Page 48 of Make My Heart Malt

“You’ll be thinking, ‘That’s not how your brother does it.’ Or even comparing styles and size.” Nora moves the palms of her hands back and forth to show a difference in length.

A warm blush washes over my cheeks. “Shut up. I hate you so much right now.”

“I’m only pointing out the obvious. So, which is the better brother?” Nora leans on the bar top, wiggling her eyebrows.

I laugh. “I’m not going to pit them against each other in the sex department. What kind of person do you think I am?”

“I would totally compare them. I’d have charts and pie graphs. You can’t sleep with brothers and not compare them.” Nora stares at me with the Cheshire grin on her face.

Garrett. It’s Garrett. He wins by a double-digit shutout. All those years ago, I picked the wrong brother. I want to tell her that, but instead I keep it to myself and only give her a smile.

“This is why you don’t hook up with an ex’s sibling. And don’t think about hooking up with a best friend’s sibling because they’re practically family, and that’s one line you shouldn’t cross. It leads to nothing but bad news.Shit gets ugly. Feelings get complicated. Friendships collapse,” Lach says as he strolls past us.

“But you can’t help who you fall in love with,” Nora counters.

I throw my hands in the air. “Why are we talking about love? No one loves anyone.”

“Either way, I’m not going to be a dick to my best friend,” Lach rebuttals.

I’ll give it to Lach. He’s one of the most loyal friends I’ve ever had. He would never be a dick to me or anyone else working at Porter’s.

“I think this is different,” Rylee says. “Yes, they’re siblings, but Garrett and Dessa were friends before all of this happened. What if they were meant to be together? It’s fate that Garrett came back to town for the wedding.”

“The universe wants them together,” Nora chimes in.

“If she wants to bang him out of her system, that’s cool. Just know things will only get weird.” Lach pulls out the step stool from under the counter.

“Please continue talking about me as if I’m not here.” I prop my hands on my hips.

“Feel free to chime in at any time.” Lach waves his palm in front of him, urging me to say my piece.

“It’s hard to explain. It’s like we’re two opposite ends of a magnet. We’re instantly drawn to each other. It’s a force you can’t fight, so I just let it happen. All I can do is wait and see where it goes.”

“And by the blush on your cheeks, you’re having fun while it’s happening,” Rylee sing-songs.

“That’s beside the point. We’re getting to know each other again and enjoying each other’s company.”

“While also enjoying the company of his dick. It’s a win-win in my book.” A wide smile covers Nora’s face. “But speaking of Tony, what happened between the two of you all those years ago? Why’d you breakup?”

I cross my arms over my chest, propping my hip against the cooler. “We just sort of… drifted apart, I guess. At the three-year mark, we grew distant. Both of us were busy with work and a year later we agreed to part ways.”

“Which clearly was the universe telling you he was the wrong brother.” Nora lifts a perfectly arched eyebrow.

“You need one of those cute couple names like…” Rylee taps her chin.

I spin to face Rylee, who’s sitting on a stool on the other side of the bar. “Why? You never got a name. No one called you Tylee.”

“That’s because no one thought of it. You can be Gessa.”

“Or Derrett,” Lach adds.

I roll my eyes and huff. “One: those are terrible names and two: we’re not even dating.”

Lach shrugs. “Get better names and you’ll have a better couple name.”

I shoot daggers in his direction.

Jake storms out into the bar from the hallway, his eyebrows forming a deep V. “What is going on out here? There's more talking than working happening.” He drops a stack of papers in front of Rylee. “Inventory lists. Double check it.”

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