He could hardly believe it, but after eating the soup, Jake did feel better. The texture of the eel threw him at first, but the taste was good, and when he stood up from the table he didn't feel like he had to hang onto it for support.

"Where to now?" Ernesto asked, stacking the empty bowls in the center of the table.

"You don't have to go right away," Alex said. "I mean, I've only got the one air mattress, but I'm sure I can find something else."

"I've got a spare room," Ernesto offered.

Jake gave them both a grateful smile. "Next time. I've got to get all of Flores's artifacts back to the Library. We don't want anyone else getting ahold of them."

"I've got to get back too," Eliot said. Alex's expression fell, and Eliot laughed and clapped a hand to his shoulder. "Some of us have work to do."

"Yeah, no, I know," Alex said quickly.

"We don't have to leave right away though," Jake said. "Right?"

Eliot shrugged. "I got some time."

The smile returned to Alex's face. "Okay. Where do you want to go? There's a lot to see; we could—"

"How about back to the gift shop?" Jake asked. "I don't know that I'm up for tourism just yet."

Eliot nodded. "That works for me."

They piled back into Ernesto's car (Eliot got the front this time) and returned to the hotel that hosted Alex's gift shop. Ernesto dropped them off in the parking lot, saying he was going to check on Kai. "You three behave," he warned good-naturedly as he backed out of his parking space.

If Jake had a quarter for every time he'd heard that growing up, he could have saved the oil company. But for once, he didn't think they needed the advice. Eliot and Alex were standing shoulder to shoulder, relaxed as they waited for Jake to catch up to them. The hesitation that he'd sensed in them earlier was gone. They were just brothers again.

"What are you smiling about?" Eliot asked.

Jake shrugged, not bothering to hide his grin. "It's a beautiful day. Why aren't you smiling?"

"Thought you'd noticed some priceless painting on the wall in the hotel or something," Alex commented.

"As a matter of fact—"

"Alex!"

Jake turned in surprise as a short woman in a hotel uniform bustled toward them, wagging her finger. She stopped when she noticed Jake and Eliot, her eyes opening wide behind her glasses.

"Cory!" Alex spread his arms wide, welcoming her closer. "These are my brothers Eliot and Jake. Guys, this is my landlady Cory."

"Brothers!" Cory exclaimed. "Why you never mention you have brothers?"

"Uh..."

"These brothers have jobs?"

"Yeah," Jake said. "We have jobs."

Cory's face lit up. "You see, Alex? Your brothers have jobs, have lots of money! You should be more like them!"

"They don't—they don't have lots of money," Alex argued.

"Lots of money!" Cory argued. "Enough to come visit you! You should borrow some from them. Pay your bills on time."

Alex sputtered while Eliot crossed his arms and tried to hide his grin. "I pay my—I'm not gonna borrow any—Cory, I just paid you on Thursday!"

"Yesterday," Cory said. "What about next week? Huh? You gonna make sure you pay me on time next week?"

"Yeah, I'll pay you on time next week."

"Good." Cory gave him another severe look and then smiled at Jake and Eliot. "You two enjoy your visit. If you need anything, you come see me. I take care of you."

"Thank you, ma'am," Eliot said, tipping his hat. She threw a wave at them and hurried away, muttering something about Alex's handsomer brothers.

"Shut up," Alex said, stomping off down the sidewalk.

"Nobody said anything," Jake argued.

"Well, don't. Or I'll make you sleep in a pool chair tonight."

Alex led them to his shop, flipping the "Closed" sign on his door as he pushed it open.

"How do you ever get customers here?" Eliot asked. "You don't have your hours posted—you didn't even lock your door!"

"I get by," Alex said. He unbuttoned his shirt and brushed some dirt off the front, frowning. "You both ruined yours, huh? At least I can still use your hats. Give 'em here."

"I'll buy mine," Eliot said. "Parker likes souvenirs."

Jake took off his hat and tossed it to Alex. "You can have mine back. But I'm interested in the snow globes. Maybe a postcard or two."

He ended up buying 10, showcasing various shots of the beach at sunset, the skyline of Cebu, and the monument Kai had taken them to see that morning. Alex gave him a discount on the snow globe, saying he had a hard time selling them anyway. Jake brought his purchases to Alex's room, feeling lighter than he had in weeks. When was the last time he'd bought souvenirs? Not since becoming a Librarian, he didn't think. It hadn't made sense since then, now that traveling was as easy as walking through a door. But how much of those places had he missed out on by focusing on the mission and ignoring the place itself? Would he have taken a second look at the snow globe if it hadn't been in his brother's shop?

No more. He wasn't going to miss out on any more because he was too wrapped up in the job. He wanted to get that old feeling back, the wonder and excitement at every new amazing thing he saw.

Starting with the beach outside.

Jake turned to leave, but something next to Alex's desk caught his eye. He grinned, grabbing it and holding it up as he walked back into the shop.

"Look what I found," he crowed.

Alex groaned, but Eliot's eyes lit up. "A guitar? You still play?"

"A little," Alex admitted.

"Jake?"

Rather than answer, Jake slipped the strap over his shoulder and strummed a few chords. The guitar was in tune, so Alex must have played more often than he was letting on.

An idea came to him, and Jake's fingers fell into a set of familiar chords. He walked past the others, taking in the surprised look on Eliot's face, and stepped through the front door and into the sunshine. His brothers followed, moving to either side of him as he made his way onto the sand. He played the first verse without singing the words, but when he got to the chorus he couldn't help singing the rest out loud. "When a new moon shines through your window, or you hear a sad song on the radio, and you don't know why but you just start to cry..."

To his surprise, Eliot joined him. "Or you're driving round on a sunny day and out of nowhere comes the pouring rain, and a feeling hits you right out of the blue. That's just me..."

"Thinking of you," Jake finished, letting the last chord fade away.

Alex dropped into the sand and looked up at his brothers. "I don't know that one."

"Kenneth Crane," Jake said. He made a show of settling himself next Alex, not wanting to put too much attention on Eliot. He'd always been the shyest one of them, ducking away from the spotlight and accolades, though Jake knew he secretly appreciated them. He'd learned that the best way to compliment Eliot was through what he called "adjacent praise": say something nice and then walk away, and let Eliot enjoy the admiration on his own.

Alex wasn't as considerate. "Who's Kenneth Crane?" he asked, leaning to peer around Jake.

Eliot sighed and sat on Jake's other side. "Me. It was a part I played for a job once. How'd you hear about it?"

"Few years ago, a guy came up to me in the bar after karaoke and asked if I was Kenneth Crane," Jake said. "I had no idea who it was, so when I got home I did some digging. There wasn't much to find except a single demo recording—not even a picture—but I knew it was you." He'd listened to that demo hundreds of times, over and over until he figured out the chords and could play along with the recording. At that point, Jake had believed Eliot to be long dead. That single song had kept his hope alive in the absence of any other proof for years.

"Well that was real heartwarming," Alex said, deadpan. "Play something I know."

He did, starting with an old country song that always made him think of their grandpa. After a few more like it, Alex took the guitar and played some August Crowe, then a handful of folk songs their mom used to sing when they were kids. Finally, they gave the guitar to Eliot, who strummed out a song neither of them had heard before. He was still the best of them, which Jake found strangely comforting. He didn't know what Eliot had been doing with his life the last few decades, but at least if he still had music, he wouldn't have been completely alone.

That wasn't how he used to feel. He used to think that if his brothers were miserable, it was their own fault. A part of him even thought they deserved it. He'd harbored so much anger and disappointment in them for so long, and now... well, it was still there, but it was softer. More like the memory of the bullet hole in his stomach verses the actual wound. Maybe a part of him would always be angry, but at least now he knew that there was something to take its place.

This wouldn't be the last time they sang together, he decided. He wasn't ever going back to the way things used to be.

Eliot finished the last chord of a song Jake could barely remember the words to and leaned back on one hand. "You guys thirsty?"

"I could go for a drink," Alex said.

Jake climbed to his feet and reached down to take the guitar from Eliot. "I think Ernesto promised us some lechon too. I've never had it."

"Well, here's your chance to ask him," Alex said. Jake turned in surprise to find Ernesto standing a little ways away on the beach, holding his phone up and smiling.

He put the phone down when he saw them looking. "Hi, boys. Who knew you were all so good at singing! You could make an album."

Eliot snorted. "Somehow I don't see that ending well."

"The Stone Three," Jake mused. "I dunno, I think it could work."

"What were you doing with the phone?" Alex asked suspiciously.

"I was just texting Kai," Ernesto said. "You're too mistrusting."

Alex crossed his arms. "Uh-huh. And what does Kai say?"

"That she wants to join us for dinner. I know just the place."

"Lechon?" Alex asked.

"The best on the island. You're gonna love it."

They started up the beach, and Jake frowned at the camera still open on Ernesto's screen. Alex and Eliot were busy arguing over the best pork recipes, with Ernesto adding the occasional comment, so Jake decided not to say anything.

Hell, maybe he'd even ask for a copy.