Her Best Men

Sometimes living with my brothers could be a pain in the ass. No matter how close we might be.

“I just can't believe you're still thinking that you're going out with her,” Quinn said. “She told you to stay away,” I said confidently. “She has my number. If she wanted to back out on me, she would have called or texted me.”

Quinn looked over at Ben. “And how about you? You still planning on seeing her?”

“Yeah, I'm still planning on taking her out tomorrow,” he said, wiping BBQ from his chin with the back of his hand.

“Assholes,” Quinn muttered under his breath.

“You're just jealous because she told you to get lost,” I said and chuckled. “Get over it, Quinn. You're out.”

“It's not a game,” he said.

“Oh, it's not? That'd be a first,” I smirked as I stepped out of the house. “But then, of course you'd say that since you've already lost.”

***

Standing on the porch, I took a deep breath and let it out as I rang the doorbell to the Roberts' home and waited. From inside the house, I heard footsteps approaching the door as a female voice called out, “I'll be right there.”

The door opened, and I stared back at Ada Roberts, Hailey's mother, who looked a bit taken aback by the fact that I was standing on her porch. Ada looked like an older version of Hailey with her dark brown, almost black hair, and very large hazel eyes. The only difference was the Ada had a bit of gray mixed in with the brown and smile lines on her face. Otherwise, they were almost mirror images of one another.

Ada had been the librarian for our school for a really long time. She only retired within the last year or so, in favor of working from home. The scent of lavender oil filled the air as soon as she opened the door, and only grew stronger the longer I stood there. “Cason? What a pleasant surprise,” she said, hands on her hips and a warm smile on her face. “What in the world are you doing here? How's your mama doing these days?”

“She's good, thank you, Mrs. Roberts,” I said and laughed. “Enjoying life as a retiree in Florida. Dad too.”

“Glad to hear it. I think it's great that you and your brothers are sharing your family home, by the way. Family is everything,” she said. “So, what can I help you with?”

“Actually, I'm here to see Hailey,” I said. “I'm taking her out to dinner tonight.”

“Oh, are you?” she said, her smile widening a bit. “Hailey didn't say anything to me about that.”

“It was sort of last minute,” I said. “I hope you don't mind.”

“I don't mind at all,” she laughed. “If you can actually get her to go with you, that is. I think getting her out of the house would be good for her.”

“Oh?” I cocked an eyebrow.

“Well, it's just –”

Before she could finish her sentence though, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. I peeked over Mrs. Roberts’ shoulder and looked right at her daughter. Hailey's long hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but tendrils fell around her chin and highlighted her delicate features. Her wide eyes looked even larger than life, and when she caught sight of me standing in the doorway, her face fell.

She was wearing leggings and an oversized sweater. No makeup and no shoes. Just bright pink and neon green socks that didn't match the rest of her outfit. She looked ready for a night in, rather than a night on the town.

“Cason?” she sighed, stopping before coming all the way down the stairs. “What are you doing here?”

Her mother answered for me, “He said he's here to take you to dinner, dear.”

Hailey shook her head. “Uh no,” she said, stomping the rest of the way to door, a look of anger on her otherwise sweet face. “I cancelled. I can't go out tonight.”

“Why not?” both her mother and I said at the same time.

“Because I don't feel like it,” she said. “Do I really need any other reason than that?”

Hailey stood her ground in the doorway, glaring at me, arms crossed in front of her defensively. I could see why Quinn said she was so freaked out. Among a mix of emotions, I saw genuine fear in her eyes.

“Come on, dear,” her mom said placing a hand on her shoulder. “Cason is a nice boy, I think you two would have a great time. Getting out and about might even be good for you.”

She bit her lip and continued shaking her head. “I'm not dressed for a nice dinner out anyway,” she said. “And I don't feel well. I'd rather not get dressed up anyway.”