The reference to an assist has me bashfully nodding. “I do.”
“With work? I mean I’m not a doctor like you, but I know some doctor shit.”
“You know some doctor shitbecauseI’m a doctor.”
“And because I know how to use the internet.”
“Which worked out super well for you, when you thought you had tremors caused by mercury poisoning from having salmon three times in one week instead of the outlandish amount of energy drinks you had started consuming to keep up with your new coaching responsibilities.”
My brother twitches an amused glare.
“Relax, it’s not work ish.”
“Ship?”
This time there’s hesitation to my nodding.
“You two drop the gloves?”
“Notphysically.”
“Of course not physically, otherwise the pigeon would be dead and buried in the Sunshine Bend woods by now, aye.”
The corner of my lips helplessly kicks upwards.
“What’s the tilly?”
“Um…” fiddling with the edge of my cup is done to distract from the pending awkwardness, “you.”
“Me?!” A grunt of disbelief is thrown out. “What about me?”
“He…thinks…I’m…purposely…putting off…you two…meeting.”
“You are,” M instantaneously concurs.
“Excuse you!”
His dark trench coat covered shoulders innocently bounce. “It’s the truthskies, baby sis.”
“It’s not-” Cutting myself off is accompanied by attaching my gaze to his on a hiccup. “But see-”
He shifts his eyebrows to the sky.
“I just…” another hiccup springs loose.
M obnoxiously leans forward with two fingers from his free hand cupping his ear.
“Ugh,” I huff and slink further down in my chair, “fuck, fine. Yes.Yes, I have been putting it off, but for good reasons!”
Another sarcastic expression is tossed at me.
“They have been! In the beginning it was super new-”
“And then it wasn’t.”
“You weren’t home-”
“And then I was.”
