Page 48 of Messing With My Brother's Best Friends

“They were freaking genius. It’s not your dad’s fault that he’s a pussy when it comes to chilli.”

“Cool, well, I made none of these so—” I started to say.

“No, but I told you we need to talk.” All the levity was gone and there was only serious Connor now.

“I said I might be asleep by the time you came home,” I replied.

“But you had time to pull another prank.” Van flicked at the glitter sticking to his shirt. “Nice one, by the way. This shit is a freaking nightmare to get off.”

“Craft herpes.” Why the hell did I blurt that out? I covered that with a shrug. “I mean yeah, it’s meant to be hard to get out. Kinda like peanut butter from hair.”

I shot the two of them a meaningful look, making sure they remembered all the hair washes Mum put me through trying to get the thick, greasy gunk out.

“See, when it comes to the shit we did, you’re willing to talk,” Connor said. “So let’s schedule that in today. Hit us with it. Level all of your complaints at us, and we promise we’ll listen.”

“To all of it.” Van stepped forward, and that had me backing up against the bench. “Every single sin we committed. Just talk to us about them, Kendall.”

But I didn’t want that. I tried talking to Finn when we were kids, and he just laughed. Dad said boys would be boys and ruffled my brother’s hair, while Mum sighed and told the two of us to sort it out. I’d talked until I was blue in the face and no one listened, so they’d have to forgive me if I thought that it was all too late. I didn’t say that since that would just give them something else to argue with me about.

“Fine,” I replied, having no intention of doing any of that. I’d go home, have a shower while they were still at work, then go and catch up with Barbie if she was free.

“Right then.”

I wasn’t sure what the fuck they were doing when they both converged on me. They got closer and closer, each one taking one side, and I went stiff, until each one of their hands went to the big tray used to carry bread loaves. Van grinned, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking, right before I took off and out the door.

“Payments gone through alright?” Connor asked Chris when we all walked out.

“All sorted, mate. Get me your orders in earlier next time and you won’t have to pay double.”

Double? I looked at the food in the trays and frowned. Most of it was overpriced for what it was at retail, and Chris gave discounts when he got bulk orders like this, not charged twice as much.

“Will do.” Connor tapped his finger to his temple as the lot of them took the food outside to the vans lined up beside the footpath.

“Nice guys, those fellas,” Chris said with a satisfied nod. Probably because instead of having to donate a bunch of baked goods at the end of the day to Food Bank, he’d sold all his backup stock. “Friends of yours?”

“Friends of my brother,” I corrected, moving to pick up dirty plates and cups.

“They seem to like you fine.” Chris was giving me that measuring look older guys do when they think they’ve worked out what’s going on. “Enough to spend a ton of money to spend a few minutes with you.”

“More fool them.” I hoisted the tub full of dishes onto my hip. “I rent a room in their house. If they want to hang out, all they need to do is come down the hall.”

Something I’d wanted so damn badly. For them to turn away from Finn and his bullshit and to walk into my bedroom, choosing me. But they didn’t and now it was all too late.

“Sharing a house is no way to court a girl,” Chris said, following me into the kitchen as I started to stack the dishwasher. “A bloke needs to make an effort, show he’s able to provide for a girl. One of those boys? They’ve all got good jobs. They own that company, aren’t working for someone else.”

“Sounds like you should date them.” I smiled to soften my words. “Van, the one with all the pink glitter, he might be looking for a daddy.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure I know what he’s looking for.”

My fingers dug into the plastic tub, the edges biting into my fingers, but once I had the dishes stacked, I fished out my phone and called Barbie.

“Biiitch!” she said. “Tell me you’ve fell over and into a mass of big, muscly men with massive schlongs. Tell me you got it in every hole and it was goood.”

“The fuck?” I looked around the kitchen, but Chris had gone out the back for a smoke. “As if I’d tell you if I did, but seriously, have you got work on this afternoon?”

“Job’s been cancelled. I told them the glitter would not wash off in time for the wedding lingerie spread, but would they listen? No. Apparently gold glitter just makes white satin look cheap and tacky. Who would‘ve thought? Anyway, I’m wide open for you, Kenny girl.”

“How do you manage to make that dirty?”

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