Writing On The Wall (The King Brothers Duology #2)

Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

ETHAN

My foot pushes against the floor, making my office chair swivel around for the third time. I may look bored, but my brain operates best when I’m on the move. That need to stay busy feels like an itch; my body doesn’t tolerate stillness for too long.

My brother taps on my door as he enters and leans on a cabinet with his arms folded, watching me spin.

“Eth.”

“What?” I pause my swiveling.

“Do you need more work? What is…this?” He gestures at my chair.

“My morning routine.”

“Okay, then. I need a favor.”

“ We need a favor,” Colton’s fiancée, Ember, announces as she enters and goes over to mirror his stance.

“Shoot.”

Ember glances at Colton before continuing, and the sneaky little look she gives him tells me I’m probably not going to like what’s coming. “You’re between house flips at the moment, right?”

“Yeah, the only job I’ve got outside of this one is the thing I’m doing at the school. Besides my own house, of course.” I usually work on at least two houses at a time, in addition to the renovations I’m doing on my current fixer-upper. But I’ve found myself in a lull between house flips, and I don’t know how to feel about it. The work I do to help Colton on the creative team for his adventure subscription box company is fun, but it’s always left me looking for the next thing to come calling. I just don’t know what that is yet.

“And you’re bored?” Colton frowns.

“Who says I’m bored?”

He unfolds an arm to make a twirling motion with his finger, his eyes darting between me and my chair. I smile up at him before doing another rotation. “A spinning brain is a working brain.”

Ember straightens things on my desk as she continues. “You haven’t heard back from the network about your show yet?”

“I did. I’m just waiting for clarification on what they want from me.”

“Well, that’s perfect, then.” She aims those big brown eyes at me, and I’m annoyed at myself for having developed a soft spot for my brother’s fiancée. It means I get roped into things I’d normally avoid. “While you wait to find out if that major network wants to make you America’s next reality TV star, I have something that’ll keep you busy.”

“Why do you look like you’re about to send Frodo back to Mordor?” I ask, squinting at her.

“That’s weirdly specific. Anyway, this is for you.” She slides one of my favorite candy bars across the desk, along with a catalog from a place called “ Toolz Unlimited .”

“What game are you playing, Flames?”

She reaches over to open the catalog and tries to look impressed with its contents. “So many shiny tools to construct with.”

“You have no idea what any of those are for, do you?” I scoff, plucking it from her hands. I spend a minute perusing the inside while the two of them silently and creepily communicate with their eyes.

I open the candy bar and take a bite. “All right, I’m buttered up. What do you need?”

Ember sighs. “I need you to check in on Ivy.”

“What happened to her?” I pause my chewing to blurt out. Then I catch myself straightening and trying to read their expressions, so I slouch back into my chair.

“She’s fine. At least for now. But she’s attempting to renovate the house she just moved into…by herself. I’m legitimately concerned for her safety.”

I’d call Ember out for worrying over nothing, but I’ve witnessed Ivy’s propensity for clumsiness. It’s what got my hackles up the first time I saw her. I’m also slightly relieved to hear she’s not living out of her car anymore, in a purely ‘concerned for my fellow citizen’ kind of way. All that aside, just because the woman has a bum house doesn’t mean I want to step anywhere near it…or her. She’d probably use my offer to help as an opportunity to arrange for a rogue beam to fall on my head or something—the perfect ‘ accident’ .

I glare at Ember. “You know she hates me, right?”

“She doesn’t hate you,” she replies like the word hate is a tad too strong but still quite close.

Colton’s eyes narrow. “What did you do now? ”

“Nothing,” I reply, standing to toss the candy wrapper in the trash. “I saw her at the school and we may have… clashed… ”

“Oh, Ethan.” Ember slumps, closing her eyes while she rubs her forehead. Her shoulders rise with a deep breath, then her imploring puppy eyes zero in on me, enlarging by the second. How does she do that? “Can’t you just try ? Please? I’m not saying the two of you have to become best friends. Just swing by, offer her some help, and don’t let her refuse. It’ll be easy.”

I turn to Colton, gesturing a palm to Ember. “Make it make sense.”

“Please, Eth? Ember can’t focus on wedding stuff as long as she’s worrying about Ivy. And this would mean a lot to both of us.” He wraps an arm around her, pulling her close. My brow lowers and I look away. I don’t like feeling like I’m missing out on something. It’s literally my worst fear—I’m the poster child for FOMO. Usually, I’m just afraid of being excluded from the big things, like adventuring and traveling. But lately, I’ve started to feel a slight pang when I catch these moments between my brother and the woman who simultaneously lights him up and brings him a peace I’ve never seen in him before.

And I don’t like that gnawing in my chest, the one that always appears when it starts to feel like something’s missing from my life.

I’ve avoided long term relationships with women for a reason. I’m too easily distracted, and I can’t bring myself to make a commitment knowing I’d inevitably get bored. I know it sounds like the douchiest thing ever, but I can’t help the way I feel. I’d have to see the writing on the wall before I’d ever consider taking the plunge and getting serious with anyone.

I run a hand through my hair, realizing this isn’t going to be limited to one small favor. Because if there’s anything I know about Ivy Marsh, it’s that she’s a feisty, complicated package. I must be a sucker for punishment if I’m considering walking into an active war zone like this. But I’m struggling to say no with Ember’s giant brown eyes peering down at me. It’s highly inconvenient.

“Fine,” I concede with a groan. “I can swing by over the weekend. But if this ends poorly, I reserve the right to say I told you so.”

“Noted. I’ll try to warm her up to the idea when we’re all together tomorrow night,” Ember says with a wide smile.

“Remind me why we’re doing that?”

Ember’s arms fall to her side, and I catch Colton’s grin as she stomps her foot. “Come on, Ethan, I told you this! We’re going over some wedding plans. I need help coming up with a plot to simmer the parents down. The moms are taking things too far.”

“Good luck with that,” I tell her with a salute, making Colton laugh.

Then I sigh inwardly, because I suspect I just got the fuzzy end of that lollipop.