Page 80 of The Front Runner
But the look she gave me when I told her she wasminewas worth the risk.
Over and over again. Worth it.
Because she looked at me like I washerprize as much as she is mine.
I feel like it’s too soon to be in love. I feel childish even entertaining the thought. But maybe that’s just it; maybe a child knows what they’re feeling and freely admits it. They don’t have years of baggage telling them to ignore what they already know to be true.
With a shake of my head, I pivot and opt to distract myself by showering the other woman in my life with some attention.
“Nadia!” I call up the stairs.
She came home shortly after Mira left, and I momentarily scolded myself for fucking her so publicly. Sometimes, it’s hard to remember I’m living with another person. Nadia leads her own life. She is loving working at the clinic and doing her schoolwork in whatever free time she has left. In fact, I’d go so far as to say she’s happier than I’ve seen her, well, ever.
I know she’s out with boys. Possibly evenmanyboys. But as her older brother who doesn’t have a super close and personal relationship with her, I’m never sure what to say about that. I just hope she’s being safe. I hope she’s making good decisions. Because whether she recognizes it or not, she’s a fucking catch. And I suppose that’s one area I can find solace. The women at Gold Rush Ranch are an excellent influence—they don’t take any shit. And that’s the exact type of women Nadia needs in her life.
Strong women.
Something she hasn’t had, and something I can’t do for her no matter how badly I’d like to.
“Yeah?” She jogs down the stairs, looking like a spitting image of our mother.
I’m always glad she didn’t take afterhim.I don’t really look like either of them, and my chest aches from the questions swirling in my head about who Idolook like.
“Wanna grab a bite?”
Her brow furrows. “Why? What’s wrong?”
I bark out a loud laugh. “Nothing. I just want to hang out with my little sister. Is that a crime?”
She smiles back, looking amused. “Let me change real quick. I’ll be right back.”
Twenty minutes later, we walk through the grungy front door of Neighbor’s Pub. Nadia’s pick, not mine. Apparently, this is where the ‘coolest’ people in town hang out. I eye the place suspiciously and wonder if we have wildly different definitions of cool. The place smells like stale beer, deep fried chicken, and butter. The smell of popcorn wafts off the self-serve popcorn machine in the corner. The thought of shoving my hand in there to take a bowl full of cold popcorn that everyone else has touched holds zero appeal.
Nadia looks completely at home, and I realize this is probably where she’s spent several of her nights lately. Even though she doesn’t drink.
I can see a bit of the place’s charm. Locals stooped over pints of frothy golden beer line the bar, and “Hotel California” blares through the speakers, mixing with the clacking sound of someone breaking a set of pool balls. It belongs in a movie. I guess I’ve never felt welcome enough in Ruby Creek to make my way in here. I constantly feel like the outsider and haven’t gone out of my way to change that.
“Isn’t this place great? So Canadian.” Nadia smiles wide as she slides onto a stool at a high top beside a pool table. “Any chance you want to play?”
I marvel at my little sister, no longer the sullen young woman who stepped off a plane. She’s strong, so fucking strong. My chest pinches at the thought of how she had to pull herself up by the bootstraps. About how I left her hanging to serve my own ends.
I hope she can forgive me one day.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’d love to.” I shake my head and smile back, trying to clear the guilt of walking down memory lane.
“Great. I’ll be right back. Drink?”
“Yeah, I’ll have…”
“Don’t say wine, Stef. I know you’re a wine guy, but this isn’t a wine place.” She grins at me, ribbing me. Not treating me like the bore of an older brother I sometimes feel like with the age gap between us.This is what I want with her.
“How about a Cosmopolitan?”
“Dear God,” she huffs. “You are such a priss.”
A deep laugh rumbles in my chest. “I’m joking. I’ll take a beer.”
“Are you though?” She quirks a brow at me before strutting away, laughing.
