Page 69 of Falling into Place
“I just wanted to let you know so you’d ... I don’t know, be assured what you’re doing is worth it, I guess. I know it was unconventional and a lot to ask.”
“Especially of you,” Sasha added.
“But from the business perspective,” Macy continued, “it’s doing exactly what we need it to.”
“Good,” Brooks said, his mother’s smile looming large behind his sister. “That’s really good. That’s what this was all for, right?”
“Partly,” Macy agreed. “But it was also about you. So I also wanted to formally check in and see how you’re doing. Sasha seems to think you’re enjoying yourself, too, but we both know she can embellish.”
“Hey!”
Brooks snorted and Macy asked, “Where’s the lie?”
Sasha scowled and said nothing.
“So?” Macy prompted. “How are you doing with this whole thing?”
While they all wanted to keep their mom’s dream alive, he believed his sisters honestly thought the whole endeavor would be good for him, too. Family business or not, they wouldn’t have asked him to do it otherwise. So he gave them a mostly honest answer, omitting the part about his growing infatuation with his personal stylist.
“I am having a good time,” he said. “You two were right. I’d turned into kind of a loner and forgotten what it was like to get out and meet new people. It’s been fun. More than I thought it would be.”
Some degree of tightness left Macy’s shoulders, reminding Brooks how she’d often felt responsible for her younger siblings. He’d doubtless caused her a few gray hairs over the years. “Have you met anyone you really like?”
Yes, but not through the app. And he liked her more than he’d ever liked anyone else, like ever, which was a little unnerving.
“I ... don’t know,” he hedged, unsure what else to say.
Macy squinted at him, and from his left Sasha leaned toward him.
He squirmed and took a massive bite of pizza.
“Oh my God, you have,” Sasha exclaimed. “When? Who is it? I can’t believe I didn’t pick up on it in the articles! Is it serious?”
“Whoa,” Brooks mumbled through his full mouth, palms up.
“Sorry, sorry,” Sasha said, duly chagrined. “You’re right. Too much.”
“What she meant to say was, you’re giving off some kind of vibe that I’m sure is unintentional, but we’re your sisters so naturally we picked up on it,” Macy said, ever the calm, rational one. “So we’d like more information if you’re willing to share.”
Calm, rational, and damned effective—because he wasthisclose to putting everything on the table and asking them for advice. He just as quickly decided against it, though, because while Macy would be reasonable, Sasha might flip out. She’d hated it when he messed around with her friends in high school, and none of those girls had been anywhere near as close to Sasha as Carly.
“I’ll pass,” he said. Sasha squeaked in dismay, so he added, “For now. Let me see how it goes first, okay? When I’m ready to talk about it, you’ll be the first ones I come to.”
“Of course,” said Macy.
Sasha nodded and kept quiet, her face red with the effort.
It was silent for a moment, then he said, “What do you think Mom would have thought about all this, anyway?”
“With us running the business, or using her only son as the center of our revival campaign?” Macy asked.
He laughed. “Both.”
“I think she’d have loved anything that brought us together,” she said, “and that connected us more with our community.”
“That’s what her whole life was about,” Sasha agreed. “Family and community.”
Brooks smiled as an unexpected gratitude settled along his rib cage. “That and Ralph’s pineapple pizza.”
