Page 21 of A Pizza My Heart

“And you sayI’mthe gullible one,” he adds, so quietly only I can hear him.

“Wait a damn minute—you thought you could fly? Like actually fly?” Drew lifts her hand to her throat. “Oh my gosh, my friend is a dumbass. What have I gotten myself into?”

I smack at her, but she dodges my flailing hand, backing away before I can make any sort of contact.

Lucky brat.

“Hey, watch it!” Rounding the corner at just the right time, Winston catches Drew, steadying her before she can trip over his feet. “Some of us are trying to work here.”

“Says the dude whojustgot here and then promptly took a ten-minute cigarette break.” Drew slides away from him. “I thought you were quitting.”

“I thought you were minding your own business,” he replies.

“Shots fired,” Foster whispers to me.

“Know what my business is about to be? Kicking your ass!” Drew swings on Winston.

“That makes absolutely zero sense,” my brother argues back, scurrying away from her as she chases him through the restaurant.

Foster and I stand here staring after them, shaking our heads.

“Thanks for getting him to work,” I say eventually.

“It wasn’t too hard. I just threatened to invite your dad over and casually show him his son’s pot stash.”

I chuckle. “You know my dad is well aware his son is a stoner, right?”

“Yep, but Winston doesn’t know that.”

We exchange a quick glance and burst into laughter.

“I almost forgot what an evil genius you are,” I tell him.

“Yeah? Is it because I’m…what was it…not that great?”

“Shut up,” I gripe. “You know I love you.”

“Best second big brother ever, right?”

His shoulders go rigid and there’s a bit of a bite to his tone.

The first thing that comes to mind is the last night we spent together before he moved. It had felt like just any other night. We were sprawled out in the back of his truck, parked illegally on the beach, stars blazing bright over us. It was our go-to place, our spot, Foster and Wren only.

We were talking about my mom, about life. About the risks we wanted to take—Foster wanting to explore the world, me wanting to do hair. About not letting anything hold us back because time is limited.

We were very much in a “grab life by the horns” kind of mood.

We felt destructible yet made of stone all at once.

There was no fear, no barriers.

We were raw.

“I love you, you know.”

“I love you too.”

He stiffens next to me. It’s not a big change in his demeanor, but I’ve known Foster long enough to know when something’s up.

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