Page 20 of Yours to Break

“Not like it’s any of your business, but I went to Lane’s place,” I muttered wearily. Hudson opened the passenger side door, ushering me inside, while Hayes slid into the driver’s seat. I buckled in, admiring the cushy leather seat.

Hudson climbed into the back. “And how was he?” My lips tipped down as I thought about how to respond.

“He wasn’t there,” I stated, grimacing at the wobbly quality of my voice. Hayes turned to make eye contact with me.

“That’s too bad,” he said, although it didn’t really sound like he cared one bit. “For dinner, you’re choosing between our favorites: Mexican or Japanese. Or if you hate those options, we can just go wherever you want.”

“Um… Mexican sounds good,” I replied.

Hudson exclaimed from behind us, “Hell yeah, I won!” I watched, amused, as Hayes’s grip on the steering wheel tightened momentarily as he sneered at his brother through the rear-view mirror. He then grunted, and his face returned to its neutral state.

“Sorry, Hayes,” I quipped with false sincerity.

“I’ll win at other things,” he stated, eyes flickering to me for less than a second before returning to the road.

The drive to the restaurant was relatively short, but we filled the minutes with surprisingly lighthearted chatter. I learned that Hayes played piano, enjoyed classic literature and medical journals, and was born eleven minutes before Hudson.

Hudson liked running and cooking and had obvious resentment towards his brother for their birth order.

As we entered the restaurant and were seated, an uneasy feeling stirred in my gut. It was almost frightening how easily they’d managed to get me to relax and genuinely enjoy their company.

“So,” I hesitantly asked, “What do you guys do for work?”

“We’re contractors with our uncle’s company. That’s why our hours are so flexible. We only work when he needs us,” Hayes answered smoothly.

Contractors? That was like… construction, right? I didn’t want to seem stupid by asking.

I smiled, “Oh, that’s cool.”

“How long have you been working in antiques?” Hudson questioned, taking a sip of the Mexican beer he’d ordered.

“A couple of years now, but I spent most of my teens hanging out in the store, so I’ve been learning about it all for quite a while now,” I beamed. “I can’t remember if I’ve told you guys before, but I inherited my shop from my grandmother. I lived with her for a lot of my childhood.”

“That’s a great legacy for her to pass on to you. I’m sure she’d be proud of the work you’ve put into it,” Hayes surmised, his eyes soft as he looked at me from across the table.

Hudson added, “I agree. Although I’m sure she’d agree with us that you should hire at least some part-timers to help out.”

“Ugh, I feel like everybody’s been saying that lately,” I groaned, dipping a chip into the salsa cup before me. “My friend, Josh—he works at the coffee shop in town—has been bringing that up practically non-stop since the vandalism incident. I just… I’m not great with people, and I don’t know how well I’d be able to manage workers.”

“Have you ever thought about selling it? Or maybe hiring a manager to run it for you?” Hayes asked.

Shrugging, I said, “I wouldn’t sell it. Maybe a manager, but I don’t really know how to go about doing that. Besides, it’s not like I have anything to do aside from my work.”

The conversation ebbed and flowed throughout the night as we ate and drank to our hearts’ content. Each passing minute lowered my defenses even further. I found myself thinking that maybe I could pursue something with them. Maybe I could covet the attention of those ocean blue eyes for longer than just tonight.

As our waitress dropped off the check at our table, Hayes turned the conversation to topics I would never have entertained telling them if not for the two and a half strawberry margaritas I’d downed. “Is it weird to be on a date with two men? Or is this a common occurrence for you?”

I burst out in giggles, the alcohol causing my face to flush. I explained, “Considering that this is my first date, yeah—I’d say it’s pretty weird.”

“First date? So, if it were a second date, you’d be fine with it?” Hudson joked, pushing a shiny credit card on top of the bill.

“No, no. I mean, this is my first date ever.” Both of them froze, exchanging a heated glance with each other.

Hayes teased, “So you’re more of a dating app sorta guy? That’s unexpected.”

I blushed, mumbling, “N-no, I haven’t done that either.”

“You haven’t used the apps, or you haven’t had hookups?”

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