One
Grady Hardy leaned over the pool table, his shoulder-length brown hair dipping low, and lined his cue up with the ball. He pulled the stick back, letting loose with a quick tap, and shooting the white orb down the table at a high rate of speed. The triangle of colored balls at the end scattered on impact, several balls racing into open holes.
“Nice break,” his brother, Finn said, glancing around the green-felt rectangular expanse thoughtfully. “You want solids or stripes?”
It was a weekday night, and the brothers were opting to stay in and play pool rather than go out and pick up women. For tonight anyway – tomorrow, of course, was a different story.
“I’ll take solids,” Grady said, striding around the table to gauge his next shot.
“How long do you think James and Mandy will be gone?” Finn asked.
The Hardy brothers were hanging around their brother’s apartment – mostly because he had a refrigerator full of beer, a massive flat-screen television, and a highly-entertaining gaming table – while their brother and his girlfriend were out for the night.
“James said he was taking her to dinner and then dancing,” Grady said. “I’m thinking they could be late.”
Finn quirked an eyebrow. “Dancing?”
“I know.”
“Our brother is voluntarily out dancing?”
“I know,” Grady said. “I can’t quite believe it myself. I guess that’s what love does to you.”
“I like Mandy,” Finn argued. “I think she’s good for him.”
“I like Mandy, too,” Grady replied. “I just can’t believe how quickly she’s whipped James into shape – whipped being the operative word.”
Finn snorted. “It’s not like she nags him or anything. I think he just likes making her happy.”
“Which freaks me out,” Grady admitted. “I would never have considered James to be the type of guy that would go out of his way for a woman.”
“Mandy isn’t a normal woman,” Finn reminded him. “Mandy is … special.”
Grady paused at the end of the table, gripping his pool stick and leaning forward, his face thoughtful. “I think he’s really happy,” he said.
“Me, too.”
“No, I mean really happy.”
“I know what you mean,” Finn said.
James Hardy had reconnected with Mandy Avery a few months back. The Hardy brothers knew Mandy from their hometown, Barker Creek, which was located in northern Lower Michigan. She was younger than them – but she’d still been an honorary member of their family for years thanks to her close association with their sister, Ally.
After military stints, all three Hardy brothers settled in suburban Detroit and opened their own security company. After an attempt on her life, Mandy approached the brothers for help – and sparks flew between the blonde woman and eldest Hardy brother the minute they laid eyes on each other again after more than a decade apart.
Despite a few bumps along the way, they’d been pretty much inseparable since. A fact that left Finn and Grady without their wingman – not that they begrudged their brother his happiness.
The brothers jumped when the apartment door flew open, revealing James in the doorway. He had his arm around Mandy’s waist, supporting her, and he didn’t look happy.
“What happened?” Grady asked.
James raised his eyebrows but didn’t immediately answer. Instead, he led Mandy into the bathroom – depositing her on the floor next to the toilet – before wandering back into the living room.
“Is she sick?” Finn asked, peering into the bathroom.
Mandy responded by bolting upright and immediately vomiting into the toilet.
“Oh, gross,” Grady said.
“What happened?” Finn pressed.
James dumped a small, white bag on the pool table – not caring that he was interrupting his brothers’ game – and then stripped his black leather jacket off, dropping it on the nearby couch. “Food poisoning.”
“That was quick,” Grady said. “Where did you take her?”
“The Embers,” James said. “She wanted crab legs.”
Grady leaned back so he could get a clear view of Mandy, who was still kneeling in front of the toilet and resting her head on the white seat. “She doesn’t look so good.”
“Yeah? Well the doctor says she’s going to feel like death for the next twenty-four hours,” James said, running his hand through his mid-length brown hair.
“You already took her to the doctor?”
“I took her to emergency care,” he said. “She got scary sick. Like … really scary sick.”