"How should I know?" I blurt out too, “but it’s a dope ride!”
She cuts scared eyes at me.
“Maybe it’s John’s.” I offer, but we both know it’s not. He’s not a ‘vet’ kind of guy. He’s conservative and guys who drive vets like to drive fast. Otherwise, what’s the point?
“It’s not John’s.” She states for the record. She pulls into the driveway and tells me, "Don’t shut your door when you get out, Lizzy. Just push it till it latches.”
"Seriously?" I look at her. She is on full bitch alert. “Do you think he’s going to cheat on you when he knows you are coming for a visit? Take my word for it, Tara. They cheat when they don’t know you’re coming.”
She cuts her eyes at me, and her look says it all. She didn’t tell John she was coming.
"What the fuck, Tara? He doesn’t know?"
“He knows I’m coming, just not a day early. I was supposed to drive up tomorrow morning. I thought I would surprise him." She looks wild eyed and I realize this could go sideways quick. Tara is a redhead with a fiery temper and cheating scars.
"Oh dear lord!" I reach over and grab the steering wheel. “No fucking way are we walking in unannounced!"
Beep. Beep. I smack the horn.
She slaps my hand away, looking both scared and angry. "Lizzy! Stop!"
“No, John loves you.” I smack the horn twice more. “He’s done nothing to deserve jealousy. That’s a leftover scar from Jimmy.”
We stare defiantly at each other for a couple of moments, then she blinks. “Fine.” Opens her door and gets out.
“Fine.” I open my door as well, but before I can stand, the front door opens, and John’s handsome mug appears on the front porch.
His smile says it all. Tara is going to be his last conquest. "BAE!" He shouts and opens his arms. “Wow! What a wonderful surprise!”
All doubt and jealousy disappear from Tara, and she runs to him shining as brightly as before. When she arrives, she jumps into his arms, and he swings her around, while she showers him with kisses.
I slowly close the car door and lean against it watching them. I sigh. I want that. I want an all-consuming love. The kind of love that makes you crazy.
When their lips finally unlock, they both turn to beam at me. I wave, laughing, happy they are together. “Hi, John.”
“Hi, Lizzy!" John smiles as he sets her down, taking her hand and walking to the car. “I’m so glad you’re here. This is perfect!” He grins at me. “You can meet my little brother."
Little brother? My eyes dart to glare at Tara. I am NOT babysitting.
Tara catches my look, then playfully pushes him away. “Brother? I didn’t know you had a little brother.”
“Yeah, he popped in last night unannounced on his way to a new assignment." He pulls her tight against him again. Tara’s eyes glaze over as she slips her arms around his waist. He cuts his eyes at me and winks. “He’s in the military.”
I smile sweetly at John as he releases Tara and walks to the back of the car to get our bags. “I’m not staying.” I tell him firmly. “I’m just dropping her off. I have a ticket to catch ‘The Lost Boys Dinner Show’ tonight. I’ve been dying to see it and Jack wouldn’t take me. Thanks for the offer though, but I’ll pass.”
He throws her bag over his shoulder and says as he closes the door. “You should reconsider. He’s a really great guy.”
I smirk, “I’m sure he is, but I’ve made plans.” I hold my hand out to Tara. “Keys, please?”
Tara shoves the car keys down her jeans pocket while she frowns at me. “Lizzy don’t be rude. At least, come inside to meet him.” She slips her hand back in John’s and walks with him to the house.
I bite my tongue and watch them whispering to each other and I wonder if this was a conspiracy to hook me and his brother up. When she dangles her car keys, I sigh, as I follow them. I can’t go anywhere without those. I raise my voice so they can hear me. “I can’t stay long. I don’t want to be late for the show.”
Tara looks back grinning and mouths to me. “John’s brother is a military man, Lizzy! How exciting!”
I mouth back, “This better not be a set up.”
She grins, and I can’t tell if it is or not.
When we walk into the house, I’m impressed with John’s decor. It’s not a bachelor pad. It’s a home. He sets her bag down and points the way to the first-floor bathroom. “If you need to go potty, it’s down the hall there.”
I make a beeline for it.
When I return, John and Tara are in the kitchen preparing to make margaritas. He tells me, “Brody’s gone for a run.”
I look at my phone to check the time. “I’ve only got a little time, then I have to bug out.”
He nods, takes his phone out, and starts to text someone, who I assume is Brody, as he asks me, “Margarita?”
I laugh, “No, thanks. I’m driving, remember?”
He chuckles and says, “My little brother is a really great guy!”
I grin at that, pulling up a stool. “I’m sure he is. If I don’t meet him before I leave, I’ll make sure to come back in time on Sunday to meet him before we go home.”
Tara asks as she begins mixing the Margaritas, “So tell us about your little brother? What’s he do in the military?”
“I have no idea what he does. And, no idea where he does it. And, no idea when he will have to do it. And, no idea when he’s done doing it and will come home.”
“Oh,” Tara mouths as her eyebrows raise. “He’s a badass then.”
He nods and chuckles. “Yeah, he’s the badass of the family.”
I laugh, “That’s his corvette then.”
He chuckles harder. “Hell yeah, he’s proud of that beauty too. He took me for a spin yesterday and nearly made me scream.”
We all laugh at that.
“How long has Brody been in the service?” I ask.
“Too long, if you ask me, but about six years.”
“Wow, hard-core.” Tara says, then turns the blender on and mixes the batch of Margaritas. She pours the first one and John slides it across the bar to me, grinning sheepishly. I grin, amused, but slide it back, shaking my head.
Tara play slaps him. “Lizzy will never forgive me, if you keep trying to hook her up.”
John laughs. “Brody will never forgive me if I don’t.”
My alarm on my phone goes off. “Well, it’s time to go.” I jump off the stool.
I look at Tara for support. Her eyes narrow when she reads my silent plea, so she says, “I’ll walk you out.”
“John, I’ll come back Sunday around ten o’clock to get Tara and I can meet Brody then.”
He nods, clearly disappointed, but doesn’t argue. Instead, he opens a bag of chips, and begins to munch on them.
Tara and I walk into the foyer. “I wish you ….” Her voice drops off when we hear tapping on the patio door, then John walking across the tile floor. I grab Tara’s arm and drag her out the front door.
She doesn’t say a thing until we are standing by her car. “Lizzy, stay. If John says he’s a great guy, he’s a great guy.”