Page 6 of Starry Skies, Stolen Kisses, and My Best Friend's Brother

“Wear the bacon and eggs tomorrow.”I’d love to see him wearing those socks and nothing else.My face flushes.Lately, my thoughts about him have become increasingly naughty.Which is bad because now I have to face him in person every day.

He gives me a little bow.“Your wish is my command.”

If he had any idea what I was really wishing, he might not say that.But then his eyes meet mine, and I wonder if he has the same wishes.

TWO

Seth

As we finish our dinner, Noah hands me a bottle of local brew.The dimly lit lodge buzzes with the sound of music and laughter.I take a sip, expecting it to be weak and gross, but I’m pleasantly surprised by its rich flavor.I make a mental note of the name—I’ll have to stock up on this when I renovate the place.As I look around, it’s clear that things are worse than I thought.Despite the tidy appearance, the furniture and décor look like it’s all been here for at least thirty years.

The dingy snack bar in the back serves burgers and hot dogs and is run by teenagers.A couple of food trucks are parked next to the lodge.I’ll have to check them out and see if they’re any good.I also wonder how often they’re here.Right now, probably only on the weekends.

All my brothers are here tonight except one.There are seven of us boys, plus Abi, and getting everyone in the same place at once is a miracle.Other than Noah, the rest of my brothers sit at other tables, mingling with the guests and avoiding me.I suppose that shouldn’t surprise me.Noah has always been a little on the outside as well, so I’m glad he sought me out.Not that we talked much before I came home, but at least he’s talking to me now.

“Where’s Ethan?”I ask.

Noah shrugs, sipping his beer.“Probably working.You know how he is.Ethan’s a bouncer now at that dive bar in Staunton.Not that he wants to be working there.”Noah smirks like he knows more than I do.

“What would he rather be doing?”I ask.

“Working here full time.We all would, but we can’t.”

“Because the resort doesn’t have the cash flow?”

Noah is an accountant and probably understands the situation better than anyone else.

“Yeah.”

“What do you do aside from crunching numbers for Dad?”

He shifts uncomfortably in his seat.“I have a day job at an accounting firm in Roanoke, but they’re pretty flexible, so I can work from home most days.”He avoids meeting my gaze.Noah’s always been introverted, but I thought as an adult, he’d be a little more open.“I like working with Dad more than I like working for the firm.”

We’ll need a full-time accountant if I succeed here, so his dream might not be that far off.First though, I need to assess the full situation if I want to save our family’s campground before my looming deadline.In six months, I’ll be on a plane to India for a major contract that could take my business to the next level.

I’m here because Dad asked me to be.I haven’t actually spoken to most of my brothers in years.Mom kept me updated on a few of the goings-on, but nothing in detail.Mark’s probably the one I should be talking to since he runs the day-to-day operations, but I’ve tried to grab his attention three or four times, and he always tells me he’s busy.

I lean back and survey the room.My mother knows how to throw a party.She told me she does this every Friday night for the resort workers and current guests unless she has a wedding.Deka whines at me from an open window.I grin.Mom lets the dogs have pretty much free rein, but not in here with the food and parties.

Bisbee rushes up to Deka and grabs her ear.It’s enough for Deka, and she’s off and running.This place is good for her.She’s mostly cooped up in tiny big-city apartments, and I have to hire dog walkers.If I had my own place, it’d be bigger, but I’m usually stuck with whatever the company I’m working with puts me in.The apartments are nice but usually small.

I miss those apartments right about now.They always have the best mattresses and high-end showers.It’s a requirement I write into every contract for the companies I work with.Projects usually last six months to two years, so it makes no sense to settle in.I get paid a lot of money from companies around the world to rescue them.I should be able to do the same for my own family if they’re willing to implement the changes I suggest.

I glance around at the people gathered here today.They’re all salt-of-the-earth type people, as Dad would say.And none of them have any clue what wealth looks like.

Money has always been kind of an issue for families near Green Bank.No one has a lot, and there’s quite a bit of resentment toward the snow bunnies who come every year.But the locals put up with them because it brings money to the families who live there.

I’m going to have to be careful not to flash money around too much.People know I’ve been successful, but if they had any clue what my life has really been like, they’d file me away with the snow bunnies, and I’d become an official outsider.

Which might not be a bad thing, but if I want to help Dad, I need to be accepted.Not that I plan on staying.I know what getting stuck here means.It means marriage and babies.It means giving up my lifestyle.It means no more jet-setting with my buddies from college, who are more like family than my own.It’s a surefire way to the poorhouse.My brothers aren’t living in poverty, but none of them are successful either.At least by my standards.I’ll lose everything I’ve worked so hard for if I make this move permanent.

Dad, Mom, and Keith sit at a table on the other side of the room.Dad and Keith are lost in a conversation, but Mom is watching me.I raise my beer to her and smile, and she grins back.

My eyes keep traveling to Mae.She’s dancing in the middle of the room with Abi and a few other summer workers.She’s wearing a simple white dress, something that she might just throw over a bathing suit.I desperately want to know what’s underneath it.I tug at my collar.I should not be having these thoughts.I force my eyes to her face and her black headband with stars on it.

“What about everyone else?”I ask, bringing my attention back to Noah.I need to direct my thoughts to the job at hand.

“Mark’s the only one of us besides Mom and Dad that is full-time.Jacob is an EMT and flies the life flight helicopter, Levi is kind of a jack of all trades.He does odd jobs all over the county.Isaac is a vet.”

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