Chapter 29
I looked from brother to brother. This wasn't making any sense. "Why wouldJakepay you?"
Steve made a scoffing sound. "Because we don't do nothin' for free."
"Yeah," I said. "But, I mean—"
Anthony spoke up. "I got a theory."
"What?" I asked.
"It was the beer thing."
I gave a confused shake of my head. "What beer thing?"
Anthony grinned. "Me and Steve had this bet."
"What kind of bet?" I asked.
Anthony snickered. "How long before he'd pop."
"Who?" I said. "Jake?"
"Yeah," Anthony said. "We've been staying with them, you know?"
When I'd seen Luna, she'd complained of messy house guests who drank all the beer and tossed water balloons off the balcony. Apparently, I was looking at those guests now. I nodded. "And?"
"And," Anthony continued, "we kept hiding the beer." He shrugged. "Well, the stuff we didn't drink, anyway."
I felt my brow wrinkle. "Why would you hide it?"
"Because of the bet," Anthony said. "Steve said he'd pop in three weeks. Me? I gave it two."
I stared at them. I wasn't sure what to say. Finally, I had to ask, "So did he? Pop, I mean?"
Steve lifted his hand and made a waffling gesture.
I looked to Anthony who said, "Eh, I wouldn’t say he popped. But hedidgive us a big-ass bonus to leave in a hurry." He looked to Steve and said, "So, you owe me."
Steve snorted. "Your ass. He didn't pop. He hired us for a job. That don't count."
Anthony gave it some thought. "I dunno. He looked like he wasgonnapop."
"Sorry," Steve told him. "'Gonna' don't count."
I broke in, "That job? You mean here?"
Steve said. "Yeah. That's where we are, right?"
And here we were, back to square one. I had to be honest. "I can't accept this."
"Why not?" Steve asked.
I bit my lip. "Because it sounds expensive."
Steve nodded. "Got that right."
"And," I continued, "I don't even know Jake, not really. I can't let him pay for my sewer work."
