Page 5 of Getting Over You

“Fair,” EJ says. Then, like he’s just now remembering I’m standing here, waiting for coffee, he says, “Rory, meet my little brother, Cade. Cade, this is Rory.”

“You’re not very… little brother,” Rory decides. When I furrow my eyebrows, she says, “I mean. Because, like, EJ’s little brother shouldn’t be cute.EJ’snot cute.”

I feel the tops of my ears get warm. I’m no stranger to a woman telling me she thinks I’m attractive, but to follow it up with something similar toI wasn’t expecting that because I find your brother ugly?Interesting take.

I flash a million-dollar smile, dimples and all.

“Fuck off, both of you,” EJ says. “But especially you.” He points a long silver spoon at me from behind the counter at the same time that he finally sets my coffee down.

“Don’t be mean to him just because you’re the ugly one,” Rory says.

“Do you really believe that, Rory?” EJ asks her, eyebrows raised as he pours steamed milk into a to-go cup. “If memory serves, I don’t think you do.”

“Oh, get bent,” Rory says. She reaches her slender arm out, grabbing for the cup EJ presents her then. “Can we hang out at your place?”

EJ shoots a look at me, then turns back to Rory. “No, I have company.”

“I could join you and your hot brother company,” Rory offers, smiling mischievously in my direction. I like this girl already—clearly she likes screwing with EJ as much as I do.

“No.”

“EJ. You’re being a buzzkill.”

“I don’t care.”

“But—”

“No. I’m not even giving you the opportunity to convince my poor little brother that he wants to be taken advantage of by you.”

“I was thinking more along the lines of he’d take advantage of me,” she says, then dares to wink at me before throwing her head back in laughter.

“Enough,” EJ says. “You have your after-shift caffeine, and I need to start closing up.”

“Buzzkill,” Rory repeats. “You should have a welcome party at your house tomorrow. I’ll bring Belinda’s daughter so she can meet you. And we can get to know your hot brother better.”

“His hot brother has a name,” I say. My voice comes out weird and sounds like tires on gravel.

“He speaks!” Rory exclaims.

“Get out,” EJ tells Rory again. “Get outta here.”

Rory holds up her free hand, turning away from the counter. “Party tomorrow. Right, Hot Brother?” She calls as she pulls the door to Beach Brew open, and with it, a rush of chilly night air.

“You got it,” I tell her, holding up my coffee as a form of solidarity.

She’s laughing as she leaves.

When I turn back to EJ, he peers at me with dark eyes.

“You like Rory,” I say. When his lip twitches, I say it again.

“I put vanilla in that coffee, by the way,” EJ retorts. “Asshole.”

Chapter three

“It’s final this time.” I tell Mollie the next morning. She’s bent over a bowl of cereal across from me at the kitchen island. My eyes are swollen with tears, my chest aching. I barely slept last night.

“Oh, sister,” Mollie says softly. “Gah, it’s worse than I thought.”

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