brows shoot up.
“I told him I’d—think about it.”
They all gape at me like I’ve straight lost my mind. Max is the first one to recover. “You’re going to think about it? What’s there to think about?”
“Your answer should’ve been ‘hey, shove it up your ass, Craig’.” Mason shakes his head, his expression full of disgust.
“You also should’ve kicked him out of your office.” This comes from Dad.
They all three make a valid point. I appreciate how defensive they are of me. I also miss Cam. He’d probably be on my side with this.
I know he would be.
“Where is Cam anyway?” I ask. “Mom mentioned he’s working.”
“That’s what he told us,” Dad says, cracking open the barbecue lid to check yet again on his sizzling steaks. “Hope your girlfriend isn’t a vegetarian.”
“She’s not,” I tell him.
“Thank God. These steaks are going to be a masterpiece,” Dad says reverently, making the rest of us crack up.
“What is Cam doing that’s so important he skips a family get-together?” I ask, ignoring the disappointment I feel at my brother not being here. I wanted him to meet Kelsey. He wouldn’t turn it into a bro moment. He would’ve been polite and asked her questions. Would’ve maybe dug some information out of her, possibly more than I ever could.
That’s one thing I don’t get about Kelsey. She’s warm and fun and sweet and funny. A little sarcastic at times, but never cruel. But she’s got a wall erected so high, I can’t climb it. She never mentions her family. Ever. I have no idea where she grew up. Hell, I don’t know where she lives currently, since she doesn’t let me come over.
She’s a mystery. One I’ve been wanting to figure out. Now even more so.
“He’s got some sort of meeting in San Francisco this weekend,” Dad says, grabbing his tongs and flipping the steaks over yet again. He turns the barbecue off before he shuts the lid. “Didn’t say what it was about, though.”
I turn to Max and Mason. “Did he mention anything to you?”
They both shake their heads, wearing equally confused expressions. The twins are fraternal, and you can definitely tell them apart. But their gestures, and the way they move and speak, are very similar. It’s obvious they’re twins.
My three brothers run a barbecue food truck together, and while I’ve invested in it as well, I’m the background guy, running the financials. They get their love of barbecue from my father. Cam started it up first with a couple of college buddies at the time, but his friends found different careers after graduating, while Cam wanted to keep running the truck. He recruited the twins to help him about five years ago, and now they have a pretty popular business. He’s talked of expanding, and I agree it’s the right move.
So what the hell is he doing, meeting with someone and not telling us about it?
“I wondered why he wasn’t here, showing you how to do this.” I wave my hand at the barbecue.
Dad thrusts a giant fork at me, a grim look on his face. “Those are fighting words, son.”
We all laugh, the four of us turning when we hear the door open and the three women come back outside, each of them holding a giant plate of food.
“Mom’s trying to fatten us up,” Mason says with a sigh.
“No way.” I pat my flat stomach. “I’ve been working out constantly. Eating right.” Most of the time. Those burger lunches aren’t so good for me. “I refuse to let her tempt me.”
“Trying to look good for your new girl?” Mason teases.
I started working out for myself. I was feeling like shit after the breakup, all depressed and woe is me. Stood on the bathroom scale Jessica left behind after she took all her stuff, and got the shock of my life.
I was the heaviest I’d ever been.
I threw out all the junk food, from pantry to fridge, and started going to the gym again. I wasn’t fat, but I was soft. Pudgy. I hated it.
I hated myself.
Now I feel on top of my game. With everything.
Except for Kelsey. She fills me with a shit ton of doubt. I have no idea where our relationship stands.
Or what we’re going to do about it when the wedding is over. Pretend we never did any of this and go back to our old ways? I’ll stand by and eventually watch her date some loser while I remember how good the sex was between us?
That sounds