Ridge shot him the same angelic smile Breck had. Quite a change from his normal scowl. “Hi!”
My mother smiled back. “Hello, boys.”
Great. Even she wasn’t immune to the double Pfeiffer smile. I had a brief moment of gratitude that they were on my side. I’m going to kill you both, I said under my breath.
“Mom?” a voice called from across the room. A voice so familiar, so dear to my heart. My brother, Sammy. Of all the regrets I had surrounding the life I’d left behind me, not being able to be there for Sammy in person was the greatest. I hadn’t expected my mother to bring Sammy.
My mom squeezed my hand hard, her hand over her mouth.
Sammy saw me and his eyes grew wide. “Jake!” he shrieked. He tore through the office, almost barreling over our mom. She was ready for him, though, and sidestepped neatly with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes.
I’d braced myself for impact, but I was rocked back on my heels anyway. Sammy had been a hard hugger as a kid, and now, goddammit, he was a grown man, fifty pounds heavier than I was. I’d been a fool to think that video calls could ever take the place of real-life time with him.
I’d missed so much for so many stupid, stupid reasons.
“Sammy,” I said, hugging him back as hard as I could. “Still shorter than me, man,” I said. Keeping my hands on his shoulders, I pushed him away from me as far as I could without letting go. “Let me look at you.”
Sammy gave me a full power smile. You couldn’t help but smile back at Sammy. It was like the sun beaming down on you.
“You know what I look like,” he said in his thick voice.
My mother had never let Sammy be defined by the composition of his chromosomes, something he’d had zero control over. She expected him to be a good person, to strive for more. She’d never let anyone expect less from Sammy than they had from me.
Personally, I’d always expected more. Sammy was special. He was the best person I knew. I didn’t mean he was perfect or some sort of innocent. He was a person, like the rest of us. He got frustrated and tired and cranky the same as everyone else. On a bad day, he could out-stubborn a mule, and sometimes he got trapped in his compulsions. But those behaviors were business as usual for people with Down syndrome, and we’d found ways to work with them. Sammy never stayed mad long and he forgave people instantly.
He was my best friend, and I loved him more than anyone on earth.
“The goatee is new,” I said, reaching out to stroke it. Sammy was two years younger than I was, but his hair and beard were almost full gray. He’d started going gray in his twenties. I hated any sign of him aging more quickly than most people. I didn’t like to think of him dying before I did. It wasn’t right. I needed to talk to my mother about his health. Just another reality I’d been avoiding thinking about. Avoiding harsh reality was my specialty. “It looks good, very distinguished. What does Grace think?”
“She thinks it’s sexy.” He stroked his beard with a smile. “She says I look like George Clooney.”
I squinted at him. “Are you sure she doesn’t need new glasses?” I asked.
“No!” He laughed and blushed, his eyes almost disappearing as he did. “Are you coming to Sunday dinner next week?”
I shot a look at my mother.
“Of course he is,” she answered for me.
“Sunday dinner?” Breck said, eyes wide and guileless.
“Yeah,” Sammy said. “My mom is a great cook and we’re have dinner next Sunday with the family. And Jake is going to come. He’s my brother. Do you work here? You can come, too.”
Danny was shaking his head before Sammy had finished making the offer. “Oh, no. I couldn’t intrude on your family,” he said.
Sammy’s face fell.
“Yes we can,” Breck said. He pulled Danny close, whispering just loud enough to be overheard. “I know you miss your family, babe. Wouldn’t it be nice to be with one even for a day?”
Danny looked at my mother, and I wasn’t sure the pain in his eyes was completely faked.
“Are you far from your family, dear?” my mother asked.
“I just, um, haven’t seen them for a while,” Danny said, still not making eye contact. “We kind