Page 29 of All Too Well
I look around at this nasty cabin and shudder. “I sure as hell hope not.”
“Where the fuck are you staying, anyway?”
“Oh, it’s a cabin that is available for rent,” I say nonchalantly, because if my brother knew what this place looked like, he’d be in the car on his way.
I don’t need that. I need my story.
“Lachlan didn’t seem too excited by it. I’ve been in town and there’s really nowhere to stay.”
“I’m fine,Cas.”
“Okay,Ains,” he relents. “How’s Dad?”
I shift a little and pull my sweater around me. “He’s ... the Admiral. Still messing with the boat, pretending Mom is coming back to him, and letting me know all the things I do wrong in life.”
“Better you than me.”
I roll my eyes. “Yes, so much better. You should go see him instead of coming here,” I suggest.
Caspian and our dad do not mix well. They’re so much of the same person that when they’re together, it’s like someone spilled gas and we’re waiting for a spark. Lord knows I’ll be the collateral damage if I’m around.
Dad is tough. He believes that we’re all soft nowadays, and if we just put our heads down and worked harder, life would be better. In some scenarios, he’s probably right, but not in everything. However, according to my father, he’s never wrong.
Ever.
He spent the last fifteen years of his naval career commanding a fleet of ships, and if you ask him, he was the best there ever was.
My brother, on the other hand, was destined to follow in his footsteps, at least according to Dad.
Caspian lets out a low laugh. “Has he stopped talking about what a fuckup I am and that I’m wasting my life trying to make it in Nashville?”
“Nope.”
“Then I’ll visit Ember Falls.”
I figured as much. “If it makes you feel better, he thinks I’m a loser too.”
My brother huffs. “I feel mildly better.”
“I figured. It helps me to know that as much of a loser as he thinks I am, you’ve got the top spot.”
“Fuck off.”
I grin. “I love you too, Cas.”
“Yeah, yeah. Well, happy writing.”
“Happy being Dad’s least favorite,” I say with a smile he can’t see. “It’s really hard wearing this crown, if you could do something to ease my burden.”
He snorts. “I’m perfectly fine being in last place in this race.”
“Fine,” I huff. “I’ll continue to be his favorite.”
Caspian laughs. “And I’m Mom’s favorite.”
I wish that was a lie, but it’s true. “Lucky me.”
“I think it’s me who’s lucky here. Now don’t annoy Lachlan too much. He’s my favorite out of you two.”
