Her cheeks heated at his teasing tone. “Sort of, I guess. Andy will be home, though,” she added quickly. “So it has to be strictly above-board. No—” Her blush spread to her neck and shoulders. “—no hanky-panky with him around. We act like we’re just friends.”
For a moment, his gaze held hers, heat flickering there before he shuttered it. “Friends,” he repeated, his voice low. “I can do that.”
Tess smiled, though her pulse skipped all over the place. Friends. Sure. For now.
The kitchen smelled of garlic and roasted vegetables, and steam fogged the window over the sink as Tess stirred the pasta. She’d kept the meal simple—something hearty without being fancy. Andy already knew Brian was coming for dinner and hadn’t been thrilled about it, but she’d made it clear his opinion didn’t change her plans.
Dinner and a movie. That was all this was. Friends spending time together. Still, when the knock came at the back door, her pulse fluttered like it hadn’t gotten the memo.
Brian filled the doorway when she opened it, casual in jeans and a button-down, a six-pack of soda tucked under one arm and a box of microwave popcorn in his hand. His smile was easy but cautious, as if he were testing the temperature of the room before stepping in.
“Hey,” he said. “Hope I’m not too early.”
“You’re right on time.” Tess stepped back to let him in. “And you brought reinforcements.”
“Figured Andy might not appreciate wine with dinner.” He set the sodas and the box on the counter. “And you can’t watch a movie without popcorn. I wasn’t sure if you had any in the house.”
Tess laughed softly. “I didn’t, so thank you for bringing both.”
Before he could say anything else, Andy appeared in the hallway. The teen didn’t bother hiding the scowl tugging at his mouth.
“Hey,” Brian said, his tone steady and friendly. “How’s the job treating you? Dan working you too hard yet?”
Andy shrugged, dropping into a chair at the table. “It’s a hardware store, not boot camp.”
Tess shot him a sharp look. “Andy. Brian isn’t an enemy. Be polite, please.”
He sighed, clearly put upon. “It’s fine. It’s work.”
Brian chuckled, unbothered. “That’s fair. I did my time there too—my brothers and I all worked at the store in high school. Dan ran us almost harder than my drill instructors did in boot camp.”
A flicker of interest broke through Andy’s attitude. “You worked there?”
“Sure did,” Brian said, leaning against the counter. “Stocking shelves, loading mulch bags, and fixing the same damn display every week because customers couldn’t leave it alone. You’ll survive. We all did and turned out just fine.”
Andy didn’t look impressed. He gave a noncommittal shrug and turned to go back down the hallway.
“Andy,” Tess said before he could get too far. “Set the table, please. Dinner’s almost ready.”
“I’ll eat in my room.”
“You’ll eat out here with us,” she countered before adding, “Please? I’ve barely seen you all week.”
He huffed, muttering something under his breath, but entered the kitchen and grabbed the plates and utensils, with a little more force than necessary.
Brian kept quiet, his expression unreadable but his eyes warm, giving Tess the faintest nod of support.
Dinner was tense from the first bite. Brian tried to make conversation—asking Andy how he did on his final exams, about whether he’d seen the new superhero movie with his friends, and if he had plans for the summer other than work. But Andy answered in clipped one-word replies, his fork scraping the plate with every poke of pasta.
Tess participated in the conversation when she could, gently coaxing Andy to relax and be friendly. She was grateful Brian didn’t seem put off by her brother’s surly disposition—it was clear he was searching for some common ground between them. She just wished Andy wasn’t acting like such a butt-head.
“So,” Brian said after a stretch of silence, as he eyed Andy. “Tess said the contractor’s supposed to start next week on the house, right?”
“Yep.” Andy didn’t look up.
“Good. Shouldn’t be long before you’re back home.”
“Guess so.”
