Page 36 of Third Time Lucky

“Elliot, this is my brother JD and his friend Fiona. She works at the center, so she’s as thankful as I am that you went to so much trouble.”

“No trouble.” His grin has that billboard dazzle and neither one of my companions is immune. “It’s nice to meet you both.”

“You look so familiar,” Fiona says thoughtfully. “Have you ever been to Finn’s Pub before?”

“No ma’am.” He glances down at her stomach with widening eyes. “But Joey mentioned it this morning, so we might be stopping by soon.”

“This morning? We?” JD mutters before stepping forward to accept his handshake. “The neighbor, huh?”

“For the moment.” Elliot narrows his gaze between us. “The brother?”

JD bats his eyelashes. “We’re twins. Can’t you tell?”

I cuff him lightly on the back of the head. “We’re not twins. It’s a long story.”

“Not that long. We’re foster brothers. The end.”

I shake my head. “Smartass.”

Elliot laughs. “I think I can see some resemblance now.”

“Since you’re here. Fiona? Elliot has a five-year-old daughter and they’re looking for age-appropriate activities. Maybe a playdate or two before she starts school. Any suggestions?”

JD snorts, but his shoulders relax, as if he’s finally gotten a handle on the situation. “You can’t help it, can you? I swear, you attract kids like the Pied Piper.”

When Fiona totters a bit, I slip my arm around her instinctively. For her sake, we need to wrap this up, but I can’t let that go. “That’s a shitty comparison to make. You basically called me a rat-catching kidnapper. And it’s Stewart that plays the flute.”

Fiona leans around me to catch JD’s eye. “Isn’t he the one who drinks pee?”

I ignore Elliot’s choking laugh and glare at my brother. “What are you telling people about our family?”

“The truth.” JD says defensively. “But I didn’t have to say anything this time. Fi read his book and he’s got a whole chapter on it.”

I can’t deny that. No one in the family can, even if we wanted to.

“People call him in for rescues,” I explain to Derek and Elliot. “Stewart saved that kid who was lost in the woods a few years ago. Found him before the dogs sniffed him out. You could share that with people instead.”

I know what it’s like to get stuck with a label in my family. I came out in high school, I started a successful business, and I’m apparently a shopaholic/recovering hoarder. But they still describe me as The Babysitter.

Better than The Tinkler. I won’t even think about the other nicknames.

Poor Stewart.

Fiona pats my chest and smiles at my neighbor. “There’s a calendar up at the center for kid-friendly events. Its color coded for age groups. I’ll make Joey a copy to bring back to your building. But we do need to get going now.”

“Thank you so much.”

“Come on,” I say. “Let’s get to Bellamy House before I decide to keep my bobbleheads and first-edition Tolkien books. They’re collector’s items.”

JD moves closer to my car. “You’re giving away first editions?”

“How about you stop with the grabby hands and get your friend into her car before her water breaks?”

That sends him racing to Fiona’s side, glaring at me as they go in search of their parking spot.

I’ll be getting an earful later. And he’ll probably be getting a donation box of his own. No one in our family can resist him.

I look back at Elliot. “Do you need a ride?”

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