Finn closed his eyes and then opened them to look right at me. "Well I guess it's not really her decision, now is it?" and in his words I heard an echo of what I'd said to Jonah when he'd tried to order for me in the cafe. You make these decisions that affect other people that aren't yours to make.
My heart thudded in my ears. I should have called her first before I came over here. I should have let her know that when she'd sent her brother to help me in her stead, she'd sent me right into his arms. I'd been so wrapped up in how a dead man would feel about my actions that I hadn't even thought about what my alive and breathing best friend would think. "Shit," I murmured, trying to duck out of Jonah's embrace. He looked down at me and frowned. Then his eyes alighted on the box and his expression changed to one f pure adoration. "Is that for me?" he asked.
I nodded, fairly shoving it at his chest. Shame was coursing through my body. "For you," I said, stepping back. "I just wanted to stop by and make sure you had it.
Jonah grinned his confident grin and kissed me full on the lips in front of his watching brothers. "You're amazing," he said and I could feel the shape of his words against my mouth and my body wanted to respond, but inside of my head I was spiraling into shame.
I pressed my hands to his chest and gently pushed him away. "I just stopped by real quick, I have to run," I said.
He nodded, his attention on the box. "I'll see you later, Ruby."
"Yeah, bye Roo!" Finn called as I hurried away, and he wielded Claire's nickname for me as sharp and pointed as a weapon.
Chapter Thirty-One
Jonah
She's incredible, I thought as Ruby hurried back up to her car. She'd taken time out from her lesson plans to bring this over.
I'd have to think of a way to thank her later. I could actually think of a few ways to thank her, none of which involved clothes.
"What's in the box?" Gabe asked.
I looked at my brother. I'd honestly forgotten he was there for a moment. "Nothing," I said.
"Ruby came all the way over here to bring you nothing," Finn deadpanned. "Sure, and I'm guessing that same nothing is why you're looking at her like she shits rainbows right now."
I clutched the box a little tighter. "I'm sure Ruby does shit rainbows," I said, trying to deflect attention away from my tapes. "Actually strike that. Ruby doesn't shit at all, she's too perfect for that."
"Oh Christ, spare me," Finn groaned, draining his beer.
But Gabe was still watching me with narrowed eyes. "What's in the box, Jonah?" he repeated a little more forcefully.
I hefted it higher in my arms. No, this was mine. Gid had given it to Ruby and Ruby had given it to me and I'd be damned if I had to share Gid with anyone else. It was mine now, and it should have always been mine. "It's your mama's underwear," I snapped. "That's why the box is so big."
"A 'your mama' joke," Beau intoned, raising his beer can in a toast. "Classic yet always in style, especially when used among brothers."
"We have the same mother you dipshit," Gabe sighed. "Fine. Enjoy your secret box. I hope it's full of different sized pliers you could use to remove the rod up your ass."
It was difficult to flick him off while juggling a huge cardboard box, a beer and a giant 80s tape recorder, but I managed to do it all the same as I hurried back up to the house. Shutting the door of my bedroom was a relief and I wished like hell I'd thought to install a lock.
Then I looked at the treasures my girl had brought over. She'd even thought to bring the tape recorder. It seemed awfully silly that of the four musical King Brothers, not a single one of us had a 4-track recorder lying around, but none of us did.
I heard scratching at my door. "Hey boy," I said, opening it up a crack and scratching Duke's gigantic head as he nosed his way into the room with me. He flopped down with a heavy sigh and let his head rest on my thigh. "I agree," I told him.
The house was quiet. I took another sip of the beer, feeling the buzz as it hit my empty stomach and hesitated.
The one song, the one that had brought Ruby and I together, that might have been a fluke. This whole box was a fluke, something Gideon hadn't wanted to share with me. But maybe Ruby was right, maybe he just hadn't had a chance. It was strange to think that my uncle might think what he had made wasn't good enough to share with me until it was perfect.
Just how much of an asshole was I?
I leaned back on my elbows and took a long sip of my beer, hoping to drown that line of questioning.
Then I slipped in another tape and pressed play.
Duke's ears twitched as Gideon's voice filled the room. He lifted his head and cocked it to the side. "That's right, boy," I told him. "That's Gid playing the guitar right now. Could you hear him all the way down in the shed?"
Duke stared at the player intently. Gideon was playing a slow song, something between a dirge and a ballad. It was clear he hadn't come up with all of the words yet, but as he sang, I found myself filling in the spaces that were missing. The lines came clear and perfect in my brain, like a collaboration.
I sat bolt upright, making Duke snuffle irritatedly. "Sorry," I told my dog, hurriedly switching off the player and grabbing for a piece of scratch paper. Quickly, before they left my brain, I scrawled out the missing words, adding a line for the bridge that was missing, and a note about a longer intro, something to build.
Then I sat back on my heels and stared at what I had done.
A collaboration. Me and Gid finally working together like we should have a long time ago. The idea that had been forming since last night was suddenly crystal clear in my brain.
I would need to workshop these, see how they played to an audience. But that shouldn't be hard to do. I was the biggest star this town had ever produced, all I'd need to do was ask. Hell, the entire town would probably show up to hear it. The press would be insane. I could see it now. "From King Brother to King Nephew, Jonah King's life after death collaboration with his beloved uncle."
"Yes," I exhaled aloud. It would take hard work, but that was what I was best at. And the end would result would put me right back up on top where I belonged.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Ruby
Faking sick to get out of work is not my style, but it was necessary. And faking a stomach bug was super easy because half the school was out with it anyway. When I called in, the school secretary hurried me off the phone as quickly as she could, acting like I was going to somehow vomit on her through the phone.
I hung up and grabbed my purse, ready to head over to Claire's work and find out why she wasn't returning my texts.
Claire worked over in Reckless Falls at the PR department for Granger Development. She was only a junior associate, a peon really, but she took her job very seriously, always arriving far earlier than any of her more seasoned co-workers. I was hoping by heading out now I could catch her alone.
As I drove along the snowy country roads, I tapped my steering wheel nervously, wavering between worry over my friend's reaction when I told her the news, and pre-emptive indignation over the idea that her reaction might be a bad one. I had at least twelve different arguments with myself on the way to the resort town at the bottom of Ganagua Lake, running through every feasible scenario she might bring up and making very valid, cogent points that I hoped I'd remember once I got there.