Page 5 of Behind the Cascades
"She doesn't know."
"No fucking way, man. You pussy! Why haven't you told her?" Not at all the reaction I was expecting, but a small flicker of relief lights through my chest.
Everett's grinning like a cheshire cat from his stool. "He was too afraid you'd kick his ass."
I reach for the throw pillow and lob it at his head. He catches it and cackles his signature Everett cackle.
"She's young and she's your sister. She's always been off-limits."
Drew shakes his head and looks at me like I'm crazy. "You're thebest guy I know. Why wouldn't I want my sister to be with you? There's no one in the world more loyal and protective than you. I just can't believe I didn't see it before! It all makes sense, though. You talk to her more than I do."
"After all the shit we've seen and done? We're still in it! We could be leaving soon, again. You want your sister wrapped up in that? Like our mom's were." I scoff, knowing I hit a sensitive subject. Our dad's met during the first phase of hell week and became best friends. They didn't get out of the Navy until Drew and I were in elementary school. Our mom's were saints, raising us alone while our dad's were always deployed or training.
"That's not for either of us to decide. Charlie is strong enough to make that decision by herself."
"She's too good for me." I shake my head; he's still not getting it. Even with his blessing, I won't drag her down into my darkness.
"She's too good for anyone! But there isn't a man out there that would treat her better than you would."
"I might." Everett shrugs and winks at me. I know he's fucking with me, trying to ease the tension but I still want to throttle him for the insinuation.
"See? You gonna let thisclownwho doesn't even get his hands dirty take your girl?" Everett flys Apaches into enemy territory and fires missiles without even breaking a sweat, but that doesn’t mean we don’t like to give him shit for going Army.
Everett's loud guffaw has me chuckling along with Drew. I know the point he's trying to prove, but I've put up too many barriers in my mind to fully accept what he's saying.
"What's so funny out here?" Odessa asks as she walks out of the hall. Charlie follows behind, the sight of her nearly taking my breath away. She curled her hair and left it loose, hanging behind her shoulders. The emerald dress she has on fits her like aglove and matches her eyes. The wedges she has on don't make her as tall as Odessa, but within an inch or two. She's a knockout and I'm the dumbass who is letting her slip through my fingers.
"Talking about Everett being a chump compared to us." Drew smirks.
I roll my eyes dramatically and shake my head at Odessa. She laughs and walks into the kitchen. "Anyone need a road beer? We should get going."
Drew and Everett both stand up and walk into the kitchen but Charlie remains awkwardly in the hall, not saying anything. She looks anywhere but at me, a fake smile plastered on her face.
"Sunshine." Her gaze snaps to mine and I raise my eyebrows. "You good?"
"Yep." Her tone sounds light, almost cheerful, but I know she's lying.
In three large steps, I've cleared the distance between us. I lightly touch her arm and watch as her shoulders fall slightly. "We either talk about it now or when we get back."
"Come on, y'all! We don't want to be late!" Odessa hollers from the doorway and for the third time today, I've detested her timing.
The steakhouse Everett found is anything but traditional, looking more like a speakeasy than a classic steakhouse. The jazz music playing softly in the background and the glowing chandeliers create a warm and intimate atmosphere. It’d be the perfect place for a first date with Charlie, but instead we have third-fourth-and-fifth wheels.
The hostess guides us through the restaurant to our table,and I follow behind Charlie as closely as I can. She has me shooting daggers at any man that dares give her a second glance as she walks by. Most of them sheepishly look away when they notice me, but the few that dare hold my glare have me feeling murderous.
We all sit down at a circular booth and I make sure to plant myself right next to Charlie, sitting so close that our thighs touch. I'm heading down a dangerous road, but the way she's avoiding me has me on edge. The conversation I had with the guys early weighs heavily on my mind. Drew was right. I may not be good enough for her, but I can't think of anyone that is. She's the dream girl.
Odessa snaps me out of my thoughts. "What do you think, birthday boy? Club or gambling after this?"
I shrug noncommittally. "Who's sayin' that we can't do both? It's Vegas. The night is young, the drinks are going down easy, and the company is top-notch."
I wink at Charlie and the grin she blesses me with has me feeling at ease again.
"Is that?" Charlie gasps as she looks over my shoulder. I look just in time to see Heather, Drew's ex-girlfriend, walking toward our table.
"Yep." I reach down and lace my fingers through Charlies. She squeezes once, reassuringly. Heather and I have always butt heads. Never in front of Drew, but we've both made it clear that we aren't going to be friends. Since high school, the two of them have been a revolving door of breaking up and getting back together.
Drew hasn't noticed yet, laughing at something Everett said. I kick him under the table and nod toward the she-devil approaching our table.
