That earns me one of her bright, real smiles, and my big brother heart beats a little faster.
Look at me, doing something right.
We order a few appetizers, and once she decides on the three meals she’s getting, she sets her menu down and levels her eyes at me.
“Are you still stalking Lily?”
I roll my eyes. “You on this again?”
“Only if you are.”
“I’m not stalking her in the first place. Let’s get that straight. I went to another event, but all I did was help her set up and break down her tables and chairs. I did the heavy lifting. That’s it.”
“Why?” she asks, looking genuinely surprised.
“Because I noticed how much she does all by herself. Do you know she works a full-time job and does Lit with Lily?”
“No, I didn’t. Damn, that’s a lot. She be doing events every day?”
“I know. And every day she gets off work, she has to drive somewhere, unload her van, and then reload it at the end of the night. It’s a lot. So I just did it for her.”
“You didn’t ask her out or anything?”
I shake my head. “No. I haven’t earned that.”
“You gotta earn time around her?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“So do you like her and want her back, or are you just bored and lonely?”
Damn. I thought we were having a nice conversation.
“Ouch,” I say.
She shrugs. “I’m just trying to figure out your angle.”
“I don’t have an angle.”
“Then why do you have to work so hard? What did you do wrong?”
There are a lot of ways I could describe this. I could tell my sister that I dismissed her, that I didn’t fight for her, but instead, I tell her the truth.
“I didn’t show up.” It stings to say out loud. I know better.
“So what are you doing now?” She raises her eyebrows at me.
“I don’t know,” I tell her. “I’m trying to show up now. But honestly, I don’t know.”
She points her fork at me. “You better figure it out before someone else.”
We leave The Sapphire with four to-go boxes filled to the brim with food that Zea’s eyes wanted and her stomach couldn’t handle.
I have a meeting with Drummond, the team owner, after I drop her off.
She hops out of my car, then leans back in and gives me a kiss on the cheek before closing the door. “Thanks, brother!” she says, racing up the driveway and into the house.
I really did that.
