His Curvy Beauty by Lana Love

Chapter 5

Mandy

How’s your brother doing?” Grace asks as she parks her car in the crowded mall parking lot. We’re on a mission for toys for her nephew.

I roll my eyes at Grace.

“That bad, huh?”

“I’ll let you guess,” I sigh. “He’s not doing anything big…yet, but that’s just a matter of time. I love my brother, but he has no idea when to slow down. I’m scared that one day he won’t be able to bounce back fully.”

“Men.” Grace shakes her head, a rueful smile on her face.

“Brothers!”

“Oh, speaking of men,” Grace grins, threading her arm through mine as we navigate through cars and families in the parking lot. “Do tell about you and Trevor. That tackle of yours was…let’s just say you were heating up the whole city there for a minute!”

I can’t help from smiling at the memory of Trevor. The feeling of his ripped body beneath mine was fantastic.

“My God he’s hot.”

“Hot, and totally and only has eyes for you, babe. What happened with you two after you took your brother to the hospital?”

The memory of last night at the bar wipes the smile off my face. Grace looks at me when I don’t immediately respond and her smile falters.

“Uh oh. What happened? Because by the look on your face, what everyone thought was going to happen clearly didn’t.”

“Yeah, no. I slept alone last night.” I tug my scarf so that it fits more snugly around my neck, then pull Grace faster toward the mall. “Let’s get inside. It’s cold out here.”

“Uh oh. What happened?”

I tell Grace about the flirting and how it ignited something in me, something more than just lust, and how I really, really wanted to sleep with him, but how Jessie showed up and killed the mood.

“Wait. You were going to go home with him? You always pushed him away, in high school. Not to mention you’re just out of a relationship…”

“Yes, you’re right on both points. But it just felt different, you know?” I point at a truck set, but Grace shakes her head and we keep moving down the toy aisle. “There was something more between us, more than just sexual fizz. We may live in different cities, but…I don’t know. Maybe I was hoping for something more.”

Grace turns and laughs at me, her face breaking into a smile as she starts laughing.

“What?”

“Maybe. Girl, you should hear yourself. There was no maybe in your voice. Something has been brewing between the two of you for years. I thought maybe it would finally happen with you two – and I’m not just talking about banging hot sex!”

A grandmother looks at us and I mouth sorry. To Grace, I say, “Keep your voice down. We don’t need everyone knowing about my failed shot with Trevor.”

“Sorry,” Grace says. “What do you think of this?” She points at a mini foosball set.

“That looks like fun. Is he old enough for that?”

“Yeah.” Grace grabs the big box and we head for the front of the store and the cashiers. “But what about you? Are you going to be okay? Are you going to see him again?”

This time, it’s my turn to start laughing. “Oh, Grace. I didn’t tell you about what happened at the hospital.”

“Oh, no. I thought everything was okay?”

“What? Oh, Jimmy will be fine, as long as he follows the doctor’s orders. I mean more like Jimmy can’t cook Christmas dinner like he’s been planning.”

“God, I hadn’t even thought of that. What are you going to do? Are you just going to go out? Get some catering in?”

“Well, if only it was that easy!” I laugh again, enjoying how it feels. “No. Jimmy immediately said that dinner is on Trevor and me.”

“What?!”

“Exactly. Last night, he even came up with an amazing menu plan. I think he really does know how to cook.”

“That’s good, because…” Grace looks at me, the apology in her eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. I’m not Sally Homemaker when it comes to cooking, alright?”

Grace shakes her head and lets out a low whistle. “Are you going to be okay with that? You’re not going to be able to escape seeing him. If it was me, that would be awkward as hell…”

“Tell me about it. But I don’t see another option. I’m certainly not going to abandon my brother on Christmas and certainly not when his arm is messed up and he has to take it easy.”

The idea of Trevor Collins, star quarterback for the Austin Blues, in a kitchen with an apron on? Oh yeah, that’s hot. H-O-T. I’ve always dreamt of having a boyfriend who cooked for me, which sadly has so far been nothing but a dream.

“I’ll do what I can to help, you know. Not sure I can do anything, but even if it’s just faking an emergency that needs your help, I’ve got your back.” Grace gives me a hug as we wait in the check-out line.

“You’re the best,” I whisper to her, emotions rising in me. A lot of the time, it feels like I’m lost, like I should have figured out life already.

“No, you are…even if you can’t cook to save your life.”

I smile and hug her tighter.

“My cooking isn’t that bad!”

“Hey, sis. How ya doin’?”

Jimmy’s laid out on the couch, one arm in a sling and another holding on to a bottle of beer.

“Doing alright.” I kick off my shoes and go to the end of the couch, making him move his feet. “How’s your shoulder feeling? Are you really supposed to be drinking beer with those painkillers?”

I love my brother, and as an EMT he should know better, but sometimes he’s foolish.

When Jimmy mutes the game he’s watching, I know something serious is up. I offer up a quick prayer that he hasn’t had bad news from the doctor.

“So. Mandy. What’s going on with you and Trevor?”

I freeze. I’ve never really been comfortable talking about guys with my brother, and I’m not sure I want to start now – especially about Trevor.

“Uh…nothing. Nothing is happening.”

“Sis, don’t try to lie to me. There’s been something between you two since high school. You looked ready to hump him on the field yesterday. But today, you’ve been smiling, but I can tell you’re not happy. What’s wrong? Do I need to go teach Trevor a thing or two about messing with my sister?”

“You couldn’t throw a half-decent punch if your life depended on it,” I laugh, pointedly looking at his injured arm.

Jimmy looks at his sling and laughs with me.

“In any case, nothing is going on. Honestly.” I’m not going to tell my brother about how Trevor was touching my leg last night or how I was ready, as he so eloquently put it, hump the living daylights out of him.

“I’m not sure I believe you,” Jimmy finally says, giving me a long look. “You gonna be okay with him around and helping him with Christmas dinner? Just because I can’t cook doesn’t mean Christmas dinner is off.”

This has been the thing I’ve thought about most of the day. Can I face Trevor after last night? Do I even want to? I wasn’t lying when I told Grace that I can’t and won’t abandon my brother. That’s not what family does, and my brother is more important than whatever is, or isn’t, going on between me and Trevor.

I take a deep breath and nod my head. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

“Good. Because he’s on his way over, so you can go do the shopping for the dinner.”