The Imperfections

Problem with all in is one person might get rich off the hand, but someone else might lose everything. If it didn’t work out with Alyssa, me and mine are the ones who stand to lose.

Best to let her hate me and abstain from drinking from that well.

Since I don’t want to cheat Scout out of my day off just because I’m in a mood, I load him into the truck and haul him with me to Bri’s house. They don’t have any animals, so the boys like to play with him, and Scout doesn’t have any small humans, so he enjoys the playtime just as much.

Levi’s a little young so he doesn’t care as much about having a pup around, but as soon as Thompson sees him, his little face lights up with excitement and he comes running.

Bri and Theo are sitting on the patio furniture when I make my way to the back yard. Scout abandons me to run after his new playmates, and I make my way over to my sister and brother-in-law, though just the sight of Theo has me second-guessing my choice to come over.

“Hey, Brant,” Bri says, leaning forward and reaching for me.

I walk over and bend down to give her a little hug. “Hey, Bri.”

“I’m glad you decided to come over,” she tells me with a big smile as she leans forward and pours some lemonade into a glass for me. “It’s such a beautiful day. I was just telling Theo yesterday you haven’t been over in ages. Wasn’t I, Theo?”

With a bored, obligatory nod, Theo murmurs, “Yep.”

I slide a glance in his direction but don’t bother greeting him. I swipe the lemonade and take a seat at the foot of the table, facing both of them, but I turn my attention toward Bri.

Looking out at the boys playing with Scout, she calls out, “Be careful, Thompson. Don’t squeeze his neck like that.” Looking over at me, she says, “I can’t believe you’d bring that adorable puppy over here. You know the boys will be hounding us for one as soon as you leave.”

I offer an obligatory nod of my own before taking a sip of my lemonade. “Scout’s a great dog. You should get ’em one.”

“Maybe for Christmas,” she says, looking out at the boys playing in the yard again. “I just don’t know if anyone’s home enough for a puppy right now. Between me working extra hours and Theo constantly working late, it feels like we’re never here anymore. I don’t know if he told you when he came to see you at the bar the other night, but Theo wants to get a Challenger, so we’re trying to put away as much as we can toward a down payment.”

Frowning, I look over at Theo. “What the hell do you need a Challenger for?”

Bri jumps in, wanting to shield him from my inevitable criticism. “Oh, they’re real pretty. Did you see the one in front of the GMC dealership in town? The black one with white stripes down the side? Just imagine taking the boys for a ride in that car.”

“I think the boys would rather have their mother home on occasion,” I remark.

Jumping in with inexplicable daring, Theo tells me, “Bri likes to work, Brant. We don’t all live in the Stone Age where a woman’s only place is at home in the woods, barefoot and pregnant.”

“And we don’t all live in an irresponsible fucker’s fantasy where a wife’s job is to work her ass to the bone in order to buy her husband as many new, expensive toys as he wants,” I offer back, just as nicely.

With her mother tone turned way up, Bri says, “Now, don’t you two start this today. We’re going to have a nice day, no bickering. I swear, you’re as bad as the boys.”

“I’m just saying—all these late nights Theo’s working, I hope he’s up for a promotion, at least,” I offer, sliding him a knowing look.

The look he shoots me back is unamused as hell. “As a matter of fact, I am.”

“He sure is,” Bri puts in proudly. “He’s working hard for it. He deserves some kind of reward for all his hard work, Brant.”

I’m pretty sure he’s already had his fucking reward, but obviously I don’t say that.

Since I don’t want to stress my sister out and I know my input won’t make a difference anyway, I let the matter drop. Bri prattles on, desperately changing the subject to tell me about some gossip at work with the boss hiring some woman he’s been having an affair with, but knowing what I know about her marriage, that’s not a subject change for me. All it does is remind me of Alyssa and how different it is spending time with her.

Ordinarily, I avoid people as much as possible. I won’t say I’ve always been a total loner. Once upon a time, I enjoyed having a small, core group I was close to, but as I’ve gotten older, that’s changed.