Page 23 of My Best Friend's Brother
Guilt swelled in Pete at the sight of her bloody elbow. “We have medicine back at the office.”
He guided her out of the shed. Keke quickly disentangled herself.
They walked together in silence for a moment. “Keighly, I’m really sorry.”
Keke smirked. “It’s okay. Lesson two point five learned. Never go for too much. Read the girl, Petey.”
His gut tightened in embarrassment. He had read her but ignored the signs. He didn’t want to come across as predatory. She just looked…
Didn’t matter. She obviously only wanted to teach him, not experience it herself.
“It doesn’t hurt, does it?” he asked quietly.
Her voice was clipped. “Just stings.”
They entered the office. Keke sat on a desk while Pete pulled a first aid kit off a shelf. He opened it, spied the antiseptic, and held out his hand for her arm. After cleaning it with a wipe, Pete’s fingers moved in light, slow circles as he applied the ointment. Keke didn’t flinch.
“You could be a doctor, you know that? Or a nurse,” Keke stated, her lips in a small smile. “Your bedside manner is impeccable.”
Pete didn’t look up, feeling the burn in his cheeks. He cared about her, wanted her to know in the way he touched her.
“Instead of, what are you going to do in college again? Computer science?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
Pete pulled the wrapper off a bandage and carefully applied it over Keke’s wound. Again, he smoothed the edges with a gentle touch. He’d already hurt her enough. He still couldn’t meet her eyes because the embarrassment hadn’t subsided. It still gave him a funny feeling in his stomach that was quickly making him nauseous.
“What does that mean? Why wouldn’t you?”
Pete shrugged. “That’s not all there is to do.” He closed the first aid kit and replaced it on the shelf.
“Stop being so evasive and tell me. For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve always been about computers and computer games. Are you contemplating a different field of study? Nursing perhaps?”
She winked at him, and a little of his embarrassment disappeared.
“Not quite, but I appreciate you not making me feel like more of an idiot…all of that.”
“After you made me trip and fall over a box, you mean?” she asked with a challenging arch of her brow.
And the nausea was full blown. He swallowed down some bile.
“Sorry,” he whispered.
She waved a hand. “Forget about it. Tell me what you have planned.” She leaned forward and whispered, “Is it a secret?”
Pete came close, causing Keke to lean back slightly. Her eyes widened a touch before returning to normal. Pete caught her swallow. He took a step back. If she fell back over the desk, he’d never forgive himself.
“I’ll tell you if you give me something.”
Fear flitted across her face for a second before she laughed. “You had me going for a second, Petey. Still can’t believe you’re having trouble with women.” She slid off the desk and scooted around him. “Okay, what do you want?”
“I want to know why you didn’t come back. For your father’s funeral.”
All amusement in her face vanished. “On second thought, this might not be worth it.” She about-faced.
Pete caught her good arm and rotated her back. “Come on, Keighly. Quit thinking of me as Bertie’s dork brother and just…talk. Whatever it is, I won’t judge you.”
Her smile was sad. “Quite frankly, it’s hard to think of you as a dork looking the way you do, but that’s neither here nor there.”
