"Who made you cry?" Spencer scowled.
Impatiently, I blew out a breath and wiped my cheeks. "Did Mom tell you to come here or—?" I paused, looking over my shoulder at the elevator. Realization dawned, and I returned my attention to Knox. "Oh, Gemma works here."
"Heworks here," Spencer corrected, jutting out a thumb toward Knox.
I peered around him at the felt board sign that had been hung beside the stairwell. I'd missed it before, but sure enough, Dr. Rook had a practice on the second floor. "Is that how you met Gemma?" I asked.
Knox ignored my question completely. "Why are you here? And why are you crying?" He glanced at the elevator. "Wait… did you say 'Mom?'"
I crossed my arms, looking to the side. "It's just… it's nothing. I'm here for Thanksgiving."
"Lie," Knox and Spencer said in unison. As far back as I could remember, Knox had protected me from the worst of our parents' flaws. He'd covered for me when I'd failed and offered an escape when he could manage it. And Spencer had been with him for almost all of it. And as annoying as they both were, I knew they would have my back if I asked.
Which was why they couldn't know about this.
But I couldn't blow them off, either. They'd only needle me until I gave in, or worse, they'd confront Sylvia. And come to think of it, she would be coming down that elevator any second. The last thing I wanted was an awkward confrontation with all four of us. I wasn't keen on rehearsing a Jerry Springer episode in the post-modern lobby under a dating agency.
But before I could think of what to say, Spencer gave me a wry eye squint. "Are you upset because you have to help cows give birth?"
I choked out an incredulous laugh. "Spencer."
"It's cow birth, isn't it?" He was goading me, trying to pull some levity back to the surface. It was very like Spencer to do that. He had the body and look of a merciless marauder and the soul of a goofy golden labrador.
Resigned, I bobbed a look between the towering men. "Fine. No, it's not cows. Mom called me here."
Spencer flitted a look to the elevator behind me and then returned his warm, brown gaze to me. "To the dating agency?"
"Kind of." My heels clicked decisively across the parquet flooring, and I took both of their elbows in my hands, steering them toward the exit. "Take me to lunch and I'll explain."
"Only if you let me pay," Spencer grinned odiously.
I glared. He had always known me a little too well, even if we rarely saw each other anymore. "I can buy my own food."
"We pay, or no deal," Knox insisted. They both stopped walking just before the doors, and we all ground to a halt. I'd have an easier time moving the building.
"Fine," I bit out.
They exchanged speaking glances, and then my brother gave me one of his piercing, icy stares. "The truth, Ara."
I tried to glare back, but it was hard to do with the sticky, salty remnants of tears on my cheeks and a lead weight on my chest. Like a melting ice sculpture, my resolve began to trickle into a watery mess. "Alright."
Chapter three
Spencer
It figured that Knox and I would finally have an afternoon to catch lunch and hash out our spat, and then his little sister would show up to ruin it. Honestly, that tracked. My job as a neonatologist kept me running constantly at the hospital, and Knox had been distracted by his own practice and his new girlfriend. Today was the first day in weeks our schedules had lined up.
And Arabella had showed upcryingof all things. Arabella never cried. I'd known her since she'd been a gangly middle schooler, and I could count on one hand the number of times I'd seen tears on her cheeks. I slid a suspicious look her way, opening the door to exit the building. She met my gaze, unflinching. "So why areyouhere, anyway?"
Knox gave me an imperious eyebrow raise. "Good question. Why are you here, Spencer?"
Knox knew very well why I was here. "I angered your great and mighty brother," I replied caustically. I held the door open for her as she walked through, and once we were all gathered onthe frigid, rainy sidewalk, I let it close behind us. "I almost, but not really, stole his girlfriend. I came to make a peace offering." I gave Arabella an eye squint. "Which you've interrupted, thank you very much."
Knox and I didn't fight often. We worked together in the Eugene area hospitals, and usually, we met a few times a week to spar MMA style. Until recently, we hadn't had anything to argue about, but then he'd ended up with a roommate I'd been attracted to, and I'd stepped on his toes by making a move on her. Not that it wasmyfault he had the communication skills of a broken lighthouse. By the time I'd realized he was interested in Gemma, I'd already asked her out on a date. He still hadn't forgiven me for it.
Arabella's expression said she thought I was full of shit. "What do you mean, 'not really' stole her?"
"He took her on a date when heknewI was interested," Knox rumbled, beginning to walk down the tree-lined Main Street. "To annoy me."
