Page 88 of Summer Reading

“Tyler, that was amazing.” Sophie Porter, the girl who’d been at my first happy hour with her parents and who was clearly the object of Tyler’s affection, bounced up to him.

He looked down at her with a twinkle in his eye that reminded me of our dad. “Was it amazing enough for you to go on a date with me?”

I sucked in a breath. He just asked out a girl! In front of me! In front of everyone! Ack! What if she said no? The kid was throwing himself out of the plane without a parachute. I was equal parts awed and aghast.

Sophie blushed a pretty shade of pink and said, “Yeah, I’d like that.”

I expelled a huge breath that I hadn’t known I was holding. Sophie spun away from Tyler and went to tell her friends the news while he moved to stand next to me with some righteous swagger.

“Pretty ballsy move asking her out in front of everyone,” I said to him out of the corner of my mouth.

“I’m a Gale,” he said. He shrugged as if it was nothing. Then he grinned at me and added, “I think it was my sick dance moves that sealed the deal. Thanks, Sis.”

My heart about exploded out of my chest. Until my dying day, I would never get tired of hearing him call me Sis.

“Anytime, Bro,” I said.

He turned to look at me and it was there in his eyes. He felt the same way I did. That a piece that had been missing in our lives had finally been found. I hugged him tight and after a slight hesitation, he hugged me back. In front of his friends and everything.

I released him and pointed to a trash can. “Okay, sous-chef, start cleaning up. This place is a mess.”

“So bossy!” he complained, but it was negated by his smile.

I watched as he joined his friends. They all started cleaning, and then I slipped outside into the cool night air. I just needed a minute to process.

Ben joined me a few moments later. “You all right, Samwise?”

“Yeah,” I said but my voice wobbled. “I just... I didn’t know... for the first time ever I really feel a sibling bond between me and Tyler and it’s so freaking cool. Why didn’t I come out here sooner? Why did I waste so many years?”

Ben put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. “You’re here now.”

“But so much time has been lost,” I said. A tear spilled down my cheek, stopping in the corner of my mouth. It tasted like regret. “And I can’t ever get that back.”

“No, you can’t.” His voice was low, heavy with his own heartache.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said. I turned in his arms and cupped his face in my hands. The scruff of his beard gently scratched my skin. “Here I am whining about reconnecting with my brother when at least I have him here to reconnect with.”

“It’s okay,” he said. He turned his head just slightly and placed a gentle kiss in my palm. My skin tingled where his lips lingered. He raised his head and pulled me into a hug. “You and Tyler give me hope that when I find my dad, we’ll have that sort of special connection, too.”

I slipped my arms around his back and hugged him hard. I wanted so desperately for him to find his father,to have an answer to all of his questions, yes, even about why he liked peanut butter, bacon, and pickle sandwiches. So gross.

The truth of the matter was I cared about this man so much that I would have done anything to help him in his search. Sadly, I was left with hollow platitudes that were as unappetizing as jarred tomato sauce.

“We’ll find him,” I said. “We’ll find your father. Don’t give up yet.”

The look in his eyes was full of doubt, but he didn’t say anything. I could see the stars behind his head, and I thought that was the perfect framing for this beautiful man.

He leaned down and kissed me and everything melted away. Regrets, sadness, anxiety, there was no room for those emotions when Ben’s lips were on mine. I pressed up close to him and threaded my fingers through his hair. I parted my lips and the kiss deepened. A thrum of desire purred inside of me, and I thought if I didn’t get to be with this man soon, really be with him, I might actually die from an acute case of lust.

“Ben—oh, sorry!”

We broke apart, exchanging a look of mutual frustration before turning to walk back to the building.

Em stood in the doorway. She was actively staring at the ground as if in deep conversation with her shoes. “Sorry,” she said again. “But one of the library boardmembers is here, asking for you. I would have told her you were gone for the night, but she saw your motorcycle out front.”

“It’s okay,” Ben said. He ran a hand through his hair and straightened his tie. “Thanks for having my back.” He turned back to me and in a low voice asked, “What do you think about hanging out at my place tonight?”

“Sure,” I said. “We can strategize our next move in our search for your dad and maybe do some reading or work on the cookbook.”

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