way out of jury duty. Nah. Oh, yes. You acquired a building permit to tear down a neighborhood park to build a strip club.”
I sat idly by, and mildly entertained, as he defamed my moral fiber and character in a matter of seconds. “Can’t a man just be happy to see his best friend enjoying the thoughtful, heartwarming wedding present he so generously gave him?”
“No.” He scratched his chin, and then his eyebrow lifted and his lips curled upward. “You got pussy.”
That was not what I’d gone there to talk about.
“So the pool should be filled by morning, huh? Vanessa have monogrammed invitations to your first soiree already in the mail?” I pointed at him, begging the universe for him to let it go and fight with me about his new-and-improved, luxurious backyard. “I better get one and a thank-you note.”
“That’s it, isn’t it? You got laid.” His tongue did that thing where it pressed against the inside of his cheek, making him look like a half cocky know-it all and half blowfish. “I’m right. Don’t fight it, Hud. You can tell me. Did she cry? She threw up? Did she flee the country? Are you going with her? Joining Boners Without Borders?”
“Drop it,” I warned.
“Come on. Tell me about your new slam piece.”
There was no way he knew who he was talking about, but that didn’t matter. Even thinking about someone calling Lex a slam piece had my hackles up.
“I said shut up, Cal. You do not want to talk about this.”
“Is it painful having empty, meaningless sex with desperate women who only do it to take pity on you?”
I’d tried to stop him, but he’d never learn. “You know what? I did get pussy. Woke up with three of ’em just last weekend, in fact.”
His jaw fell slack, and his eyes bulged. “Liar.”
“It’s true. Beep. Boop. And your hot sister. Happy now? Come to think of it, I don’t remember her complaining about feeling sick or talking about leaving the country when she was screaming my name.”
“Ahhh!” he shouted, covering his ears. “Lalalalalalalala. Stop. Make it stop.”
Okay, maybe this was fun.
He fell over onto the thick cushion and stomped his sandal-clad feet on the cement. “I’m the one going to be sick now. That joke isn’t funny. Leave Lex out of your twisted games.”
I didn’t reply and waited for him to settle down. After all, she was his little sister and I really wasn’t trying to be a dick.
Also, he’d asked for it. Begged for it, really.
After he finished gagging, he sat up and asked seriously, “Okay, for real though, who is it? Anyone we know?”
“Dude, I told you. It’s Lex.”
It took a minute, and I gave him time to go through the motions of it sinking in. The gamut of expressions that morphed across his face was almost comical. As soon as I saw him take a deep breath and stretch his neck, I knew he was coming back around.
“Are you two like… Like, what are you… Hudson, what’s going on? Are you two just…” He couldn’t say it and I didn’t blame him. Not often were we serious with one another, but when we needed to talk, we didn’t mince words.
Putting him out of his misery, I told him what I’d want to hear if I were in his shoes. “It’s not like that. I want to be with her.”
He sat forward and propped his elbows on his long, hairy legs. “And does Lex want that?”
I nodded. “But you know her as well as I do. She’s not one for talking about stuff.” In my past, I hadn’t been, either, but having a kid changed all that. There was no room for avoiding conversations just because they were sometimes uncomfortable. Still, I was giving her time to come to terms.
He wiped his palms over his face. “Who knows?”
“Just you and Lauren, so don’t go telling your parents. Lex is probably going to kick my ass for telling you as it is.” Now, I wanted to get down to the meat and potatoes so I could wrap this up and get to her place. I hadn’t planned on spending the afternoon with Dr. Nosy. “Are you pissed?”
His brow bunched. “No. Actually—even though I was joking when I agreed to it—I think I won a hundred bucks from Lauren. Besides, why would I be pissed?”
“I don’t know. You’re my best friend and her brother. It’s not going to be messed up for you to get used to?”