Page 14 of Wildflower and Whiskey
By the time I walked over to Dad’s, I was late for our little welcome home party for Isabelle, who was home from university for the summer. So, I walked to the back sliding door that led to the kitchen, knowing it was probably where my family was congregating. I slid the back door open and stepped into the kitchen, where the noise hit me like a wall of laughter. My family was gathered at the island, six stools lined up like always. The seventh stool had been tossed on garbage day a long time ago, when Dad had one of his few outbursts of grief over Mom leaving us. Asher was picking on Bean; it was our nickname for Isabelle. Their dynamic made me laugh because they were pretty close in age, but Asher always liked to use the big brother card where she was concerned. Maybe because he watched me, Becket, and Eric playing that card, and he looked up to us in a way since he was the youngest brother.
“No, Asher isn’t ready to grow up,” I said as I closed the door behind me.
“Someone has to be irresponsible around here,” Asher shot back with a grin. “Besides, I’m only twenty-three.”
“Only,” Dad muttered, shaking his head. “I was a police officer at that age. And a father.”
“Well, we aren’t all built that way,” Asher said, leaning back smug.
The air thickened, so Bean broke in like she always did, “So, what’s for dinner?”
I bent down, kissing the top of her head. “Good to see you, Bean.”
“Thanks, you too,” she murmured, smiling up at me.
Eric, already playing chef, rattled it off, “Meat pie, mashed potatoes, petit rolls from the bakery. Oh, and maple-glazed sausages.”
“You’re making us all look bad,” Dad said, but his eyes crinkled in approval.
“That’s nothing new,” Eric chuckled.
I dragged out a stool and sat. “I’m starved. Bring it on.”
Dinner fell into the familiar rhythm of banter and teasing. Dad pretended not to enjoy us crowding his kitchen. Bean answered question after question, most of them harmless. But when I asked about her boyfriend, the whole room went silent.
Her answer was light, casual, but I saw the tightness around her eyes. I watched Asher bristle, knowing his protectiveness wasn’t an act. I even heard Dad’s quiet, dangerous promise that no one hurt his girl and walked away untouched. Bean had four older brothers who would do anything for her. We were fiercely protective of her as our dad had taught us to be. I felt that same protective pull over Elyna, but with her my reasons had been different. There was always something about Elyna that got my blood roaring. I knew better than to think that she annoyed me. It was her beauty. She may have gone through a rough patch when her mom died, but she still watched out for Luc, and I think she really held herself together because of him. Even if she had a knack of getting into trouble now and then, her sassypersonality multiplied tenfold. She was struggling. I saw that now. Couldn’t say I blamed her either. Her one solid parent died, and she was left with a kid brother and an alcoholic father to deal with. She was dealt a rough card and that made me feel sympathetic, but it wasn’t only sympathy I was feeling and that was the problem.
Bean kept insisting she was fine after her famous hockey player of a boyfriend cheated on her in a very public way. And maybe she believed it. But I didn’t. Later, when a knock came at the front door, I was already half-rising from my stool.
“I’ll get it,” I offered.
I opened the door to Luc, looking casual in a wifebeater and basketball shorts, but his eyes found Bean immediately. The kid didn’t even pretend. He’d been like a lovesick puppy ever since they were kids. I invited Luc inside and the family greeted him with warmth and familiarity, considering we probably spent as much time with him growing up as we did with Bean.
“It’s Chabot,” Asher groaned from the island. “Can you two not be apart more than an hour?” he asked Isabelle laughing.
I bit back a sigh. Luc felt at home with us. He shook our hands and fielded questions about contracts since he was headed to the NHL after his senior year at Riverside U. Bean was trying to play it cool, but I read through her nerves. Something was going on with those two. When Luc asked if she wanted to go for a walk, she didn’t hesitate. I didn’t stop them either. It wasn’t my place. Besides, I think each of us placed a bet at some point or another on them getting together.
Luc and Bean slipped out the sliding door, their laughter trailing into the night. The kitchen quieted, forks scraping plates, Asher still chewed too loud, like always. But I wasn’t eating anymore. My head was somewhere else, and I guess it showed, because Dad’s sharp eyes landed on me.
“You’ve been sitting there like a man carrying a mountain,” he said finally, breaking the silence. “What’s on your mind, Son?”
I shook my head, reaching for my beer. “Just a long day.”
Dad didn’t buy it. He never did. His gaze narrowed, then shifted. “How’s Elyna holding up at the brewery?”
The fork in my hand stilled. I forced my shoulders to loosen. “She works hard. Never complains. Manages fine.”
“Mhm.” Dad leaned back in his chair, one corner of his mouth twitching. “And how areyoumanaging with her around?”
Asher choked on his beer. “Oh, this is good . . .”
Dad cut him off with a look. “Don’t start. I’ve been around long enough to know when sparks are flying, even if two fools are trying to pretend otherwise.”
Heat crept up my neck, but I didn’t rise to the bait. “We keep it professional,” I said evenly.
“Professional,” Dad echoed, like the word amused him. He let it hang there, then sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “I should’ve told you boys this sooner. But it’s not light talk, and I don’t want your sister burdened with it, so this stays between us.”
The room shifted; the joking gone. Becket leaned forward, Eric stilled, Asher even shut his mouth.
