Page 55 of So Wrong It's Right

And then I might have been brave enough to tell her what I’ve known since that day she careened into my life.

I hope it’s not too late.

Chapter Twenty-One

Stella

Iplop the bag of grinderson the bar at Ironwing and take the seat next to Brandon McKendrick, Nash’s dad. “You hungry, Brandon? I’ll split my sandwich with you since we both know Nash won’t share food.”

Nash pops up from behind the bar where he’d been doing...bar things...behind the counter. I don’t know what goes on back there and I don’t want to. It’s like a magician and his tricks. Or Disney and all the stuff you can’t see in the tunnels. I don’t want my beer to lose its magic. “Hey. I share food,” he says.

Brandon laughs. “I already ate lunch. I’m heading out.”

He leaves as I unwrap our food. We try to have lunch together once or twice a month. Nash comes around and sits next to me. “So, the bride make it back from her honeymoon?”

He’s talking about Megan. Leo and Dixie gave them their trip.

“They landed in Los Angeles. They’re coming home tomorrow. Barbados was awesome, Brad is sunburned, and they have commenced Project Baby.”

“Already?” Nash asks. “Man, so now instead of wedding stuff, she’s going to drive us nuts with baby nonsense.”

“Pretty much,” I reply. “I now know more about my sister’s cycle than is healthy. But we had ten glorious days with her out of the country, that’s something.”

We clink our Coke cans together.

“Thanks for bringing lunch.” He takes a bite and talks with food in his mouth. “Heard from Christopher?”

I shake my head and try to feel Zen even though hearing his name is painful. “No, and I don’t intend to.”

“What did you guys fight about?”

“Nothing,” I answer. Which is kind of true. “We just weren’t right for each other.”

Nash contemplates me carefully. “You know I’m not one to meddle.”

“Are you serious right now?” I take a drink. “Your middle name is Meddle.”

---