Page 6 of Fair Play
“Yeah.” He stares straight ahead as he pulls into traffic.
“Let me guess—you didn’t let them call you up because you didn’t want to pull her out of school or whatever.”
“I didn’t want to disrupt her life any more than it already was. She lost both parents, broke her femur and would need rehab, had PTSD from the accident… she’s been through a lot.”
“She was in the car when it happened?” I groan.
Even a grumpy fuck like me feels a wave of sympathy for a teenage girl who had to live through that.
“Help didn’t come for hours. She watched them die. There was nothing she could do—she was trapped between the door and the seat, her femur shattered.”
“She okay now?”
“Physically, yes. We used to work out together a lot, so I could make sure she healed properly. And of course, I had good health insurance.”
“You’re close?”
He hesitates. “Close-ish. She thinks I’m too overprotective, that I try to control her.”
“Do you?”
A light chuckle. “Maybe a little? She was just so messed up after the accident. She would have nightmares unless I slept on the floor next to her bed.”
“You’re a good brother,” I say gruffly. That’s more than I probably would have done for my sisters.
“I do my best but we fight a lot now. She wants her freedom, and I just want her to be safe. I knew she shouldn’t have moved into this place. I fucking knew it, but I couldn’t stop her either. After one semester living together, she left.”
“I don’t have any experience with this, but from the outside looking in, I think you have to let kids spread their wings. That’s the only way you can ensure they fly back to you. Or somethinglike that.” Where the hell did that bit of ageless wisdom come from?
Bodi seems to be considering what I’ve said. “She’s an adult, about to have a college degree, so I know she’s strong and capable. I just worry. You know how guys in their twenties can be.”
I arch one brow. “You mean—like you?”
He grunts. “Exactlylike me. I’ll fucking kill anyone who treats her the way I treat women.”
“Ever occur to younotto treat women that way?”
“Okay, let me rephrase. I’m not a bad guy. I don’t abuse them in any way, physically or otherwise. I’m just…not looking to settle down. One and done. And I’m clear about that. So I’m not a liar either. I just don’t see them more than once. Maybe twice. And we have a lot of fun while I’m around.”
“There are lots of ladies who appreciate that.”
“I don’t think my sister is one of them.”
“Are you sure?”
“Noooo.” He draws out the word on a groan. “Jesus. I can’t ask her if she likes having one-night stands.”
“Then maybe don’t make assumptions.”
“Well, I’m going to assumeyoudon’t have a sister?”
“Actually, I do, but I don’t try to boss them around. That used to be my mom’s job until they became adults.”
“Well, Iworryabout her,” Bodi admits after a hesitation. “She was a figure skater before the accident, but even though her leg is healed, she still has stiffness and discomfort now and then. She had to give it up. Doctor told us she would probably have arthritis at a young age. Shit like that. So yeah, I’m overprotective, but it’s because I care.”
“You can care without stifling her,” I say with a shrug. “But that’s the extent of my sage advice since I don’t know her.”
“Well, now you’re going to meet her. Okay with you if she crashes on the couch until I can find her another place to live? If she was desperate enough to call me, things must be bad.”
