I finish up the dishes in my dad’s kitchen while he takes his glass of whiskey to the other room. It’s been a while since we were all over here for dinner—Alex and Mia, Caleb with Charlotte, and me. I got here early to cook dinner for everyone, and the meal turned out great. It was one of my staples—chicken fettuccine alfredo—and they all made appropriate yummy noises. Even my niece Charlotte, who rarely talks much, giggled when she slurped her pasta and told the whole table about the book her teacher read at school. Caleb positively beamed the entire time, he was so excited to see her opening up to us like that.

Caleb comes back into the kitchen and grabs a towel. “Charlotte’s reading books with Dad. Need help?”

“Sure.”

He starts drying pots and pans, and putting them away. Alex and Mia wander back into the kitchen and take a seat at the table. We all usually end up back in here after Dad retires to his recliner with his nightly drink. Alex grabs four beers and sets them out on the table while Caleb and I take care of the last few dishes.

“So how’s the roommate?” Mia asks with a very obvious wink.

I sit down and take one of the beer bottles. Alex reaches across the table and opens it for me. “He’s fine, I guess. He’s not around much.”

Alex frowns at Caleb. “What’s that look for?”

“What look?” Caleb asks.

“You look guilty,” Alex says.

“I don’t… fine,” Caleb says. “I feel like I owe Kendra an explanation about Weston. And maybe an apology.”

I tilt my head and give Caleb a cherubic smile. “Oh really? Like maybe you’ll explain to me how on earth you even know a guy like that? And what could have possessed you to suggest he live with your sister?”

Mia snorts.

Caleb winces. “Something like that.”

“I’m all ears, o brother of mine.”

“Look, I’ve known Weston for a long time,” Caleb says. “He’s always had his own thing going on. He’s not really the kind of guy who gets close to people. Ever. I didn’t realize he was such a—”

“Dick?” I fill in.

“No, I know how he comes across,” Caleb says. “He’s kind of a dick to most people. But believe it or not, he’s not always like that.”

“Yeah, right,” I say.

“I’m serious,” Caleb says. “He’s just… he’s the kind of guy who has your back, even when you don’t expect it. When Melanie died, he was really there for me.”

Weston being less dickish to some people? Fine, I can buy that. But being a support system when his friend’s wife died? I can’t see it.

“He was there for you? I’m not saying you’re making that up, but… honestly, are you making that up?”

“Not at all,” Caleb says. “He flew out to Houston the next day. It wasn’t like he sat around and listened to me talk about my feelings. But he stepped in and took care of things when I couldn’t. He made sure the rent on my apartment got paid and had food delivered so I didn’t have to worry about it. He even made sure I had diapers and formula for Charlotte. I didn’t ask him for any of it, he just showed up and did it.”

I pause for a second, unsure of what to say. That seems so out of character for Weston. “He did all that? Seriously?”

“Yeah,” Caleb says. “He didn’t act any different. It’s not like he was offering emotional support or something. That’s not him. But he didn’t hesitate to drop everything to make sure I had what I needed. I guess that was his way of helping. He heard what happened, flew out for about a week, and went home again. He was there when you guys came out, but I guess you never saw him. He sort of did his thing and disappeared.”

“I’m having such a hard time picturing that,” I say.

“I know, I do too in a way,” Caleb says. “And we never talked about it later. I felt like he didn’t want me to mention it. But even after he went back home, he’d text me about once a week to make sure I had what I needed. He’s really not a terrible guy. He just acts like it sometimes.”

I arch an eyebrow at him.

“Okay, a lot of the time,” he says.

Mia catches my eye and gives me her wise nod again.

I roll my eyes at her and turn back to Caleb. “What were you going to say before? You didn’t realize he was such a what?”

“Player?” he says, making it into a question.

“Oh, he’s a man-whore,” I say. “Yeah, I know.”

Mia laughs, but Alex looks alarmed.

“He’s what?” Alex says. “And you put him in Kendra’s house?”

“I didn’t realize he was still like that,” Caleb says. “He hooked up with a lot of girls back in college, but I figured he would have settled down by now. I knew he didn’t have a serious girlfriend or anything. But he doesn’t talk about women that much. Although, he doesn’t really talk about anything that much. He’s not a talker.”

“You’re telling me,” I say. “He gets all grumpy when I try to make conversation.”

“He just keeps people at a distance,” Caleb says. “A big distance.”

“Why?” Mia asks.

Caleb shrugs. “I honestly don’t know. Like I said, he doesn’t let people get close to him. Even when we used to hang out a lot, I didn’t know that much about him. I think his mom died when he was little, but other than that, I don’t know.”

Mia points at me. “See? I bet that has something to do with it.”

“To do with what?” Alex asks.

“Nothing,” Mia says, waving the question away with her hand and almost poking Alex in the eye in the process. “Kendra, I told you.”

I ignore Mia and look at Caleb. “So why did you stay friends with him?”

“I don’t know,” Caleb says. “Sometimes I didn’t. He’d be a prick and I’d decide I didn’t need that bullshit, so I’d walk away for a while. But eventually, I’d get curious and wonder what he was up to, so I’d text him or something. After he helped me out when Melanie died, I felt like he’d been a better friend than I’d given him credit for. So I kept in touch. And when Charlotte and I moved back here, we started hanging out.”

“Please tell me you mean something other than trolling for women at skanky bars when you say hanging out.”

Caleb laughs. “Yeah, that’s not my scene. Although somehow I don’t think a guy like Weston Reid needs to hang out at skanky bars to get women.”

“The girl he had at my house the first time we met would indicate otherwise,” I say.

“Whatever. I don’t know what’s up with him,” Caleb says. “I meet him once a week or so to shoot hoops. We play some one on one, and that’s about it. Alex comes too, sometimes; he’s met him. That weekend you were gone, he was complaining about being tired of living in a hotel while his house is being remodeled. And I thought hey, my sister is looking for a roommate and keeps getting calls from crazies. Weston’s a decent guy for the most part. It seemed like a win-win for both of you. He gets a place to crash that isn’t a hotel. You get a not-crazy roommate for a few months until you can find someone else.”

“He might be not-crazy, but also not-very-nice,” I say.

“Can we go back to the part where he’s a man-whore?” Alex says. “Because I know how that works.”

I roll my eyes again. “Not a novel, Alex. Not all man-whores are so irresistible that every woman they spend time with is powerless against their charms. I won’t accidentally fall into bed with him just because he sleeps one room away.”

Alex half-glares at Caleb again and I can tell he’s not convinced.

“Honestly, I’m in zero danger here,” I say. “Weston doesn’t even like me. The last thing he’s going to do is try to get in my pants. And if he did, there’s no way. Not a chance. I don’t care if some women go for that cocky asshole thing. Not me.”

“I don’t know, the cocky roommate…” Mia says.

“Too cocky,” I say. “Don’t worry about it, Caleb. He’s gone a lot. And who knows, maybe he’ll relax a little and show me that not-asshole side you claim he has. But until then, I don’t think it exists.”

Caleb takes a deep breath. “Sorry, sis. I didn’t mean to saddle you with a pain-in-the-ass roommate.”

“It’s fine,” I say. “I’ve got him under control.”