A Christmas Affair by Adrianne Byrd Read Free Book Online Page A

in, “If you ask me—”
    “Nobody asked,” Lyfe quipped.
    Despite the ensuing chuckle, Jacob continued, “Women flock to your sensitive butt because they recognize that they can train you.”
    The other brothers nodded in agreement.
    “Yeah, you might be a successful architect and making that mad paper, but at the end of the day, you’re the kind of brother that will drop everything on a dime to work on women’s cars, repair roofs and install things in their houses. Your inner pimp is way the hell out of whack.”
    Royce bounced his head in agreement. “Not to mentionyou actually like taking women to those ridiculous chick-flick movies. I don’t know how you do that shit. I need a Prozac and a six-pack to get through one of those things.”
    Lyfe shrugged his broad shoulders. “It’s not so bad. You toss your arm around their shoulders and lean them up against your chest during all the romantic parts. What’s so hard or bad about that?”
    Royce shrugged back. “Nothing, if you don’t mind your brain melting out of your head. Me? If I have to sit still for two hours, I prefer to see a lot of bullets, car crashes, and some hot T and A—and not necessarily in that order.”
    “Amen,” the brothers chimed in and lifted up their empty beer bottles in salute.
    “Frankly, I don’t see what the big deal is,” Dorian said. “The women may be slinging their panties at you, but you ain’t exactly going to win any catcher of the year awards. I mean, how many girls have you been with since Corona Mae left you standing at the altar? Three … four?”
    Lyfe tipped back his bottle as a stall tactic.
    “Uh-huh.” Dorian shook his head and then aimed to take his next shot. “
That’s
a damn shame. What are you waiting on, man? Corona Mae isn’t coming back. She’s marrying that Tom Cruise wannabe, so now it’s time for you to get on with your own life.” The cue ball whacked against two of his balls and sent them careening toward the same corner pocket.
    Lyfe’s grip on his beer bottle tightened, while his other brothers exchanged awkward glances. He couldn’t tell whether they thought that Dorian was being too blunt or were relieved that he had said what they hadall been thinking. All he knew was that the heat blazing up his neck wasn’t embarrassment. “I’m
not
waiting for her to return,” he growled. Whether the statement was the truth or not wasn’t something that he wanted to analyze right now.
    Still hunched over the pool table, Dorian glanced up. “Are you sure?”
    “Hello, excuse me?”
    Lyfe turned to see Ashlee, the new checkout girl at the Piggly Wiggly, who his mother had spent considerable time trying to introduce him to. She smiled up at him as she pinned her number to his chest.
    “This is for you, birthday boy. You make sure that you call me.” With a wink, she turned and walked away.
    “Hmph! Hmph! Hmph! I definitely think that her ass is asking a question,” Jacob said, referring to how her butt was shaped like an upside down question mark. “How about I play you for her number?”
    Lyfe shook his head.
    “Why? We all know that you’re not going to call her.”
    “Give it a rest,” Lyfe warned. Being the youngest, he was used to being picked on and harassed; but tonight he really wasn’t in the mood. For two days, he’d been doing everything he could to get that damn interview out of his head. But nothing was working.
    Corona Mae, or Chloe as she was calling herself nowadays, was getting married. No big deal. He was happy for her. He should be happy. He would be happy—eventually—as soon as Leanne brought him enough beers to get a good buzz going.
    They claimed a nearby table and stool and ordered hot wings and fries. Royce announced that he and Lyfe would play the winner in the next game. For the nexthour, Lyfe watched the game without seeing, listened to his brothers’ jokes without hearing, and drank his beer without tasting it. All that played in his head was the