Quinn watched me for a moment, almost like he was sizing me up to see if he could trust me. I must have passed because he started talking. “I came into it thinking they wanted a lead singer and that I was going to be, you know, a part of the group, but they weren’t interested in my songs and I mostly just sang backup and played guitar. Then they started badgering me about your tour and were pressuring me to ask you. Anyway, when I couldn’t deliver…” Quinn’s voicetrailedoff.
“Oh,” I shifted, uncomfortably. These were the stories I never heard from my siblings, but it couldn’t have been easy for them to navigate their way through life under my very invasive fame. “I’m sorry. Thatsucks.”
He shrugged. “I’m usedtoit.”
“That kind of thing happens to youalot?”
Quinn looked away, but not before I saw the pained expression on his face. “Enough that I should have been smarter. I’m usually pretty good at knowing when people are using me, but I guess I just wanted it too bad to really trustmygut.”
It occurred to me then that Grace and Quinn had lived a totally different childhood than the rest of us. Their paths had been dictated by tragedy. There were no early morning trips to the beach with Dad, no playing outside until the light of day faded to dusk, and no real track they could travel on that didn’t have my train rollingoverit.
“I’ve never really thought much about how my fame affects you andGrace.”
“It’s not that, Jake. I love that you’re my brother. I’m so proud of you. It’s just…” Quinn cleared his voice, his brows furrowed in frustration. “People ask me questions about you all the time, and I have to make stuff up because I don’t know the answers. I don’t know you at all. Not one littlething.”
I sat there quietly, letting his words sink in. Quinn was right. We knew nothing at all about each other. I couldn’t tell you what he liked or didn’t like. I didn’t know if he had a girlfriend, what his favorite sports team was, or even if he’d been a good student while still in high school. Damn, how had we drifted so far apart that we weren’t even connected as brothers at all? And the worst part was I knew it was my fault. I had done thistous.
“Ask me something. Anything,” I blurted out without thinking about the consequences. Would I even be able to deliver? Did I have a choice? I was ground zero in this scenario, so our relationship needed to startwithme.
“Okay,” he said, blinking back his surprise by my offer. “What’s your favoritemovie?”
I tipped my head back, brows raised in surprise. “You can ask me anything and that’s yourquestion?”
“Well, I have thousands of questions, but I figured I’d better startsmall.”
“21 JumpStreet.You?”
“Same.” Henodded.
“I’ve got one,” I said. “If you can eat one food for the rest of your life, what woulditbe?”
“Potatoes.”
“Whoa.” I kicked back in my chair. “You didn’t evenhesitate.”
“Nope,” he said, laughing. “Think about it. Potatoes are the most versatile food there is. Breakfast? Hash browns. Lunch? French fries. Dinner? Baked or scalloped. Snack? Potato chips. Getting shit-faced with friends? Vodka. See, unlimitedpossibilities.”
“Good god. That was better than a persuasive essay. Now I’m reevaluating mychoice.”
“I know what your answer would be,” Quinn said, predicting my favorite food. “Tri-tip.”
“Yep.” I nodded. “What’s with thevodka?”
“You mean how it relates to potatoes, or if I’m drinking it withfriends?”
“Both.”
“Vodka’s made from potatoes, and no, I don’t get shit-faced with friends on a regular basis. I don’t have time for that crap. I have a plan for myfuture.”
“I see that,”Isaid.
The grit I hadn’t given him credit for during my bachelor party was on full display today. This kid had drive and talent… a deadlycombination.
“Okay, Jake, I have another question. If you could take one thing to a deserted island, what wouldyoutake?”
“That’s easy. Casey. Whataboutyou?”
“Myguitar.”
