made it almost impossible to hate him. “So what do you want this time?”
His brother looked away, then looked back. “The other occasions... The first time was to urge you to contact Mom, the second to return the ring. But now...I’m here for myself, V.T. To make things right between us.”
Vance just stared at him.
“You’re my little brother,” Fitz started.
“It’s not like I’ve forgotten,” Vance said, impatient. “I’m the screwup, the can’t-be-trusted, the not-good-as-you.”
“Those are your words, not mine.” Fitz frowned. “And I’m not here to insult you, dammit. I’m here to make sure you understand about...about me and Blythe.”
“Not that again. Jesus, go find another dead horse to beat, will you?”
Fitz wore a familiar dogged expression, however, the same one he used to have when digging into an extra credit problem set for Advanced Calculus. “I swear that I didn’t make any moves on her before she broke your engagement.”
Vance rolled his eyes.
“Sure, I thought she was beautiful and I couldn’t believe—”
“She’d tie herself to the black sheep of the family? But that didn’t last, did it?”
Fitz sighed. “It just happened, okay? But not before—”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” Layla interrupted, surprising them both. She stomped over to Fitz and he retreated until the small of his back smacked the railing around the deck. Her forefinger poked him in the chest. “Just apologize to your brother.”
Fitz blinked. “Wha—”
“I’m an only child,” Layla said right over him, “but even I know there’s a no-poaching rule between siblings, breakup or no. So tell Vance you’re sorry and maybe you have a chance of him forgiving you.”
Vance’s mouth twitched. God, she made him want to smile, for championing him yet again, and for humbling Fucking Perfect Fitz for perhaps the first time in his life. Because, yep, his brother just stood there, his mouth half-open, the dumb look on his face saying he didn’t know what to think or do next.
A few minutes of silence passed. Finally Fitz looked from Layla to Vance. “She’s right, V.T. I...I beg your pardon.” Then he held out his hand. “Are we good?”
Vance strode forward, for all the world appearing as if he was intent on sealing the peace with a handshake. At the last second, though, instead of meeting Fitz’s palm, he shoved at his brother’s shoulders, hard, sending him toppling over the railing and onto the sand four feet below. Then he peered down at the other man through narrowed eyes. “You ass. It’s not going to be that easy.”
Fitz lay flat on his back, his hair disheveled, his button-down shirt askew, his gaze on the blue overhead. A sudden memory flashed in Vance’s mind. Two young boys, shoulder to shoulder, finding shapes in the clouds. Usually something so tame would bore restless Vance, but Fitz had found a pirate ship in the sky and was spinning the tale of two buccaneer brothers who spent a lifetime together fighting side by side, gathering riches and helping the poor. Figured Fitz’s sea bandits were Robin Hoods, Vance mused now.
Though different from each other, they’d been close as kids. Later, when Vance was semi-estranged from their parents, Fitz had tried to retain the brotherly closeness—when Vance wasn’t deployed he’d called on a regular basis and dropped by for a beer on occasion, no matter how cool a response he’d received in return.
Fucking Perfect Fitz, always doing the right, responsible thing.
He’d counted on that, Vance realized, and had been shocked by his brother’s hooking up with Blythe. It had sliced deep, he realized now, much, much deeper than being dumped by his fiancée. And he’d been grieving over that break with Fitz ever since.
It just happened, his brother had said, referring to falling in love with Blythe. And Vance remembered saying similar words to Layla, too, explaining their instant combustible chemistry. Sometimes things just happened.
“What now?” Layla asked, coming up beside him at the railing to peer curiously over the side.
He glanced over at her, and it brought to mind her uncle Phil and his Buddha voodoo. He’d talked to Vance about grief. You could use it for the positive, the aging hippie had said. It could give you an understanding of how quickly life passes. Then you’d appreciate the world more. Then you’d be kinder to your fellow man.
To your brother.
“Now?” he said to Layla on a sigh. “Now I guess I better get ol’ Fitz off the sand. Offer him a beer.”
His brother still looked a little dazed as Vance stood on the beach, staring down