Page 56 of Not Quite Perfect

Victoria

“You’re goingto have to talk to mom at some point.” Alex grabbed one of the apples David and I had picked at my favorite pick-your-own orchard that weekend. Biting into it, he made a face and turned to spit it into the sink. “Ugh, what the fuck kind of apple is this?” He glared down at the offending apple.

“It’s an American heirloom variety called Esopus Spitzenburg, and it’s not for you to eat.” I tugged it out of his hand and reached for one of my knives that were hung on the wall behind him. Cutting the apple in half, I tossed the part he’d taken a bite out of into the garbage and set the other half aside for later. “I’m making cider.”

“With that thing?” The incredulous look on his face was pure comedy gold.

“You won’t be saying that at Christmas when everyone else is loving their homemade gifts.” I washed the knife and set it in my drying rack.

He leaned close and studied me like he would the evidence at a crime scene. “Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?”

“Now that I’m working with Cass, I have a lot more free time than I did before,” I answered, dropping down into one of my kitchen chairs. “I need hobbies.”

Alex settled his big, bulky body into the seat across from me. “And your first thought was to start making booze?”

I shrugged. “David and I went apple picking last weekend, which led to cider tasting. Next thing I knew we were ordering a fruit crusher, fermentation buckets, rubber tubing, yeast, and everything else you need to make your own cider.” I looked around my tiny kitchen, wondering how big of a mess I was going to make once I actually got started. Apprehension caused my shoulders to tighten. “It sounded so easy at first, but I think I might be in over my head.”

“Why don’t you just buy cider from someone else like a normal person?”

“Hobbies, remember?”

Alex laughed. “I take it the job is going well then?”

“Yeah, I was worried at first because I didn’t know what I was doing, but it turns out all I have to do is make Theo sound smart.”

“Good luck with that,” Alex snorted.

I debated whether to say anything about what I’d observed these past two weeks, but then figured with as close as Alex and Theo were, he might be able to help me navigate the situation. “It’s kind of weird working with Cass though.”

“How so?” he asked, resting his tatted forearms on the table.

“She’s a really great boss. Supportive, but able to give constructive criticism. She’s totally different at work than she is outside the office, so it’s been interesting to see that side of her. But she’s also completely in love with Theo, and our conversations can get … awkward.”

It felt disloyal to say anything more. Like the fact that she started every conversation by asking after my brother. Sure, he was the CEO of the company where we all worked, but you didn’t typically ask how your boss had spent his weekend unless you were either a creeper or hopelessly in love with him.

Alex blew out a breath. “Poor fuck. I don’t envy him.”

I reached across the table and smacked his arm. “Hey! Theo would be lucky to land someone as awesome as Cass.” I didn’t feel disloyal to our oldest brother by stating as much. Cass was amazing. Theo was pretty awesome too, which was why I thought they’d make a great couple.

Alex rubbed the spot where my palm had connected. “I didn’t mean it like that. All I’m saying is Theo’s in love with her too. But as long as he doesn’t know for sure that she feels the same way, he can pretend it’s this stupid, unrequited crush. The moment he finds out that she’s as far gone on him as he is her is the moment when he has to accept that there’s nothing he can do about it. Not unless one of them quits their jobs. And we both know that’s not going to happen. So back to my original statement: he’s a poor fuck any way you slice it.”

“Yeah, he’s fucked,” I agreed sadly.

My poor brother. He’d finally landed the job he’d wanted his entire life, only for it to be the thing that forever closed the door to him having the woman he’d wanted his whole adult life.

Alex shook his head and smirked. “I’m telling you; that’s why my way’s better.”

“Oh?” I asked with a skeptical raise of my eyebrow. “Would this be the love ‘em and leave ‘em method of relationships you’re so fond of?”

“Don’t use that word with me.” He pretended to shiver with revulsion.

“You’re terrible,” I laughed, choosing not to give him a hard time like I could have.

Alex wanted everyone to think he was this hard-nosed badass, but underneath that gruff exterior he was a big old softie. Someday, some woman was going to make him fall to his knees and worship the ground she walked on. Personally, I couldn’t wait to watch it happen.

“You’re only saying that because you’re all domestic and shit now.” His gaze took in my overflowing kitchen.

In addition to all of the cider-making supplies, my counters were also cluttered with small appliances, foodstuffs, and other random objects that David had brought over from his kitchen. Merging our belongings these past couple of weeks wasn’t going quite as smoothly as we’d anticipated. It turned out he was appalled by my Keurig, while I didn’t understand why anyone needed an espresso maker that had more functionality than my laptop. For all the times I’d eaten breakfast at his place, I’d failed to notice just how passionate he was about coffee. For his part, he’d missed how many decorative pillows I owned.

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