I let out a silent groan and answer on speaker. “Hey, man. What’s up?” I ask after downing another mouthful of the awful coffee.
“Need you to do me a favor,” he says in his gruff voice. No hello. No good morning. Typical Wolfie.
But the bastard knows I’d do anything for him. Just like he would for me. Which is the reason why I let him get away with his caveman behavior.
“It’s my first day off in like two years, asshole.”
“I know, I know,” he says with a chuckle.
I roll my eyes. “What’s the favor?” It’s no use arguing with him. I’m going to do whatever it is he needs me to do.
“I need you to go check on Maren.”
Except for that.
Maren is Wolfie’s younger sister. She graduated last year with a degree in social work. She’s a good girl. Wants to help others. Make a difference in the world.
The problem is, I’ve never felt about Maren Cox the way I should have. I feel cagey when I’m around her, like a lion at the zoo, right before feeding time.
“You there?” Wolfie asks at my silence.
“I’m here.”
He lets out a long sigh. “She’s sick. Says she’s staying home from work today. Swing by her apartment and check on her for me?”
I’m reminded of all of the other times Wolfie or Maren have called me like this, needing a favor—like when she locked herself out of her apartment, or when her car broke down on the side of the road, or that time her pet goldfish died and she couldn’t bring herself to flush it. What a fucking hassle.
I remember her as a kid with a toothy smile and big eyes, always trailing a few steps behind us and calling out for us to wait up. Of course, Maren looks a whole lot different these days. She’s twenty-five now, and she’s grown into quite a woman. Every time I’m near her, I have to force my gaze away from her full breasts, her lush mouth, and those long, toned legs of hers.
I was there for her on the night of her twenty-first birthday, holding her hair back when she puked out the car window. I was there when she had her heart broken for the first time, when her fuck stick of a boyfriend dumped her after six months of dating. I pulled her to my chest with an annoyed sigh and she tearfully broke down, making me feel even worse.
But that was nothing compared to the pain I felt when I learned he’d broken up with her only after punching her V-card. I wanted to hunt him down and castrate him. I wanted to make him suffer. But of course I promised a heartbroken Maren I’d do no such thing. Instead, I had to watch her cry over that dick bag for weeks.
“Why can’t you go?” I ask, even though I already know the answer to that question.
Wolfie lets out a sigh. “Inventory day. Caleb, Connor, and Ever have all been here since five.”
I swallow, feeling shitty about it because I should be there too.
I own a toy company, Frisky Business, with my best friends. Yes, those kinds of toys. The very adult kind. Our business is my passion, but I haven’t taken a day off in years. My partners insisted I do it—take a long weekend to myself. Practically forced my hand.
“There’s no one I trust more,” Wolfie says.
He’s like family to me, and that means Maren is too. I made a vow to him, and I’d never break his trust.
They had it rough growing up. Wolfie did everything for Maren. When their dad drank away his paycheck, it was Wolfie who got a second job his senior year of high school. While the rest of us played video games and messed around on the basketball court, he was bussing tables at the diner to pay for her ballet classes and new school supplies.
“Yeah, I’ll go,” I say after a long pause.
As loyal as Wolfie is, he’s always been a loner. The dude rarely calls or texts unless he needs something, but he’d also be the first to sign up if you asked him for a favor.
“Thanks, man. I owe you one,” he says.
I grunt and end the call. Fifteen minutes later, I pull into the parking garage under my building.
My grandma and roommate, Rosie, smiles at me when I unlock the front door and enter the kitchen. “They actually talked you into it, huh?”
“What?”
“They made you take a day off.”
“Oh, right.” I push my hands through my hair. “Yeah, they did.” I let out a humorless chuckle.
She pours a cup of coffee and hands it to me. “Thought you’d be sleeping in. You’re up early.”
I nod and accept the coffee mug, deciding to spare her the story of my breakup this morning. “Wolfie asked if I’d go check on Maren. I guess she’s sick.”
Rosie makes a contemplative noise. “You’re a good friend.”
“I guess.”
She chuckles and pats my forearm. “I have plans with Marge later. We’re going to the farmer’s market.”
“Be careful.” My grandmother still drives, and I have mixed feelings about that.
She chuckles again. “Don’t worry so much. Are you going to see that girl of yours today?”
I shake my head. “We’re not seeing each other anymore.”
Rosie raises one thin silver eyebrow at me. “You go through ’em fast. I sure hope you know what you’re doing.”
Me? Not a fucking clue.
After I finish my coffee, I feel more human. You’d think Sam dumping me in such a spectacular fashion would have thrown me off, and it has a little. But it’s less about Sam and more about the fact that I’m starting to notice a pattern.
None of my relationships have lasted more than a few weeks, a few months at
