Page 36 of Happy Endings

“Night, big bro.” Keisha kissed his cheek and hugged him. She glanced at Trixie and grinned. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“What are you—” Andre started, but Keisha ran into the kitchen, giggling. She kicked the doorstop and let the door swing closed.

He shook his head at his sister, but he didn’t look upset. There was so much love between them. Trixie wished she was that close with her own siblings.

“Want another drink while I finish up? A Pants-on-Fire appletini maybe?”

“Very funny. Just water. Maybe that will help with my ankles.”

He squinted in confusion. She pointed to her swollen feet.

“Your ankles look normal to me.” He shrugged and quickly returned with a glass of ice water.

“Thank you,” she said softly after he handed her the drink. “For earlier. My sister texted that my dad is stable. They’re keeping him overnight.”

“That’s great news!”

They fell silent. Trixie replayed how she’d found comfort in his arms. She gulped the water to cool off her suddenly flushed body. She forced herself to focus on their business partnership.

“If you ever want a second career, you should join BedroomFrenzy.” Trixie chuckled. “I’ve dealt with hecklers before, but that woman was something else. I would have crashed and burned if you hadn’t come to my rescue.”

“I couldn’t stand how that woman was treating you. We should have stopped serving her alcohol sooner.” He picked up her feet and sat down on the chair they’d just occupied. Andre put her feet on his lap.

“What are you doing?” Trixie tried to sit up, but he held fast to her feet.

“Returning the favor from earlier.” He grasped her right foot and pressed the ball with his fingers. Then he ran his thumb firmly down her arch.

“Is that a threat—oh, wow.” She slid farther down in the chair, her head leaning back. “That feels so good.”

He switched to her left foot and gave it the same treatment as her right one.

“I could have handled her, you know.” She held back a groan as his thumb rubbed insistently over her arch. “I get hecklers all the time. Usually it means they’re intimidated by the products, or their partner—usually a guy—didn’t want them to attend the show.”

“She was rude to you, and I couldn’t stand it anymore.” His voice was soft, as if he didn’t want to wake her from the reverie of her foot massage.

Trixie heard herself murmur in agreement. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone besides her nail technician touched her feet. Andre’s hands felt ten times better. After a long, stressful day, the massage was almost as relaxing as a glass of merlot and her vibrator.

“I said it earlier tonight, but I’m saying it again. You’re really good at this.”

“You’re just saying that because I’m bringing customers to your restaurant.”

His hands stopped for a second then continued their firm pressure on her foot. Was it her imagination or did he stiffen when she said that? Why did she have to ruin one of the few moments where they weren’t bickering?

When he didn’t respond, she pulled her feet away and sat up. His eyes were sad and far away.

“Andre.” She touched his hand. “Is Mama Hazel’s doing okay? How bad is it?”

“Bad.” He sighed. “We’re barely hanging on. One of our fryers has been acting up. Keisha’s tuition for next semester will be due soon.”

“I had no idea. When you said things were tight, I didn’t think they were this bad.” Trixie scooted her chair closer to him and held his hand. “How can I help?”

“You can help by not telling Keisha. I don’t want her to worry.”

“But she’s your family. You two are so close.”

“Look what happened when you told your family the truth,” he shot back. “Sometimes it’s better to keep family in the dark.”

Trixie dropped his hand and looked away.

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