Page 94 of Someone You Deserve

Dallas grabs a burger from under the heat lamps and sits it in front of my usual stool at the bar. “Just finished up.” He assesses me with his eyes. “You need a shower.”

“Yeah, I know. The grout gets fucking everywhere, but I’m finally done with the tiles in both of the showers on my rental.”

“Making progress then?” Dallas asks, leaning up against the bar. It’s just him and me right now, but Grady and Parker will be here any minute.

“Slow progress, but I guess that’s better than nothing.” I pick up my burger and take the biggest bite I can muster, needing food before my stomach eats itself.

“So quit working for me then. Give me your two weeks’ notice right now.”

“I’m not ready,” I mumble around my food.

“Does that have to do with Dad?” he asks, catching me off guard but striking a chord nonetheless.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He sighs and brushes a hand through his hair. “I know you and I had a different relationship with Dad, but I envied how you were always with him—helping around the Veteran’s Center, checking on families of Marines that were on deployment, and fixing up things around the house. He taught you to fix what’s broken and help out your neighbors, and it’s noble, Penn. Really fucking noble, and makes me proud to call you my brother. But, I also feel like he projected this sense of obligation on you where you feel like you can’t say no now.” Shrugging, he moves to the soda fountain and fills up a glass of Coke for me and slides it across the bar. “I guess I’m just trying to tell you that it’s okay to be selfish, Penn. I mean hell, you did that with Astrid, right?”

“Yeah, but look at how long that fucking took,” I huff out.

“But you got what you wanted, right?”

“Almost.”

“Is that why you two are going away this weekend?” I stare at him, wondering how he knows that, but he answers for me. “Astrid told Willow.”

I nod in understanding. “Yeah, I just hope we can get on the same page.”

“You will. I believe in that. I’ve watched the two of you dance around each other for years, and if you don’t, then all of this would have been for nothing,” he says. “Make her see that she’s the one you can’t live without.”

“There you go with the relationship advice again.”

A pleased grin stretches across his lips. “I’m getting pretty wise since Willow came into my life.”

“Thank God because I was wondering if you were adopted there for a while.”

He tosses a dry dish towel at me just as Parker and Grady walk in through the front doors of the restaurant. “Is it Friday, yet?” Grady grumbles as he takes his stool next to me and Parker sits on the other side of him.

“I echo that sentiment,” I mumble around another bite of my burger, although I can’t tell Grady why I’m chomping at the bit for the weekend to be here. Wanting to defile his sister all over the cabin I rented is not something he needs to know.

“I hate Christmastime,” Parker says, popping a fry into his mouth.

“Isn’t it supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year?” Dallas asks sarcastically.

“Sure, but people are also irresponsible pet owners during the holidays. Do you know how many emergency surgeries we have to perform because dogs and cats ingest decorations?” Parker shakes his head. “I had a dog come in today that has a strand of garland coming out of its ass. The poor guy.”

“Did you save him?” Grady asks.

“Yeah, but it will take some time for him to fully recover.” He picks up his tuna melt and takes a huge bite out of it. “I need a fucking vacation.”

“Same,” Grady echoes.

“You’re preaching to the choir,” I say, finishing off my burger.

“You are taking the weekend off, aren’t you?” Dallas asks as I flick my eyes to him and flash him a glare of epic proportions.

“You? Taking a break?” Parker snaps his fingers. “It’s because of the comment about the bags under your eyes Hazel made at Thanksgiving, isn’t it?”

“Fuck you,” I spit back. “And no. I just…want some time away.”

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