Page 2 of Midnight Oil

My brother and I ribbed each other constantly, but in truth, since we were raised by a single mother, Trey, who was three years older, had to be both a brother and a dad to me. I knew that we always had each other's backs, and I could always count on him when I needed support or advice. He was smart, so smart that he and his three best friends from school whipped up a multibillion dollar company out of thin air—and a few trusting investors. I couldn't have been more proud of my big brother.

"Yep, I've taken enough falls from a horse to know that you should never go head first toward the ground." I zipped and buttoned and secured myself into the jumpsuit. Skydiving had been Zane's idea. Actually, it started with his girlfriend Rainsford, who talked us all into our first jump. We got hooked. Raini, who was as wild as she was beautiful, had bored of it quickly. Now it was just a guys' day out kind of thing.

"Actually, I'm surprised you're still working at that place," Chase said. "Usually you've moved on by now. Just like with you and women, once the novelty wears off, you pack up your endless supply of condoms and hit the road."

"I think I'm being unjustly characterized because I didn't bring you a coffee, England," I said.

"The only reason he's sticking it out with the jousting thing is because he's had his eye on one of the food servers." Trey was scrolling through his phone as he blurted it out.

I leaned back with a head shake. "Shit, that's the last time I tell Georgie anything. I told her that in confidence." I shook my head again. "Those darn journalists."

Trey's face popped up. "Ah shit, don't tell her I told you. She's going to be pissed."

I laughed dryly. "Too late for that, bro."

"So who is this elusive woman?" Aidan asked.

I shrugged but my mind went straight to Suzy. "Remember that girl in high school, the one who was older and popular and didn't know you existed but that didn't stop you from ogling her, watching every movement of her sweet little body as she pulled a textbook from her locker and sipped a bottle of soda with her friends in the lunch area? You know the girl. We've all had at least one in our lives."

"Not me," Chase quipped.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, not the England brothers, of course. I'm talking about us regular, mortal guys."

My trip back to high school had left Zane with a glassy look in his eyes. "Hannah Young," he said. "She used to bite her lip every time she walked up to the pencil sharpener. And her ass would sort of sway back and forth like pendulum while she turned the arm of the sharpener. Yep, Hannah was that girl for me."

Trey looked over at him. "Really? I thought you were always wearing a hard on for Rebecca Moore."

"Oh right, her too. I guess I had more than one of those girls." Zane went back to cleaning his goggles.

Aidan pulled his long hair back into a rubber band. "You're not exactly that skinny dork you were in high school. Why the hell are you ogling this girl like a high school crush? Seems like you would have already had her in your bed by now."

I picked up my flight suit. "Suzy isn't like that. Besides, she is living with a guy."

There was a simultaneous 'ahh, that explains everything' comment in the room.

I looked at Chase who had said it the loudest. "Why does that explain everything?"

Chase tilted his head side to side. "She's taken and you can't have her and that is exactly why you want her."

I shook my head. "Nope, you're wrong about that, England."

Trey got the text from the pilot to let us know the plane was ready. We picked up our gear and headed out to the runway. A small plane roared past us and lifted off toward the blue summer sky.

"I think when I get tired of jousting in front of thousands of drunk people shoveling turkey legs into their mouths, I might become a flight instructor," I mused as we headed out to the plane.

"Hey, nimrod," Aidan said, "don't you need to be a pilot first?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, so I guess I'll do the pilot thing, then ease into flight instructor."

"Or you could just come work for your brother, instead of hopping from career to career," Trey suggested. He had offered me a number of positions inside the Plaything Company, but I was sure it would be a bad idea.

I laughed loud enough that it was easy to hear over the buzzing sound of the plane engine. "Remember, bro, family and business should never mix."

Aidan, whose big strides had carried him ahead of Trey and me, looked back over his shoulder. "Chase's brother, Heath, is working under me in the warehouse, and I've only wanted to draw and quarter him three, maybe four times."

"Yes, but the warehouse is separate from the main building and besides, Heath is older than Chase so Heath can still hold the big brother power thing over him. I'd be going in defenseless."

"Yeah, yeah, never mind," Trey snarked. "Just keep playing medieval knight. You live in a fantasy world anyhow, you might as well work in one. By the way, are you coming to the barbecue tonight? It's your turn to bring the beer."

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