Page 22 of Cloudy With a Chance of Bad Decisions
I genuinely had no idea how to handle someone like him—and the attention he’d given me. I was used to being ignored or berated, not whateverthathad been. I was still mostly convinced he’d been making fun of me. But…I figured that wasn’t something I needed to worry about anymore.
Stop thinking about him.
You’re never going to see him again,I reminded myself as I made my way toward baggage claim to retrieve my checked bag.
Maybe I should’ve said goodbye?
No,no. Absolutely not.
What if he’d assumed it was an invitation for more and asked for my number or something? The thought was enough to make me pause mid-walkway and laugh hysterically.
Yeah fucking right.
The family that had been shuffling beside me paused, the mother pulling her children behind her as she aimed a judgmental look my way. To which I only managed to laugh harder. Fuck. Then I slapped a hand over my mouth so I’d look less unhinged. It didn’t work.
Something was clearly wrong with me.
Because discovering that my luggage had somehow ended up lost had only made me laugh again. Of course it had. Today was a day for fuckery. I tried not to think of the implications of that—grateful I always packed my backpack for this exact fucking reason.
I’d have to go into the city to buy a suit at some point. There was no way in hell I was wearing acasualsuit to a wedding. Tacky as hell. Absolutely not. I had an image to maintain. The one thing in life I had going for me was my mom’s pride.
My brother, Joe, was waiting for me in the designated pick up zone.
I sighed when I saw him, relieved to have someone to help me get my mind off of how completely awful today had been. I could taste summer in the air, the thick cloyingness of pollen and sunshine—though the bustle of the city almost drowned it out entirely.
For the first time in years, I was home.
Joe waved at me, all six-foot-five of him, dressed in awful pale-blue flannel and his usual Levi’s and white undershirt. I waved back, making a beeline for him. His expression didn’t change, forever as stoic and expressionless as Dad.
Joe was older than the last time I’d seen him—obviously—and he wore that age well. He was broader somehow. Had new creases at the corners of his mouth from frowning. At twenty-eight years old, Joe looked far more world-weary than he deserved, considering he was basically a giant puppy inside agrumpy, intimidating-looking body.
He was different.
But there was no denyingthiswas my little brother. Myonlylittle brother. The same kid who’d followed me around for half our lives, desperate to prove himself.
In contrast with the blank expression he sported, Joe wasted no time demonstrating how enthusiastic he was about my return home. I only had a moment to mentally prepare before he yanked me into a tight embrace. His massive hand smacked my back a few times as he crushed me into him. The sweat-sunny musk of Joe’s natural scent filled my lungs.
“Hi, buddy,” I wheezed, face smashed into his chest.
I did my best not to die.
Which was genuinely a struggle.
Joe was too big and too dumb to realize how strong he was—and how easily breakable I’d become now that he was double my goddamn size.
“George.” Joe squeezed me tight enough my bones rattled. When he finally set me down, he wasted no time ambling around to the back of the minivan to open the trunk.
It was Lacey’s minivan.
The car she used to transport my adorable niece, Mavis, who I hadn’t had the pleasure to see in person since she was a tiny baby three Christmases ago. My family had flown back East to visit me, and I’d spent the holiday at war with myself. Ecstatic to see Mom, and apprehensive, because Brendon had been pissed off they’d “stolen me” from him.
Joe pulled the trunk open almost ceremoniously. He gestured at the empty space, obviously urging me to toss my backpack in.
“No luggage?” he confirmed, pale brow furrowed in confusion.
“No.” Because my luck could seriously not be worse. Reminded of the uncomfortable encounter at baggage claim, I pinched the bridge of my nose. I’d been apologized to about a half-dozen times. And I would’ve been more pissed about the whole situation, considering how many important itemshad gone missing, but…
After Alex’s flirting, I’d been far too frazzled.
