be stranded here with my sister.” Matt gets myJesskeyring from its place on the hook. I don't stop him. Jacob told me not to let any other guy drive his car, but I'm pretty sure my brother is an exception to that rule.
Michael leans back against the counter and crosses his arms. “I can think of worse places to be stranded."
Matt shakes his head. “You only say that because you don’t know her yet.”
four
Animals
"Do you need any help?”
I jump at the sound of Michael’s voice and drop the fork I was holding. I'd slipped into the dining room to set the table for dinner when Matthew and Kendra came in. Seeing them together highlights the fact that Jacob isn't here. I needed to be alone for a minute.
He bends and picks it up. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay.” I take the fork without looking at him. “I guess my mind was somewhere else. It's nice to have everyone home." I put my hand on the spot where Jacob sat the last time he was here. Then I finish putting the silverware around the table.
“But not everyone’s here, right? There’s one more, isn’t there?” Michael asked.
How does he know I was thinking about Jacob? “One more?”
“Don’t you have a little brother?” Michael replies.
“Oh yeah, Tyler.” I feel stupid. “He’s fifteen, so he’s never here anyway.”
“Does that mean I won’t get to meet him?” Michael follows me into the kitchen.
I pick up the salad bowl. “I imagine he’ll sulk in at the end of dinner and demand to be fed before disappearing into his room again.”
“I can understand that.” Michael grabs the butter dish and follows me back into the dining room. “I was a teenage boy once.”
“Strange animals, those teenage boys.” I set the bowl on the table and face Michael.
“Animalswould be the appropriate term.” Michael says. “As I recall, there are only two things that can tame a teenage boy: food and, of course, a teenage girl.”
“What about cars, sports, and violent video games?”
Michael waves his hand dismissively. “Distractions. Things to keep them occupied until the next meal or the next pretty girl comes along.”
“Good thing you grow out of that stage,” I say sarcastically.
Michael shrugs. “Actually, I think we just require more food, and older girls. But maybe we learn to control it better.”
“Wow, thanks for that insightful look into the male psyche.”
Michael shrugs. “I don’t think any guy ever claimed to be hard to figure out, at least not any normal guy.”
I sigh. “And yet we spend way too much time obsessing about what you guys are thinking, or at least I did when I was a teenage girl.”
