Page 26 of Dr. Intern

I let him, leaning into his embrace as his chin rests on the top of my head. Parker may piss me off and try to control me, but he'll always be my older brother. My protector. My idol.

Just don’t tell him that.

“Cass keeps reminding me that we all handle grief differently,” he says, rubbing his hands across my back. “And I know I’ve been taking my hurt out on you instead of confronting it myself. That’s not okay, and I’m going to do better.”

I manage a small smile as I step back.

“Thank God for her,” I joke. “And just so you know, I haven’t made any job decisions yet. I promise I’ll let you know when I’m ready. But, I really have been better about shopping, I swear.”

I’ve been mostly spending my days reading and taking walks through Piedmont Park. It’s more than I was doing a week ago, and even though it might feel like a baby step to him, it was a huge hurdle to even get out of bed at first, so I’m proud of myself.

That’s not to say every day is easy, but they’re at least getting easier.

Parker nods, acknowledging my efforts. “I know. I’m still getting bank notifications every time you spend money. We need to get that sorted out.”

I bat my eyelashes at him. “Relinquishing control? Look at you making progress. Though, if you’re looking for something to control, I think the thermostat is broken.”

His expression shifts, hesitating before he speaks. “That’s actually why I came over to see you.”

I pull from his embrace and slide onto a barstool. “Oh thank god it wasn’t actually because you followed me around shopping today. I was debating calling your boss to tell him that you seriously needed to sort out your priorities.”

“Right.” He scrubs his hand over his face, completely ignoring my joke. “I wanted to chat about the spare bedroom. Do you ever use it?”

I furrow my brow, taking another sip of my soda. “Your old room? Ew gross, absolutely not. Mom and I stayed together in the guest room, and I honestly don’t think I’ve even opened the door.”

“Why did you say ew?” he asks, amusement in his tone.

“Are you kidding? I don’t know what kind of weird shit you did in there. It probably needs to be sterilized.”

“You’re ridiculous.” Parker shakes his head. “Glad to see a bit of your old self shining through.”

I grin, happy to see that part of me too. “Why do you ask?”

“Beau needs a place to stay for a few months, and I offered him my room.”

“What?” I sputter, nearly choking on my drink.

Parker looks confused by my reaction. “Beau’s going to stay here for a while.”

“I heard you the first time,” I stammer, trying to control the torrent of emotions flowing through me. “But don’t you think you should’ve checked with me first?”

“We’re discussing it now, are we not?” he responds defensively.

“A question and an order are two different things, Parker,” I shoot back, feeling cornered.

My brother can be the most dense person sometimes, good lord.

“He’s barely around anyway,” he explains, ignoring my comment. “The guy works over a hundred hours a week.”

I don’t know why he thought this would go smoothly. Even if you forget about the fact that Beau has seen me half-naked, I don’t want someone living with me. Being alone is the only thing I have right now. It’s helping me heal.

“I’m assuming my opinion on this doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters,” Parker says, though his tone suggests he’s already made up his mind. “But I don’t see why it’s such a big deal.”

I take a deep breath, working to calm my racing heart. “What if I said I don’t want him here? What then, Parker?”

He shrugs dismissively. “I mean, it is kind of my condo.”

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