Page 3 of My Crush's Brother

“Hey, big brother, how’s it going? You sound like I caught you sleeping.”

“Hey, man, how’s it going? When you getting your ass back to town?” I jump back out of my truck and kick at the dirt on the ground.

“I’m actually in an Uber heading to the airport now. My flight gets in around eleven. I was hoping you could set up a cabin for me if there’s any available?”

“Ha, yeah, you can have your pick of the litter. We currently have only two occupied, one by me.”

“The business is doing that bad, huh? Man, Mom didn’t let on that it was that serious of a situation.” I could hear the worry in his voice.

“Yeah, she’s in denial. Don’t worry about it; I’ve got it under control. You just get your ass home and buy me a beer.” I don’t let on that I’m just as worried. After dad passed, mom tried her best but she couldn’t keep up. I was around to fix things here and there but my contracting business kept me away and on the road most of the time. It wasn’t until recently that I decided to put my business on hold and take over the cabins. I told my mom this was it; this was a last-ditch effort. If it failed, she needed to consider selling the business.

I hang up the phone with Trevor and got back in my truck. I need to get over to the cabins and get one set up for him. My phone pings again with a text and I look down to see a message from my mom.

Pearl accepted the position and she’s real excited about it! I told her you’d be back around five to show her around.

I toss the phone on the seat next to me. “Great, just what I need. A peppy girl hanging around getting in my damn way.”

An hour later, I’m pulling back into the cabin parking lot. I had to run to town to pick up a few things I didn’t already have to get the renovations started. I see Pearl leaning against a baby blue Volkswagen Beetle. Why the hell you’d drive that car living in the Rocky Mountains is beyond me. She stands up and offers a hesitant wave as I back my truck in next to her.

I don’t have anything against the girl. Hell, she was always a cute kid and she grew up to be a beautiful woman. You cantell she doesn’t realize it, though. She isn’t that obvious beauty that knows it and flaunts it. She’s demure; her strawberry blonde hair is usually always swept back in some haphazard way with pieces falling out around her face. She has the biggest blue eyes I’ve ever seen; I remember her dad calling her birdy as a kid because of those eyes. I just don’t need the distraction of a million questions and some young smart-ass college grad who thinks they’ll know how to run this business better than me.

“Pearl,” I say, giving her a curt nod before walking behind my truck to let the tailgate down.

“Uh, hey, hi, Blake. I’m sorry if I interrupted your schedule. Your mama said you’d be around to give me a tour and talk about things?” She seems nervous.

“No bother. Just need to unload this before the rain lets loose,” I say as I grab the two-by-fours and hoist them over my shoulder. I make my way towards the tool shed when I hear a small grunt. I turn around to see Pearl attempting the same move I just made and failing.

“Whoa! Whoa!” I drop the wood on my shoulder and run back towards her, catching her around the waist with one hand and grabbing the wood with the other. She was about four seconds away from falling straight on her ass.

“I don’t need your help with this, Pearl. Just wait over there and let me handle this.” My words come out harsher than I intended but this is exactly the kind of situation I was dreading. The over-eagerness of a twenty-four year old making things harder than they need to be.

I glance down at my arm still halfway around her waist and pull away. Her warmth feels good against my chest and hips, and the scent of strawberries and vanilla wafts up from her hair as she half turns to look at me. I shake my head to clear the thoughts, most likely because I haven’t been with a woman inalmost a year. I grab the wood she dropped and take it back over to the other pile and take them into the shed.

I finish unloading the truck and make my way back over to where Pearl is standing. I hadn’t realized how petite she is. Her jeans cling to her as if they’re painted on and the cuffs are tucked into some hiking boots. She tugs absentmindedly at the sleeves of her light pink hoodie and squints at the setting sun. She’s gorgeous. I run my hands through my hair. I have no business noticing things like this with her. She’s way too young for me and I know she’s always had a thing for my brother.

“You ready?” I ask her. She smiles broadly and walks over to meet me. I walk her around the property, showing her the cabins and giving her a brief rundown of our current reno plans.

“So, when does Trevor get home? Your mom told me he was coming home?” I’m surprised it’s taken her this long to ask.

“I spoke to him earlier, and he gets in tonight around eleven. I actually need to get a cabin ready for him. Well, it’s ready, I just need to make sure the water heater is on and set the AC to a nice temp.” I run my hands through my hair again. I can tell I’m rambling a bit and I’m not sure what else to say to Pearl.

“Your mom said he’s single now?” Ah, there it is.

“You still holding out for that, huh?” I say the words before thinking and I can tell I’ve embarrassed her.

“What? No, no. I was just asking. What do you mean still holding out?” She crosses and uncrosses her arms as she speaks.

I can’t help but smile and shake my head. “It’s obvious, Pearl, always has been. You’ve been in love with Trevor since you were a kid.” Her mouth pops open but she doesn’t respond. “Now’s your chance, I suppose. Like my mom said, I guess he’s single now.” I turn and make my way toward cabin three to get it ready for Trevor. I pull the key from my pocket and slip it into the door.

“Do you think he’s into me too?”

I spin around to see Pearl on my heels, her hands in her back pockets. Jesus, I should have kept my damn mouth shut. I let out an audible sigh and step into the cabin.

“Hell if I know, Pearl. Now run along; I don’t need your help. I’ll see you on Monday.” I make my way through the back to check the water heater but she’s still on my tail.

“Do you think you could ask him for me? Like, not tell him I’m asking, but maybe see if he would be interested in me?”

“Are you kidding me? What is this—high school? Pearl, I don’t have time for your silly crush. If you want something with my brother, you need to approach him about it. Now, for the last time, I’ve got a lot of work today. Our meeting is done.”

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