Ruined By My Brother's Best Friend novel · Chapter 18 of 24

Chapter 18: Sunday

On Sunday Mum did the fry-up at nine, like always.

At ten past, the side door opened and Freddie came up the stairs.

He stopped in the kitchen doorway, the way he'd stood in it the night of the lights.

Mum didn't look round from the frying pan.

"Egg?"

"Mum..."

"I asked if you wanted an egg, Frederick."

"Yes," he said. "Please."

"Then sit down."

He sat in his old chair.

Lev was across from him, buttering toast. Neither of them said anything.

I put a mug of tea in front of my brother without asking how he took it, because I'd known since I was six.

"I went round yesterday," Freddie said to the table. "To the little girl's mum."

"And?" Mum said.

"She shut the door in my face." He picked at the edge of his toast. "Then she opened it again and let me say it. The little girl showed me her arm. It's healed. She said I looked like I needed a bun more than she did."

Mum put two eggs on his plate.

Then she put her hand on the back of his head, very briefly, the way she had when he was small.

She sat down with her own tea and took the white envelope out of her apron pocket.

She'd been carrying it for three weeks.

She laid it on the table between the brown sauce and the ketchup.

"I'm not signing it," she said.

I put my fork down.

"Mum, the deal was the vote..."

"I know what the deal was. I made it." She took her glasses off her head. "Then my son stood in a launderette and told the whole street what that man made him do. And my daughter went to Kent and got an old man to cry in his roses."

"He didn't cry," Lev said.

"He'll cry on Thursday," Mum said. "Whatever that committee says, I'm not selling Dad's shop to a man who'd do that to my children."

She tore the envelope in half.

Then in half again.

Then she put the pieces in the bin and sat back down and ate her bacon.

Freddie made a noise into his tea that might have been a laugh.

Sunday dinner was chicken.

Lev carved.

Freddie said the roast potatoes were better than last week's.

Mum told him he hadn't been here last week, and he said that was why.

After the washing up I went down to the shop to set the dough for Monday.

I propped the back door open for the air.

Freddie was in the yard with a screwdriver, putting a new lock on the meter cupboard.

Lev came out and held the torch for him without being asked.

They didn't know I could hear them.

"New code," Freddie said. "Mum's birthday this time. I'll tell her. Not you."

"Fair."

The screwdriver squeaked.

← Chapter 17 · All chapters · Chapter 19 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend