My Brother's Best Friend (3 page)

Maybe that’s what’s wrong with me. I’m living a type of double life. Don't we all in some ways?

Note to self: Ask Dr. Stone about this.

Oh, my phone was buzzing. I had a text from Megan.

We’re back from lunch.

Is it still quiet up there?

———————————————-

Sent from the iPhone of Megan Meyers

I crossed her and Mitchell’s names off the lunch list. And by the way, when did everyone get an iPhone? It’s like they all brag about the fact that they own an iPhone or Android these days.
Sent from the iPhone of so-and-so.
Why don’t they come up with a better signature? I think I would change mine every week if I had one. Make it something funny.

All my family have one and so do my two best friends, Charlotte and Sarah, who I met through work. Although they may have upgraded since I last saw them. They both moved to Europe to pursue master’s degrees, so I haven’t spoken to them in a while. Even though I like people, I can find it pretty hard to really open up and let new people in sometimes. I think I’ve let the past affect me too much. If it wasn’t for how amazing Megan is and our closeness, I think I would feel pretty isolated.

Yes. It’s dead quiet.

Where did you two go?

Mimi’s.

I got you a bran muffin. :)

—————————————-

Sent from the iPhone of Megan Meyers

I love Mimi’s Café muffins, especially their bran muffins. I know it sounds gross—bran muffins—but they are delicious when warmed up with melted butter. Mmmm.

Meg, you’re the BEST!!!

I know. I’m just trying to

get into your good graces.

——————————————

Sent from the iPhone of Megan Meyers

You’re already like a sister to me.

No bribes necessary here.

You might not say that after

what I have to tell you.

——————————————-

Sent from the iPhone of Megan Meyers

What are you going to tell me?????

Well, I’ll just come up there and tell you.

It will be better that way.

——————————————-

Sent from the iPhone of Megan Meyers

I wondered what she wanted to tell me. I mean, not much would upset me, unless she told me she and Mitch were breaking up, but that’s not it. So what could it be? I doubted it’s as big a deal as she’s making it out to be.

A few minutes later, I saw her walking down the hallway toward my desk with the muffin in hand. It was already warmed up. This couldn’t be good.

“So what do you have to tell me?” I asked her.

“Well.” She pulled up a chair beside my desk. “Devin went to lunch with us today.” Another bad sign, but I already knew that. “And he had some really nice gifts for us.”

“How is that bad news? I mean it is weird that he would give you presents, it’s not like it’s—oh my god! I totally forgot about your anniversary!”

She chuckled and I think she realized at that moment she had something to use against me. “It’s okay, Christy. Devin went a little over the top, even though he says he just won them.”

“Won what? And you’re not mad at me?”

“No, of course not! I would be mad if Mitch forgot, but he didn’t, and we had a great time last night.” She was totally in love with Mitch, that much was obvious.

“What did he get you?”

She pulled her hair back and showed me the diamond earrings Mitch bought her. “Wow, those are gorgeous. Good job, Mitchell.” They would match the diamond ring he got her too, if only he would propose already!

“I know, I was surprised too. Much better than the other gifts he’s bought me.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, really, I still can’t believe he thought that a gift card for iTunes was a good idea.”

“Who knows?” She shrugged.

“But what was it you wanted to tell me? We got off track.”

“Well, like I said, Devin came to lunch with us. He won a trip for two to Las Vegas from a raffle at work. He never thought he would win, but he did, and he told us he wanted to give it to us as an anniversary present.”

My mouth hung open.

“But that’s not all.”
There’s more?
“Mitch will only agree to it if Devin stays at the house while we’re gone.”

The phone rang before I had time to voice my displeasure. I had to answer it. “Mayor and Sons.”

“Crystal Harris, please.” I transferred the call then looked back to Megan.

“Don’t shoot the messenger. I told Mitch it would be better coming from me. Was I wrong?”

I shook my head. “No…it’s just…Devin has to stay at the house?”

“Mitch wants to know you will be safe.”

“We don’t need a baby-sitter, and especially not Devin. Doesn’t Mitch know that this will just cause more problems with Emily?”

“Well, that’s the thing. We scheduled the trip for next week. We’re leaving Saturday.”

It didn’t take me long to figure out why I should have been mad. “That’s Emily’s spring break!” Megan nodded her head, confirming my fears. “And she’s going to a cheerleading camp with her team.” Megan nodded again. “But that would mean it would be just me and Devin.”

She had a pained look on her face, probably because she thought I was going to do something drastic. “Yes.” Only it sounded more like a question.

I took a deep breath before I responded. “Okay. I’ll just tell Mitchell that I don’t need Devin there. I am perfectly capable of handling things on my own.”

The phone rang again before Megan had the chance to respond. Only it wasn’t a client. “Mitchell.” I strained to be civil.

“So I guess Meg told you the news.” He sounded worried.

“Yes, she did.”

“I take it you’re not very happy about the whole situation.”

“You know perfectly well I don’t like it.”

“I just think it would be best if you weren’t alone for the whole week.”

“That doesn’t mean he has to stay at the house. I mean, he could just stop by, if you really wanted someone to check up on me,” I complained.

“That’s what I considered, but Devin convinced me otherwise. It is—”

“You mean to tell me that Devin convinced you to have him stay at the house!” I was really upset by this point.

“Well, he didn’t really ask me, if that’s what you’re hinting at. He was just surprised I would feel safe leaving you alone for a week.”

“I am perfectly capable of being on my own.” This was ridiculous. I was nearly twenty-three years old.

“I’m sure you are, but I think Devin’s right. It could be dangerous if I leave you alone. Who knows, I could come back from this trip only to find the house has burned down or you’ve been kidnapped! You don’t know what might happen,” he said dramatically, but we both knew what he wasn’t saying. They were worried that I’d do something to hurt myself. I flushed with anger and embarrassment.

The second phone line began to flash, saving me from having to answer. “We’ll talk about this later. I have another call.” I switched over to the other line. “Good afternoon, McCormick, Byron and Rauth.”

“Connect me with Pat.”

“One moment.” After transferring the call, I turned to Megan. “Was this really Mitch’s idea?”

“Yes. I mean Devin just scared him, and you know how protective Mitch can be. You also know he won't have fun on this trip if he’s worried about you. I know it's not ideal for you, but please, please, please do this for me,” she begged.

I sighed. “Oh, all right.” I could never say no to Megan. She was such a sweetheart. I also really was hoping Mitch would use this trip to propose to her. I mean, get on with it already! I have a bet to win! “I’m only doing this for you, though.”

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You won’t regret this!” She stood up to leave just as my private line rang.

Yes, I have a private line, but it’s not like I get a lot of calls.

“Hello, this is Christy,” I answered brightly. I always try and sound pleasant on the phone. You never know who might be calling. Only, I don’t always keep my friendly façade after answering. Such was the case with this call.

“CJ!”

I wanted to slam the phone down but I took the civil approach. “What do you want, Devin?” I said bitingly.

“You’re talking to me.” He sounded happy. “That’s a good sign.”

“You called me, remember?”

“Well, at least you didn’t hang up when you realized it was me.”

“Would you like me to?” I have to admit though, I wasn’t as angry with him as I would have liked. I can never stay mad at Devin for too long, especially after what he did for me, no matter how annoying he could be. It’s probably just the fact that he saved my life. Yeah, that’s it. It doesn’t mean I can’t still loathe his very existence, because I can.

“I’m sorry.” He genuinely sounded apologetic. “I never thought Mitch would—okay, that’s a lie—I did know he wouldn’t want you by yourself, but I never dreamed he would ask me to stay at the house. I thought he would ask someone else.”

“So you weren’t hoping to stay at the house?” I questioned him seriously.

He chuckled. “Of course not, CJ.”

“Okay.” But then I remembered something he’d said. “Wait, did you say you knew Mitch wouldn’t want to leave me alone at the house?”

There was a pause. “Yes,” he answered carefully.

“Then why did you even mention it to him?” I was confused.

“Well, I only did it because I wanted to make sure you were safe. I mean, you would have been by yourself for the whole week. Like I said, I never dreamed Mitch would ask me to stay with you.”

I sighed. He was just trying to look after my wellbeing, at least that’s what I kept telling myself. “Who else would he have asked? It’s not like I know a whole bunch of people.”

“I’m sorry, CJ. I just wasn’t thinking.”

“You could’ve just told me. I don’t think I would have minded if you stopped by every so often. Well, okay, that’s a lie.”

Devin chuckled. “Everything I do bothers you, CJ.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” I laughed.

“Why is that?” he asked, suddenly serious.

I paused, because honestly I never really thought about it. I mean, looking back, I realized that my feelings toward Devin stemmed from what happened in high school. I’ve never really evaluated how I feel about him or forgiven him for embarrassing me. I’m stuck disliking him all because of what he did back then. I guess I’ve just gotten used to harboring this animosity toward him. Honestly, when I stopped to think about it, I really couldn’t remember the last time he’d been anything but nice to me.

“I…well, it’s because—”

“Because in actuality you really like me but pretend to hate me because it’s easier? Because you’re afraid of getting hurt again?” he said, and suddenly I remembered.

“No, it’s because you’re an arrogant jerk who only thinks about himself and what women think about him. You’re a selfish pig who couldn’t care less about anyone’s feelings.”

“Wow, that’s not what I was expecting.” He actually sounded hurt.

“What were you expecting? A confession? ‘Oh, Devin! I can’t live without you! I love you so much it hurts! I can’t hide it anymore. Tell me you feel the same way!’” I mocked.

I’m sure he’d heard those words, or a variation of them, thousands of times. Women always seemed to be all over him. Well, not me. I am not going to stoop to their ranks. Never again.

Devin was silent. He wasn’t saying a word. Maybe I had gone too far.

“Devin? Dev? I—I didn’t mean to upset you, I’m sorry.”

“I have to go, Christy.”

Christy. No nickname. No CJ, only Christy. This wasn’t good.

“Devin, please. You know I was just messing with you.”

“That’s the problem,” he said quietly. It threw me a little. Why was it such a problem? Why did it matter?

“I’m sorry, Devin. I don't mean to give you such a hard time. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. You’re one of my closest friends, even if it doesn’t always seem that way.”

I heard a soft sigh. “It’s okay, Chris. No harm done, okay?”

Chris. I was getting closer.

“I expect you to be at the house after Mitch and Meg leave.”

“Well, Emily is leaving tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, in the afternoon, after my appointment.” Devin was the only person in the world besides Mitch who knew about my appointments with Dr. Stone.

I can’t believe I’ve been going to see Dr. Stone for four years now. I mean, at first I didn’t really go. I think I probably went four times in that first year and maybe twice that number the second year. I haven’t made much progress opening up about what happened to me back then. I think Dr. Stone is slightly frustrated with me. It wasn’t until just this past year that I started going regularly. But it’s still hard to talk about, even with Devin, who knows everything. He’s been so supportive. I don’t know why I speak to him so disrespectfully sometimes.

“They probably are leaving sometime tomorrow then. They have the hotel room for the whole week. Mitch told me he’d be back the following Sunday.”

“That’s a pretty sweet deal you won.”

“It was a studio-run raffle, so I would hope it would be nice. They do have millions of dollars.”

“Well, the next raffle you win, I get the cool prize, or at least I get a part of it. Deal?”

He chuckled. “Even if it’s a honeymoon trip to Hawaii?”

“Yes, even then, because I’ve never been to Hawaii,” I said, exasperated.

“It’s a deal, CJ.”

And there it was. CJ.

I looked down and saw the other line blinking. “Hey, you know what? The other line is ringing. You wanna stay on the line?”

“No, I better get back to work, but I’ll text you. I know you get bored with no one to talk to.”

I laughed. “Okay. Talk to you later.” I ended the call and switched lines. “Mayor and Sons.”

“Hello, I would like to talk with one of the lawyers there who might be able to help me.” A woman, probably early thirties. After sitting at a desk answering phones for a living and then seeing those same people come into the office, it was getting easier for me to make assumptions about a person over the phone.