***
Four hours later, I parked my Jag not far from the front door of Harlow’s mother’s cafe, and exited it into the warm September sun. Late September in Brisbane should have been spring weather but we seemed to be moving straight into summer, just as we had last year. The humidity in the air this morning clung to me, and I contemplated yet again moving to a cooler climate. I’d never do it, though. I was born in Brisbane and I’d die here. This city was in my blood.
“You owe me breakfast as well as coffee.”
I looked up to find Madison standing on the footpath smiling at me. My sister was the happiest I’d ever seen her; marrying J had been a good decision. I cocked my head to the side. “How do you figure that, babe?”
Her smile turned into a grin that lit up her face. I liked what I saw there. Not many people meant as much to me as she did, and her happiness touched my cold heart in unexpected ways. “Well, you were supposed to have coffee with me yesterday, but you cancelled. It’s only fair you buy me breakfast to say sorry.”
I moved to where she was standing and draped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to me. Looking down at her, I murmured, “So, just for future reference, if I cancel on you, I’m up for whatever you decide?”
She wrapped her arm around my waist, and we walked into the cafe together. “Yes! Finally, a man who gets it,” she said, triumphantly.
Harlow looked up as we entered, just as Madison made her declaration. “What does he get?” she asked.
Madison let me go and moved to hug Harlow. “He gets that I call the shots if he cancels on me.”
“Oh honey, I think you have your brother wrapped around your little finger. Blade might be in charge of everything else in his life, but not so much where you’re concerned. He’d do anything for you.”
I jerked my thumb in Harlow’s direction. “She might be onto something there.”
Madison hit me with a look that made most of the shit I’d been through in my life worthwhile. Having her as my sister had changed me in ways no one else had ever been able to, not even Ashley. Madison made me want to be a better man. I was buried under a million fucking layers of darkness, and I’d embraced that for most of my life, but with her in it, I was trying hard to find a way out from under the murky depths.
She watched me watch her, and then, on a sigh, she said, “Okay, big brother, time to get your wallet out. I want pancakes and coffee today, and no skimping on the ice-cream and whipped cream.”
As I pulled my wallet out, I asked, “Cream and ice-cream?”
“Of course.” She shrugged. “Why not?”
Harlow interjected, “A girl needs a pick-me-up after her brother ditches her.” She winked at me as she said this.
I shook my head and muttered, “Once. I cancelled on you once.”
Madison continued to rib me. “And let the record show that you won’t do it again. Right?”
This type of exchange wasn’t something I was used to. Kidding around didn’t come easily to me, but Madison had been teaching me how. I played along with her. “Right. Especially not if it means you’ll resort to ice-cream and cream at eight o’clock in the morning.”
Madison and Harlow burst out laughing as I just stood there shaking my head at their antics. I lifted my chin at Harlow. “Make it two coffees.”
Harlow had worked out my moods and read me perfectly well now: I was done with the joking around. She nodded in agreement. “Done.”
I moved to sit and Madison followed. As we did this, Scott entered the cafe. His focus was entirely on Harlow. He didn’t see us. We both watched him, though, as he and Harlow discussed something. It looked serious, and I wondered about that, especially as they’d recently moved in together.
Turning to Madison, I asked, “All good in paradise?”
“As far as I know, yes. But that looks pretty intense, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe Harlow’s finally worked out that Scott’s not the perfect man she thought he was. Living with someone can do that.”
I frowned. “Are you and J okay?” I’d never stop worrying about her, and god fucking help him if he ever screwed her over.
“Yes, but you know what it’s like when you do day in, day out with someone. It’s hard sometimes. There are days I could kill J, and I’m sure he feels the same way.”
I thought about that, remembering back to when I lived with Ashley. She was the only woman I’d ever lived with. “Ashley used to hate the way I cooked.” It was out before I had time to even filter it, and Madison was straight on it.