Pulling open the curtain, I stepped out of the tub and dried myself off. The roar of a truck and a loud exhaust made me quicken my pace. I knew exactly who it was. I threw on clothes and jogged out of the house before my brother was able to introduce himself to Grace.
He was always too friendly too quickly because he wanted everyone to like him. I think growing up in my shadow made him that way. People were immediately drawn to me, but they weren’t the same with Joe. Even our father was more drawn to me than him. Joe had done everything to try to get Dad to love him, to be proud of him—that’s why he knew about fixing cars, and I didn’t. Joe learned it all from Dad, thinking it would make them grow close, be a bond between them. But Dad was like a thorn. You got too close, you got pricked. What hurt my brother most was our parents leaving the ranch to me. While I up and left for years, he stayed and worked every day on it. I knew he resented me for it.
Joe hopped out of his lifted Dodge Ram just as I got outside. I told him not to have it lifted because it made him look like a douche. He spent his money on silly things as though they’d make him happy. They never did. As long as I was alive, I didn’t think he’d ever be happy.
“What’s up, bro?” Joe called out.
He puffed out his chest and raised his shoulders as he walked toward me. We shook hands and half hugged, punctuating it with firm pats on the back. Joe was shorter, only around five foot ten, but he was muscular. He worked hard for his body at the gym, and I think he had some sort of complex about being the shorter one—so he tried to make up for it with muscle mass.
“Same-o, same-o,” I said, glancing over at the pasture.
“Sorry I haven’t been over this week to help out. There’s this girl I’ve been hanging out with,” he said with a small smile. I couldn’t remember the last time I saw him smile. Maybe he felt guilty being happy around me.
I raised my brows and gave him a pat on the arm. “Oh, really. Am I going to be meeting her sometime soon?”
“Probably not. Can’t bring her around the stud just yet. Gotta get her to fall in love with me first.” He laughed but I knew he was serious. “Whoa!” Joe took a step to the side and looked behind me. “Who is that?”
I turned around and saw Grace laying out a towel on the ground. She bent over, her whole behind in view, and placed a book on the ground. Then she straightened the towel and laid down on her back.
Joe’s eyes slithered over Grace. I didn’t like the way he was looking at her.
“Hey.” I patted the side of his cheek. “That’s my guest. I told you about her last night. She’s the one with the car trouble.”
Joe let out a high-pitched whistle. “They don’t make them like that around here.”
I shifted and stood in front of him, blocking his view. “Stop. She’s a lady.”
“She’s a knockout.” He tried to get another look at her, but I blocked him.
I folded my arms across my chest. “I’m going to knock you out if you don’t stop making eyes at her.”
Joe’s face turned serious. “You like her?” he said in a low voice.
“She’s only here ’til Wednesday.”
“That didn’t answer my question.”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
Joe patted my shoulder, and his eyes glistened. “I’m glad you’re moving on.”
I didn’t say anything and just nodded. I knew Joe wanted me to date again. Probably more for his sake than mine.
He tilted his head. “Introduce me, so I can find out what’s going on with her car.”
“Fine, but don’t say anything weird,” I warned.
He ran his fingers through his hair and straightened out his belt buckle. “I’m cool as a cucumber, bro.”
“I’m serious.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “I don’t want you scaring her off.”
“I won’t.”
I relaxed my face and led him toward Grace. A pair of oversized sunglasses covered her eyes, and her nose was in a book. It was obvious she spent time in the gym because her body was toned from her arms down to her legs.
“Grace,” I called out.
She looked up from her book and pulled off her sunglasses, revealing those blue, blue eyes.
“This here is my brother, Joe.” I pointed to him.
He bent down, extending his hand.
“Nice to meet you.” Grace shook his hand.
“The pleasure is all mine,” he said, emphasizing the word pleasure. He did that sometimes now—put emphasis on the wrong word when he spoke.
She gave me an odd look. Sorry, I mouthed.
“You here to look at my car?” Grace asked.
Joe clasped his hands in front of him and his biceps flexed. His little-dog complex was at work.
“Of course. Calvin here couldn’t handle it without me,” he teased.
I rolled my eyes. “Let’s take a look at that car.”
Joe redirected his attention to Grace. “Tell me what happened to it.”
She sighed. “It was fine all the way here, and I drove a long way. But when I left Betty’s Boutique, the check engine light came on. It started vibrating and shaking, even more so when I accelerated,” Grace said. I could see the worry on her face.
Joe nodded. “All right, I’ll take a look at it.”
“Thanks,” Grace said. “Keys are on the kitchen table.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you’re not stranded here with my big bro.” He laughed.
Grace’s eyes bounced from me to Joe and back again like a pendulum swinging. My jaw tightened but I smiled anyway and steered my brother toward the house. The less he said to her the better.
21.
Grace I watched the two of them walk away. Joe was nearly six inches shorter than Calvin, but they were different in more ways than just height. A lump sat in the pit of my stomach. It had begun to form a few days prior, and grew with each passing moment. It was like a tumor; maybe benign, maybe cancerous. Regardless, I’d find out soon enough. Joe’s presence was like Miracle Grow for the lump. There was something off about him. He seemed like a man with a guilty conscience. It gave me that sinking feeling like when you sense something bad is going to happen—a primal instinct for impending doom. Like a cold sweat. Hairs that stand upright. Goose bumps on hot skin.
It wasn’t just Joe though. It was this ranch. It was Calvin too. He seemed apprehensive about his brother’s very presence—like a zookeeper with a wild animal, careful to keep their guard up while also anticipating the ferocity of the creature. The two walked side by side, playfully pushing each other and laughing like a pair of brothers would.
Then again, looks could be deceiving. I’m sure Abel loved Cain right up until the very end.
22.
Calvin
Joe fiddled under the hood while I sat in the driver’s seat, waiting for him to tell me to start the car, press on the gas pedal, or shut it off. Now, I was wishing I had taken the time to learn more about cars growing up. It seemed the only thing I knew how to do was wreck them.
“Turn it on,” he called out.
I turned the key in the ignition. It sputtered a few times before it started.
“Give it a little gas.”