Chapter Seven
Bros before Bros
When Walt returned to Beaver Tail two days later, he shocked me with his friendly, positive attitude. I’d been expecting him to be sullen and standoffish, and assumed the ‘I have an emergency court thing’ excuse for missing a day was just that—an excuse. Figured he was avoiding me or needed a day away after our crazy, awkward confrontation at his home. But he returned after his day off with a spring in his step and a smile on his face, catching up to me on one of the hiking trails, surprising me.
“Jude. There you are,” he said. “Been looking for you.”
My breath caught at the sight of him, every detail washing over me in a rush of warmth like the sun breaking through on a cloudy day. His dark hair was still damp from a fresh shower, framing his face and the easy smile in his gorgeous brown eyes, and as usual he smelled like soap. His presence affected me so heavily I quickly cast my gaze ahead again. “Hey. Good morning.”
“Morning.” He walked alongside me. “Just saw your mom. She wants me to take over Emmet’s shit. Can you show me where the kettle ponds are?”
“Sure, I was headed out there now. You seem in a good mood.”
“Yeah. Had a good day yesterday.”
“What happened?”
“Met with my lawyer. And my dad’s lawyer. Dad lost his lawsuit against me. So he paid out what he owed me.”
“Oh.” I stole glances at Walt as we walked, unable to help myself. He looked good, a lot better than the green nauseous version I’d seen at his house the other night. The baby blue tee shirt was striking with his skin tone. And his muscles. I had to force myself not to stare.
“Anyway,” he said. “I wanted to chat with you real quick before work starts.”
I paused on the trail, my nerves jumping. “About what?”
“Look, I’m sorry things got so intense the other night.”
“Me too,” I said, sighing my relief. “Things got a bit heavy, I know.”
“Yeah. I didn’t handle what you told me very well. Any of it.” He winced. “Jude, I’m really sorry for the way I reacted.”
It hadn’t gone unnoticed that he was no longer calling me Julien. For some reason, I minded. Somewhere deep inside I liked hearing him call me Julien. Now it felt like that trip into the past, and all those intimate things he’d said the other night never happened.
“No, forget it,” I said. “I went about it all wrong myself, and I’m sorry too.”
“Hey.” He rested his hand on my shoulder. “What happened between us, the good the bad and the ugly, happened a long time ago. What do you say we put the past in the past and leave it there?”
I nodded. “Okay. Yeah. That sounds good.”
He stuck his hand out. “Friends?”
I hesitated, then took his hand. “Sure. Friends.”
“Great.” He held my hand for a second longer, then let go. “Friends.”
“Right. Good.”
We both continued down the path. I stopped to pick up a fallen tree branch and toss it off into the woods. “You need to clear away any fallen branches or other crap you find on the trails. It’s part of what Emmet used to do. Anything guests might trip over. You saw the ATV over by the woodshed?”
“Yeah.” He grinned at me. “Do I get to drive it?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows.
“Yes, but slowly and safely.”
“You’re no fun.”
“Take it out with the wagon a couple times a week and gather any debris that could be used as kindling. Haul it back to the woodshed. When we get to the little kettle ponds, look for any fishing line or trash people might have left around. Then take some water samples once a week. I’ll show you the chemicals and stuff when we get back.”
“Lindy already showed me where it was.”
“Oh. Well, look at you, Johnny-on-the-spot.”
“Told you I’m a good worker.”
“So what happened with your legal trouble, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Oh, boy. Kind of a long story.”
“We’ve got time. Unless it’s too personal.”
“Too personal? After the other night?” He glanced at me, smiling in a way that made me flush. “I think that ship has sailed; I showed you my ass.”
“Right.” I smirked at him, shaking my head.
“Okay, my legal shit. I was running our hotel in Landing. The Cook Family Inn for nearly a decade.”
“Okay.”
“When I was a kid I used to go over there and take Shea with me just to avoid being home. Our housekeeper, Maggie... you met her the other night.”
“I did.”
“She went to hospitality school and became one of the hotel managers. I’m sure she wasn’t thrilled to have us pain in the ass kids hanging around all the time. But she didn’t take any of my shit. She taught me the ropes. Put Shea to work in the kitchen. Kind of like a second mother to us. I learned how to manage the hotel. When we got older, my dad put me in charge, since I already knew what I was doing, thanks to Maggie. And he put Shea over at the Bar and Grill. Which is now Asiago.”
“Why did Shea change the name of the restaurant?”
Walt chuckled. “Because he discovered he could. Same time I discovered I didn’t have the shackles on me I thought I did.”
We arrived at the first kettle pond, and I sat down on a boulder, more interested in hearing Walt’s story than cleaning up. “What do you mean?”
Walt sat down on a log across from me, stretching his arms over his head. I tried not to stare at his body. “Well, I thought I was just the manager of the hotel. Turns out I was the owner. When that came to light, Terry looked into things. My father had shifted the businesses into our names a few years before and never told us. The hotel was mine. Bar and Grill was Shea’s. My older brothers got the boat shop and store. You get the idea.”
“Why didn’t your father tell you he’d made that change?”
“I don’t know. Control? Because he’s crazy? Who knows. But I didn’t find out until I decided to leave.”
“What brought that on?”
“Shit, nothing good.” He looked at the ground, rubbing his chin. “I should have left a long time ago. I realize now how dysfunctional it was to stay so long. But when I went to juvie years back, I had to see this therapist and she was all about how forgiveness would be good for me. So I forgave my father and kept working for him. Like an idiot. But then I got divorced. And he didn’t like that. So one night, we got in an argument about it at the hotel. I told him to mind his own damn business. And he hit me.”
My brows shot up. “He hit you? When was this?”
“About a year and a half ago.”
“He hit you...as an adult? Still?”
“Oh, he hadn’t done it in years. Shocked the shit out of me. Walloped me good. The crusty old fuck.”
“Did you hit him back?”
Walt stared off into the woods. “No.”
“Christ, you’ve gotta be bigger than him by now. Stronger.”
He shrugged, picking a long blade of grass from the ground and twisting it between his fingers. “Yep. Could have knocked him flat if I wanted to. But I didn’t.”
“Well, good for you. Not sure I would have been able to control myself.”
“I’ve had a lot of years to learn control.” He looked at me. “I’m not perfect. I still hit...inanimate objects sometimes when the anger takes hold. But I don’t hit people. Not even that shitbag who spawned me.”
I nodded.
“Kelsey hit him though.” He snickered. “Fucking clocked the old prick.”
“You’re kidding! Kelsey hit your dad?”
“Yeah. Got between us and stopped it. But after that...I was just done. There’s no way I could keep working for the family business after that. Woke me up.”
“I can see why.”
Walt chewed on the blade of grass. “I had Terry look into what I could do, because I knew most of my money was tied up. My father controlled everything. I just wanted enough to get away and open my own place. The way I saw it, I’d earned that money. With my sweat and my blood and my...fucking flesh and bones.”
I looked down, rubbing my wrist. “Right.”
“That’s when Terry discovered that on paper, I already owned the place. So I gave my dad the chance to buy me out, at a fraction of the price. I wasn’t greedy. Just wanted enough to go off on my own. He dug his heels in. Said I wasn’t going anywhere. That he didn’t groom me all these years to just run off and use my skills somewhere else. That he meant for his family to stay together.” Walt’s eyes met mine. “Said it was just like me, a weakling who wasn’t a real man. That I left my marriage because I was too soft to live with any pain. That now I wanted to leave the hotel just because he roughed me up a little. Said he raised me to be tough and take a punch, not run away when things got hard.”
Bile rose in my throat. I wasn’t a violent person, just the opposite. But suddenly I had fantasies about getting my hands on Harry Cook. “Shit, Walt.”
He nodded. “He said he wouldn’t pay me a dime for the hotel. So I said oh yeah? Then I’ll sell it to a stranger for full price, and you can fuck off. That’s when he filed suit.”
“What was his rationale?”
“Oh, that the hotel was a gift, and that it came with a verbal agreement that it would stay in the family, which was bullshit of course. He claimed I was extorting him and stealing from him and blah blah blah.”
“That doesn’t sound very solid if there was no paperwork to prove it.”
“Yup, the judge agreed.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “I was shocked, because my dad owns judges in Landing. But yeah. Yesterday. Ruled in my favor.” His lips curved into a wide smile. “I’m out, Jude. My dad cut me a check. The Cook Family Inn is no longer mine. I’m out.”
I laughed, because he just looked so damn happy. “That’s great!”
“Oh, it’s better than great. It’s fucking fantastic!” He tugged me to my feet and caught me in a hug, lifting me up, spinning me once before dropping me. “Maybe I could change my name.”
My head was spinning, from...well, spinning, but mostly from the unexpected hug. “Change your name? I don’t think you have to go that far, do you?”
He laughed. “I guess not. Plus, Shea’s still family.” He glanced around at the pond. “Speaking of Shea. Can I say one more thing before we get back to work?”
“Yeah. Of course.”
“I’m sorry for the shit I said to you that first day.”
“What shit? You said a lot of shit.”
He looked at the ground, hands on his hips. “About Shea having a boyfriend and using you and whatever.” He shrugged, and met my eyes. “I hung out with Shea last night. Apparently, he is actually interested in you.” His eyes flicked to the side. “Quite.”
“Oh. Um, I don’t know what to say to that.”
He smiled at me, but it looked forced. “Nothing. No need. Just wanted to let you know. I’m fine with it.” He held his fist out. “Bros?”
“Um...okay.” I bumped his fist. “You all right?” I asked, because his enthusiasm suddenly seemed false.
“Never better. Now show me around this big puddle of yours.”
After giving Walt his new tasks, I went on my way. Around lunchtime, I went into the office to bring my mother a coffee. “How’s it going?” she asked. “Is everything all right with Walt?”
“Yeah.” I sat across from her desk. “He’s...he’s good.”
“And the two of you? No problems?”
“No.” I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Apparently we’re bros now.”
She frowned. “Bros.”
“Yeah. He wants to be friends. Put the past behind us.”
“And how do you feel about that?”
I shrugged. “What’s the alternative? Hating him?”
“Don’t you though? Hate him? You said you did.”
I nodded. “I did. For a long time. But hanging onto it? Frankly, it’s gotten exhausting.”
Her eyes lit up and she smiled. “I’m really glad to hear that. That you’re ready to let go of it. Better friends than enemies, right?”
“Right.”
Over the next week, Walt arrived every morning like clockwork. He’d developed a routine, and a rapport with all of the staff, so I didn’t even really have to supervise him. It was what I’d wanted initially, but found myself vaguely disappointed when I didn’t see him much. I did my work, and he did his. When we crossed paths, he’d give me that cheery smile. It was a good smile, it meant that everything was copacetic. Peaceful. But it wasn’t as good as his other smile. The one he used to give me. The secret smile. That one was nowhere to be seen.
But how could I complain? I’d found a way to work with Walt Cook, to get through this community service stint without drama or chaos. To be friends. There was order to my world again. And I had to admit, I felt lighter than I had in years. Many of my old demons had been purged by making peace with Walt. And they’d been heavy and vicious.
The following week, Shea came by to take both me and Walt to lunch in Gullport center. I didn’t really want to go, feeling awkward about spending time with the two of them. I’d never been with both brothers at the same time before. But like Walt, I was going out of my way to show how cool I was with everything now, and there was no logical reason why I shouldn’t accept Shea’s lunch invitation.
At first it was fun watching them together. Their banter. Their brotherly teasing. We sat in a booth at the diner, the two of them across from me, side-by-side, so different, but so similar. Shea in a stylish suit, his blond hair clean and coiffed. Walt beside him in jeans and a maroon tee shirt, his dark hair somewhat dusty from the motel grounds. Two sets of pretty brown eyes on me. It felt like the universe was playing a cruel joke. Here you go, Jude! All lined up for you. Go ahead. Pick one!
But Walt was not mine to choose. We were friends now, and that was a miracle unto itself. It was Shea alone I was supposed to be thinking about romantically, a fact made obvious when his foot began gingerly nudging my leg under the table. “How’s your burger?” he asked.
“Good,” I said, and Walt made a scoffing sound. “Something wrong, Walt?”
“You haven’t eaten it,” Walt said.
I looked down. He was right. I’d taken only two bites. To hide my nervous stomach, I said, “I had a big breakfast. But it’s good.” I gestured toward Walt’s plate. “I take it you like yours. Looks like a crime scene.”
He’d gotten the burger too, but his was nearly demolished. “Yeah it’s good,” he said, stuffing a handful of fries in his mouth.
“What are you doing tonight?” Shea asked.
I cleared my throat, wiping my mouth with a napkin. “Me?”
Shea smiled. “Yeah. You.”
“Not sure,” I said. “No plans.”
“You want to hang out?”
“Sure.”
Walt cleared his throat. “I thought Glenn was hosting his stupid summer party for his employees at Asiago tonight.”
“Oh crap, that’s right,” Shea said. “Do I have to be there for that? That’s why I have staff.”
“Of course you have to be there,” Walt said. “You’re his brother, that’s why he’s having it at your restaurant. It’s your place of business, not your playground, Shea. You gotta be more responsible.”
Shea’s shoulders hunched. “I know. You’re right.” Shea looked at me. “Damn. Sorry, Jude. Can’t tonight. Raincheck?”
“Oh, sure, absolutely, no problem. I don’t want to interfere with your work.”
Shea smiled and nudged my foot with his. “You’re still coming to the party with me on Saturday though, right? My cousin’s engagement thing?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Absolutely.”
“Absolutely,” Walt mocked. “Absolutely, no problem. So agreeable, Jude. So eager to please.”
“Shut up, Walt,” Shea said.
“Yeah,” I said. “Shut up, Walt.”
Walt rolled his eyes and stuffed another fry in his mouth.
“You’re going to Shannon’s party too, right?” Shea asked, looking at Walt.
Walt took a sip of Coke and shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean?” Shea said. “She’ll be crushed if you don’t go. And it won’t be any fun without you.”
“You’ll have Jude. You don’t need me.”
“The two aren’t mutually exclusive,” Shea said. “Come on, we’ll have a good time. The three of us.”
“It’s not like I can drink. I’ve never been around the family sober before. Sounds excruciating.”
“So smoke a joint or something,” Shea said. “And I’ll drive. You can ride with me and Jude.”
Glancing at me, Walt stood. “I don’t know. Maybe. I’ve gotta take a leak.”
Shea’s eyes followed his brother as he disappeared into a bathroom, then he frowned at me. “He being moody again?”
“I don’t know. He’s been happy lately. At work at least.”
“Yeah, we hung out the other day and he was ecstatic. He’s free from my dad. Something’s up with him today though.”
“You think?”
“I think it’s weird he’d want to blow off Shannon’s engagement party. They’re the same age, they grew up together, she’s like a sister. She adores Walt and he knows it.” Shea took my hand across the table. “Can you keep an eye on him this afternoon?”
“Shea. He’s not a toddler.”
“I know, but he gets depressed sometimes.”
“What’s he got to be depressed about? Didn’t he just get everything he wanted? Freedom from your dad and a pile of cash to finish his hotel?”
“That’s not how depression works and you know it. You’re smart.”
“You’re right, I’m sorry.”
“Is there some reason you don’t want to be around my brother?”
I stilled. “What do you mean?”
“You two seem awkward around each other. It’s weird.”
Fuck. Shea was no slouch. “No. Walt and I are fine.”
We both looked over as Walt stepped out of the bathroom. He grinned, recognizing someone, and stopped at the lunch counter to speak with a couple of women. Shea looked at me with big, pleading brown eyes. “Would you just distract him a bit this afternoon as a favor to me? Make sure he’s not by himself too much? I know it doesn’t look like it on the surface, but I know my brother. I can tell when something’s bothering him.”
I sighed, smiling. “Well, when you give me those eyes, what can I say?”
“You can say yes.” He chuckled. “God, I can’t wait to hear you say yes this weekend, too. To other things.”
“Like what?”
“You know what.”
This guy’s mind was always on sex. I knew I should be more enthusiastic about that. I wanted to be. I wanted to give in to him. If only I could stop thinking about his brother. Maybe spending the afternoon with Walt would help. I could remind myself that he was an annoying, obnoxious dude that I was friends with. Just friends with. I squeezed Shea’s hand. “I’d better get back to work.”
As soon as Shea stopped the car outside the motel, Walt opened the rear door and hopped out. “Later, dog-breath.”
“Call me okay?” Shea said. “You’re coming to Shannon’s party Saturday!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Walt said. “Talk later.”
Walt strode off toward the beach.
“Well,” I said, turning to Shea. “Thank you for lunch. It was great. Dog-breath.”
Shea snickered. “I promise I don’t actually have dog breath. You can give me a kiss to find out. If you want to.”
I leaned in and gently pressed my lips against his. “You’re right. More like...licorice breath.”
“I had a mint,” he whispered, and bit my lip.
“Ouch!” I laughed. “You’re crazy.”
“I know.” He looked into my eyes. Long lashes blinking. “You don’t have to be gentle with me.”
“I know that, believe me.”
“Do you?”
“Hey, what’s up? Something wrong?”
“Just starting to get a vibe,” Shea said. “You still interested?”
“In you? Yeah!”
He smiled. “Good. I’ll see you on Saturday.”
“I look forward to it.” I gave him another kiss, a better one this time, before bidding him goodbye.
Then I immediately went to find Walt. Telling myself my urgency was only because Shea asked me to look out for him today. I found him at the boathouse with Damarcus and Lindy, all of them laughing about something. “Hey, guys.”
“Hey!” Lindy said. “Did you have a good lunch?”
“Yeah. Hey, if no one’s using Walt, I’m gonna take him to help me clean cabins.”
“Walt is an autonomous being,” Walt said. “Please don’t speak about him like he’s the helper-robot.”
“I wasn’t.”
“You were. ‘Oh, is anyone using The Walt Unit right now?’ You can ask me directly if you need help.”
I sighed. “Do you have other work lined up this afternoon?”
He grinned. “No, I do not. I will help you clean cabins.”
“Good. Let’s go, Walt Unit. See you guys later.”
As we made our way toward the cabins, I glanced over at him. “You all right?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Shea thought maybe you were in a mood.”
He huffed. “He’s always worrying about me. It’s ridiculous. I’m five years older than he is. I can handle my own shit.”
“He just cares about you.”
“I know he cares about me. He’s my little brother. Don’t start assuming you know his mind better than I do just because you’re fucking him.”
“Oh come on, don’t start with that crap.”
Walt smirked at me, looking amused. “What crap?”
“You know what crap. Trying to get a rise out of me by getting too personal. It’s your thing. You’re not that complicated.”
“So you are fucking him.”
“It’s none of your business,” I said in a sing-song voice. “You already know this. So stop fucking asking.”
“That means yes, you are fucking him. Not like I couldn’t tell. All the sexual tension in the diner almost made me puke. Lucky I could eat at all.”
“Well, for someone so disgusted, you sure did a good job on that burger. And incidentally, no, I’m not fucking Shea.”
He did a doubletake at me. “Not yet, you mean.”
“Conversation is over.”
“Fine.”
I glanced at him as we approached the first cabin, surprised he’d agreed to drop the taunting so easily. “Back to the original topic,” I said. “So you’re really not in a mood?”
“I am in a mood. I’m in a great mood! Why wouldn’t I be? Everything’s going great.”
“Oh, good. I’m glad to hear it.”
He grinned over his shoulder as he pushed open the cabin door. “I even have a date later tonight.”
A pit formed in my stomach as I stepped into the cabin behind him. “A date, huh?”
“Yeah. Looking forward to it.”
“Well...good for you.” I have no right to care. I was just kissing his brother. “I didn’t realize you were dating anyone.”
“Neither did I. She just asked me out for the first time today.”
“Oh, cool. Was it one of those women at the diner?”
He gave me big, innocent eyes. “No. It was Lindy.”