Page 8 of Rescued By My Best Friend's Brother

I grunt in response. “We don’t know that.”

“Hey, I was the biggest party animal in college and my early twenties. Now look at me. I am a physical therapist at a VA Hospital.”

“And still living off your brother,” I add.

She furrows her brows. “Hey! That’s a little unfair. I just need to get out from under these student loans. I’m almost done paying them, and then I can find my own place.”

I chuckle and grab her by both shoulders. “You know I don’t care that you stay in the guesthouse. It has actually been quite helpful, and Lily needs people to be consistent in her life.” I didn’t mean to make it a jab towards Caty, but it sort of was. She and her family have been an inconsistent presence in Lily’s life, ultimately choosing to stay away instead of sticking around.

She wraps her arms around me and gives me a quick hug. “You’re so sweet when you want to be.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

“I won’t.” She steps back. “I gotta pee. Be right back.” She hurries into the hallway to go to the guest bathroom.

I shake my head and decide to check on Lily and Elena. I walk up the stairs quietly, listening to them converse. I mainly hear Lily’s voice as she explains how I help her with her bathtub and what Elena needs to do too.

I make my way to the open doorway, the glow from the bathroom the only source of light in the hallway. I lean against the door frame, my arms crossed. Elena is standing next to the sink, her back turned to me as Lily plays with a few boats, cruising them through mountains of bubbles.

“Do you need anything else from me?” Elena asks as Lily makes engine noises.

“No,” my daughter states, never looking up from her toys. Bath time is her favorite part of the day. She loves the water. In the summer, she’ll spend hours in the lake. It takes all my effort to drag her away.

“I’m gonna go back to your aunt’s then. Your dad probably wants to come up here and help you,” Elena suggests.

I remain quiet, listening to their interaction. I want to see how they get along.

Lily looks up, with a forlorn expression she has often tried to use on me when she wants to stay up a few more minutes, but it dissipates at the sight of me. “Daddy! You’re here.”

Elena turns. When she notices me watching her, she jumps a little, stepping away from me. Her foot tangles up in some of the clothes Lily had shed before getting into the tub. Before Elena takes a fall, I grab her arm and pull her towards me. Once steady, she yanks her arm out of my grasp.

“Sorry,” she mutters, not meeting my gaze.

“Are you okay?” Her fearful reaction bothers me. I may not be happy that she is back, but I wasn’t a monster towards her. Jerking her arm from me seems a little excessive.

She nods, tucking stray hairs behind her ear. “I’m going to head back to Josie’s. I’ve got a lot of stuff to do.” Her voice is soft, timid even, not the old, rambunctious girl I knew. Even her confident glow has disappeared. Although she seems the same physically, her inner light seems to have dimmed. The presence she used to have no longer exists. Josie is right. Elena has changed.

The image of her smile and how we used to mess with each other comes back to me. The way she would turn off my PC in the middle of a game or how I would bump her elbow as she was doing her make up. This was all before we stopped liking each other, or more importantly, whenIstarted dislikingher.

One memory in particular hits like a train. It is clear in my mind’s eye. Elena came over when my friend, Adam, was visiting. Adam immediately found her attractive and asked for her number. I told him she wouldn’t like a guy like him, but she did. She agreed to go out with him. After that, a resentment toward Elena started developing, one I couldn’t control. I know it sounds petty but why would she like someone like Adam when I have always been the one there. After that, I argued with her, got mad when she would take Josie out with her, and pointed out anything I disliked about what she was doing or what trend she liked at that time. After a while, I realized my childhood insecurities that created this wall I had with her was ridiculous, but too much time had passed and all of my petty reasons for disliking her over the years would seem invalid if I suddenly and randomly was okay with her.

I shake off the memory and refocus on the scene before me. “Okay,” is the only thing I think to reply with, wondering if a good night would be too much. Elena pushes past me and vanishes down the stairs. I turn to Lily, who is playing with her boats again. “Did you have fun today?”

“Yeah,” she says with little energy, her focus only on her toys.

“How do you like Elena?”

Lily finally looks up. “She was fun. She said she would be my employee if I become a boss. And she said she would do it just for the ice cream.”

I laugh, making my way to sit on the toilet lid. “Were those the only benefits you offered her?”

“Well, she said yes before I could add more snacks. I was even gonna give her nap time like we do in school.”

I raise my brows, acting surprised, although having a nap time during the work day would be nice. “That sounds like a company I’d wanna work for.”

“Just make me the boss of yours, and I can make it happen,” she says.

I reach my hand in a pile of bubbles and throw them at her. She squeals with laughter. “Where did you learn all this amazing stuff?” I ask.

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