The Other Brother Read Online Free Page A

Scott was singing "Golden," a midtempo groove about living life to the fullest.
    Tapping the steering wheel in time with the beat, Gabriel started to feel better. His life was good; better than good, it was wonderful. He should be thankful and enjoy it. Stop waiting for disaster to strike. After all, a lot of people would kill to be in his shoes.
    He pulled into a Shell gas station. As he refueled the Navigator, ruminating on the good old days of cheaper gasoline and trying to keep from getting wet, his cell phone rang.
    "Hey, Birthday Boy," Dana said. "How's your day going?"
    Although rain was falling in sheets, hearing Dana's voice was like sunshine breaking through the clouds.
    "Great," he said. "Thanks for the flowers. That was a nice surprise"
    "I'm glad you liked them. You still at the office? It sounds like you're outside in the rain."
    "I'm going home. I closed the airport deal, so I took the rest of the day off. Pops's orders"
    "Hmph. How nice of him."
    Dana made no secret of her dislike for how much influence his father had on him. Dana and Gabriel had argued only once-happy couples didn't argue, in Gabriel's opinion but the single argument they'd had came from her opinion that Gabriel was his dad's puppet. Her accusation had infuriated him. He loved his father, admired him, wanted to be like him. But he was ultimately his own man and made his own decisions. How could she say such a thing?
    That argument had nearly ended their relationship. Since then, she tread carefully around the subject, but rarely passed up an opportunity to hint at her displeasure.
    "He means well, Dana," Gabriel said. "I'm his only son."
    "He tells you what to do as if you're a kid. You aren't twelve. You're thirty years old."
    Gabriel clenched his teeth. She'd voiced the same thoughts he'd had earlier. But he didn't dare share that with her. It would be like siding against Pops.
    "I don't want to talk about this right now," he said. "It's my birthday, remember?"
    "Sorry," she said. "Anyway, congrats on closing the deal. That's great news"
    "Thanks," he said. He almost added, Pops was impressed, too, and decided against it. He didn't want to give her a chance to take another cheap shot at his father.
    "I'm really looking forward to tonight," she said. "Eat light today because I plan to fatten you up ""
    She was coming to his house that evening to cook dinner. She was such a fabulous cook that he'd been anticipating the meal for almost a week.
    "You still haven't told me what you're cooking," he said.
    "It's a surprise. One of many surprises I've got in store for you"
    "Is that so? How about a hint?"
    "Let's just say this: after the surprise dinner, you'll get another surprise that'll help you work off all those excess calories."
    "Really? You giving me a Bowflex or something?"
    "Not telling. But ... some flexing is involved" She giggled.
    "Hmmm. Now you've got my imagination running wild."
    "See you tonight, sweetie. I've gotta run. My little ones need me"
    "Love you," he said.
    Dana smooched the phone and then hung up.
    Although they'd been dating for three years and had been engaged for four months, Dana had never verbally said, "I love you" She'd written it many times on cards and notes. But she'd never spoken the words.
    Everyone had issues.
    Gabriel left the gas station and took Cascade Road to 1-285, known by locals as the Perimeter because it encircled a major portion of the Atlanta metro area. The highway would take him to his home in south Fulton County.
    In spite of the downpour, cars zoomed past at speeds in excess of eighty miles an hour. Gabriel moved into the far right-hand lane.
    Wind gusted. The rain came down harder, thrashing the elm trees that flanked the highway and assaulting Gabriel's Navigator like machine-gun fire.
    Gabriel turned the wipers to the fastest speed, but they couldn't sweep the glass quickly enough to give him a clear field of vision.
    "It's like something out of the Old Testament out here," he said under