Thirty-five and Single

My mouth opens. “What?”

“Yeah, Joel sucker punched Rhett in front of all my parents’ guests, which won’t help matters,” he mutters. “Though I should have called it. I saw his face when he noticed we were together.”

So he had seen it.

“We’re not together,” I say, thinking about how I’d turned from the window when Joel looked toward the house. I’d turned away, not wanting to be caught, and instead went to see what titles were on the bookshelves.

“Are you sure about that?”

I stare at his profile again, wondering how I’d missed the resemblance between the brothers.

“I would think that’s obvious. He showed up with someone else.”

His chuckle is dry and cynical. “Calli. Now there’s a prize.”

Eager for information about the woman Joel had been with fuels my next question.

“You don’t like her?”

His response is whip quick. “Why would I? She singlehandedly destroyed our family.”

Though it’s none of my business, I still ask, “How?”

Craig is forthcoming. “Fucking Rhett and fucking with Joel’s head.”

I don’t like the visuals considering what Joel and I’d just done.

“Maybe that’s what their fight was about,” I mumble and start picking at my cuticles.

He shakes his head. “Oh, Rhett admitted that he said something stupid about you that set Joel off. But it had started with Calli like it always does, or rather, her kid.”

“Kid?” I ask, feeling like someone was squeezing my heart.

“I guess that’s the right term since he’s not a baby anymore.”

I don’t want to ask, but I have to know. “Why would they be fighting about her kid?”

His eyes trail over to mine and hold there a second as if I should already know the answer.

“It’s Joel’s,” I say, so softly because I don’t want it to be true.

Only because we’d talked many hours over the last year and he’d never brought it up.

“The kid looks just like him, but take away the dark hair and he could be Rhett’s or mine. But I’ve never touched her.”

I don’t have to guess why Calli has so much power over the brothers.

“Why don’t you believe he’s Joel’s?”

My eyes are locked on him, trying to read every nuance in his body language.

He shrugs. “Joel’s been taking care of that kid since he was born. Why would she tell him the kid’s Rhett’s? Joel would do anything for her and Aaron.”

“But,” I say, greedy for more information.

“But, Rhett knows her for who she is. He’d take Aaron from her and never look back until she got her shit together. So she tells Rhett that Aaron’s Joel’s kid, and since he looks like him, it’s easy for Rhett to walk away. She’s manipulating both of them.”

“Don’t they see it?” I ask because Joel’s not stupid.

“Rhett wants to believe the lie and Joel cares too much.”

It isn’t what I want to hear.

“He’s in love with her,” I say as I come to that conclusion.

He smirks over at me. “I doubt that.”

“How can you know?”

“For one, Joel isn’t that kind of guy. He would never start something with you while he’s with her.”

My heart races, hoping what he says is true. “And.”

“And, Joel’s never fought over Calli, not physically at least. Not when our dad gave him an ultimatum about her and not when he caught Calli cheating on him with Rhett not once but twice. Not one punch. But when Rhett stupidly asked him if you were another Calli, he went nuts and beat the shit out of him.”

I swallow as knots form in my guts.

“You love him too, don’t you?” he asks.

It’s not really a question at least the way he says it.

“Yes,” I answer.

He’s so matter-of-fact when he says, “You should tell him.” I really examine Craig.

For such a playful guy who acts like he doesn’t have a care in the world, he’s very insightful.

“Something good has to happen out of this,” he says. “I mean, this is all my fault. I wanted to bring our family together. I convinced Joel to come. Though I never thought he’d bring Calli.”

It isn’t until we make the turn toward Georgetown off of George Washington Memorial Parkway that Craig speaks again.

“Can I ask you something?”

I assume we’ve already hit the hard parts of our conversation and say, “Yes.”

“Why aren’t you together with Joel?”

“He’s twenty-seven,” I say simply, though it’s all very complicated.

“And, you can’t be more than twenty-five.”

I blush and wave him off. “I’m thirty-five.”

“Whoa,” he says almost comically. “I’m kidding, but honestly, you don’t look it. Still, women fight for equal rights and men date women who are younger than their grown kids, legally speaking.”

“And women are called cougars and men are congratulated.”

“So,” he quickly says.

“So, one day I’ll be old when Joel’s in his prime. By then it will hurt way too much to watch him walk away. It’s better to do it now.”

And here is the truth. I’m a coward.