Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 91536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
"Yeah," I say.
"Almost like you picked her out to fit in here," he says.
"Isn't that what dating is?" I ask. "Picking someone who fits into your life?"
He shakes his head at my obvious bullshit, but he can't argue with the logic behind it. So, he tries another tact. "When did you learn her last name?"
"What's it matter what her father's name was?" I ask. "Does that really speak to her character? Her dreams? Her values?"
To that, he has no comeback.
I'm playing his game for once. His way. I just need to lean into it. "I won't argue with your perception of me. I've slept with a lot of women. Usually, it didn't matter. But there was something different about Ivy. I felt it right away. Isn't that how it was with Cynthia? Didn't you know, as soon as you kissed her, that something was different?"
He stares back at me, stone-faced. "That is something people say."
So, what does he say? Daniel has always been practical. He's never gushed over matters of the heart. "When was it for you?" I ask. "That you knew she was the one?"
"There's no such thing as the one," he says.
"Don't let Mom hear you say that."
He chuckles as if he's an ally. As if we're kids playing capture the flag, strategizing on how to beat the other team.
Some tension in my chest dissolves. My shoulders relax. My jaw too.
I want his approval. I hate how much I still want his approval.
My older brother. The smart one. The responsible one.
And Romeo, the playboy fuckup.
"She drinks tea?" He looks to the ceramic pot.
I nod.
"No wonder she didn't want to stay for breakfast. You can't make tea to save your life," he says.
"It's the same as coffee," I say.
He shakes his head no, it's not. "Let me."
He wants to help me? That's hard to believe. But I give him the room to prove himself. I step aside.
He tests the tea in the pot and shakes his head. "You can't serve it the way they do at coffee shops." He pulls the bag from the small pot and pours the liquid down the drain. "You need to brew it for her, the way you would with coffee. Loose leaf."
"Where did you learn that?" I ask.
"Cynthia tried to give up coffee." He turns the electric kettle to two-hundred degrees and finds a small tin of English Breakfast in the pantry. A more expensive brand of loose leaf. "She missed the robustness, so she was always brewing it too long. It was astringent. Disgusting. We tested it every way we could. Until we found the right mix. More leaves, same time, warm milk. Is that how she takes it?"
"Milk and honey," I say.
He motions to the carafe of cream. "Warm it. Like you would for a cafe au lait."
"Who drinks cafe au lait?" I ask.
"People with taste."
I don't have an espresso machine here, so I warm the milk in the microwave. I pour honey into one of those tiny, single-serving jars. I add a teaspoon. "I suppose I need to learn this. For Amor y Coffee."
He makes that same hmmm noise.
"It would mean a lot to Mom," I say.
"Mom doesn't care," he says. "And Dad's dead."
That's not true. Well, yes, it is true Dad is dead, but does the guy have to be so heartless about it? "It was one of his dying wishes."
"He was indulging you," Daniel says.
That isn't true. He wanted to see it. He thought it was beautiful. I want to do this with him. Why doesn’t he? "If you're not interested—"
"I'm busy, Rome. That's all."
"What time did you get up today?" I ask.
"Six. Why?" he asks.
Of course. He's still an early riser. "”Did you look at the proposal?”
"Not in depth.”
He looks to the table where Ivy and Cynthia are chatting outside. They laugh at something Mom says.
They're an odd trio, but they're working together well.
"But, okay, I'll look if I have time," he says.
"Perfect."
He looks to the tea. "Four minutes. Not a second longer."
"You sound like Sasha," I say.
Again, that hmm noise, though, this time, I don't hear you're a fuck up. I see the possibility of something else. And yes, one of those possibilities is why don't you admit you're dating her, or I know she goes by Mistress Sasha online, or your business partner sure is good at selling her number one product: you.
But I also hear you do have half a business degree.
I also hear you have had one long relationship with a woman, so why not another.
I hear possibility.
My brother brings out his breakfast first. After all, you can't wait for eggs to go cold. Mom would never allow such a thing.
Food needs to be eaten when it’s best. Daniel may not understand the push for pleasure, but he understands the attempt at excellence.
I make mine next. Meet him outside.