Page 14 of Bourbon & Bonfires

“Yeah well, she’s not with you for your charming personality either.” Jameson and Ben walk into the kitchen, setting a few six packs of beer on the counter. I laugh as I tap knuckles with Jameson.

“You guys are dicks. Let’s get this game going,” Owen says, rubbing his hands together. “I’m feeling lucky.”

“Wyatt should be here anytime. Pizza’s over there.”

The guys and I go about stuffing our faces with pizza and catching up on work when my brother finally walks through the door. Apologetic as usual, we wave him off when he starts to explain the reasons for being late. Everyone takes their seats, and we quickly fall into a game of Hold ‘Em.

After an hour, Owen’s declaration of how lucky he was feeling has become the brunt of all jokes, and he’s not taking it well. Each time he folds, I swear his scowl intensifies. I call for a quick break so I can break the seal but Owen declares an adult version of musical chairs and makes us all switch spots. He’s lucky we’ve all been friends long enough to expect this and nobody pummels him.

Twenty minutes later I hate to admit it, but the change in seats may have worked. Owen isn’t winning by any means, but he’s not losing his ass like before either. As the guys talk among themselves, I’m lost in thought of whether I should bring up Addy and see what their take is on how Taylor will react when I’m not given much choice but to talk about it.

“So, Lan,” Jameson says, eyeing the guys before continuing. “Who was the hottie in the red dress on New Year’s?”

I’m caught off guard and choke on beer as I take a drink. After a few coughs and a slap to the back from Wyatt, I look wide-eyed at the table. All of them are smiling like they ate the fucking canary. Dicks.

“That’s what I thought. You’re holding out on us, man.”

“Owen, I am not holding out. I went to The Road and hung out with a new friend. That’s it.” Not a lie.

“Yeah, well from what I hear you did more than hangout. And for the record, we’re friends, but if you ever grab my ass like you did hers, I’m going to have to cut your nuts off.”

We all laugh at that and I pause before saying anything. These guys are my brothers, and as much as I want to avoid this topic, this is Lexington. I was stupid to think nobody would see us or say anything.

“Fine. I was hanging out with Addison. I actually met her at your wedding, Ben.”

“Addison? I don’t think we know an Addison. Was she there with someone? A plus one?”

“Kind of.”

“Dude, just fucking spit it out.” I glare at Jameson who has a huge smile on his face. He knows.

“She’s Taylor’s sister.”

A chorus of “oh shit” and “ouch” circle the table.

“It’s not a big deal. I mean, we hung out. That’s it.”

“Mrs. Larson was telling Minnie how you and ... let me see what she called her.” He pauses in mock thought and I want to punch Owen in the face. He’s loving this a little too much. “A hot little number,” he shouts, snapping his fingers like it’s suddenly come to him. “Yeah, that’s what she called her. She also implied that the way you two danced was close enough to watching porn. Which, by the way, I never wanted to know about Mrs. Larson so thanks for that.”

Damn small-town living. “It’s no big deal. We hung out, we danced, we shared a kiss at midnight, and then she ran like her feet were on fire. I’ll probably never hear from her again.”

“Yeah well,” Ben begins as he stands, “what are you going to do about Taylor? I like the guy but he’s a little intimidating. I can’t believe hooking up with his kid sister is going to play out well.”

“Older,” I reply, which causes confusion. “She’s his older sister. I’m not sure by how much but she did mention that. And her kid.”

At the kid response, each of the guys starts laughing. I saw my brother wipe a tear from his eye because he’s laughing so hard. I fail to find humor in this and rise from my seat with the bowl of pretzels and gather the empty beer bottles. When I come back to the table with fresh beers for everyone, they’re still laughing and talking among themselves. I assume the topic is over and pick up the deck to shuffle.

“I think you need to tell Taylor. And as much as I’m stoked about being a dad, a chick with a kid is a big deal, man.”

“Jameson’s right, Lan. Tread carefully. Where’s the dad?” Wyatt asks. I shrug in response.

We didn’t talk about this stuff the other night. Addy was a little evasive when I tried to broach any topic remotely personal. She did let it slip a few times that she has a son, and her reference to nineties fashion made me realize she must be a few years older than Taylor. Which means, she’s more than a few years older than me.

We didn’t talk about age or what was happening in my life. I can only assume her past, her relationship with her son’s father, and her son are why she ran. Maybe the reality that she’d just spent her first New Year’s in Lexington with a stranger was too much for her. That’s too bad because I think I’d like to spend more time with her and get to know her. Age doesn’t matter to me and having a kid isn’t a factor. I’m not looking to be someone’s dad, but I don’t mind if there’s a kid in the picture.

“I have no idea. We didn’t get too personal.” That comment earns me a scoff from my brother and a few waggling eyebrows. “Shut up. It was casual, we kept the conversation light. No big deal. All I really know is she moved here recently, has a kid, and referred to her ex, who by the way sounds like a complete asshole, and that’s about it. I don’t even know her last name.”

“Well, take it from experience. Tell your buddy before he finds out you’ve got it bad for his sister.” Jameson nods his head toward Ben, who is smiling. I know for a fact there wasn’t much drama when Jameson admitted his feelings for Ben’s little sister. The fact that he’s even mentioning it is almost ridiculous.

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