“Your therapist comes here—and it’s not just about that.” Levi crosses his arms in front of his chest as he leans back in his seat. “I was just in town visiting our tenants at the apartment buildings. We have four buildings now, and all with tenants who have different needs. One of those needs is being able to get in touch with someone, namely one of us, when they have an issue.”
Honestly. This again? “They’ve got our numbers, right?”
“They do, but it doesn’t work if you don’t pick up the phone.” Levi stares at me intensely. “Did you know that Pearl had a small kitchen fire about a week ago?”
“What?” This news makes me sit up taller. Pearl is one of our older tenants, who also happened to be a very good friend to my grandparents.
“She tried to call, but you didn’t answer, so she called me. Luckily I was here, in town, and not out on the road with the team. I was originally supposed to be away coaching that week.”
“Lucky us.” I can’t help that the words come out a bit snarkier than planned, but they do. Of course, there’s a minute amount of sarcasm dripping from each word. My brother—also known as Midas, the one who was king of the NFL—he didn’t have to step back and consider retirement because of an Achilles injury. No. He stepped back on his merit so he could slow down, start a family, and then segue into coaching.
Howperfectfor him.
“Honestly.” Levi sighs. “You don’t need to be so cranky all the time. You know, when Mom comes to visit you, I can tell by the sound of her voice. She always calls me after and needs a pick-me-up.”
A tiny stab pierces my icy heart. “I drag her down that much?”
“You’ve been a spiteful human for the last year.” Levi stands up, shaking his finger my way, like a parent dealing with a petulant child. “All through your therapy, they’ve been telling you to work on your head and mindset…but no. You sit here and go through the motions.”
This is not the way I envisioned my morning when I woke up, let me tell you. “If you only stopped by to give me grief, Levi, you need to go. It’s Saturday and I have things I need to do.”
“Austin, it’s Sunday.” Levi sighs and hangs his head. “This is exactly why I’m worried about you. You’re sitting in the dark, alone as usual, with a pair of binoculars, doing what?”
“Well, today, I’m being lectured by my brother,” I say as I cross my arms in front of me, trying to build my own wall between us.
“I don’t want to lecture you, but I’m worried. We’re worried.”
“By we you mean…?”
“Me and Mom.” He pauses. “Since you lost out on buying that house, you’ve been a little unhinged.”
That’s news to me. “How?”
“Look, I’m glad you’re living in our grandparents’ old house,” he continues, ignoring my question. “It’s good you’re here so you can concentrate on your recovery—”
I interrupt him with a loud snort. Good on him, though, cause he keeps going.
“—and to focus on you. But you’ve got to get some life back. You ain’t dead yet, you’re injured.”
There’s a bit of irritation igniting inside me. The kind that’s only reserved for family members. Bless ‘em. They take the brunt sometimes, don’t they? Well-meaning, they are. They want to share their sage advice, life experiences, and all that jazz. But come on. Do it if I ask, okay? Don’t offer it up to me like you’re doing me a service.
“I think you should go.” I incline my head toward the main hallway. “Don’t let the door hit you in the butt on the way out. Y’all come back now…ya here? And bless your heart.”
“Did you just triple Southern-woman-goodbye me out the door?” Levi asks, gasping in faux surprise.
“I did. Keep it up and I may help toss you out if you won’t go on your own accord.”
“I don’t know what’s crawled up your butt lately,” Levi says, shaking his head like he’s diagnosing a patient, then he glances across the paddock to the house again before turning back to me. “But I sure pity your new neighbor.”
The only comeback I can muster is slamming the door as he heads down the steps. In my mind, I picture it with enough force that Levi is blasted by an invisible shockwave, sending him somersaulting across the yard like a cartoon character until he lands in a heap by his car—or better yet, flipping head over heels all the way to the main road.
Honestly, I don’t know what’s crawled up my butt lately either, but I do know it feels damn good to be alone. Completely alone, out here in the country, with no one to bother me.
Now, I just have to make sure the new neighbor understands that sooner rather than later.
TWO
Bex
