my dad had to replace it. But I loved that big black dog. Why doesn’t your brother already have a dog? I mean, given how much he loves them.”
He reached for a hush puppy. “My dad’s been against it, really. He has a lot on his plate as it is with Jamie’s care and didn’t want to add a dog to the mix. Jamie . . . he’s okay for the most part, but he does require supervision in a lot of things. At least that’s always been the reason. But it would appear my dad has changed his mind.”
He said something else, but Carly missed it. She found herself mesmerized by his handsome face. He had prominent cheekbones, which made his face appear lean. He had a very masculine face, she decided, all chiseled and perfectly proportioned and—
“Hello?”
Carly blinked.
“I was talking about my dad?”
“Yes! You were telling me . . .” A blush crept into her cheeks.
“That my aunt is the one who told me,” Max said. “Yesterday when I stopped by, my dad wasn’t even home. My aunt was there and said he’d gone out with friends.” He cocked one brow high above the other, glanced around them, and said low, “That was also new. My mom has been gone six years, but my dad never goes out with friends, at least not when Jamie is home. I’m wondering what’s up.”
He had tucked his collar-length dark hair behind his ears. What was it about men with longer hair that was so sexy? It was very Game of Thrones-y to Carly.
“I mean, it would be great if he did find someone to share his life with,” Max continued. “But I didn’t think it would ever be in the cards for him.”
Carly forced herself to stop ogling him. “Why not?”
“Well, you know . . . Jamie,” he said with a slight shrug. “He and Jamie are kind of a package deal. Personally, I would love to see my brother in a group home for adults. But my dad is very protective of him. Doesn’t want him out of his sight, you know? I think it’s a big step forward that Dad’s agreed to a dog.”
Carly couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have a severely autistic adult in the house. She could hardly deal with her family as it was, and none of them needed supervision. Or rather, they needed supervision but would not accept it. “I meant to ask you if your brother enjoyed the dog show. I was so desperate to get out of that skirt I completely forgot.”
His gaze flicked down the length of her. “That was some skirt. And that is a favor I won’t soon forget.”
“You and me both,” Carly murmured. The blush in her cheeks was spreading. “The dog show?”
“It was interesting.”
“Fun?”
He gave a half-hearted wince. “I don’t know if I would say it was fun.” He smiled sheepishly, and the effect was incredibly charming.
“So what happened?”
He laughed a little self-consciously. “I don’t want you to think I’m a bad scientist.”
“How could I think that from a dog show?”
“You know, I haven’t told anyone about that weekend. Not even my dad.” He snorted. “Especially not Dad.”
“Okay, now you have to tell me,” she insisted. She propped one elbow on the table, her head in her hand. “I’m all ears.”
“The truth is, that weekend was a huge drag.”
“Impossible. It was a weekend filled with dogs.”
“I know, right? Good dogs, too—it should have been amazing. But it sucked. My entire professional career has been about cognitive dysfunctions and neurodevelopmental disorders, and the reason I even went into that field was because of Jamie. I grew up with him. I think I know him better than anyone, except my dad.”
“You don’t?”
“You would think. But . . . I could hardly handle him. I was terrible with my own brother, who has a neurodevelopmental disorder, the very thing I study and teach and research. I was a total fish out of water one-on-one with him.”
Carly was surprised by his admission. “You’re exaggerating.”
“I wish I was. I’m ashamed, and honestly I don’t know why I am telling you this, because this is no way to impress a woman. I guess I need to get it off my chest. I figured out that while I study this for a living, what I know is the brain. And what I got was the personality. I got really frustrated with him. And he got frustrated with me, too.” He laughed sheepishly.