That Secret Crush (Getting Lucky #3)(58)

“Huh, okay. Mind if I fix a plate? I’m starving.”

Well, that was easy.

“Sure, have a seat. I’ll grab you one.”

As I’m dishing out the mac and cheese, I notice how Eric takes in my apartment. It hasn’t changed since the last time he’s seen it. I don’t make enough money at the Inn to even consider changing anything up. Every piece of furniture is a hand-me-down from our parents’ house, torn and tattered; it all does the job but isn’t even close to being visually appealing. I wince internally at my worn sofa—its tears covered by an artfully arranged blanket.

I set a full plate down in front of Eric, along with a fork, and whisk Reid’s plate away, leaving it in the sink. Even though I love my brother, I would rather be sitting across from Reid right now, going over everything I wanted to talk to him about, but it seems like that will have to be put on hold . . . for a while.

“So, what brings you to Port Snow?” I ask, sitting across from him, though my stomach is so knotted I don’t even consider finishing my meal.

“To see you, of course.” His answer falls flat.

“Come on, Eric. I know you better than that. Something big had to have happened for you to come back home. You didn’t even return for Dad’s death anniversary.”

“I had to work.”

“You and I both know you could have gotten out of it if you tried, so don’t pull that with me.”

“Fine. I wasn’t ready to come home. Is that what you want to hear?”

“If it’s the truth, then yes, that is what I want to hear.”

“It is.” His voice is empty, emotionless. “I didn’t want to return to a bunch of people who know me and know what I’ve become.”

Sounds a lot like Reid. Both of them too proud to start a new chapter, so they keep writing the same one over and over again.

“So why are you here now, then?”

He shovels a scoop of mac and cheese in his mouth. “I need to talk to you.”

Fear runs through my body. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” he says. “But I kind of was offered an opportunity . . . wait, you probably already know about it.”

“Why would I know about it? I haven’t spoken to you in a while.”

He thumbs toward the door. “Because it’s with Reid. I’m sure he told you.”

With Reid?

What the hell is going on?

My neck burns with rage as a wave of heat creeps up my back. Why on earth do I keep getting news about Reid secondhand when I should be hearing it straight from him?

I take a guess. “About the restaurant?”

“So he did tell you.” He smirks. “Was he over here trying to convince you to convince me to do it?”

I smack my lips together and shake my head. “Actually, I have no idea why you’re even involved; this is news to me.”

“Oh.” His brow pulls together. “Well, shit. I for sure thought he would have told you if he was over here.”

“Well, why don’t you enlighten me?”

“He came down to Boston two days ago.” Eric scratches the side of his jaw. “Told me Mr. Knightly is starting a restaurant, and he wants both of us to run it, to create the entire thing from scratch.”

“Really?” I ask, dragging the word out, my fists clenching on my lap. Why wouldn’t he tell me Eric was involved? Why would he drive all the way to Boston to visit my brother and say nothing about it?

I think I’m about to blow a gasket.

“Yeah, apparently Mr. Knightly wants both of us or neither of us.”

Ouch. I do feel a sliver of pity, despite myself. That couldn’t have felt good for Reid to hear.

“What did you say?”

“No.” Well, Reid’s mood makes sense now. He’s presented with an amazing opportunity, and with one word, my brother kills it. My anger simmers rather than boils now as everything starts to connect in my head. “But now I don’t know,” Eric continues. “I think I might actually consider it.”

“Like, you would move back to Port Snow and start up another restaurant with Reid?”

“Maybe.” He scratches the side of his jaw. “We were fucking unstoppable, Eve. Our restaurant was quickly climbing the ranks in Boston; we were getting press from all over the place. But one wrong move, hiring someone we didn’t really know to handle the books, ruined everything.” He bows his head. “I lost everything. All the money from Mom and Dad, your college money, everything they put toward making my dream a reality . . . we lost it.”

“You didn’t lose it, Eric. Janelle stole it from you.”

“And I was the one who convinced Reid to hire Janelle when he started struggling with the business side. It was my fault.”

I can’t help it—I laugh.

“Why the hell are you laughing?”

“Because you two idiots keep taking the blame for the restaurant instead of moving on. It’s probably the most infuriating thing I’ve ever had to deal with.”

“That’s easy for you to say—you didn’t live it.” Excuse me? I didn’t live it? He can’t be serious. “You didn’t—”

“I lived it!” I shout, my anger spilling out. All the lies, the omissions, the neglect, the sacrifices—they all come surfacing at the same time. “I was the one who put my life on hold so you could go and chase your dreams. I was the one who put off college so I could take care of our sick parents. I was the one who stayed back in Port Snow, found a way to pay the nursing home bills so you could take the money from Mom and Dad’s house and open a restaurant. And when it was time, you were supposed to bring me out to Boston so I could go to college, pursue my dreams too. We shook on it. You first, me second, and I was okay with that, Eric. I was okay with making that sacrifice because I love you, and I knew you were going to succeed. So don’t tell me it’s easy for me to say. You’re not the only person who lost something that day. I lost too. I lost more than you could ever imagine.”