My Best Friend's Brother (Hometown Heroes Book 3)

by G. L. Snodgrass

  Finally, I had to break the tension before I giggled again. I asked Dad if he could bring his car around. He’d gotten another doctor to come in and take the rest of his shift. He frowned at me and then again at Luke. Once again, I felt like a sticky fog of awkwardness had swallowed the three of us.

  At last, he nodded, shot Luke a final look, then left to go get the car.

  Luke watched him leave then turned back to me.

  “He doesn’t like me for some reason.”

  I shrugged. I couldn’t begin to explain my dad. Especially after mom left. The thought of me growing up and leaving tore him apart. I sometimes wondered if I made it too easy for him. Never any problems.

  Well, until now, I thought with a smile. I’d gone from good daughter to stay out all night in the forest with a bad boy daughter.

  “How are you?” Luke asked, interrupting my thoughts.

  I glanced up, the warm, concerned look in his eyes made my insides melt. The boy was so handsome, so big and strong, and he was worried about me. I could get used to that.

  “I’m fine,” I told him. “In fact, help me up so I can show you.”

  He held my wheelchair while I wiggled forward then used the crutches to get up into a standing position. I was a little wobbly at first but finally settled down enough to look up and smile at him.

  Reaching out, I took his hands in mine while I leaned on the crutches. Running my fingers over the bandages, my stomach clenched up. He had done that for me.

  “Thank you, again,” I said.

  He shrugged his shoulders. Almost as if he was embarrassed about saving me.

  The two of us stood there, our eyes locked with each other’s. My heart began to race and my palms grew all sweaty on the crutch pads. My gaze was drawn to his lips. Rich, full lips, I thought.

  “Um …” he began.

  There, in his eyes, I saw it again, the same as last night. That hunger, that need. It sent a nervous, delicious feeling through me. Yes, I thought. I hadn’t imagined it.

  “Um …” he said again. “I guess I will have Jenny drop off your car tomorrow, after school.”

  Jenny? oh crap, My best friend. The one person I could not betray. A sinking sadness filled me. Suddenly, the happy juice wasn’t working anymore.

  “Thanks,” I said as I quickly dropped his hand. My cheeks began to burn. All I could do was look down and hope he didn’t see. “The keys are in my purse on the front seat. There’s no rush.” I told him. As I tapped the cast on my leg. “I won’t be driving for six weeks at least.”

  He frowned, “If you need anything, let me or Jenny know.”

  Jenny again, my soul sank as I nodded to him. It was over, really over. Over before it even really started.

  “Um …” I started as I looked up at him. But my mind went blank. I don’t know if it was the pain meds or the fact that I just couldn’t imagine what was going to happen the next time we saw each other. Were we supposed to act like there was nothing between us?

  I had seen that look in his eyes. I knew there was interest on his part. And I for sure was super interested. But what now?

  Before I could delve into the issue, Dad pulled to a stop.

  Luke smiled sadly as he opened my door for me.

  Taking a deep breath, I handed him my crutches while I worked my way into the car. Once I was in. Luke leaned in to put the crutches in the back seat. As he came close, I caught a whiff of wood smoke, pine, and hospital antiseptic.

  He paused for a moment as he looked at me.

  “Take care, Amy,” he said as he gently touched my shoulder. “Remember, if you need anything. Let me know.”

  My insides turned over. The things I needed he couldn’t give me. Not without ruining our world.

  Sighing, I said, “Thank you again, Luke.”

  He smiled sadly as he stepped back and closed my door. I stared at him out the window as dad slowly pulled away.

  Jenny’s brother, I reminded myself as my heart sank and a wave of depression flowed through me. He would always be Jenny’s brother.

  Chapter Nine

  Luke

  Amy wasn’t at school on Monday of course. It was strange, almost as if my world didn’t feel right without her there.

  Stifling a yawn, I made my way through the crowd. Yesterday had been more than busy. I’d no sooner gotten home from the hospital than Mom, Jenny, and Grandma had come home. I’d spent the day moving stuff into Grandma’s room and repeatedly telling them what had happened.

  All three of them examined every one of my actions with a fine tooth comb. I swear that was the whole reason Mom had moved Grandma to our place. She wanted help keeping an eye on me.

  Jenny had scowled at me then spent most of the day trying to get Amy on the phone.

  At lunch, Jenny joined some of the other girls. Chip looked over at where she was sitting then back at me.

  “I guess we don’t rate,” he said with a smile. “What’d you do?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. Jenny had been treating me strangely ever since she came home. For some reason, she blamed me for what happened to Amy. I couldn’t figure out her logic. But somehow, I should have saved Any earlier. And I most definitely shouldn’t have stayed overnight out in the woods all alone with her best friend.

  It was as if I’d crossed some line that I hadn’t even known was there.

  After school, when I followed her in the truck to drop off Amy’s car at her house, Jenny jumped out, hefting the backpack full of Amy’s books and homework assignments over her shoulder. She held up a finger at me, letting me know she’d only be a moment.

  I sat there wondering how Amy was doing. Was she in a lot of pain? Was her Dad giving her a hard time? Most of all, I wondered what she thought about me? Then I laughed at myself and shook my head. I was acting like a fool.

  Forget it, Luke, I told myself and stared out at the distant mountains.

  Jenny made me jump with she opened the door and climbed in.

  “How is she doing?” I asked as I turned over the truck.

  Jenny shot me a strange look and shrugged. “Fine, or at least as fine as someone with a broken leg can do.”

  I nodded as I pulled away. The accusational tone of that statement made my insides curl up. I swear Jenny was acting as if I had pushed Amy off the horse and down that bluff.

  “She asked about you,” Jenny said with a frown.

  “Really?” I asked as I bit down an urge to push for more.

  “Yes,” Jenny said, “More than once in fact.”

  I bit the inside of my lip while I tried to calm my racing heart. Instead, I shrugged.

  Jenny stared at me for a long moment then finally turned to stare out the front. “Did something happen that night. Between you two?”

  My breath caught for a moment but I pulled it together quickly.

  “Who, Amy Jensen and me? Don’t be ridiculous,” I said with the best shocked expression I had ever done. In the meantime, my heart jumped into overdrive.

  Finally, she relaxed. Obviously, the idea of Amy being interested in a guy like me was too farfetched to even entertain.

  “Listen,” I told her as I desperately searched for a way to change the conversation, “I need to get my license, the DMV is still open. Do you mind?”

  She shrugged her shoulders while she continued to stare out the window. Something was bothering her. Something besides the idea of me and Amy. I think that was the first time I realized my sister was a person of multiple layers. Not the little girl I used to know. Instead, she was a complex individual and I had absolutely no idea what was swirling around that mind of hers.

  The DMV experience went way smoother than I expected. I had come with the necessary paperwork and birth certificate. The driving test was a breeze. I wondered what the guy would have thought if he knew about my record with cars. But then maybe he did? Didn’t everyone in town know?

  Jenny smiled when I showed her my new license. I could see it in her eyes. She was happy her b
ig brother was adjusting to his new life. My gut tightened up thinking that she had to even worry about me.

  Inside, I had to admit I felt sort of good. Like I’d actually followed the rules and the system worked like it was supposed to.

  The next day at school felt empty once again. No Amy.

  A frustrating anxiousness was starting to build inside of me. I needed to talk to her. I needed to know she was okay. But for the whole week, no Amy.

  Finally, the following Monday, my world felt almost normal again. There she was, working her way through the crowd on her crutches.

  “Hey, Hop-Along,” I said as we came up next to her. Jenny shot me an evil stare for teasing her friend.

  Amy though, smiled as if the sun had just come out. “Hey, Dark Knight,” she said as she adjusted the strap of her backpack.

  The two of us became lost in each other for just the briefest moment before we both remembered where we were and who was there. Pulling back, I swallowed hard and said as I waved at the crowd, “So? Do you want me to clear a way through?”

  She laughed and shook her head. “No, but if I need a snow plow, I will let you know.”

  God, that smile of hers. It was enough to make a man want to conquer new worlds. Climb mountains and destroy evil dragons.

  Jenny kept looking back and forth between us as if she were trying to solve a complex puzzle.

  My gut turned over as I realized I’d probably pushed things farther than I should have. So, I backed up, shrugged my shoulders and told them I’d see her later.

  A brief hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes but she pulled it together quickly and nodded.

  Sighing heavily inside, I left Jenny and her to go on with their day. But I could feel her watching me and a feeling of rightness filled me.

  The week continued and life got back to normal. The difference was that now I was aware of Amy. I tried to ignore it but failed miserably. A strange feeling bubbled around the bottom of my stomach every time I saw her.

  The world hummed along as if it worked. The air smelled better, colors were brighter.

  The next Monday I hung out at my locker for a minute. I’d learned that if I stayed in that one spot, eventually, Amy would make her way past me. Hopping along on her crutches.

  She would smile at me, I’d smile back. And my world felt better.

  “Hey, Prescott,” Willie said as he saddled up next to me with a fake smile.

  “Hey,” I answered as I kept my eye on the crowd. No way was I missing Amy.

  “Listen,” Willie began with a hesitant pause. “I need a favor.”

  My stomach turned over. “No,” I said.

  His brow narrowed. “I haven’t told you what it is.”

  “It doesn’t matter, the answer is still no. I know you. Whatever you want is not good.”

  He continued to frown but I saw a look behind his eyes that reminded me this was not a nice guy.

  “I just need you to connect me to some of your friends,” he said, completely ignoring me.

  All I could do was shake my head. He wanted me to put him in touch with the guys I knew inside. He probably thought that they could help him. And in reality, he wasn’t far wrong. Most of them would love an opportunity to connect up with the Dawson clan.

  “Nope,” I said as my heart jumped. There they were, Amy and Jenny making their way through the crowd. Amy shot me a quick smile and my world felt better, despite Willie.

  He watched me watch Amy and Jenny then he smiled. I quickly turned to see Jenny looking at him with a strange set to her eyes. My stomach turned over.

  “Your sister’s looking pretty good,” Willie said with an appreciative glare. “She seeing anyone?”

  A cold chill ran down my spine as I turned to face him. The idiot was serious. Taking a quick breath, I forced myself to calm down.

  “You keep away from her,” I said through gritted teeth. “In fact, you don’t even talk to her. Do you hear me?”

  His eyes grew big. Really, the guy had no idea how close he was to getting pounded to a pulp.

  The two of us stared at each other for a moment. My hands clenched into fists and I had to force myself to relax before I exploded. His eyes turned cold as an anger began to build up inside of him. Like I said, he didn’t like people telling him no. And I’d just done it twice.

  I needed to end this now.

  “Listen, Willie, those guys inside. Some of them would eat your lunch and make you pay for the privilege. I just spent two years with these guys and came out the other end. Do not push me. You stay away from Jenny.”

  “Hey,” he said holding up his hands backing away. “I was just asking.” But something in his eyes told me this wasn’t over. Like I said, the guy always was an idiot.

  Pushing off from the locker, I headed for class, silently cursing the fact that the good feeling from seeing Amy had disappeared.

  Later that morning, my world was still swirling as Chip and I shared a microscope to count protozoa or some such crap when I blurted out a question without really thinking it through.

  “Do you want to go to the movies?”

  He pulled back from the microscope, his face white and with a hint of fear.

  “Um…” he began. “I um… You’re not really my type,” he muttered. “Not that there is anything wrong with that.”

  I laughed. That was why I liked this guy. He actually felt bad about turning me down.

  “Not me, you idiot,” I said as I took his place behind the scope.

  His brow furrowed in confusion.

  “My sister.”

  He coughed and sputtered as he tried to get his breath back. “What?”

  “Jenny, you know her.”

  He continued to frown, obviously looking for a trap. “You want me to take your sister out?”

  “Sure, why not?” I told him. “You’re harmless.”

  He leaned back, obviously offended. All I could do was shake my head. “Come on, Chip. If you tried anything, Jenny would chew you up and spit you out like a piece of gristle. You’re perfect.”

  Unlike Willie Dawson, I thought.

  He continued to frown as he quickly glanced around to see if anyone was hearing our conversation. The guy had some pride.

  “Thanks,” he said. “I think.”

  I laughed as the plan finally began to firm up. Keeping my mouth shut. I waited for the next question that I knew was coming. I needed him to lead this conversation.

  “Did she ask you to ask me?”

  “Of course not. Jenny would kill me if she knew.”

  “Then why?”

  “It was just a thought, forget about it,” I told him as I adjusted the focus knob on the microscope.

  A silence hung there in the air for a long moment.

  “Should I just ask her?” he said with a creased brow. I could see the nervousness battling with hope. The guy was a lost cause when it came to Jenny.

  “No,” I told him. “Of course not. You’d ruin any chance you ever had.”

  Again, he paused as he processed that bit of information.

  “No,” I continued, “your only hope is to get her out in a group. Make it a non-date type of thing. Just a bunch of people hanging out together. You know. Ask her to join you and your friends for something.”

  His shoulders slumped in defeat. “I don’t think Jenny would like hanging out with my friends. She’s not exactly a D&D type of girl if you know what I mean.”

  I nodded as I pondered his problem. The two of us sat there trying to think of a solution.

  A large smile broke out on my face as I nodded. “I’ve got it.”

  His eyes grew large while he waited.

  I was tempted to draw it out. The guy was actually holding his breath. I wondered how long he could go, but the better part of me, that small part deep down, decided to cut him a break.

  “Amy,” I said. “She needs to get out of the house. She’s probably getting cabin fever.”

  He continued to fr
own. “You want me to ask TWO girls out?” he asked with a terrified expression as if I’d just asked him to stand up at Comicon and yell out that he hated Star Wars. The thought appeared to scare him to his very core.

  Again, I pondered his problem. “No, I guess that wouldn’t work.”

  Once again, an awkward silence fell between us.

  “How about this?” I started.

  He held his breath again. Waiting.

  “You suggest all four of us go out to the movies this weekend,” I said as I leaned down to look through the lens. All the while holding my breath. It seemed I was picking up some of his mannerisms.

  I looked up from the scope to find him staring at me strangely.

  “Let me get this straight,” he said. “You want me to ask your sister out by suggesting you and Amy join us? You’d go with us?”

  Shrugging my shoulders, I bit the inside of my lip to stop myself from saying too much. This was the moment.

  “It was just an idea.”

  He swallowed hard and looked off into the distance. I know he was thinking about it. I had planted the seed, now I just needed to find out how it would play out. If I knew Chip, it’d go just like I’d suggested.

  The big question was if Jenny would fall for it without realizing the truth.

  The truth was I needed to spend time with Amy. It had become a major focus in my life.

  Besides, better Chip than Willie Dawson.

  Chapter Ten

  Amy

  There he was, all shoulders and smirk. The guy was heart-stopping handsome and my insides turned over as I quickly looked down at my tray so he wouldn’t see the thoughts running through my mind.

  Jenny looked up and frowned as Luke and Chip sat down across from us.

  “So, Peg-Leg McGee,” Luke said with a smile. “How you doing?”

  I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. Why did I like it when he teased me? Anybody else and I would have snapped at them. But with Luke, it was different. Was I that far gone that any form of attention from him was special?