Well, except for his mom, but that didn’t count, did it? His chest deflated as he came to terms with the fact he’d made a middle of the night call to Monica.That’s it. No more drinking for me.
Someone shouted his name from outside. Alert now, he realized the pounding in his head was, in part, a person knocking at the door.
“Go away.” He massaged his temples, had no desire to deal with anyone until he had a few more hours of sleep in him.
“Open the door or I’m using my spare key.”
“You’re a pain in the neck, Lucas.”
His brother’s sarcastic tone frayed his nerves. “No more so than you.”
Rex staggered to the door, tired, hung over, and not in the mood to deal with his older brother. He grudgingly opened the door to let him in.
“Here you go.” With a mocking smile, Lucas handed Rex a Styrofoam cup full of steaming hot black coffee.
“I’m going to need a lot more than this.”
“Most people would simply say thanks.”
“I’m not most people.” Rex took the cup and smiled for the first time that morning. Pain that Lucas was, Rex couldn’t help but be happy that his brother was in town for a rare visit. “What time is it anyway?”
“Nine.”
“You could have let me sleep a little later.”
Lucas smirked. “No can do. You promised me a fishing trip before I leave, and I intend to collect.”
“I thought you had a month of leave.”
“I got a phone call this morning.” Lucas’s jaw tensed. “Something came up, and I have to report back by Tuesday morning.”
A stab of disappointment speared Rex in the chest. Lucas hadn’t been around much since joining the army, and Rex had looked forward to the time with his brother—even if they didn’t always see eye to eye.
More so, and he wouldn’t admit it to a single soul, he had been feeling lonely of late. The kind of loneliness that had brought him home to the bayous and his family.
“Mom wants us home for dinner tonight,” Lucas said, interrupting his thoughts.
Rex put on his typical laid-back smile, shaking all those thoughts away. They were too heavy for his throbbing head to handle. “Is Jenna coming?”
“Probably not. When I talked to her earlier, she was studying for a test tomorrow and couldn’t afford the time for the drive.”
“Too bad. She’ll be upset if she doesn’t get to see you.” Rex raised a brow. “She let me know in clear terms that we’re not living up to her big brother standards.”
“She read me the same riot act.” Lucas laughed and rolled his eyes. “Afterward, I promised I’d stop by her place on my way back and crash there for a night.”
Rex opened his cabinets in search of headache meds. He found a bottle, twisted off the cap, and popped two pills in his mouth. He put a large pot of coffee brewing. “I’m going to clean up while this brews, and then we can head out. Make yourself at home.”
He left Lucas standing in the kitchen and returned a half hour later, feeling half human again after a hot shower. His head stopped hammering, and the coffee Lucas had brought kicked in.
“Ready to go?” He filled a thermos and grabbed his keys.
They left the house and secured the pirogue in the truck bed. The conversation stayed light as he drove down backroads to the bayou. He sensed Lucas wanted to say more but reined it in. When they came to the bayou, they launched from the ramp and paddled south.
No one else was on the water that morning, and they stopped paddling, remained in one spot. A bullfrog croaked from the nearby banks. Come nightfall, the frogs would all sing in a loud, out-of-sync chorus. Surrounded by cypress trees draped with Spanish moss dipping into the water, a tentative calm hung over Rex. This was his happy place where he found comfort in the familiar.
“What’s going on, Rex? Everyone’s worried about you.” Lucas kept his gaze on the water, never looked at him. “Reports are you’ve been a little on the wild side, even for you.”
Rex bit down on his lips trying to tamp his irritation before speaking. So much for peace. “Is that the only reason you wanted to come out here, so you could trap me and give me a lecture?”
