11. Lucas
LUCAS
“ S trike!”
From first base, I watched my brother’s smug smile as he turned toward the outfield to reset. He was killing it on the mound today, but he knew it, which gave him an attitude that ruined it. As a result, I was mostly rolling my eyes at him for fear of inflating his already enormous ego.
Our adult softball league met Thursday evenings throughout the summer. Tonight’s game was against our “rivals” from the neighboring town and Adrian was thoroughly enjoying crushing them.
With a final pitch, he ended the inning and the game. Jogging toward the mound, I lifted him in a hug as the rest of the team joined us, whooping and cheering.
“That’s how it’s done!” Adrian shouted, pumping his fist in the air.
Leo, having joined us from home plate where he was catching, slapped Adrian on the back and offered his version of praise. “Way to go, jackass. Let’s go grab a beer.”
We played these games on a field outside one of our favorite bars, so post game drinks were customary. After a win, it was celebratory. After a loss, we’d drown our sorrows.
Walking to the dugout, I yelled over my shoulder, “I’m going to throw the gear in my truck, then I’ll be in.”
Leo and Adrian each gave me a nod, shook hands with our opponents, then headed toward the bar with the rest of the team.
After gathering bats, balls, and the rest of our gear, I joined my brothers at a high top table on the outdoor patio where they had a beer already waiting for me.
Shaking Adrian’s head with my hand, I congratulated him on a good game. “Great job today, man.”
“You know I couldn’t let those guys win. Not after all the trash they talked last year.”
Leo nodded in stern agreement. It often surprised me how seriously he took these games, but he was focused.
Adrian raised his beer. “To victory!”
We joined him in his toast and each took a generous swig of our drinks.
“So,” Adrian goaded, “how is everything going with Miss Dawson?” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“You know exactly how the project’s going.”
“I don’t care about the project. How are things going with you and her?”
“There is no ‘me and her’. We’re colleagues.”
“Yeah. I always spend hours at a time eye fucking women I’m not interested in.” Those suggestive eyebrows shot to his hairline and his chin dipped to his chest.
Leo eyed me as he nursed his beer. He was watching my reaction to Adrian’s ribbing with interest, but a mostly neutral expression. He was a difficult man to read, and this conversation was no exception. So it caught me off guard when he suddenly asked, “Lucas. Do you like this woman?”
Shit.
I could go back and forth with Adrian, but not Leo. He was wholeheartedly asking me a genuine question. I couldn’t lie to my brother.
I sighed. “Yes, I’m obviously interested. It would be stupid not to be. She’s gorgeous and you’ve seen how talented she is. But it’s too risky. This is an important project that won’t be completed any time soon. The business needs it.”
Adrian and Leo shared a solemn look. I watched Adrian’s demeanor shift completely from teasing goofball to concerned brother.
But it was Leo who spoke.
“Luc. You built this business. We all work hard and I’m not discounting anything Adrian or even Dad did to help establish it, but it wouldn’t exist without you. You sacrificed a lot to make sure we were all taken care of. Put yourself on the line.”
Now Adrian joined in. “It’s one job Lucas. You’re acting like the business would go bankrupt without this work. I know I’ve been giving you shit, but I’ve never seen you this worked up over someone. It’s worth it to at least see if there’s something there. ”
I knew they meant well, but Adrian had never been able to see the bigger picture.
Could we survive the financial hit of losing Helen’s project?
Sure. We’d make it work. But we were far enough along that it wouldn’t be simple.
Getting fired would put us in the red. We’d already invested time, labor, and materials.
That’s just bad business. It’s a huge financial hit to take to “see what happens” with a woman I’m attracted to. It’s frivolous and exactly the type of move I avoid.
Our co-owners at the lake know this. It’s why they invested in us and why they felt comfortable letting us run the show and make them money. If we lost the project and they learned why, it would be disastrous for those relationships.
I couldn’t do that to people who trusted me. Each of them was counting on me to protect their futures.
Retirements hung on my decisions.
College tuitions.
How could I knowingly jeopardize that for a woman I’ve known for weeks? I couldn’t. It would be beyond irresponsible.
“I appreciate the support, guys. Really. But it’s more than just some lost money. You know it as well as I do. I will not be careless with people’s futures.”
“And what about your future?”
“What about it? It’s not like Olivia Dawson is the only woman on the planet.”
Leo was watching a table of women across the bar. They were about our age, attractive, and laughing at something one of them had said. His stare slid to me with a knowing expression and a challenge. I knew what was coming before he spoke.
“Alright. Why don’t you head over there and talk to that table of women, then?”
I had zero interest in doing that, and he knew it. It wasn't like I never approached women, but I definitely had no motivation to do it today.
Adrian chimed in, “Yeah, Lucas. Hop on over there. If Olivia’s nothing special, you should be game for chatting up a young lady in this fine establishment.”
They were baiting me. I knew it; they knew it.
If the bartender wasn’t busy slinging drinks for our teammates, he would know it.
It was painfully obvious and as much as I knew I was justified in my stance on all things Olivia Dawson, I also knew they wouldn’t drop this unless I could prove she didn’t have some magical hold on me.
So I took a deep breath and said, “Fine. But you assholes are coming with me.”
Adrian smirked and turned to Leo, who looked like he was regretting his own plan to push me into action. With resolve, they both rose and followed me across the bar to the table of chatty women.
There were five of them. I didn’t recognize anyone, which was good considering I was fairly sure my brothers were about to subject me to third degree embarrassment.
They all turned to us as we approached. I didn’t blame them.
We weren’t particularly subtle. The three of us were all over six feet and reasonably large. Plus, we looked remarkably similar.
Per usual for something like this, Adrian took the lead. “Hello ladies. My brothers and I couldn’t help but notice how much laughing was going on over here and finally decided we’d had enough of being on the outside looking in. We have to know what’s so hilarious.”
Dammit, he was good.
An attractive blonde with pin straight hair down to her shoulders and dark lined eyes greeted him with a smile. “Funny you should ask,” she cooed. The rest of the table was holding back smiles. “We were just chatting about Eve's boyfriend and how lost he looked after you struck him out earlier.”
She could not have given Adrian a more pleasing lead in. He immediately launched into a discussion of his superior athletic prowess and soon we had chairs pulled up to the table while he held court.
The woman next to me shook her head, laughing, then turned to me and asked, “Is he always like this?”
“Since birth. I’m almost certain he invited extra doctors to witness his entry into the world.”
She giggled and offered her hand, “I’m Rose.”
I shook it and responded, “Lucas.”
She was pretty. Dark hair, pale skin, and bright blue eyes. On any other day, to any other man, she’d be a catch.
“So Lucas, what do you do when you’re not dominating in adult men’s softball games?”
I huffed out a laugh. “My brothers and I run a construction company.”
“Oh yeah? That’s cool. What kind of stuff do you build?”
“Mostly luxury homes and old restorations.”
There was nothing wrong with this woman. She was pleasant, asking me completely normal questions about myself.
But her eyes weren’t pools of honey and she didn’t have any discernible stains on her outfit. I felt none of that electricity that seemed to run a constant current between Olivia and I.
She wasn’t Olivia.
I hated my brothers.
This was precisely their plan and looking across the table at them, I registered the knowing look on both their faces—Adrian’s as he told the rest of the table a story and Leo’s as he sipped his lager. They knew their plan had worked.
Bastards.
“Oh, wow. That’s amazing.” Rose touched my arm and asked if she might know of any houses we’d built.
I felt nothing. It might as well have been my grandma touching me.
I barely knew Olivia. Had she ruined me for all other women in the span of a few weeks?
I hadn’t even touched her. Not really. Not in the way I craved.
I let out an exasperated sigh and rubbed my hands over my face.
“Rose, it was great to meet you. Sorry, but I have to get going. Have a great night.”
I stood and stepped around my chair to leave. As I did, I clocked Leo’s satisfied grin as he tipped his glass to me. Then I walked toward the exit to the soundtrack of Adrian’s laughter while cursing both of them .
Not only had they been right, but it turned out I had an even bigger problem than I realized.