“You too.” I tried to keep the disappointment out of my voice. Colin would have jumped all over it.
* * *
Waking up to waffles cooking always put me in a good mood. As much as Colin pretended he didn’t want me around, he sure had a funny way of showing it. Making me my favorite breakfast on my first morning wasn’t going to make me want to leave. I’d struggled to pull myself from the soft sheets. I’d upgraded to nicer sheets my senior year, but they weren’t like these. I stepped into the in-suite bathroom before heading to the kitchen. I was positive the shower in my room would have a whole lot more water pressure than the one at school.
“What’s the occasion?” I took a seat at the large island and watched him cook. He seemed to be handling everything just fine on his own.
“You know, just thought I’d make you guys something.” He played it off as no biggie.
“Where’s Maddy?” I got up, deciding I couldn’t wait any longer for a cup of coffee. I needed caffeine in the morning.
“Still sleeping. She’s usually up by now, but I thought I’d let her sleep in.”
I smiled. “Good decision. Now you can bring her breakfast in bed.”
He poured batter onto the waffle maker. “Good idea. Could you make her a cup of tea?”
“Yeah. Definitely.” I rifled through the cabinets until I found the stash of teas Colin kept for her. He never drank them himself.
After settling on green tea, I walked around Colin to the sink and filled up the kettle. “What time are you going into work?”
“I’m not.” He finished the first waffle and went to work on another. “It’s Saturday, remember?”
“Since when did the day of the week dictate whether you went to work or not?” I knew my brother was trying to make more time for Maddy, but taking all of Saturday off seemed like a stretch.
“Since Paris. Maddy’s working tonight, so I’ll get work done when she’s at the Grille.”
“Are you okay with her bartending again?” I figured this might be my one chance to ask. I certainly wouldn’t ask in front of Maddy.
“Sure. It seems to make her happy enough. She’s still trying to figure out what she wants to do.”
I drank my coffee and put two waffles on my plate before Colin made a tray to bring up to Maddy. I figured I didn’t need to be involved in the delivery.
“What’s really going on, Carly?” Colin pulled the syrup out of the fridge. It was the real maple kind that cost a fortune.
“What do you think is going on?” I let some annoyance slip into my voice. Colin new exactly why I’d shown up on his door step.
“You’re going to have to face her sometime.” He gave me a knowing look.
“Easy for you to say.” I crossed my arms.
He leaned on his elbows. “She’s your sister too.”
“Don’t remind me.” I walked back to my room in a huff. I couldn’t afford to fight with Colin. He was the only one in my family who didn’t hate me.
On The Rocks is available now!
To stay up to date on Alyssa’s new releases, join her mailing list: http://eepurl.com/ktlSj
Life After Falling Page 20
