Chapter 13 - Atticus #2
“They weren’t horror stories. They were cautionary tales. And they worked, didn’t they? Kept you from making a mistake when you were too young.”
Brenna glanced at her brother, then at me. I shrugged.
“I’m happy for you. I mean that sincerely.” Luke was quiet for a long moment, then he leaned forward and scrunched his eyes at me. “You hurt her, and I’ll kill you. Best friend or not.”
“I’d expect nothing less.”
“I mean it, Perry. And if I don’t manage to finish you off, Mom will.”
“Not your dad?”
Luke’s eyes met Brenna’s, and they both laughed.
“Mom’s a better shot than Dad is,” she said, nudging me with her shoulder.
“I love her,” I said, meeting his gaze directly.
“I know you do.”
The waiter returned with the bottle of wine and three new glasses. After Luke took a sip and nodded, he poured some for each of us.
“To my sister and my best friend finally pulling their heads out of their asses.”
“Charming toast,” Brenna muttered, but she was smiling as we clinked glasses.
“So,” Luke said after we’d drunk, “does this mean you’re both in town together? Not separate work things?”
Brenna and I exchanged a quick glance.
“It’s complicated,” she said.
“Complicated how? Wait, is this about that DOJ thing you mentioned?”
“Can’t really discuss it,” I responded on her behalf.
“Which means that when we met for coffee—wait, that was four days ago.”
“I was already here. We just hadn’t figured things out yet. Personally, I mean.”
Luke studied her. “You sure you know what you’ve gotten yourself into, and I don’t mean personally?”
“It’s my investigation.”
“I see.” He turned to me. “I’m going to amend my previous statement. Are you listening?”
I nodded and took another sip of wine.
“You let anything happen to her, and you also die.”
“Without her, life wouldn’t be much worth living,” I said, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “But don’t worry, keeping her safe is my top priority.”
The waiter appeared with our entrees, giving us a reprieve from Luke’s words hitting their mark. We’d all ordered different dishes and fell into the familiar routine of sharing bites, arguing about whose was best.
“The duck is clearly superior,” Luke insisted.
“Too rich,” Brenna countered. “My tenderloin has better balance.”
“You both have terrible taste. The lamb is perfect.”
“You would choose lamb,” Luke said. “Always trying to be different.”
“Says the guy who ordered duck at an Italian restaurant.”
“It’s California cuisine, not Italian.”
“The restaurant has ‘fig’ in the name. Figs are Mediterranean.”
“Figs grow well in this area,” Brenna interjected.
We continued the playful argument through dinner, the ease of it washing over me like coming home after a long deployment.
“So when do Mom and Dad find out?” Luke asked as dessert arrived—panna cotta we all shared despite claiming to be full.
“This weekend, probably?” Brenna looked at me for confirmation.
“My parents tomorrow, yours this weekend?”
“Your parents don’t know yet either?”
“We wanted to tell you first.”
Luke’s cheeks flushed, something I hadn’t seen happen very often in all the years I’d known him. “I’m honored.”
Brenna shrugged. “We figured you’d react the worst, so we wanted to get it over with.”
He chuckled.
“So, what about you? When’s my big brother gonna settle down?”
“Now that you have, I’ve got a five-year reprieve at least.”
While I knew Luke was trying to be flippant, come across like he was joking, there was something about the look in his eyes that told me he wasn’t. Something was up with him, and now that I thought about it, he’d seemed off when we met for coffee too.
“If you boys will excuse me,” Brenna said, motioning for me to let her out of the booth. Once she was gone, I stretched my arm across the back of the rounded bench.
“So, what’s going on with you?”
Luke scrubbed his face, then leaned forward with hunched shoulders. “Owning a business sounds like a great idea.”
“Not going well?”
“Helluva lot harder than I thought it would be. That’s for damn sure.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
He studied me for a minute, then shook his head. “Wish you could.”
“You cannot tell Mom and Dad before we do,” Brenna said when she returned to the table.
Luke’s mouth gaped. “I’m wounded you’d think I would.”
“You’ve done it before.”
“That was different. You were fifteen, and he had a motorcycle.”
“He had a moped.”
I might’ve been jealous until she mentioned that.
“It had a motor and two wheels. Close enough.”
They continued bickering through dessert while Luke insisted on paying.
“My little sister’s first real relationship deserves celebration.”
“I’ve had relationships before,” Brenna protested.
“Name one that lasted more than six months.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it.
“That’s what I thought.” He signed the check with a flourish. “Besides, Perry’s going to need his money for the ring.”
“Luke!” Brenna’s face flushed.
“What? I’m just being practical. Mom’s going to expect a spring wedding, which means you need to get engaged by New Year’s to have time to plan.”
“We’ve been together four days!”
“And you’ve been in love for years. The math works out.”
I pulled Brenna against my side. “Your brother might have a point.”
“Don’t encourage him.”
“I’m just saying, spring in DC is nice.”
She buried her face in my shoulder while Luke’s satisfied laughter filled the space around us.
Outside the restaurant, Luke hugged Brenna tightly. “I’m happy for you, Bug. Really.” He stepped back and jingled his rental keys. “You two free Friday? Maybe we could all grab lunch before my afternoon meetings. I could introduce you to Trev.”
Brenna and I shared another quick glance. Friday, we’d be driving to Valley Ridge Resort.
“We might be tied up with work stuff,” Brenna said.
He gave us a knowing look. “Got it. Well, if you get free, let me know.”
The drive home was quiet, but comfortable. Brenna had taken her shoes off and tucked her feet under her. “Oh no! We left the cookies on the bench outside the restaurant.”
“Shit. That’s my fault. Wanna go back?”
She shook her head. “They’re probably long gone by now. If not by humans, ants probably carted them off.”
I reached over and squeezed her hand. “What’s wrong? I know it isn’t the cookies.”
She rested against the seat. “He reacted differently—better—than I expected.”
“But?”
“Something’s off with him.”
I nodded. “I noticed it too. In fact, I asked him about it while you were in the ladies’ room.”
“What did he say?”
“That owning a business is a lot harder than he thought it would be.”
“I wish we had time to meet his partner,” she said, turning her gaze to the window.
“We could have him checked out if you want.”
“That seems…invasive.”
“It is. But if you’re worried…”
“I’ll keep it in mind.” She reached over and put her hand on my arm. “Thank you for tonight. For being so great with Luke.”
“I wasn’t playing a role, Brenna. That was just me, loving you, in front of your brother.”
“I know. That’s what made it perfect.”
As we pulled into the driveway in Sausalito, my phone buzzed with a text from him. Tell Bug I already texted Mom that I ran into you both. What you tell her about why is up to you, but she knows you’re together in California. You’re welcome.
I showed Brenna the message. She groaned, then laughed. “My phone’s about to explode.”
Sure enough, as we walked inside, her phone rang. She looked at the screen. “Mom.”
“Want me to make tea while you talk to her?”
“Maybe something stronger. This could take a while.”
I kissed her forehead. “At least the hard part’s over.”
“The hard part? Atticus, we haven’t even told her we’re dating yet.”
“One crisis at a time, counselor.”
As she answered the phone with a tentative, “Hi, Mom,” I headed to the kitchen to find that bottle of brandy we’d opened two nights ago.
Behind me, I heard Brenna say, “Yes, I’m with him now. No, not just for work. Mom, it’s complicated—” Her voice rose. “No, we’re not eloping! We’ve only been—Mom, please let me explain—”
I poured two generous glasses and returned to find her pacing the living room, phone pressed to her ear.
“Yes, he’s taking care of me. No, I’m not pregnant. Mother!” She caught my eye and mouthed, “Help me.”
I held up the half-full snifter. She grabbed it and took a large sip while I could hear her mother still chattering.
“Mom, I have to go. Yes, I’ll call you tomorrow. Yes, I’ll tell him. Love you too.” She ended the call and collapsed onto the couch. “It’s worse than I expected.”
I sat beside her. “In what way?”
“She wants to know if you think your parents would prefer chicken or fish for the main course.”
“For what?”
She turned her head and raised a brow.
“You’re right. That’s bad.” I pulled her feet onto my lap and rubbed her arches. “Could be worse, though.”
“How?”
“She could hate me.”
“Nobody hates you, Mason. You’re annoyingly likable.”
“Annoyingly?”
“Promise me your parents won’t be this bad.”
My eyes flared, and I chuckled. “I only make promises I know I can keep.”
“Great. Thanks.” She wiggled one foot. “That feels amazing, by the way.”
“I can think of a few things that might feel better.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
“Race you upstairs, and I’ll show you.”
“You’re on.”
Brenna was halfway up the stairs when my cell phone pinged with an urgent alert.
“Be right there,” I hollered up at her when I noticed hers hadn’t.
I swiped the screen and saw a text from Kodiak.
Name Redpoint mean anything to you?
Why?
Got some intel on ’em.
How urgent?
Nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow.
Talk then.
I glanced up to make sure Brenna had gone into the bedroom, then returned downstairs to make the rounds, turn off the lights, and check all the doors were secure and the alarm was set. Really, though, I was biding my time.
Redpoint was the company Luke and Trevor owned, and as much as I wanted to know what intel Kodiak had received, if I did, I wouldn’t be able to keep it from Brenna.