Page 37 of The Edge of Summer
“You reallyarethe favourite grandchild, huh?” my brother muses.
While Gabe and Clara both got left a generous sum of money when our maternal grandparents passed away, I was gifted their house. My grandmother would probably have a heart attack if she saw what had become of her belovedhome, but there wasn’t a whole lot of good left after the fire. Better to tear down the ruins and start again.
I pop the tops off two bottles of beer and then settle into one of the Muskoka chairs on my back deck. My property backs onto a small wooded area. Early in the morning, this is the perfect spot to catch a glimpse of the wildlife. And in the evening, it is the optimal place to unwind after a run where I not only hit a personal best, but also effectively dethroned my brother.
“Done licking your wounds?” I ask, holding one of the bottles out to Gabe.
He grabs it, promptly taking a swig. With his free hand, he flips me the bird. I grin.
“You claim I’m a sore loser, but you haven’t let a minute go by without gloating. You’re a showboat, dear brother,” he replies.
I laugh. Sure, I’m milking this a little, but Gabe has been terrible at losing since we were kids. There were many a thrown Monopoly board—so many that Mom banned board games in our house for a while. It’s fair to say my brother has gotten better with age, but he still doesn’t take too kindly to seeing someone else have what he wants.
With a ball in his mouth, Riot bounds up the steps. He drops it at my feet expectantly. I bend and retrieve it, and then I lob it across the yard. He takes off like a shot and I relax back in my chair.
“What’s Abbs up to tonight?” I ask. Shifting the conversation to my niece is a surefire way to improve my brother’s mood.
“Clara took her for a sleepover again.” He cocks his head,mulling something over. “Not that I’m ungrateful, but she’s been spending a lot more time with Abbie lately…”
I rest my bottle on the armrest of my chair, totally focused on my brother. “Why is that bad?”
“It’s not necessarily bad,” he assures. “It’s just different. Haven’t you noticed thatsheis different? I don’t know. I can’t put my finger on it; I just have this feeling. Maybe it’s a twin thing, but I’m worried about her.”
Guilt gnaws at me. What does it say that Ihaven’tnoticed a change in our sister?
It says I’ve been too distracted, that’s what. A certain dark-haired beauty enters my life, and suddenly I’m dropping the ball left and right. Something I can’t afford with my family.
“I’ll keep an eye out,” I assure him.
I may not have noticed before, but like hell am I going to let anything get past me now. Clara tends to keep her secrets locked up tighter than Fort Knox, and I generally respect that, but if she’s struggling with something, I want to know. I want to help her. Need to.
We settle into a comfortable silence, watching as the sun slides lower in the sky, bathing everything in golden hour light. I get so lost in my thoughts that I almost miss when Gabe speaks.
“So,” he drawls, picking at the label on his bottle, “Delilah, huh?”
His mention of her name brings me crash landing back to earth. I grunt. “What about her?”
His eyes bore into the side of my face. I set my jaw, opting for a neutral expression. Still, in my peripheral vision I can seehis lips tug into a knowing grin.
“You’ve got a crush,” he accuses.
I scoff. “What are you, twelve? I do not have a crush.”
My knee begins to bounce—a telltale sign that I’m not telling the entire truth. I cross my ankle over the opposite knee, hoping that Gabe won’t read much into it. Of course, that’s too much to ask for with my nosy brother.
“I don’t blame you, you know,” Gabe continues. “For having a crush on Delilah. She’s…”
Don’t take the bait, Bowman. Gabe has been a class-A shit disturber since the day he came home from the hospital. This is no different.
“She’swhat?” My tone is sharper than a knife.
My brother smirks, and then he takes a slow pull from his beer, drawing out his response. “She is a very intelligent woman,” he finally says. “Which is unfortunate for you because it means she’s going to realize sooner rather than later that she can do better.”
I shove at the side of his head. All he does is laugh in response.
“There’s nothing to do better at because there’s nothing going on between us.”
Gabe shakes his head. “If you say so.”
