Covet - Eve Vaughn Page 0,18

it because my mother had the tendency to be overly critical. There was one observation she’d made I wish I’d heeded. Maybe then I could have saved myself a lot of heartache. But most importantly, I could have saved my brother.

They were whispering with each other again. I didn’t know whether to be pleased that my brother and girlfriend were getting along so well, or jealous that my brother and girlfriend were getting on so well. I mean, most people would be thrilled that their significant other got along so well with their family, but lately those two seemed to be doing that a lot.

As had become custom, my mom had Sunday dinner, and since Frankie and I had started dating, I brought her along. At first I was pleased at how she and Kenny got along, but it seemed that the two of them were constantly going off to the corner to chat in private. It was irritating. I never considered myself the jealous type, but the way Frankie hovered over my brother seemed a bit much.

I’d told myself that it was because she was a genuinely caring person, and Kenny of course wouldn’t cross the line being my brother. And maybe God would strike me down for having unkind thoughts about my brother, but he was wheelchair-bound and had a medical condition that some people wouldn’t be able to look past. Okay, yeah that’s pretty shitty thought process, but I’ve never worried about him as a rival for a woman’s affection.

Again, I told myself that Frankie was being nice.

As I enjoyed my after-dinner drink, I watched the two of them on the other side of the room with their heads close to each other, their voices lowered. I don’t know why seeing them like that irritated me so much. Maybe because Frankie had been hinting at Kenny not being happy being taken care of by our mother. Or maybe because I was actually jealous of my little brother. But that couldn’t be it, I was sure. What man wanted to see his woman getting cozy with another man regardless of his relation to him?

I found myself getting up and walking over to join them only for them to stop talking as soon as I was in hearing distance. I tried to pretend that their sudden silence didn’t affect me, so I pasted a smile on my face as I stuffed my hands in my pockets. “What are you two chatting about?”

Frankie looked up at me and quickly looked away. “Nothing, just an old movie that we both enjoyed.”

I raised a brow at the sound of her wobbly voice. It was clear she was lying, but I decided to play along so I pasted a smile on my face. “Oh, what movie?”

“Die Hard.”

“Steel Magnolias.”

They answered simultaneously. Then they exchanged shocked glances before repeating the movie the other had blurted out.

My brows shot up because I could see right through their bullshit, and I think they realized it as well because neither of them could fully look me in the eyes. “Which one is it?”

“We were talking about both actually.” Kenny shot me one of his signature grins that would always get him out of trouble when he was a kid. For the most part, it worked because our mother doted on him to the point where the rest of us were ignored. And honestly, I usually let him as well. But this…I didn’t like being lied to like this, no matter how small.

“Oh? That’s funny you mentioned liking Die Hard so much considering you said you refused to watch the movie because you hate that people have labeled it as a holiday movie, and you decided to take a stand out of principle.”

A deep shade of red creeped up Kenny’s neck and engulfed his face. “Well, I changed my mind. Did you want something?”

“Is it a crime to want to talk to my girlfriend and my brother?”

“Of course not.” Frankie stood up quickly and gave me a bright smile before hooking her arm through mine. While I wasn’t ready to easily overlook my brother’s lie, I could hers. That smile made me feel like a hormonal teenager. My heart was doing all kinds of backflips. In fact, I’d forgotten why I’d even come over here in the first place because I was lost in her big brown gaze.

“Are you ready to leave?” I wanted to get her alone, and I was tired of sharing her for the night.

“Do you