Chapter 18
“TWENTY SAYS SHE SAYS NO.”
Cam
Ilost the bet and Rowdy was way too happy to hand over the fish costume I’ll have to wear for two hours today.
Charters are slow for everyone as the season dwindles down, so we’re all hoping some late-season tourists will want to schedule an impromptu fishing trip after seeing me in this ridiculous thing.
As I’m putting it on, my phone dings.
Fisher: Cam wants to meet us, and I want my basement done. Meet at my house tomorrow at nine am. Everyone is helping. We have shit to do.
We’ve been trying to figure out a day and time that works for everyone for a week.
It’s so like Fisher to get annoyed and take control, demanding everyone’s participation.
And I’m grateful. I want to get this over with.
Still, my anxiety picks up from thinking about having to have “the talk” with all of Chevelle’s brothers.
It’s bad enough that I’ve already slept with her once without asking their permission to date her.
She still thinks I’m crazy, but the other night when I brought home dinner for us, I didn’t hear her complaining about boundaries.
We even shared a blanket while watching a movie.
“Sorry.” Chevelle comes over and helps me with the costume. “I suddenly feel guilty about hiding that fish and getting your charter drunk.”
“Don’t forget the laxative.” I raise an eyebrow.
“Eh… that I don’t feel bad about. That girl was all over you.”
She can’t see the smile on my face since my head is in the fish costume already. And I’m not going to call her out on why it bothered her. We weren’t a couple—strike that, aren’t a couple. But Chevelle likes me and it’s not just a little girl crush like when we were younger. She’s softening to me.
“I think I’m going to throw up.” I cough.
“I know. It’s like someone soaked it in fish guts or something.”
“Not helping.” I cough again. “Jesus, what the hell?”
“It’s just two hours.” She takes my hand and guides me out of the marina since it’s hard to see all the way to the ground in this thing. “It’ll go by in a flash. Don’t worry.”
“I won’t complain if you want to bathe me afterward?”
She lightly smacks my back. “Yeah, okay. Now use that charming personality to get us some charters.”
She leaves me on the sidewalk at the entrance to the marina, and it doesn’t take long before I have people harassing me.
“Oh, who is this?” Rylan and his buddy Declan come up.
“Keep on walking, little Greene.”
“Cam? Is that really you?” Declan tries to look through the breathing screen.
“Shit, man. What’d you do?” Rylan asks and laughs.
“He’s probably doing it to get in Chevelle’s pants.” Declan laughs.
Rylan jabs him in the arm. “Gross, that’s my sister, man.”
“I lost a bet,” I tell them.
“You? I’m shocked.” Declan, who I think has always looked up to me for some reason, should be appalled, because I am too.
Declan’s parents have money, and they belong to the same club as my parents. His dad is a hotshot lawyer in Anchorage and commutes so his son can live in a nice area. I don’t think he realizes that his son is the delinquent of the school.
“Keep it moving, boys.” I point down the road.
“Why would we do that when we can be here, harassing you? Besides, we’ve been trying to think of a senior prank, and I think you’re just the man to help us.” Declan smacks me on the back.
“My high school days are over. And didn’t you guys get into trouble a couple years ago? Breaking and entering?”
“We were amateurs.” Rylan laughs.
“You’re still amateurs,” I say. “Not to mention your brother’s the sheriff and your brother-in-law is the mayor.
You have way too many people that you’re going to piss off.
” I wish he could see how serious I am, but to them, we’re on equal footing.
Probably because I don’t take much seriously. “Go find something productive to do.”
“See you later, Moby,” Declan says as the two walk away.
“Why would you say Moby?” Rylan asks.
“You know, from that book,” Declan says.
Rylan’s head falls back in laughter. “Man, Moby Dick was a whale.”
And that’s why that kid already has a scholarship to Stanford. Not only is he a soccer god, but the kid’s got brains too.
Once they walk down the sidewalk toward whatever trouble they’re going to find, I wave at a few cars and take a few pictures with kids, handing out brochures from Chevelle, mine, and Rowdy’s charters.
An hour into it, I spot my parents walking back from their lunch. I purposely sidestep to not be in their direct line of sight.
“Oh, I love the fish costume. Did you bring that back?” my mom asks my dad as they approach.
“Yeah, I think it brings the friendly vibe back.” He smiles at my mom, and I want to call him out on his lie.
“You haven’t demoted our son to that position, have you?” she asks.
“No.”
“Are you about done with this little experiment? We both know that you’re going to hand him the business,” my mom says.
They continue walking, so I pretend I’m waving to someone behind them so I can get closer.
“He’s been doing okay on the charters. I wish he’d show more initiative, but I guess I’ve punished him enough.”
“Yes, you have. He’s our only son, and you know we’re to blame. We gave him anything he ever wanted without him having to work for it.” My mom slides her arm through my dad’s.
“I’ll call him in this week.”
They walk toward the marina offices, and I sit on the ledge. I’ve enjoyed my time out of that office. I never thought I would, but I do. The excursions aren’t great, but I love being on the open water, on my own schedule for the most part, and away from my dad.
I really need to figure out what I’m gonna do if I decline his offer to bring me back. There’s no maybe in whether I can make it without him. I have to make it without him.
Nine o’clock on the dot, I arrive at Fisher’s place with my toolbox to help him with his basement.
It’s the least I can do since I’ve gone behind his back and slept with his sister.
I feel guilty about it, but not as guilty as if it had just been a quick romp I didn’t want to lead to anything. Which is exactly why I’m here today.
A few Greene boys’ trucks are already in the driveway, so I sit in Chevelle’s car she let me borrow and try to gather the nerve to talk to them all.
They’ve known me their entire lives, so there shouldn’t be a problem with me dating Chevelle, right?
Plus, they know how much I protect her, just like they would.
Adam pulls up next to me and gets out of his truck, then looks at me sitting inside the car. “What are you doing?” he asks through the window.
I grab the keys and toolbox, exiting the car. “Nothing. I didn’t want to wake the twins.”
His forehead scrunches. “Well, the fact that Jed and Cade are already here says they’re probably up.”
“Yeah, right, of course.”
He gives me a funny look, then walks up the steps of his childhood home and looks over his shoulder. “You okay, Cam?”
I nod, wishing I wasn’t already sweating when I haven’t even taken one swing of my hammer yet.
All the guys used to live in this house together, but one by one, as they found love, they moved out, except for Fisher, who decided he wanted to live here long term with Allie and raise their kids.
I have to assume some of the Greenes struggle with being here since just beyond the trees is the small lake where the accident happened with Chevelle and their mom.
Adam walks in the house without knocking.
Allie is on the floor in the living room with Axel and Laurie, trying to get them to interact with some toy. “Boys.”
“So, is that a rule, we can just walk in?” I ask.
“Sure, but no complaints when you find us swinging with another couple.” Allie eyes Adam. I’m assuming this isn’t their first conversation about this.
He cringes. “Hard habit to break. Sorry.”
She smiles at him because Allie is too nice for her own good. But I guess that’s the difference between her and Fisher. She’s sunshine, he’s grumpy. It works.
“They’re downstairs. I’m just about to take these two to my friend’s house in Lake Starlight, so I’ll see you guys later,” she says.
I see the twins’ coats on the floor.
“You’ll be having more fun than us.” Adam walks toward the basement.
“Do you need help getting them dressed?” I ask.
Adam stops and turns to look at me.
Allie laughs. “Thank you, but I have it.”
I follow Adam down the basement stairs, and we find Fisher, Cade, and Jed all sitting on buckets and shooting the shit.
“What the hell is this?” Adam asks.
“We’re talking plans before we get started,” Fisher says.
There are piles of two-by-fours and drywall in the corner. At least Fisher took care of that.
I’m not sure I can work side by side with them all day without blurting out what I need to talk to them about, so I grab a bucket and sit in their circle. “Good. Can we talk about something else for a second?”
They all look at me, and I feel the weight of their stares like lead on my shoulders.
“You know how I’m staying at Chevelle’s, right?”
“Yeah, we’re all surprised one of you isn’t buried under the back porch,” Jed says, and they laugh.
“Actually, we get along pretty well.”
They all quiet.
“Heard you lost the bet.” Cade elbows me. “He had to wear the fish costume,” he tells the rest of them.
“I thought I smelled something.” Adam plugs his nose.
I groan but push through because there’s no future for Chevelle and me until I get their approval.
“I like your sister, and I want to date Chevelle.” The words fall out of my mouth like vomit.
The laughter comes to an abrupt stop, and four pairs of eyes drill into me.
Now, I’ve given this a lot of thought, and I don’t think Jed will fight it.
They’re stepsiblings, and he’s really easygoing.
Plus, he wasn’t the settling down type either, so he’ll understand how a man can change when he meets the right woman.
Adam will probably just go with whatever the consensus is.
I’m most worried about Fisher and Cade. After the accident, all the brothers took responsibility for watching out for Chevelle, but Fisher and Cade even more so than the rest. And Xavier…
“Actually, hang on.” I pull out my phone and dial Xavier.
He answers, and his voice is groggy from sleep. “Do you know what time it is?” There are some muffled noises. “It’s Cam,” he says to who I assume is Clara.
“I’m putting you on speaker,” I say. “We’re at Fisher’s, and all your brothers are here. I’ve just told them that I want to date Chevelle. I want all of your blessings.”
“Are you already dating?” Adam asks, the line between his eyebrows deepening.
I shake my head. “No, I wanted you all to be okay with it before I ask her out.”
Xavier groans, but I hear movement too. “I’ll be back, baby.”
“You think you have a shot at Chevelle?” Jed laughs. “I hate to break it to you, man, but she hates you.”
Hates me enough to fuck me. They don’t get how much has changed with us and how much we’ve both been hiding our feelings for the past few years.
I shake my head. “No, she doesn’t. I think she’ll be receptive to it. But like I said, I need you guys to be okay with it first.”
Cade looks up at me from under his eyebrows. “I don’t wanna be a dick, but she’s not going to date you.”
“Is there something we don’t know?” Fisher asks, voice stern.
I adamantly shake my head. “No.”
The last thing I want Fisher to know is that I took his sister on the table of my boat and didn’t respect her enough to even give her a bed for our first time together.
Adam smacks me on the back. “Good luck, and make sure you wear a cup when you ask her.” He goes over to the old fridge in the corner and grabs a water.
Jed stands. “I feel like I should do some sort of a blessing on you. Good luck.”
That leaves Cade and Fisher. Fisher doesn’t look happy, but then he stands too.
“If she says yes, then I’ll change the twins’ poopy diapers for a month.
Sorry, buddy, but I think you’re reading mixed signals.
But if by some fucking miracle she agrees, you’d better show her the respect she deserves and if you hurt her… we got a problem, am I clear?”
“Speaking from experience,” Xavier says through the phone, “I know what it’s like to go from friends to enemies to lovers, so I hope it works out the way you want it to. I think we can all agree that we just want them both to be happy.”
There’s a murmur of agreement from the rest of the guys.
Cade remains sitting on the bucket. He’s the only one who hasn’t given his opinion yet.
He’s the eldest of the family, besides Jed, but Jed is from Marla’s side.
“I’ve always appreciated how much you protect Chevelle, but let me give you a little advice when it comes to her.
I think where you go wrong is that Chevelle doesn’t want someone to protect her.
She lives her life how she wants and doesn’t want anyone’s opinion on it.
I’m cool if you ask her out because I’m sure she can handle herself and I know she won’t feel obligated to say yes, but if she does agree, it’ll never work if you intend on telling her what to wear, who she can talk to.
Don’t big brother her.” He stands. “Twenty says she says no.” He pulls out his wallet.
The other brothers continue to razz me, saying I have no shot with their sister, but I’ll prove them wrong. I’m going to prove to her I’m worthy, and they’ll all be eating their words. The best news is that I’m leaving here without any blatant nos, and I say that gives me the green light.