Page 76 of Game On

Dorian scoffed. “They haven’t attended since I was in grade ten. Charlie and his dad used to swing by and pick me up on Sunday mornings so I could go with them.”

Jamie didn’t know how much older Adriana was, but obviously there were enough years between them that she hadn’t been around from the time Dorian was fifteen or sixteen. Jamie palmed Dorian’s back, sliding his hand around to his opposite hip.

Adriana played with the tassel on her purse. “Do you want to skip brunch and have lunch with me instead?”

“Why?” Dorian asked, suspicion creeping into his voice. “What’s wrong?”

“What? No, nothing. I thought we could... chat.”

“The last time we chatted, you criticized my outfit, my hair, and the way I live my life. I think I’m good.”

A crease appeared between Adriana’s brows. “I didn’t.”

“You did.”

Jamie had no idea what was going on and the vibe between the siblings was... weird. “Can I get you a glass of water?” he offered. He didn’t like the way Dorian held himself so rigidly, and a distraction might help.

She smiled at him gratefully and took off her boots. “Sure.”

She was significantly shorter without them, but it didn’t diminish her presence in any way. Dorian was the same in that respect—he commanded attention in a room, even when he didn’t say anything.

“What were you doing at Mom and Dad’s?” Dorian asked as they traipsed into the kitchen.

“My flight landed at seven, so I went over for breakfast. When I asked them about you, they said they hadn’t seen you in a while.”

Dorian leaned back against the counter. “You could say that.”

He didn’t elaborate.

“Where are you staying?”

“Nowhere right now. Thank you,” Adriana added when Jamie handed her a glass of water. “My hotel room got cancelled on my flight over and I haven’t had a chance to book a new one.”

“Bummer,” Dorian said.

Jamie looked from one to the other and did something that would probably get him banned from Dorian’s bedroom for the foreseeable future. “Dorian has extra beds.”

Dorian slow panned in his direction.

“And silverware,” Jamie went on, rocking on his heels. “And plates. There’s even a cute little lamp on one of the new nightstands downstairs.”

Annoyance blazed in Dorian’s eyes. He inhaled deeply, nostrils flaring, and a muscle ticked in his jaw.

“You’re finally furnishing the basement?” Adriana sat on a barstool. “About time, eh? You’ve only been in this house, what? Four years?”

She’d clearly meant it as a tease, but Dorian’s shoulders stiffened into an unyielding line. “Why are you here?”

The slight smile fell off her face. “Oh. Well.” She licked her lips. Threaded her fingers together on the countertop. “I wanted to invite you to my grand opening. Mom and Dad can’t come because... well. You know them.”

“What do you mean, they can’t come?” Dorian cocked his head. “But they always show up for you and Phillip.”

Phillip must be the older brother.

“Yeah.” Her bark of a laugh held no humour. “Sure, Dorian. Anyway, I was going to ask Phillip to attend, but then I realized I don’t really want him there. He’s even worse at answering my texts than you are. But I thought you might like to come and support my new business,” she rushed on. Her knuckles turned white. “You too, Jamie. It’ll be fun. We’ll have hors d’oeuvres and drinks, and I’m trying to get local bloggers and reporters to come too.”

“What’s the grand opening for?” Jamie asked.

“I’m opening a retail store in one of the malls in Southern Ontario that will sell products from female-owned businesses across the country.”

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