Ty laughed. “God, you’re cute.”
Damien cracked a reluctant smile. “Cigars, Chelsea.”
“Oh.”
Ty took a baggie containing the long cigars out of the inner pocket of his jacket. “They’re for after dinner.” He turned to me. “Want to smoke one with me later?”
“I’ve never smoked a cigar.”
“These are the best—Montecristo. You’ve got to try one.”
“Okay, maybe.”
“By the way, Damien is cooking two different sets of steak tonight. One was marinated and seasoned by me and the other by him. You’ll have to let us know which one you like better. I won’t tell you which is which.”
The dirty thoughts in my head were aplenty. Taste testing their meat. Great.
Get your mind out of the gutter, Chelsea!
“Is this the pizza shop competition all over again or something?” I laughed.
“D told you about that?”
Damien finally came around from the grill to join us. “Yes, I told her how I beat the shit out of you that day, and I’m not above doing it again if I have to.”
“You’re very moody today, Damien,” Tyler said tauntingly before turning to me. “So, when do you move?”
“Two weeks.”
“That’s set in stone?”
“Yes. The other occupant in the new place is supposed to be out by then. I rented a U-Haul, and my parents are coming to help.”
Damien cracked open a beer and said, “Tell them to cancel.”
“Why?”
“I’m moving you.”
“That’s really not necessary.”
Ty interrupted, “We can both help. Your parents shouldn’t have to do it.”
Damien gave him a dirty look that implied he was annoyed at Tyler for offering his services.
“Well, I really appreciate that. My folks will probably still come, but we could use the manpower for the heavy lifting.”
“Why exactly are you moving again?” Ty asked.
I simply didn’t respond. There was no way I was going to embarrass myself in front of him.
He sensed my apprehension. “That’s okay. You don’t have to explain. It’s none of my business.”
“No, it’s not,” Damien said before he suddenly got up. “I think the food might be ready.” You could cut the tension in the air with a steak knife.
“Make sure you give her some of each kind of meat,” Ty called out.
Damien arranged the medley of steak tips, sliced steak, grilled corn and grilled vegetables onto three paper plates.
I got up to retrieve mine. “Smells amazing. I can’t believe we’ve never barbecued out here before.”
“Well, technically, I don’t allow barbecuing on the premises.”
“Oh, that’s right. Well, thankfully, I have an in with the landlord.” I smiled. “This is nice. Thank you for including me.”
The expression on his face lightened and eventually transformed into a full-on smile. “Well, you didn’t let my crappy mood scare you away. I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me, too.”
The three of us ate in silence for a while until Tyler put me on the spot. “Okay, so which of the meat tasted better to you? The tips or the flank steak?”
Looking between the two gorgeous, dark-haired brothers with the matching smiles, I couldn’t help but laugh at their little competition. Taking a sip of my wine, I crossed my legs and leaned back into the chair, pretending to ponder it as if it were a tough decision. Truthfully, the flavor of the flank steak was phenomenal compared to the tips.
“The flank wins. It tasted amazing.”
The smug look on Damien’s face gave away whose seasoning recipe it was. Ty shook his head and downed the rest of his beer while Damien broke out in laughter. It just figured that my taste buds gravitated toward his concoction. Every part of me was attracted to this man apparently.
I listened for a while as Damien and Tyler told me some stories about growing up in San Jose.
The mood darkened a bit when Tyler asked, “Have you talked to Mom lately?”
“Not in a few days, why?”
“The doctor put her on a new med. She said it’s making her sick.” He hesitated. “Is it okay if I talk about this in front of Chelsea?”
“Yeah. She knows Mom is depressed.” Damien rubbed his eyes and exhaled. “I really need to pick her up and bring her here whether she likes it or not. Maybe this weekend.” He looked at me. “My mother doesn’t drive.”
“I didn’t realize that.”
“She used to, but then she started to get panicky whenever she’d drive on the freeway. One of us goes to get her when she comes to visit.”