Him by Carey Heywood (reading strategies book .txt) 📕

"Must be your favorite." I gesture towards them, thinking of the sprays I assembled.

Christine beams. "Yes, my absolute favorite. What's your favorite flower?"

I hesitate. Only one other person knows the answer to that question. "Lilies."

I step out of my shoes, relishing the relief that comes with being barefoot after spending too much time in heels. Brian heads into the kitchen to make us drinks while Christine and I go to their living room. She sits on their sofa while I look around. The ceilings seem taller than both my parents’ place and my place in Denver. It makes the space feel bigger than it actually is. There are framed pictures everywhere, mainly of the two of them and a few with friends. I pause to look at one of Brian and Will. It still bothers me that I had not known how close they became after I left. There are other black and white prints that catch my eye. All shadow and light across structured objects, fence posts, deck planks, back slats of a chair. They're beautiful.

"Will took those," Christine murmurs from the sofa.

I close my eyes, shutting them out before turning and giving her a noncommittal smile.

Brian walks in with our drinks and sits down next to Christine. I take mine and sit across from them in a rounded armchair. It hugs me. I sink deeper into it, bringing my legs up and curled them to my side.

"This is a great place, guys." I look at my brother. "Brian, before I forget, I picked up your wedding present today. Not to ruin the surprise, but it's a heavy ass table and in the back of dad's car. He said maybe you and Will could swing by in the morning to pick it up while we're getting our salon on." I smile at Christine and she raises her glass.

Brian grins and looks at Christine, "So is it a dark wood end table with geometric cut out carvings on the sides?"

Why does he look so happy? "Yeah, so?"

"Will got us the other one."

I roll my eyes and shake my head. Of course he did. Probably even chatted Jessica up when he was there.

"Oh my gosh," Christine gushes. "It's like you two are a matched set!"

Did she really just say that? "Well, that was fun. Let’s talk about something else now. Please."

Brian smiles. "Anything you want, sis. I'm thrilled you like the place. When you have a sec, go check out the kitchen. We have a balcony off of it, and our bedroom overlooks the center courtyard."

I take a sip of my drink and close my eyes. "Geez, Brian. If you're drinking what I'm drinking, are you sure you'll be able to drive me home?"

He shrugs. "I can always have Will come pick you up."

"Not cool," I blurt, not thinking.

Brian leans forward. "Seriously, what is the deal between you two?"

I look away. "Long story," and take another drink.

"Come on, Sarah. We have all night."

I give him a look. "No, you don’t. You're getting married tomorrow. A good night of sleep is probably in your best interest. Speaking of, are you all even supposed to be sleeping together the night before the wedding?"

"Nice dodge." He puts his arm around Christine. "I'd like to see someone tell me to stay away. So, you, Will. What’s the deal?"

"Brian, leave her alone. If Sarah wanted to talk about it, she would."

I raise my glass to her. I'm liking this girl better every minute. Besides, short of booking a flight out of here, my next plan of attack is to not exhume buried skeletons. Seems safer that way. When we finish our drinks, Christine shows me the rest of their place. Their kitchen is galley-styled with an old-fashioned farmhouse table island. There are Adirondack chairs and a bistro table on their balcony. I lean against the railing and look at the courtyard below. Christine comes to stand beside me.

"Will used to live in that one," she says, pointing to a condo across the courtyard. "When he lived there, he and Brian would try and throw a football back and forth." She shakes her head. "Never worked. One of them would always have to run down to get the ball." She pauses. "Did you hear about Will's dad?"

I nod. "Will told me."

"His mom is not taking it well, which I can understand. He's a good guy to take care of her."

"Did you know about his sister?"

Christine shakes her head. "He had an older sister who died when he was in elementary school. It was something to do with her heart."

"That's awful. I didn’t know."

"Growing up, I remember he never wanted to be at his house. It made him uncomfortable" I close my eyes, kicking myself for even mentioning it.

Brian comes out. "I should probably get you back home before it gets too late."

I hug Christine and compliment her again on their place. It feels good to see my brother settled. I slip my shoes back on and take Brian's arm when he offers it. I lean into him, feeling guilty it has been so long since the last time I saw him. He takes Sarah's car so he won't have to hunt for a spot when he gets back, opening the door for me.

On the way to our parents’ house, he starts again. "Why can't you tell me what happened with Will?"

I shrug. "It hurts too much."

It’s the truth, and it shuts him up until we reach our neighborhood.

"For what it's worth, he's hurting too."

I shake my head, suddenly angry. "He doesn’t get to hurt."

"Shit, Sarah. When you say stuff like that, it makes me feel like I should kick his ass."

He parks in front of the house. "Then it's probably best that you don’t know."

Chapter 14

Past

"Brian, please," I beg.

He looks up at the ceiling "Don't you have a girl who can help you with this?" He must see my