Chapter 2 I’ll Have What He’s Having
Calder
“Here you go, boys.” Judy’s husky voice snaps my attention away from my phone as she sets three fresh beers down in front
of me, Wyatt, and Luke.
My brothers and I are seated at the one and only food and drink establishment in Jamestown called The Mercantile, where everyone
is a little feral. It’s a hole-in-the-wall dive bar that’s full of locals, but you see the occasional out-of-town cyclists
stop through to fuel up for their rides.
Wyatt, Luke, and I used to stop here most nights after work to eat, although lately Wyatt can’t get home soon enough. I guess
fatherhood is more appealing than having a workday brewski with his brothers.
But today is a Wednesday, and on Wednesdays Trista goes to Boulder with Stevie and volunteers at the front desk of the Humane
Society, so Wyatt can magically make time for us.
I’m not bitter at all.
“Your food should be out in ten,” Judy adds before turning to leave.
“Thanks, Judy,” Luke says, adjusting his backward hat before taking a fortifying sip.
“Hey, Judy,” I call out before she gets too far away. “Any outsiders move to town recently that you know of?”
“Outsiders?” Judy asks with a frown.
Judy is a Jamestown lifer. She’s owned the Merc for as long as we’ve lived here and has turned into a second mother to us... if our mother smoked a pack a day and wore Wranglers. She knows everyone who comes in and out of our little mountain town, so she’s the best source for the latest news.
“I thought I saw a moving truck roll by one day last week. Wondered if any single ladies might have moved in?”
I feel Wyatt’s eyes on me from across the table as Judy hits me with a punishing glower.
“Didn’t you learn your lesson the last time with Robyn?” she asks in her gravelly voice.
I feel both my brothers tense at the mention of her name. The she who shall not be named. Except Judy mentions her name anytime she damn well pleases.
I wrinkle my nose and shrug. “Ancient history.”
“Ha!” Judy barks out a haughty laugh. “Tell that to these two whose shoulders are pinned to their ears.”
Wyatt and Luke both instantly relax their posture, only now realizing how edgy they got with the mention of our past fling’s
name. Yes, I said our . Robyn was the dark queen who moved into town just as we were building up on the mountain. She messed with all of our minds,
pinning us against each other in a stupid competition for who she’d fall for first. And when she ended up being pregnant with
the baby of her husband back home... that meant all three of us were the losers. And my relationship with my brothers at
the time suffered greatly for that.
Judy presses her hands to the table and eyes me seriously. “Don’t you go messing up a good thing now, Calder. No one new has
moved to town, and you’ve burned the bridges of all the available options already.”
I sit back in my chair with a frown. “Bridges can be rebuilt.”
“Not in Jamestown.” Judy hits me with a withering stare that has me shrinking in my seat.
“Point taken,” I mumble and take a long, pouting drink of my beer.
Judy walks away, and Luke jacks me in the ribs with his elbow. “What the fuck are you thinking?”
“What?” I ask, shoving him in the shoulder.
“We don’t date local. You know our pact.”
“Our pact.” I point an accusatory finger at Wyatt. “This one pretty much ruined our pact.”
Wyatt grunts and sips his beer, refusing to dignify my accusation with a response.
“The pact was that we choose mountain life over traditional lives,” I remind him even though I know he knows this. “We didn’t
even do our annual Dark Night tradition last year because of you.”
Wyatt’s eyes sharpen. “Do you have something to say to me, Calder?”
“Maybe I do,” I reply, pressing my elbows to the table. “But first, do you want to tell me why you’ve been fucking with my
dating apps?”
Wyatt’s face twists in confusion.
“I know it was one of you,” I growl and turn a menacing glare to Luke. “Every time I try to change them back, one of you jumps
in and just fucks them up even more. Just tell me which one of you did it, and save me the effort of pounding both of your
faces in.”
“I don’t even know what the fuck you’re talking about,” Luke replies, scratching his beard.
I open my fucked-up Tinder profile and show it to the two of them. They stare at it long and hard before throwing their heads
back to laugh.
“That is epic,” Luke exclaims with a whack on my back. “Whoever wrote that is fucking hilarious.”
“It wasn’t you?” I ask with a frown. “That means it was...” I stare at Wyatt who shakes his head, making it very clear
that it wasn’t him either.
“Then, it has to be Everly.” My teeth clench before I take another swig of my beer. The student truly surpassed the teacher.
I’d be proud of her if her evilness wasn’t directed at me. “Damn that kid. Isn’t she supposed to be busy at college and shit?”
“She must think you’re desperate.” Luke laughs, and I see that twinkle in his eye that he gets anytime he talks about Everly.
We all get that twinkle, even when she’s being a pain in our ass. She’s the kid our oldest brother, Max, had when he was still
in college, so we were all barely teenagers when she was born. In an instant, she became the apple of our eyes and turned
us from boys to men.
Now she’s all grown-up and off to college in a foreign country and still managing to stir up trouble from across the pond.
Atta girl, Evie.
And her brother Ethan is going to be ten times worse. He’s eight and recently got in trouble for taking his bicycle to Walmart
without permission. Little fucker wanted Pokémon cards and his mom, Cozy, said no, so he just took his bike and pedaled his
ass there all by himself. Didn’t even have enough money at the cash register to buy what he wanted, but a sweet old lady in
line spotted him the difference. He was halfway back home with his stash before Cozy and Max even realized he’d left. He had
to cross a major highway twice on his journey!
I was equal parts horrified and impressed.
Once upon a time, I thought Max’s kids were going to be the only little ones in our lives. Me, Luke, and Wyatt all vowed to
stay single and live off the mountain after Robyn fucked with all of our hearts.
Now Wyatt’s messed everything up.
“We didn’t do our Dark Night last year because you wanted us to go to a sex club.” Wyatt’s deep voice reverberates in my ears.
“It was a fucked-up suggestion for many reasons, but our pact still stands. Brotherhood, family, and mountain life over all
else. Trista and Stevie don’t change that. They’ve just been added to the pact. Unless you have a problem with my fiancée
and daughter being a part of our family?”
“You know I love Stevie,” I snap, my hand tightening around my beer. “And your wife gave me Milkshake...” My voice catches in my throat as I think of my little fuzzball waiting for me back home. “You know I love her for that.”
“Then, what the hell are you whining about?” Luke asks, losing patience with me.
“I need a fucking date for this wedding trip. You’re bringing the lumber chick. What do you call her? Roe?”
“That’s just a nickname. Her name is Addison,” Luke corrects smugly, naming the girl he locked in weeks ago.
She’s the daughter at the company we buy most of our building materials through. I’m tempted to give Luke the don’t shit where you eat speech because if he fucks with our lumber supply, we’re going to have big business problems that we don’t need. But I don’t
have the energy to tell my younger brother what an idiot he is. I’m too depressed.
“Can I bring my cat?” I ask, feeling desperate and mopey. “Maybe if I could bring Milkshake, I wouldn’t care if I don’t find
a date.”
“You know how creepy you sound, right?” Luke asks pointedly.
“Yes.”
“Begging to bring your own pussy to Mexico?”
“Shut the fuck up, Luke.”
“Just saying... people are going to think you’re fucking that cat the way you’re being so weird with it. First the baby
carrier, now you want to take it on an international flight? What kind of fucked up shit do you get up to at that sex club,
anyways?”
My chair scrapes loudly on the floor as I lunge for Luke and yank him out of his seat. He laughs and holds his hands up defensively
as I pull back my fist to sock him in the nose.
But before I can send my fist of fury flying, I make eye contact with Judy who is approaching with our three plates of food.
She says nothing. She just gives me that look . It’s a look that only a mother can give. A look that silently says Throw that punch and it will be the last thing you do, Calder Fletcher .
I growl my frustration and release a chortling Luke back into his seat, dropping into my own to accept my food in sulky silence.
I’m supposed to be the hot, charismatic brother. The one who has no problem finding pussy that isn’t of the four-legged variety.
What is happening to me?
I need a new place to look for a date. Somewhere that’s not in my backyard and not on my screwed-up dating apps. I need a
viable option. Someone with well-defined expectations. Someone who understands clear-cut rules and boundaries and accepts
that there’s zero chance of a relationship at the end of the trip.
My eyes light up as an idea comes to mind. It might just be crazy enough to work.