Page 94 of My Brother's Best Friends

“We’ve got this, Mac. Don’t get overwhelmed.”

“So, we’ve got hot and cold water running,” she’s back downstairs in just a few minutes. “It’ll take a while for the hot water to come through, though. I only got a tepid stream. But it seems clean enough.”

She’s wearing a heavy sweater and a knit hat, making her look like someone out of a Christmas catalog.

“Did you check out the shower?” I wonder. “I’m not sure if we’re going to be able to use it right away.”

“I poked my head into the upstairs bathroom,” she reports. “And you’re right. We should do that next, either when we get back to the house or early tomorrow morning. The pipes were singing like sopranos up there, but I didn’t notice leaks anywhere. The sinks are definitely good.”

“I can’t believe you’re willing to do all this with me,” I respond, walking out the door and into the crisp evening air. “Did you ever think you would be moving all the way out to the boondocks on a whim?”

“Hey, it wasn’t a whim—it was a calculated emotional decision in an increasingly volatile socioeconomic landscape,” Janet counters.

“Hot damn, that’s one hell of a take.”

“It’s the truth. If you have the opportunity to work remotely, you take it. There is so much more to life than wasting away in a cubicle for way too many hours per week. It just isn’t worth it if you find better options. This, for me, is a better option.”

“Still, I’ll never be able to thank you for doing this. It takes guts, Jan.”

“I’m the lucky one,” she says with a wry smile. “Too bad for those Anderson guys, if you think about it. This house would’ve definitely been big enough for the four of you.”

“The thought did cross my mind,” I confess. “Before we broke up, I considered asking them to come with me. They could work from pretty much anywhere, given the nature of their business.But, you know what, Jan? Their loss is my gain. I couldn’t imagine doing this without you.”

“It means a lot,” she replies. “And when you’re ready, you know… I am here. If you want to talk about them, about what it was like, about how it ended the way it ended.”

I sigh deeply. “Thank you.”

“It’s written all over your face, Mac. You’re in a lot of pain.”

“It will pass. Everything passes, right?” I lie to myself, hoping she’ll support this small delusion of mine. But Janet doesn’t respond. Her eyes tell me enough, though. She’s not buying it, either.

We walk around the opposite side of the house where a small path leads down between two massive fields. They’re both overgrown and riddled with weeds, but I can tell that at one point, they were farming land. The weeds themselves grow in straight lines, something that could only be accomplished after domesticated use.

“If we can clear all this out, then I can set up the supports right here,” I say, gesturing toward the middle row.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but it sounds good to me,” she laughs lightly.

I sigh deeply, wishing that I could just wipe the slate clean and forget everything that happened to me halfway around the world. It would be so easy to turn the page and begin a new story, instead of rehashing the old one that caused me so much pain.

“You’re right, Jan.I do need to talk about this,” I surrender with a roll of my eyes.

She gives me a subtle smile. “And I’m here. Listening.”

“First, let me start with what you said earlier. I know that you’ve given up a lot to help me out here, so I would never push you aside, even if my guys came back into my life,” I reply.

“Your guys…”

“I don’t know how else to call them,” I reply with a shrug. “My boyfriends? My lovers? My friends-turned-lovers? It sounds weird however I put it.”

“It sounds weird because there’s more than one,” she quips. “But it’s okay, Mac, I promise. And I get it.”

“Truth is… I still care about them, and I think I always will. But this vineyard is yours and mine, and so you don’t have to worry about me settling for you to be a part of it or about me ever pushing you aside, should the Anderson triplets and I ever find our way back to each other.”

“I know, honey…”

“Second… I’m pretty sure they cheated with that tits-and-ass chick I mentioned. While we were there.”

“In Sweden? Seriously?”

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