6. Sweet And Refreshing
6
SWEET AND REFRESHING
C oy wasn’t forgetting Angel was a woman when he returned home at five and Spencer’s family was still there.
He’d been hoping they were, as he enjoyed Spencer’s parents as much as he enjoyed spending time with his.
“Hey,” Coy said, walking out on the deck. They were all sitting there relaxing with what looked like slices of cake in front of them. “What’s that and where’s mine?”
“It’s a cake I picked up from the bakery,” Angel said. “I’ll get you a slice.”
“I can do it,” he said. “Is it in the fridge?”
He hadn’t really looked at his kitchen when he walked in. Rather came in from the garage and out to the main area to see where everyone was.
He had no problem with them being in his house without him here.
Spencer was like a brother to him and he’d let any of his siblings or their spouses in his house at any time.
“Yes,” Angel said.
“Can I get anyone a drink while I’m in there?”
“I’ll take a beer,” Spencer said.
No one else wanted anything so he went in and found the cake, opened the box, and cut a slice to put on a plate.
He got two beers and poured his into a glass and brought Spencer’s out in the can to put his in his glass out there.
The doors to the deck were wide open. The weather was beautiful on the last day of August. He got a nice breeze off the water and liked that he didn’t need his AC on all the time.
Angel stood up fast when he got there and pulled the can of beer out of his hand that he was gripping with the glass of beer he had.
“Thanks,” he said.
“No problem,” she said, handing it over to her brother.
“It’s good to see you,” Barb said to him. “Thank you for letting us use your house. I know it was more Spencer’s doing because he didn’t want to do tourist things.”
Coy looked at his best friend and smirked. “Anytime you want,” he said. “I wasn’t around anyway, and even if I was, you’re more than welcome. Unless you want to hang out at the beach or a restaurant, you’d be in Angel’s apartment.”
“Which is lacking in furniture,” Spencer said.
“I’ve got furniture,” she said. “Probably more than you.”
“You could be right,” Spencer said. “Only because your place is bigger than mine. But this is better. It’s nice and comfortable and I’ve got my own place to stay.”
“Which he has bragged about more times than anyone can count,” she said.
“There is a lot of food in there,” Barb said. “I hope you keep some of it. I don’t see Angel eating it all.”
“I’ll eat some of it but not all. I’m not a fan of potato salad and there is only so much pasta salad I’ll eat,” she said. “If you put chips in the pasta I’d eat it more.”
Coy laughed. He knew from Spencer Angel liked to eat junk food, but it didn’t seem to be affecting her health any.
“I won’t let anything go to waste,” he said. “Thanks.”
“I told Angel that I asked you to watch out for her,” Spencer said.
Which he was hoping his best friend didn’t bring up. No reason to embarrass Angel.
“I told him I’d do what I could, but it’s not like I’m going to see you anywhere other than the office. You’d be watched out for there the same as all my other staff.”
He saw Barb and Angel look at each other and didn’t know what that was about.
“We appreciate it,” Todd said. “But we did tell Spencer to ease up. Angel is a grown woman and can make her choices in life and live with them.”
“Just like us all, right, Angel?” Coy asked.
“Right,” she said, smiling. She was always smiling and happy to be around.
Maybe some people didn’t like being around younger siblings, but he never had an issue when she came to visit.
He could sit and talk to her just as easily as he could friends his age.
He found her sweet and refreshing.
She always had a lot of questions. First about being a dentist and then when he found out she wanted to be one too, they bonded over that.
Maybe he liked that he could see she looked up to him.
Could be almost idolizing him.
It fed his ego when he knew what it was like to be the baby and busted on more times than not in his family.
Just like today.
His mother had her three boys over along with his brothers’ families. He got his fix in with Liam and Gemma. At eight months, Gemma was crawling. She’d been pulling herself up and trying to stand, but Bode always pulled her away afraid she’d get hurt.
His older brother smothered his daughter enough that he said Gemma was going to resent him if he kept it up. Even Sam, Bode’s wife, yelled at Bode to cut it out.
Kind of like what Spencer and Todd did to Angel, now that he thought of it.
He found it funny that Bode was the person who shoved him in a closet when their mother wasn’t looking or shoulder-blocked him into the hallways.
There was no way he could fight back. Not that he ever got hurt, but his brothers loved to give it to him.
He was smarter and found his revenge.
Fake bugs in their beds were his go-to. For years Bode wouldn’t even get in bed without looking first.
“Why are you smiling?” she asked him.
“Thinking of my brothers right now,” he said. “What jerks they were when I was growing up and then watching them with their kids now.”
“Tell us about them,” Barb said. “Maybe someday I’ll get a grandkid.”
“My mother would have tons of them if it was up to her,” he said. “But she’d never push.”
“No,” Todd said. “We wouldn’t either. We know what it’s like and how hard it was to get Angel.”
“Which is why Spencer is such a jerk half the time,” she said, grinning. “He liked being the only child and then I came along.”
“You were unplanned,” Spencer said. “No seven-year-old wanted to hear they were getting a sibling after that long.”
“Spencer doesn’t like to admit it, but he was jealous,” Barb said. “He got all our attention for years and then Angel was born twelve weeks early. We thought we were going to lose her for so long. But she’s a fighter.”
Coy knew all these things. Just like he knew she’d had open heart surgery to repair a large hole in her heart.
It was the reason for Spencer being so protective.
So even though Spencer might have been jealous, he took on the older brother role like a champ.
“I am,” she said. “Which is why everyone has to let up. I’m going to be fine. I’ve got an exciting new job I’m starting in two days. And a great boss.”
“You don’t know if Coy is a great boss or not,” Spencer said. “He could be a dick.”
“Spencer!” Barb said. “You know better than that.”
Coy laughed. “If I was such a dick, he’d never let Angel set foot on this island let alone work for me.”
“Guilty,” Spencer said. “And the fact he’s not a dick and a great honorable guy, that is why I pushed for this.”
Angel frowned and he didn’t want her to think she only got the job for that reason.
“Don’t listen to your brother. He didn’t have to twist my arm in the least. I knew you were graduating and he’d said you hadn’t decided where you wanted to look for a job. I said I’d been looking for another dentist for years, which he knew. One thing led to another. To me, this is the best hire I could get. I know you as a person, I’m not getting a stranger. That’s huge. Personalities make a big difference.”
“They do,” she said. “Thank you for that.”
“For all you know, Angel could have two left hands while trying to pull a tooth out,” Todd said.
Angel’s father was grinning and winked at his daughter.
“Not after graduating dental school at the top of her class,” Coy said. “But I’m here to teach as well. We all have to learn somewhere.”
“You didn’t,” Spencer said. “You came back and opened your practice.”
“Not true,” he said. “While the rehab was being done, I worked part time in Boston. A few days a week. Someone was overseeing me and then showing me the ropes to run my practice too.”
He’d wanted to just dive in but knew enough to check himself.
It was only two months but enough time that his confidence was back in his mind.
“I didn’t know that,” Angel said.
“It wasn’t long but the right thing to do. You’ll be on your own soon enough. The fact we both attended the same college, I know what you were taught. Spencer bragged about your grades, so I know you’re smart too.”
He saw her face flush some. “I worked hard.”
“You did,” he said. “You got better grades than me.”
“And I’ll show you that I know what I’m doing,” she said, smirking. The same smirk she’d sent his way before that he was trying to figure out.
He heard Barb cough and looked over, but she was looking out at the view.
“I look forward to it,” he said.
Another cough from Barb, but she picked up her drink. Must be she had a tickle in her throat.