Chapter 22
twenty-two
MADDOX
“Have you spoken to Rubes recently?” Sabbi asks.
“Nope,” I tell her. But I have wanked off thinking about her every night since Wi-ook club. “Why, what’s up?”
“She seems … off.”
“What do you mean by ‘off’?” I ask, balancing the phone between ear and shoulder so I can stir my sauce before I throw the gnocchi into the pot of boiling salted water. On tonight’s menu is chicken and pesto gnocchi with homemade garlic bread.
“She’s not her usual bubbly self, and when I ask her how things are going with the wedding, she gives me a ‘fine’ and then changes the topic.”
“I haven’t seen her since Wi-ook club the other day where her and Joel got into it.”
“What do you mean ‘they got into it’?”
“They had a fight about smut.”
“Let me guess, he told her it was wrong and immoral and he doesn’t know why an educated woman like her reads erotica. ”
“Pretty much that, and it all started cause Mrs. Winters said, ‘Any hole is a goal,’ in reference to why choose romances.”
“Well, she isn’t wrong?—”
“Lalalalalalalala,” I sing. “I don’t want to hear about your holes being goals. I’m your brother and I do NOT need that visual.”
“Who said it’s my holes that are the goals? My husband has hot?—”
“Sabrina McMahon!” I shout incredulously. “If I don’t want to hear about your holes, I definitely do not want to hear or think about your husband’s … or anyone’s, for that matter.”
“You’re no fun.”
“Please,” I scoff. “I’m the life of the party, but getting back to Reindeer, you want me to pop over and check on her?”
“Would you mind?”
Yes, because I cannot be held responsible for my actions around her . “Of course, she’s like family.”
“Thank you,” she says and I can hear the smile in her voice. “You know, I used to dream you two would hook up so she would become my sister-in-law.”
“Really? You would have been okay with that?”
“Hell yeah, I would have.” She pauses. “Would you have gone after her had you thought I’d be okay with it?”
In a heartbeat . And I mean that. Had I known my sister would have been okay with us as a couple, I would have done things differently that Christmas, but I guess Fate had other plans for her since she’s about to marry another man. “I mean, maybe, she is kinda hot.”
“Kinda? Please, Ruby Olsen is a fucking knockout. If I batted for the other team, I’d have locked her down years ago. If you ask me, Joel should be thanking his lucky stars she wants to marry his boring, stuck-up, prudish ass.”
“Tell me how you really feel. ”
“I just did.”
“Does Ruby know you feel this way?”
“God no, you know I can’t tell her exactly how I feel. I value our friendship too much to be honest-honest with her about him, but I, umm, I did question her the other weekend in regard to if she’s sure about him.”
“And what did she say?”
“Nothing really, but they’re getting married next week so I guess deep down she does want to marry him.”
“Guess so.”
“Alcohol always cheers her up so maybe she just needs to get drunk for a night.”
“Alcohol is never a good idea but, then again, no great story starts with water.”
Then together we cry out, “Or with a salad.” I still remember the first time Sabbi sent me the “no good story starts with a salad” meme. I laughed so hard and now whenever we see one, we send it to each other.
With me confirming to check on Reindeer, she starts talking about the girls and their upcoming Christmas performance, which they are both super excited to perform in. I tell her to take heaps of pics for Uncle Maddox and then a silence falls between us. A few moments later, in the background I hear an almighty crash, followed by my sister hissing, “For fuck’s sake.” A chuckle escapes me and she growls, literally growls at me, “I gotta go, let me know what you think after you see Ruby.”
“Will do. Love you, Sis.”
“Love you too, Big Bro.”
She hangs up and I get back to finishing up my dinner … and mentally preparing myself to visit Reindeer with a bottle of tequila, or maybe a salad, ’cause bad decisions don’t come from salad.