“You don’t believe me?” He looked livid now.
“It’s hard to believe someone who doesn’t really tell you anything about his business,” I said. “And let’s leave that aside; what about the fact that no one ever sees you doing any actual work? If you really do have a business, then shouldn’t you be doing more than sleeping in till noon and walking around your apartment in your underwear all the time?”
“Oh, I get it… You start dating my sister, and she becomes your fucking spy.”
“I notice you’re not denying anything.”
“Fuck you, Phil,” Brent said, standing up and walking away from me. “If you were a good friend, I’d have told you everything that was going on in my life, including what was happening with my business.”
“Okay, if you really do have a business, what is it?” I demanded.
“None of your fucking business,” he yelled, walking further away.
Incensed, I couldn’t stop myself from calling out after him. “Grow the fuck up, Brent. That’s the only way you’re going to be able to hold down a job.”
His response was to flip me the finger without even turning around. He walked right out of the court, turned the corner, and was gone. I sighed, realizing that Megan had asked me to find out why her brother was so upset lately. I was pretty sure I had brought his mood down even more.
I was contemplating going after him and trying to get him to talk to me calmly, but I got a message on my phone and got distracted.
“I miss you,” Megan wrote. “Can’t wait to see you tonight.”
And instantly, the rest of the world fell away, and I felt better.
Chapter Twenty
Megan
“He did what?” Marta asked in disbelief.
“He told me he loved me,” I said. “In a text.”
She laughed. “Men are so clueless sometimes. How did he explain it?”
“He said that he felt it so strongly in the moment that he wanted me to know immediately and didn’t want to wait to tell me.”
“Hmm…as reasons go, that’s a pretty decent one,” Marta said thoughtfully. “In fact, some would say it’s downright romantic.”
“Do you fall into that category?” I asked, amused at the expression on her face.
“Possibly.” She nodded. “I’m a sucker for all that romantic stuff. What did you say? Did you reply to the text?”
“I didn’t reply him back if that’s what you mean,” I said. “I called.”
“To say…”
“To yell at him, first of all,” I laughed. “But also to tell him that I loved him, too.”
“Aww,” she said, with a little twinkle in her eye.
“Stop it,” I laughed.
“When are you seeing him?”
“Tonight, hopefully,” I said. “I thought I might sneak out of here a little early and wait for him at his apartment.”
“Naked?”
“Marta!” I exclaimed.