He stormed into the kitchen.
Jamie winced as a cupboard slammed shut. “Do you want to go sort that out? I can wait.”
“I don’t know,” I said hesitantly. Corey’s reaction had caught me off-guard. “My brother has a good heart, but he’s not the most reliable guy. If he takes that catering job, he might ditch out just like your last guy.”
Jamie nodded. “Maybe. But he seemed genuinely hurt by what you said.”
I sighed and tugged at my beard. Jamie wasn’t wrong. Maybe I had been a little harsh. My brother could be flighty, and I was worried about him talking Jamie into a job only to let him down.
But hehadseemed genuinely interested in catering.
“Okay, I’ll go talk to him. I won’t be long.”
“No problem. I’ll just enjoy my wine while I wait.”
Corey was halfway down the hall, plate heaped with chicken pot pie, when I caught up with him. “Cor, wait.”
He cast a glare over his shoulder. “Go spend time with Jamie. You can tell him how flaky I am, so I never get a job at Darling Dish.”
“Would it be a lie, Corey?” I asked. “You don’t have the best track record, so forgive me if I don’t want my boyfriend sticking his neck out to get you a job that you might walk out on.”
“Nice.” He turned, eyes sparking. “Have you evennoticedthat I’ve been reliable as hell at The Diner?”
“And yet you want to quit after a month?”
“Because it’s a dead-end job! I throw eggs and bacon and pancake batter on a grill, and Ilikemaking food, but I don’t like that it’s always a race. We had a slow period the other day, and you know what I discovered? I could actually makefantasticFrench toast out of pumpkin bread infused with molasses, but I can’tdothat when we’re in the breakfast rush.”
I blinked in surprise at my brother’s rant. I’d never seen him express passion for anything like this, except maybe Rachel. He’d fought to follow her to Granville when our parents didn’t want him to. But he’d never cared about school or jobs that way.
He had taken to making dinner a few nights a week, though. I’d assumed he was just finally taking my lectures about not living on take-out to heart, but could it be that he actuallyenjoyedit?
“Corey—”
“Never mind,” he said. “You don’t get it.”
“No, Ido.I’m just surprised.”
“Because I’m such a loser.”
“No, because I’ve never seen this side of you before,” I said. “If you really care that much, if you really want this catering thing…”
“I do.”
“Then you should pursue it,” I said. “But I need you to promise me one thing, okay?”
He looked wary. “What?”
“If Jamie puts in a good word for you, if he recommends you for this job, you can’t let him down.”
“I won’t,” he said quickly.
“Imeanit,” I said. “Jamie’s going to be sticking around. He’s my boyfriend. I love him, so?—”
Corey’s eyes widened. “Youlovehim?”
“Yeah, man. Of course I do. Weren’t you there for the conversation a few minutes ago?”
“Well, yeah, but I thought you were just dating. I didn’t know it was so serious already.”
