Page 3 of Faith Notes
“Brooks, I just told you I don’t know. Did you clean your ears out this morning?”
The smirk is back when he says, “No, but I didn’t need to in order to know that you’re avoiding the question. It’s written all over that ever-scowling face of yours.”
I prove him right by deepening my glare. “I hate you.”
His teeth flash when he grins back at me with a smile that makes me want to smack him upside the head.
“Fine. She’s—grumpier than usual.”
A hoot of laughter comes from the other side of my desk, where Brooks is bent over, holding his stomach and trying to catch his breath. Reaching for the closest object, I chuck my stress ball at his head, hitting him directly in the forehead, which only causes him to laugh harder.
“Let me get this straight,” he says through his tears, “you—the grumpiest person I know, are accusing Georgia, one of the sweetest women I know aside from my wife, of being grumpy? Pot, have you met kettle?”
His laughing continues, and I grit my teeth, letting him have his fun until he finally takes two deep breaths and calms himself.
“Are you done?” I ask blandly.
He swipes his fingers underneath his eyes, giving his head a shake, and says, “Okay, I’m ready now.”
With a curt nod, I continue, “As I was saying—she’s grumpy. Like really grumpy. She nearly bit my head off this morning for offering her a piece of toast. And aside from that, she looked a little green when I held it out to her. Come to think of it, she’s looked a little green anytime I’ve offered her food here lately.”
By the time I’m finished explaining, I find myself pacing the small area behind my desk, unable to look at my brother. But when no answer comes, I stop pacing and square my body to face him. “Well?”
Brooks doesn’t answer me at first, and there is a smugness in his eyes as his mouth tips up into a half smile. “I’m waiting for you to figure it out?”
“Figure what out?”
He blanches, his smile slipping. “Surely you can’t be this dumb, can you?”
My fists clench against my legs. “Brooks, if you don’t spit it out right now, I’m going to pummel you, and then I will have to explain to your wife why you have a black eye. I really don’t wantto do that because, if I’m honest, the woman scares me a little bit.”
With a huff, Brooks meets my eye, never losing eye contact when he says, “Your wife is pregnant, Grayson.”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “I would know if she were pregnant.”
Brooks lifts one eyebrow. “Really? Because you’ve been around a lot of pregnant women before? Look, maybe I’m wrong, but when Emryn was pregnant with Avery, she acted the same way.”
“Georgia would have told me if she was.”
He shrugs. “Maybe she hasn’t taken a test yet—or maybe she just hasn’t found a way to tell you. Emryn didn’t tell me at first because, even though we were married, she was scared. And I get that because it’s her body that has to change—not mine. I couldn’t hold that against her.”
I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts so I can think, but for once, I’m at a loss for words because I’m too busy being suffocated by the bomb my brother just dropped in my lap.
______________________
The front door slams behind me, and I wince at the noise.
It’s the middle of the day, and I’m not usually home at this hour. But it’s also not unusual for me to slip out early sometimes since Georgia started working from home.
After Nate died, I offered her a position as my secretary until she could get back on her feet. I admit I didn’t entirely do it for selfless reasons. From my understanding, sometimes I can be—hard to work for, but I knew Georgia wouldn’t put up with any of my moods—not when we had been friends since elementary school. Plus, it didn’t hurt that I got to see her every day.
Not that I told her that.
But after we got married, Georgia was ready to find her own path again, and I supported that.
She started working for a non-profit that supports cancer patients and their families throughout the healing process. She is their event and charity manager, and I couldn’t be prouder of her.
She took the bad from her life and is making a difference with it.
