Page 11 of Lucas (Life in the Brohouse 7)

This should be interesting. As much as I worry about what this meeting will do to Rachel’s sanity, I’m thankful for the distraction away from Alex.

“I’ve brought cocoa!” Sarah announces cheerfully while tripping into us. She shoots a dark glare at the group of girls standing nearby. The girls sneer at her, looking her up and down before turning and whispering something amongst themselves.

“Excuse you!” Sarah says angrily before turning back to us, flashing a bright smile as if she didn’t just yell at minors. “Here!” She nudges Hunter with the drink carrier. ’Take one! Pass them around.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Miller,” Hunter says, his eyes widening as he just realized his mistake. Miller is her ex-husband’s last name. Yep. This is about to get really interesting. Thanks, Hunter, for the free entertainment. “I mean. S-Sarah. Or—” Hunter grimaces and takes his drink, gulping down the hot cocoa to avoid digging himself a deeper hole.

Sarah laughs it off and swats his shoulder. “Oh, Hunter, you can call me Sarah. And this,” she turns around and places a hand on her boyfriend’s chest, gazing up at him like a lovesick school girl, “is my new man, Bryan. Bryan, this is my Rachel.”

I watch Rachel step forward as if she’s on the chopping block. Bryan politely holds out his hand, his smile reminding me of one of those hyenas I’ve seen on TV, when they’re prowling towards their next victim.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Rachel,” Bryan says, his voice unusually high for a man of his age and grating to the ears. Maybe he’s nervous, or maybe he’s annoying. I don’t know. I guess I don’t like him but I don’t like anyone Rachel deems beneath her. Poor guy. He doesn’t have a chance at all.

“You, too,” Rachel says with an awkward chuckle.

“Your mother has told me all about you. It’s too bad you couldn’t join us at La Grenouille last night.”

That’s because she didn’t want to cancel on her dad, dick-wad. I grab my hot cocoa from the drink carrier, watching Rachel’s smile fall. Her shoulders slump forward and I notice the energy around her shift, like she’s already exhausted and she’s only been around her mother and this Bryan for all of three minutes.

“Well, Rachel was busy last night,” Lucas says while wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to him. Lucky bastard gets to play knight-in-shining-armor I see.

“I don’t understand why your father couldn’t have rescheduled,” says Sarah with an eye roll.

Bryan has the audacity to look mildly irritated. Why does he get an opinion? How long have they even been dating? Of course, Rachel is going to choose seeing her dad over meeting her mom’s latest conquest. I mean, yay for Sarah, that’s great she’s able to move on and get laid. I’m never against women getting it on, or whatever, but Rachel shouldn’t be put in the middle like this. It’s not fair to her. She’s the child.

Rachel sighs and glances upwards briefly. “I wasn’t going to cancel on Dad, Mom,” she starts, her voice slightly shaking. I can tell she’s trying to gather everything she has to tell her mother off, create some sort of boundaries. Yet, Sarah’s eyes are narrowing into this shrewd look that makes me think, she’s really not getting it. She’s putting her own needs over her daughter’s.

“I’m only here for a few days,” Rachel continues, “besides, have you seen the place he’s staying in?”

Sarah chuckles and shakes her head. “No. It’s in Brooklyn and Bryan and I never leave Manhattan. Isn’t that right, sweetie?”

Bryan nods. “Indeed, that’s correct.”

“Are you even listening to yourself, Mom?” Rachel groans and snatches the last hot cocoa in the carrier, taking a very long drink.

“I don’t know what the problem is.” Sarah shrugs. “Your father wanted a divorce, so I gave him a divorce. He didn’t want the apartment, so now he lives in whatever hell-hole he found. I did whatever he asked, but he didn’t want anything from me. I don’t know why I’m the bad guy.”

Rachel sighs and turns away from Sarah, her gaze falling on me, looking both pained and desperate. I take her hand and give it a firm squeeze, hoping my touch can support her in some way. “You okay?” I mouth to her, earning a curt nod in response. She doesn’t look okay. Her eyes are glimmering with fresh tears about to spill, her face strained.

“I’m not saying you’re the bad guy,” Rachel murmurs. “I just want you to empathize with Dad, just a little bit. Put yourself in his shoes.”

Sarah scoffs and I watch her roll her eyes while Bryan nods. “I have been empathizing with that man for the last twenty or so years. I’m done.”

“Why don’t we move on from Rachel’s father and discuss something a bit lighter?” Bryan suggests.

Why don’t you butt out? I want to say, but bite my tongue. I share a look with Hunter, who looks on the verge of saying something similar. Lucas has his back facing us while Alex is looking at the ground. We’re Rachel’s loyal guard dogs, and we would tell Sarah and Bryan to knock it off and leave our lover alone, but only when we’re permitted to. Rachel still hasn’t told us if she needs our help, and getting mixed with family can get quite messy.

“Rachel, your mother tells me that you’re an artist?”

Ugh. I really can’t stand the sound of Bryan’s voice. It’s like nails on a chalkboard.

“Um, yeah,” Rachel says with another forced smile. “I like photography, but I am getting into oil pastels.”

“It’s your junior year, right? Any thought on what you want to do after?”

Rachel’s eyes widen and she has this look of a frightened animal caught in the woods, facing down the barrel of a gun. Fuck, it’s my senior year and I’ve barely thought of what I want to do when I graduate. My only goal is to get into the Olympics with Alex. If that doesn’t happen… I have no clue what I’ll do. Join Hunter working at the gym? Save up to get my personal training license? Simply survive?

“Um, not yet,” Rachel says. “I’m still figuring things out.”

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