Page 10 of Knot Your Karma
“I knew I could count on you. Thanks, big brother. You’re the best.”
The line goes dead, and I’m left staring at my phone while a seagull cries outside like it’s commenting on my life choices. I dial Reed’s number because if I have to process Blake’s manipulation alone, I might actually throw something through this window.
“Please tell me you’re calling to say Blake found his compass in his sock drawer and we can all go home and pretend this never happened,” Reed answers on the second ring.
The knot between my shoulder blades loosens. I find myself sinking onto the bed.
“Not exactly.”
“Shit. Okay, how bad is it? Scale of one to Blake accidentally joined a cult again.”
“Blake never joined a cult.”
“That pyramid scheme thing came pretty close. And don’t get me started on the month he thought he was going to be a lifestyle influencer.”
I snort. “It’s complicated. Can you get Adrian on the line? I need to talk to both of you.”
“Hold on.” I hear Reed moving around. “Adrian! Conference call time. Dec’s having another Blake crisis, and I need backup to convince him he’s not responsible for his brother’s bad life choices.”
A few minutes later, Adrian’s gravelly voice joins the call.
“This better be important, Dec. I just spent four hours in a truck with Reed explaining why romantic comedies are an underappreciated art form.”
“Hey, those movies know what they’re doing,” Reed protests. “Great relationship examples, solid character development, and they always stick the landing.”
“They have predictable plots and unrealistic expectations.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing. Sometimes people need unrealistic expectations. Keeps life interesting.”
I lean back against the headboard and let their familiar banter wash over me.
“Focus, children,” I interrupt. “We have a problem.”
“What kind of problem?” Adrian asks, his voice sharpening.
“The family heirloom is definitely missing. Nobody’s seen it, nobody knows where it went, and Blake’s bonding ceremony is in four months.”
“So tell Blake he’s shit out of luck and come home,” Adrian says without hesitation. “Problem solved.”
“Oh, but wait,” Reed jumps in with false enthusiasm. “Let me guess—Blake called you with the full guilt treatment. Probably mentioned Nova, definitely mentioned Dad, maybe threw in some manipulation about being the responsible brother?”
“How did you?—”
“Because it’s Blake, and he’s been using the same playbook since college. What was the line?You always fix things, Dec?Or did he go with,I knew I could count on you?”
“Both, actually.”
“Called it. Adrian, you owe me twenty bucks.”
“I’m not paying you for predicting that Blake would manipulate Dec. That’s like betting water is wet.”
“It’s not manipulation,” I say, but the words sound weak even to me. Blake is definitely manipulating me.
“Dec,” Reed’s voice goes gentler but keeps that edge. “I say this with love—you’re like a golden retriever when it comes to Blake. Someone throws a problem at you, and you immediately start fetching solutions, even when the person throwing the problem created it in the first place.”
I lean against the window frame. A car drives down Main Street below, headlights sweeping across dark storefronts. My eyes stray to the little antique shop again.
“He’s my brother.”
