Tessa took Homer with her, and, as she poured out the last bottle of beer, she wondered what would become of Micah’s brother.
She sighed as she took the trash out and dumped it, knowing the guest residence was now empty of any type of substance that could send Xander off the wagon.
Granted, her heart ached for Micah’s youngest brother. He’d been there for her at a time in her life when she’d really needed a friendly face. Back then, he’d been the type of man to reach out to a complete stranger and make sure she was safe. Did he realize that he was now ripping his family apart?
What kind of guy was he now?
She’d vacuumed and dusted the guesthouse, cleaning up as well as she could on short notice. With little else to do, she put on a pot of coffee.
Seconds later, Homer came bouncing into the kitchen to signal her, and she followed him to the front door.
“Somebody is here?” she asked the dog needlessly since he’d already identified the door as the place where he was hearing noise.
Flipping the deadbolt, she gripped the handle and pulled, seeing two men standing at the top step. Moving back as she recognized Julian, she tried not to stare at the guy he currently had by the collar of his black leather jacket. Julian steered Xander through the house and into the kitchen, shoving his ass down in a chair at the table.
“I have to hit the shower,” Julian announced angrily. “The little bastard sprayed me with a can of Coke I offered him when he said he wanted a drink.”
Julian stomped toward the bathroom with an overnight bag slung over his shoulder.
She turned her back and busied herself with making two cups of coffee, placing cream and sugar on the table because she had no idea what either man put in their coffee. For that matter, she didn’t even know if they liked coffee.
If she didn’t know that this was the same Xander she’d come to like during a single rescue and a car ride, she never would have recognized him. He had a scraggly beard that could use trimming, longer hair, and, although she’d only gotten a brief glance at his face, he was scarred. He was also thin, too thin.
Putting one mug in front of him with a spoon, she took the other cup and sat across from him, adding cream to her coffee before she spoke. “How are you, Xander? Do you remember me?”
His hand moved slightly to wrap around the coffee mug.
“Please don’t throw it at me. The coffee is hot,” she reminded him.
Tessa noticed his hands were shaking slightly, and his eyes looked lifeless as he stared at the mug, probably trying to decide whether or not to vent his anger by tossing it.
“If you don’t like coffee, I’ll get you something else,” she offered.
“I. Want. A. Damn. Drink.”
Had he not enunciated, Tessa might have had a difficult time understanding what he said because of his facial hair. “You have a drink. There isn’t a drop of alcohol anywhere in the house. There’s soda, which you’ve obviously rudely refused. Or that coffee in front of you.”
“You’re the deaf chick I met years ago.”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“You still can’t hear?”
Tessa shook her head. “No.”
“Good.” He took the mug and pitched it, slamming it against the refrigerator and causing it to shatter. “Glad you didn’t hear that.”
Tessa gave a cry of dismay as she saw the coffee pooled on the floor with the glass, the dark liquid scattered all over the cupboards and the fridge.
She stood and put her hands on her hips. “What exactly was the point of that?”
“Unless you can get me a real drink or get me laid, you can just leave me the fuck alone. There’s only two things I want right now. Coffee isn’t one of them.”
Tessa crouched and started collecting the glass on the tile. “What in the hell is wrong with you?”
“I’m a dick,” he said with a shrug.
“You didn’t used to be.” She looked up at him.
“That was a long time ago.”
Xander was silent while Tessa cleaned up the mess, cutting her finger in the process as she trashed the glass.
“Dammit!” she cried as she saw the blood running down her palm from the cut.
Xander got up and took her hand lightly, cleaning the injury in the sink. It was superficial and stopped bleeding almost instantly. He directed her back to her chair and pushed on her shoulders, forcing her to sit.
She watched as he finished mopping up the mess before he sat down again.
Homer, who had been watching from the door of the kitchen, went to Xander, sniffed him, then promptly laid his head in his lap.
Tessa held her breath, hoping Xander hadn’t changed so much that he’d rebuff or kick an innocent dog. She let out the air as she saw Micah’s youngest brother put his hand on Homer’s head and stroke it absently.
“You know you’re hurting your brothers. Were you trying to die, or was it an accident?” Tessa figured she had nothing to lose by asking. Xander could throw another temper fit, but he was out of ready ammunition since she had her fingers through the handle of her mug, and she’d put the cream and sugar away while she was cleaning up the mess he’d made.
He ignored her question and slumped into the chair as though he’d rather be anywhere but there. “I won’t stay on the wagon, if that’s what they’re hoping. Why can’t they just leave me alone?”
“Because they love you,” Tessa told him sternly. “You’re their brother. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t do the same thing.” She paused before adding, “I tried to kill myself once. It was after I came back home. My parents died, so I really did lose everything I loved.”