“Somehow, you have to make it work.” Bran locked his fingers together and extended his hands over his head, palms-out, cracking his knuckles. He followed it up with a neck-popping head-tilt to each side. “All three of us have taken a share of Jarrett’s workload. And after yesterday’s news, we all have to do our part.”
“Yeah, I know.” Jarrett had called to say he was having a biopsy, since the CT scan showed a spot in his lung. How could Finn complain when Jarrett was facing this trial? “The oncologist isn’t wasting any time, is he, scheduling the biopsy on Monday? I’m going, even though Jarrett told us not to. So is Cole. What about you?”
“I’ll be there, but I can’t stay. I’m flying up for the day.”
“Maybe we can all fly up together, then. Leave at the crack of dawn.” Finn was already calculating how early he’d have to get up to complete his CF therapy before they left.
“Sounds good.” Branson sighed. “Back to the subject at hand—what’s Laurie doing that’s so terrible?”
Finn wondered how much he could say. After all, Laurie’s best friend was married to Bran. He didn’t want anything to get back to her. “Just between the two of us… she barely speaks to me.”
“She’s giving you the silent treatment?”
“No, nothing like that. She’s perfectly polite. And she’ll discuss anything having to do with the fundraiser. But when I bring up any other subject, she shuts the conversation down, cold.”
“I don’t see what the problem is. You only started working together on Tuesday, and you swore then the two of you couldn’t get along. Three days later you’re having civil discussions about your work project—I’d say you’ve made good progress.”
“That’s because you weren’t there on Wednesday night, when we went out to dinner.”
“You went out? On a date?”
Laurie must not have discussed their dinner with Stephanie, or else Stephanie hadn’t shared the details with Branson.
“Not a date, exactly. We went to eat with my mum and Katie—it’s a long story—but it went really well. In fact, while we were out, I realized Laurie and I could be friends.”
“At least you’re being civil with each other.”
“We can be more than civil. If I handle it right, I think we can be good friends, just like you and me.”
“You plan to interfere in her private life and trick her into marrying someone?” Branson teased, referring to Finn’s actions that resulted in his own marriage to Stephanie.
Finn chuckled. “I’m talking about the kind of friend who’s there for you when you need help.”
A ding came from Bran’s Braille-enabled smart phone, and he moved his fingers to trace the incoming message. “Nothing important,” Bran commented as he slid his phone into his pocket. “So this big friend revelation happened during dinner with your mom and sister?”
“Right. Laurie and I discussed it on the way home, and she was all for it. When I first mentioned it, she was kind of sarcastic, like ‘Guess I should feel honored you want to be my friend.’ But then I told her what I meant, how I’d be there for her like she was for me. I could give her some money if she ever needed it… stuff like that.”
“Maybe she was offended you offered her money.”
Finn sat up and covered his face with his hands. “You’re making it sound bad, but it wasn’t. All I did was offer to help her out in a crisis. I’ve said the same to you, and you weren’t offended.”
“I also wasn’t offended when you belched the entire alphabet, but that doesn’t mean Laurie would like it.”
“I was fourteen.”
“I’m sure I can come up with more recent examples.” Branson’s fingers returned to his keyboard, scanning something from the maze of moving dots.
“You’re such an expert on women since you’ve been married for an entire year,” Finn jibed.
“I don’t claim to be an expert, but I have to say, you make me look good in comparison.”
Bran laughed and, after resisting for a few seconds, Finn joined in.
“You really think that’s it? She’s mad because I offered to give her money if she was ever hard up? I wasn’t trying to insult her.”
“Why do you care, anyway? It doesn’t matter if you’re friends or not as long as you two get the fundraiser done, right? Unless you want to start dating her?”
Finn heard the hope in Branson’s voice. His friend had been after him to date for years, just like his mum and sisters.