Page 88 of Sycamore Circle

“I’m on my way over to see someone but I have a couple of minutes.”

“You got another idiot to straighten out?”

The insinuation chafed him but he pushed it away. This was nothing new and no good would come out of correcting him. “No. It’s something personal. I recently started seeing a woman.”

“Oh yeah? What’s her story?”

“Nothing that she would appreciate me sharing before you’ve met her.”

“Wait. She’s that kind of gal?”

His brother’s condescending tone was starting to get pretty old. “What’s going on?”

“I called to see if you were going to be home anytime soon. Are you planning to come for Easter?”

That was at the end of the month. “I should be. Why?”

“Beth asked.”

Beth was Eric’s oldest daughter. She was sixteen. “You can tell her I’ll be there if I can. I’m planning on it.”

“Okay. Good.”

Something was going on with him. “Why?”

“I don’t know. She hasn’t told Rebecca or Mom. But she was anxious to see you.”

“Do you want me to call her? I could reach out to her tomorrow. Text her in the afternoon when she’s done with class.”

“Do you mind, Bo? She adores you.”

The hesitancy in his brother’s voice caught him off guard. “Of course not. You know I don’t mind helping out family.”

“Thanks.”

“No reason to thank me. I love Beth. I love all your kids.”

“So what’s this woman like?”

Usually he would never tell Eric anything but something inside of him was saying that it was time to do a bit of sharing, too. “She’s divorced. Has a teenaged daughter. Sweet.”

“Where did you meet her?”

“At a coffee shop.”

“Whoa.”

“What? Are you surprised I drink coffee or that I speak to people there?”

“I guess I deserved that.”

“Eric, I’ve made a lot of piss-poor choices in my life but I’m not what you think I am.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“That half the time I feel like you think I’m hanging out at biker bars doing Jell-O shots or something.”

“Would you blame me?”

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