by Frankie Page
“Well, I got to figure out this shit, don’t I?” I calm my features, realizing I am being a dick to Tilly for no damn reason. Glancing at her snow-covered hat then down to her belly pushing the seams of her winter coat, I realize she trekked here in the snow to help me out. And how do I greet her? Yea, that’s right, by being an ass.
Tilly gives me a soft smile, probably noticing my change in demeanor. “I told you I would help you with this Robbie. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it in the other day. The morning—well, more like all day—sickness wasn’t letting me get far from my home.”
Yup, I just earned myself the ‘biggest asshole in the world achievement’. My very pregnant and exhausted sister dragged her ass out of bed and to my shop. And what does she get for her efforts? Her big brother being a complete and total ass. “I understand. I told you not to worry about it.”
Tilly levels her gaze with me, her amber eyes that match mine look right through me. “I told you, I would help you get your taxes together—and I keep my word. But seriously, I had everything organized and you have totally devastated my system.” Tilly motions to the stacks of work orders and invoices piled around the office. Picking up the work order I just reamed Mack out for, Tilly sighs, “Seriously, again?”
I can’t help but laugh, Tilly has had to have the “talk” with Mack on more than one occasion. “Yea, I already told him to cut the shit, and it is coming out of his pay.”
Tilly rolls her eyes at me. “God, he is almost as pathetic as Jake. I still don’t understand how he thinks he will be able to handle a video store. That guy lacks any sense of business or responsibility. With his extracurricular activities, he will more than likely end up giving out free movies to every cute chick in town if they promise to…” Tilly adds air quotes. “…‘watch it with him’.”
After our parents were killed by a dumb-fuck drunk driver four months ago, we all received a chunk of inheritance. Not anything major, but enough to make some improvements in our lives. Jake decided to take his portion and go in with Tilly and Scott on purchasing more space and expanding Moore Books and Coffee. Jake is getting a section of the space to set up a little video rental shop. Although Tilly isn’t a fan of the idea, I'm excited. I can’t stand the Netflix selection and Redbox doesn’t carry the good old shit. I don’t get much free time, but when I do, I want to go on a classic 80’s action movie marathon.
“Alright, get your ass up. I’ve got work to do,” Tilly demands, gesturing for me to move.
As I stand, Tilly makes her way to my stool. I cringe when I notice her wince and grab her lower back as she takes a seat. Fuck, I don’t have an actual office chair. I fabricated a shop stool from an old tractor seat I had laying around at pop’s junk yard. My poor pregnant sister, whose belly seems larger than it should, has zero cushion for her bottom and no lumbar support.
“Hey, why don’t I take all the stuff to the house, and you can work on it there?” I try to offer. It would make me feel less guilty if she could do this in some form of comfort.
“No, I’m fine… ugh.” She groans in discomfort, indicating that she is lying. But that is my baby sister for you. She is selfless to a fault.
“Come-on, that thing hurts my ass. I can’t imagine it is pleasant for you in your…” I gesture to her growing stomach. “…condition.”
“Robbie, I’m fine. I’m pregnant, not an invalid. Now the quicker you back off, the sooner I will be done.” Tilly dismisses me with a wave.
I huff in frustration; she is about damn near stubborn as me. Arguing with her is no use. I concede and decide to let her get to work. “Is there anything I can get you?”
“Some hot cocoa and those sweetheart cookies Scott has been making would be perfect.” Tilly looks up with giant eyes, glimmering at the thought of those cookies.
“Sure thing, coming right up.” I lean down and give Tilly a quick kiss on the forehead and let her get to work. As I make my way outside, that anger inside me begins to boil over. It is practically a blizzard out here, and she fucking risked her safety to come help my sorry ass. Dammit, I need to figure this shit out. I can’t have Tilly hurting herself or the babies for me.
∞∞∞
“What the hell, man?” Scooting out from underneath the Jeep I'm working on, I look up to a pissed off Jackson.
“Can I help you?” I ask my new brother-in-law. It is kind of crazy. This guy has pretty much been my little brother his whole life. But when him and Tilly finally tied the knot the other week at the courthouse, he is now legally my brother.
“Have you seen it outside? It is near whiteout conditions, and Tilly is here sitting in your shitty little office, when she should be home curled up with blankets on the couch sipping tea. Not risking her life and our babies’ lives because you are too stubborn to hire someone to manage your books.” Jax crosses his arms over his chest, giving me his best “tuff guy” impersonation. I am sure if the situation called for it, Jax could hold his own in a fight. But, at the end of the day, Jax is not as strong as he is making himself out to be.
Getting up, I stand to my full height. Jax might be tall, but I’m taller and bigger. Jax loses his composure a bit, knowing how thoroughly I can kick his ass if he tempts me. “First of all, I didn’t ask her to come down here. She showed up on her own. I was trying to handle it, but this is Tilly, and she kicked me out of my office. Secondly, I offered to bring everything to the house, but Tilly refused. She didn’t want me messing up her system any more than I already have.”
“I know Tilly can be a little headstrong. Just, when I got home from the shop—we closed early because of the storm—she wasn’t there, and I panicked. Thinking about her out in this shit. I got worried that she might have slipped and fallen, or worse.” I empathize with my new brother-in-law. Tilly does what she wants. It appears that as she becomes more debilitated from the stress the pregnancy is causing her body, the more unyielding her spirit has become. She refuses to back down. “Please, Robbie, you need to fix this.”
I cross my arms over my chest and cock my head, looking slightly down at him. “How do you expect me to do that? I may be her brother, but you are her husband,” I challenge back.
“Don’t be stupid, Robbie. We both know, the only reason Tilly is even here right now is because your stubborn ass refuses to hire the back-office manager that you have desperately needed, long before Tilly was pregnant.” Jax attempts to stand tall again, finding a bit of the bravado he lost.
“Look, I don’t like strangers involved in my shit. I have told Tilly I will manage it. But she seems to be a little selective on her hearing when it comes to that,” I say, stepping into Jax’s space. Surprisingly, he doesn’t back down from my challenge.
“Because Tilly loves you, and will never abandon you. It is up to you to man up and get over this ridiculous fear you have. Let Tilly find a replacement. I know shit about business, but even I can tell you need the help, a lot more than she can offer.”
I am so sick and tired of this fucking conversation. Tilly and I have been arguing about this shit for a couple of years now. When our dad started stepping down at the bookshop and she was taking it over, Tilly had indicated that I needed more help then she could offer. But while it hasn’t always been smooth, we never changed our arrangement. I guess in all reality, this time, the issues with Tilly helping aren’t temporary problems. If anything, it will get worse as time goes on. Fucking god dammit!
I throw the wrench I was holding to the ground. The loud clunk makes Jax flinch. I storm off towards the back office with Jax on my heels. When I barge into the room, Tilly gasps, startled by my entrance. “Fine!”
“What?” Tilly looks confused. She tries to look back at Jax for some sort of clarification.
“Hire a fucking office manager!” I declare, before rushing back out of the office, roughly bumping shoulders with Jax on my way out. I don’t mean to be a dick, but dammit, I hate the idea of letting someone else in my shop, especially after what happened the last time. Bu
t I know I need the help. I maybe stubborn but I’m not stupid. I just really hope this doesn’t come back to bite me in the ass.
Cassie
“Ouch,” I hiss, sucking the blood from my finger. Stupid thorn got me, and not for the first time today. This is flipping pathetic. Here I am, again—back living with my parents, helping at their flower shop, and assisting in making floral arrangements for a bridal shower. White roses, how cliche? I don’t mean to be rude. Honestly, the arrangement is beautiful. It is just, right now, the last thing I want to do or look at is anything related to marriage—which is weird coming from me. I love weddings. I had been planning mine for as long as I can remember.
“Níl ach braon beag fola ort.” My father chuckles, handing me a cloth to wrap around my finger. While my father and mother immigrated to the US over thirty years ago, he still enjoys teasing me in his native Irish tongue.
“Da, it is more than a little blood.” I wave my finger at him. Only small red droplets trickle down, but I can’t help but be a little over dramatic. Being the baby of our family and his only daughter, I tend to play it up as much as possible.
“Próseche, you are getting blood on the arrangements, Cassandra.” Thanks to my unique heritage, I am fluent in English, Gaelic, and Greek. My mother's Greek ancestry is the only reason I do not have a traditional Irish name like my brothers. Unfortunately, though, my antics do not work as well with my mother. I sometimes think she is harder on me because I am her only daughter.
“Sorry, ma.” I rush to clean and wrap my bleeding finger. Turning around, I watch as my mother picks apart my arrangement, undoing all my work. I love her—she is a wonderful mother—but she tends to be extremely nit-picky. But then again, when it comes to floral arrangements, my mother is a true artist. Numbers, math in general, have always been my thing. Burying myself in endless piles of data and spreadsheets calms and centers me. That is what flowers do for my mother.
My mother sighs, pulling blood stained roses from the arrangement and tossing them into the trash. “Why don’t you head home and get cleaned up? We will finish up the order and meet you later tonight.” She dismisses me, her brow scrunched in frustration as she figures out how to salvage the mess I made.
Yup, I have been politely kicked out of the shop—again. Giving my parents each a brief kiss, I bundle up to face the freezing Minnesota winter. While it is so cold my nostrils stick together when I take in a breath, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
∞∞∞
Instead of heading home, I decide to head over to K.O. Murphy, a pub not too far from my parents’ house. It is within walking distance, which makes drinking here ideal. Well, that, and the fact my brother Killian owns the bar, so I mostly drink for free. Not that I am a freeloader or anything, he just refuses to accept my money. So, I make sure to always tip everyone well to make up for it. Also, I volunteer to help if he ever needs it. Especially in times like these where I am not working and need something to do to keep myself from going mad.
Taking a seat at the bar, I flag down Sean, my brother’s friend who is lead bartender. “Hiya, Cassie, what can I get ya this evening?” Sean asks in a somewhat mischievous tone.
“Really, Sean? I am a little hurt you even need to ask.” I feign insult, playing along with his game. Sean already knows what I want to drink. I have been drinking here practically exclusively for five years.
Giving me his token flirty grin, he pours me a Murphy’s Irish Stout. Yea, given our family name and heritage, my brother has made sure to coin the Murphy branding as much as possible. Even if the beer wasn’t created by a distant ancestor, it would still be my drink of choice. While Guinness is good, I feel the smooth drink doesn’t get the attention it deserves. I take a sip of my beer and enjoy the mild coffee flavor. Glancing around, I notice the place is packed, which isn’t surprising for a Friday night. Thankfully, while busy, it doesn’t feel overcrowded like other places. Maybe that is because I know almost everyone here?
“What kind of trouble are you planning tonight?” Sean teases while wiping down the bar.
“Just the usual.” I toss back before adding, “World domination.” I give Sean my most sinister smile.
Sean lifts his chin, gesturing to someone behind me. “I am sure if anyone could do it, you two would.”
Before I even have a chance to turn around, I feel two thin arms wrap around me from behind, hugging my waist. “Hey, Cassie.” My best friend Moira says as she squeezes me tight. Before taking a seat at the bar stool next to me, Moira gives me a sympathetic smile. Ever since the breakup, she has been walking on eggshells around me. I really wish she would stop. “So, how are you holding up?” Before taking off to help others, Sean slides Moira a Guinness because we haven’t been able to convert her yet.
I roll my eyes at her question. “Fine, I guess. I am still looking for work. Hopefully I find something soon. I think ma is going to kill me if I mess up another one of her arrangements.”
Moira snort-laughs into her beer. Growing up together, Moira knows my mother well and is aware of how particular she is about her flowers. My ma tried to teach me about flowers and arrangements, but I didn’t inherit her green thumb. “I am sure someone will get back to you soon. You have only been looking for a couple of weeks.”
“Yea, it’s just that I need to get back to work. I miss my numbers and spreadsheets.” I pout and then toss a pretzel bite into my mouth.
“Oh, guess who I talked to the other day?” Moira yells excitedly over the music. “Tilly!”
I smile, thinking about my old college roommate and friend. I feel bad for not keeping in touch with her. The past few years, except for Moira, I found myself little time to keep in touch with anyone. Well, outside of Facebook—which Tilly refuses to use. “How is she?”
“Good, I guess.” Moira looks down a little sad. “Her parents actually passed away a few months ago.”
“Oh, that is awful. I had no idea.” I take a swig of my drink, trying to wash away the foul taste of guilt I feel. I can’t believe she has been going through such a hardship, and I knew nothing about it. Well, I guess Moira didn’t either, although that doesn’t stop me from being remorseful for not being there for my friend.
“Yea, it sounds like she is doing better though. Tilly actually got married a couple weeks ago,” Moira says, then immediately retreats knowing marriage is a sore subject for me right now.
“It’s okay, Moira. I appreciate you looking out for me. But I need to move past this. I am happy to hear that she got married.” It isn’t a lie. I am happy for her. It pains me a little, and I find myself a little jealous. But I don’t want to become one of those people who can’t celebrate my friend’s happiness, just because things are not so great for me right now.
“I know. I am sorry…” Moira looks a little uncomfortable. “She is pregnant also.”
“That is exciting! We should plan on visiting her soon. Or maybe invite her up here and take her out shopping for the baby?” I offer, trying to heal some of the hurt and guilt in my heart.
“Actually, she was calling looking to see if I knew anyone in need of a job,” Moira explains.
“Oh yea, what kind of job?” I don’t know many people, but still, I would be willing to pass along the word.
“I guess it is helping her brother out. He needs someone at his auto body shop to manage his books and back office.” Moira takes a quick drink. “I couldn’t really think of anyone looking right now, especially that would be willing to relocate to Tral Lake. But if you know anyone, you should pass it along. Apparently, her brother is super nervous about letting a stranger come in and manage his books.”
“Which brother?”
“Her eldest brother, Robbie.”
I nod. “Ah, okay. I never met him. I really only ever met Jake the few times he came to visit campus.”
Moira giggles, thinking about Jake. “If Jake needed an office manager, I would quit my job in a heartbeat.” We both laugh. Jake was super-hot, and
I’m sure he still is. The guy totally seeped sex pheromones from his pores. Tilly had always been so beautiful and elegant. It was crazy seeing those same features personified in her twin Jake.
Goofing off, Moira and I continue to drink our beers and chat at the bar. It is nice getting to hang out with my best friend—it feels like forever since we have been able to do this. Eventually, we hit the drunk state of the evening; the one where we feel the need to pose for selfies at the bar before posting them to Facebook. Scrolling through, we laugh at the comments when something catches my eyes. It seems Moira noticed it as well and tries to take the phone from me.
“Let it go, Cassie,” Moira yells, turning her back to me and blocking the phone with her body.
“Moira, give me my darn phone,” I say sternly. Moira looks down at the screen with a frown before passing it back to me. As I look at the post, I can’t help but feel the broken pieces of my heart shatter more.
“Come-on, Cassie, you are better than him. Don’t let this eat you up,” Moira pleads, trying to prevent the train wreck that is happening in my head.
“Sorry, Moira. I need to get going.” I say, throwing a twenty down for Sean. Getting up, I run smack dab into a firm chest.
“Whoa, Cassie. Where are you heading off to?” Killian asks, his smile quickly turning to a frown as he notices the look of anguish on my face. “Hey, what happened?” Killian prompts, looking between Moira and me. “Did some drunk asshole try something?” Killian cracks his knuckles, prepared to beat up one of his patrons if necessary.
“No, Kill, it’s fine. I am just tired. I will catch you both later,” I say, walking away quickly while pulling my jacket snug around me. Off in the distance, I can hear Killian asking Moira for details about what happened. I don’t stick around to listen to the conversation, because it doesn’t matter. I need to get away from here. I love my family—my friends—but right now, everything reminds me of him. I don’t even take a second to reconsider, before grabbing my phone and calling my old friend. “Hi, Tilly. It’s Cassie.”
