A Hole in the Universe - Mary McGarry Morris [35]
“No.”
“Yeah, well, JumJum and me, we were close. Like that.” Feaster clasped his hands together. “Till he screwed up, and now it’s just me.” He smiled. “You need anything, big man, you let me know. I’m always around.” Just then a car screeched around the corner, music blaring and honking its horn. Feaster waved for them to slow down. “Busy place, huh? But cool. Everything’s cool. I make sure of that.”
“My side’s tight.” Dennis tossed the rope over the roof of his Land Rover. Gordon slipped the end around his side of the ladder, then knotted it quickly. Mrs. Jukas watched from her window. “Happy, you old bitch?” Dennis said through a smile, and waved. When they were done, Gordon offered his brother a beer. He’d bought a six-pack of Harrington’s for him. Dennis came in for a minute but said to save the beer for another time. He had to get home. Father Hensile was going to be there. It was Lisa’s night to host PreCana class, and it wouldn’t do to have hubby dragging in late and half-crocked.
“Hey, the place looks good.” Dennis sat on the couch. He clasped his hands behind his head and stretched out his legs. He asked about the condo. It was very nice, Gordon said.
“Well, that’s good.” Dennis grinned. “So you’re interested.”
“No.”
“Jilly said you liked it, but you thought it was too expensive. Like I told her, I’m willing to help. You know that, right?”
“No.”
“Well, I am.”
“No, I mean that’s not the point. This is fine. I’m fine here.”
Dennis looked at him. “All right. I’m not supposed to say anything yet, but Lisa’s going to talk to her father about a job for you at the brewery. You’d make three, no, four times what you’re making at the Market.”
“No!” Gordon said as the phone began to ring.
“That’s probably Jilly,” Dennis said, getting up. “I told her I was stopping here.”
Gordon listened as Dennis answered the phone. He didn’t want to look at any more condos, but he did want to see Jilly Cross again.
“No! You’re not interrupting anything,” Dennis assured her. “Oh, that’s great. I bet he’d like that. Here, you ask him. He’s right here.” He handed Gordon the phone.
“Hello?” Gordon’s smile faded. It wasn’t Jilly, it was Delores apologizing; she didn’t want to bother him with Dennis there. She sounded nervous. If he wanted, he could call her back after his brother left. No, that’s all right, he said, not wanting the burden of owing her a call. It somehow seemed safer talking to her with Dennis here. His brother looked on, smiling as Delores invited him to dinner Friday night.
“Oh. Well. I don’t know. I don’t know if I can.” Sweat beaded his furrowed brow.
Dennis shook his head in disbelief. If the problem was work, Delores was saying, he could come after. Later would be better for her anyway. She was doing inventory at the store. Mr. Smick wanted everything counted right down to the last paper clip. Her voice trembled. So later would be good.
“Well, I’m not sure.” He turned, shading his eyes from Dennis’s frantic gestures.
“What’re you doing?” Dennis paced around him and whispered. “Just say yes. Go! You want to be stuck here all the time?”
“All right,” he said, wincing with her whoop of delight. That was great. Wonderful! That was just so wonderful, she was still saying when he hung up.
“Yeah! Way to go, Gordo!” Dennis let loose a flurry of jabs at his arm the way he used to. “You gotta loosen up! You gotta get out there! You gotta let life happen, my man!”
Astonished, he looked at his brother. The last thing on earth he’d ever do would be to let life happen.
“And the same when Jilly calls.” Dennis shadowboxed around him, feinting jabs at his face, which he disliked as much now as when they were kids. “Trust her. She’s a great gal. And she likes you, so let her show you what’s out there in the world. What you been missing all this time.”
CHAPTER 6
After a long night’s shivering refusal to turn on the furnace, Gordon hurried to work through the early-morning chill. With his first bills had come the shock of how expensive everything was. As he scuffed through