Yeah, we could talk about bossy older siblings for-fucking-ever, though Addy was nowhere near as bad as Will.
I sat down beside him and opened my chips. “Same as always.”
Button John hummed sympathetically and helped himself to a chip.
“Guess what?”
“What?”
“I got work.”
Button John’s eyes went big. “What? Where?”
I paused, building the moment, and then said, in as casual a tone as I could, “The new copper. I’m gonna do all his yard work.”
“The...” Button John’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit!”
“Two hundred upfront, then fifty a week after that to keep it neat,” I said.
“Holy shit!” Button John exclaimed again.
And yeah, it wasn’t fishing boat money, but it was more than either of us was getting from odd jobs. Me, because of Nipper Will, and Button John because, well, he was a disaster and never lasted more than a few weeks at the same job. I once overheard Big Johnny say Button John could start a fire in a full water tank, which was funny—and also somehow true.
“The copper though,” Button John said, and sucked a breath in through his teeth. “What’s he like then?”
I tilted my head back and stared at the roof. There was no ceiling, just rafters and the tin roof. The roof had rusted over the years, holes appearing, and shafts of sunlight stabbed through to the floor. There was a ragged nest on one of the rafters, and tattered old spiders’ webs hanging down to catch the dust.
“He’s hot,” I said at last.
“What?” Button John sat up straighter. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, he is nothing like the last one,” I said. “He’s young, and he’s hot.”
“How hot?”
“Like...” I chewed my lip for a moment. “Like, I don’t know. He’s just hot. He’s got dark hair, and he’s not old, and he’s... he’s not built, but he’s not scrawny or anything. He’s just right.”
“The three bears’ porridge of hotness,” Button John said with a knowing grin.
“Fuck, it’s Dauntless,” I said. “He’s young, he’s in good shape, and he’s not related to me. That’s the holy trifecta, right?”
“I think it’s a trinity,” Button John said. “But I get it. He’s a copper though.”
“Yeah.” I crunched a chip. “That doesn’t mean I can’t look.”
“True.” Button John’s eyes lit up. “Hey, do you want some help cleaning up his yard?”
He was about as transparent as a pane of glass, but I laughed. “Maybe.”
He grinned.
“I’m going over there later,” I said. “I have to raid your shed for tools though.”
“You going to tell Will?” he asked me, squinting.
Guilt twisted in my gut. “No. I mean, he’ll find out anyway, probably, but no. He’s always gone at dawn and not back until dusk, so it’s not like he’ll see me there. Anyway, it’s a good job! I’ll be right next door if Mum needs anything.”
“Yeah, but he’s a copper.”
