Page 7 of Somebody To Love

Of course it worked. It almost always worked. She nodded. “Yeah, she asked me what had gone wrong with it and if she needed to buy a new one, but I told her it was a simple ID 10 T issue.”

A wide grin spread across his face. “You called my sister an idiot?”

She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “Not to her face, it was over text. Besides, she doesn’t know ID 10 T means idiot. She just wanted an answer for why her system froze and this was the kindest way to put it.”

She’d never purposely be mean to anyone, especially not BJ’s siblings. They were closer to her than her own family, but she couldn’t resist a good computer geek joke.

A deep laugh rumbled from him. “Oh man, that’s so funny. She’d be pissed if she knew what that meant.”

“Don’t you dare tell her.”

“I won’t, but she has access to the internet, you know. She can look it up.”

“Yea, but will she?”

She doubted it. Charlie had number smarts, being an accountant and all, but she didn’t have the thirst for knowledge. Penny researched everything she didn’t know with enthusiastic vigor. Charlie liked what she liked and screw off to what she didn’t. Penny envied the woman in a lot of ways. She really wished she could have the F-off attitude Charlie gave the world. The courage to do and say what she wanted.

Like now. She really needed some of the bravery graced upon the only female Jackson child.

The show started, diverting their attention. They sat, eating their snacks, and finishing their beers while commenting on the hilarity of the show hosts. BJ laughed when one of the men tripped running away from a “strange noise” that sounded suspiciously like the cameraman farting.

“Do you think they really believe this stuff, or are they playing it up for the cameras?”

She shrugged. In all her pursuits of knowledge, she’d never come across any proof of ghosts or an afterlife. Like any good student of life, she knew just because something hadn’t been proven didn’t mean it couldn’t exist. People thought the world was flat for centuries until proven otherwise. While this show might be a tad on the corny side—the main reason they loved to watch—it didn’t mean ghost and spirits were fake.

“I think it’s a little of both, perhaps.”

A jewelry commercial came on showing men getting down on one knee while women cried and jumped up and down in the air, big happy smiles on their faces. Something inside her twinged with hurt and envy. How badly she wanted to be one of those women. All radiant smiles, having a man profess his undying love for her. But it wasn’t in her future. Her ex had proven that when he broke up with her.

“I can’t believe Del is getting married in a few weeks.” BJ shook his head, a smile lighting up his face. “I never thought we’d see the day he settled down. And sure as hell not before the rest of us.”

It had to be weird having your youngest sibling get married first. Del had been a well-known commitment phobe too. Add that to the shock pile.

“He seems happy,” BJ continued, twirling his beer bottle between his fingers. “Cassie is good for him. He sure as hell doesn’t deserve her, but she seems to find something to love about the knucklehead. Better him than me.”

A ping of sadness for her best friend filled her at that last bit.

She knew BJ didn’t want to get married. His father’s death hit him hard. They’d only just started their friendship when his father had died in action overseas and the devastating loss took a toll on his whole family. BJ told her one night, after too many samples of his family’s gin, that he never wanted to get married. He wasn’t a fun-time guy like Del had been before Cassie, but BJ didn’t do deep romantic relationships. He kept things very surface level. Which is why most of his girlfriend’s broke up with him after a few months despite him having the body of a Greek God.

And that right there was another point in favor of picking BJ to be her sperm donor. He would never get married, so there would never be a future Mrs. Jackson angry that her husband had a child with another woman. It wouldn’t be his child, technically, but they would share DNA and some people were uncomfortable with donation, surrogacy, and the like.

The list of pros just kept growing in her mind, but it still didn’t balance out the one con. The insurmountable mountain she couldn’t seem to climb over. She’d have to pluck up the courage and ask her best friend in the entire world to help complete her world. And she would…later…tomorrow definitely.

Yes, it could wait until tomorrow. Tonight, she’d just enjoy a night of silly TV with her best friend and then tomorrow she’d have the courage to ask him. She was sure of it.

CHAPTER 4

BJ sat at the table in the back of the distilling area where he and his siblings had their weekly meetings. Something still bugged him about last night with Penny. She’d seemed…off. He knew there was something on her mind. He wished she’d tell him, but she kept saying everything was fine. Even when he pressed her, she simply avoided his gaze, thanked him for the food and shoved him out the door. Well, not shoved shoved, because physical aggression was not Penny’s style. That was more his sister’s forte. But she’d opened the door and politely nudged him out, causing him to go home and worry about her all night.

“Hey space-wasters, how’s it hanging?”

He glanced up to see Del stride through the door, a big ass goofy grin on his face.

“Hey man, how’d the vacation go?”

“More of a staycation.” He winked. “We stayed inside all week. Didn’t get out of bed for anything but food.”

“We don’t need details, Delta.” Ace sighed, never looking up from the paperwork on his clipboard. “Just tell us you have everything set for your wedding so you can focus on the restaurant opening.”

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