Page 60 of My Brother's Best Friends

“You know Makayla,” Kellan pipes up. “She’s sweet and friendly, as always quite the firecracker.”

“And then some,” Alex adds with a brief chuckle, prompting me to give him an alarmed glare.

He loves laughing in the face of danger, doesn’t he?

Bryan looks across the table with a curious glimmer in his eyes. But even though I’m worried about saying too much, he doesn’t seem to be upset. His lips are curved up into a gentle smile, as if he’s cheering for us. I’m grateful he’s not as quick on the uptake as Makayla clearly is.

“Well, I hope you continue to enjoy catching up with each other,” Bryan says, raising his glass. “In fact, I hope that we all make the most of this Swedish holiday in the days to come!”

“Hear, hear,” Callie agrees.

“I couldn’t have said it any better myself,” Alex replies.

I can’t muster a single comment, but I do start to relax.

Whether or not the events of today will lead somewhere good, I know that I must make the most of every moment I’ll get with Makayla. Yet the more I think about it, the clearer it becomes that… I do not want this to end.

“So, how are things for you at work, Callie?” Melanie asks, shifting the spotlight back to her sister.

“Oh, I can’t complain,” Callie responds. “A little bit of this, a little bit of that. We’re already gearing up for graduation. I wasnominated on the organizing committee. For some reason, the principal thinks I’d do a good job of keeping the other teachers from biting each other’s heads off...”

“You’re a high school teacher, right?” Alex asks.

“Yes, sir. Special ed, to be specific, but I end up subbing for the other teachers, as well.”

“Honestly, I’m not surprised that they want you on the organizing committee,” Melanie replies. “You’ve always had a knack for keeping your cool under some pretty stressful situations.”

“And dealing with hormonal teens on a daily basis, that’s always a challenge,” Makayla chimes in with a light laugh.

“Oh, I love it. It’s just a shame we’re so often understaffed,” Callie says with a sigh. “I’d love it if I could focus exclusively on my kids, not everyone else’s, too. I don’t mind it but… you know.”

“If the school is in need of funding, aren’t there grants that they could apply for?” Kellan asks, subtly frowning.

“They turned down our last application.”

“I know somebody,” Kellan replies. “A friend of ours. He’s pretty high up on the totem pole in the Department of Education. I could make a call…”

“You would? That would be amazing,” Callie gasps with excitement. “We do qualify for at least one of the available grants, truth be told, but the selection is always arbitrary. We’re always at a tie with other schools in the district, yet we just never seem to make the cut.

Makayla gives Kellan a surprised look. “That’s incredibly kind of you…”

“Hey, it costs me nothing to make a phone call if it helps Callie here to be a better teacher to her more vulnerable students.”

“They’ve got it bad enough as it is,” Melanie grumbles.

I honestly still can’t believe we ever considered her attractive. Physical beauty aside, there’s nothing beneath that surface that entices me. There was never anything there. Just an illusion, and we fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker.

“What do you mean?” Makayla asks.

“Well, special ed,” Melanie replies with a careless shrug. “They’re never going to be at the top of anybody’s hiring list. They’ve got food stamps and legal aid to look forward to.”

“Every child has the potential to achieve greatness, regardless of their impairments,” Makayla shoots back, blunt but composed. “Just because they’re in special ed does not make them lesser in any way.”

“I wasn’t saying that, but?—”

“I believe in my kids,” Callie adds, cutting her sister off. Clearly uncomfortable with where the conversation is going and always eager to keep the mood positive, she changes the subject. “Kay, you told me you wanted to get your winery off the ground by the end of next summer. How’s that going so far?”

“You have a winery?” Melanie asks, suddenly intrigued.

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