"Let's get a drink somewhere else," Chad said to Toby. "I've got something to tell you."
"Sure," Toby said, wondering. It was unusual. Chad usually needed to get home to bed, because he had to be up early for work in the morning.
But now they went to Luke's bar. It was weird. Was Chad going to tell him he was getting married or something? Toby doubted it. He didn't know who Chad was dating.
But now Chad was sociable, and bought him a beer.
"Seen Mom lately?" he grinned.
"Nay," said Toby. "I lucked out. I guess Jesus hasn't been as much after me as heretofore. How about you?"
Chad smiled. "Mom calls me at least once a week to ask me if I can yet be saved," he said. "She calls Laraine more often."
"Poor sis," Toby said. Their sister Laraine was an accountant at Deception, Co. "I guess Mom worries about the influence of all those heathen models."
"Godless place," Chad agreed. They had both slid into an easy humor about their mother's evangelicalism, but it could be a burden, and had been. It had single handedly caused their parents' divorce, or so at least, their father, Kent Breyer, thought.
"Speaking of godless women," Chad said. "Taryn. I saw her kissing the bartender."
Toby looked stunned. Such a thought had never occurred to him. At first, he really couldn't believe it.
"You must have mistaken her for someone else."
"Thinking that, I stayed an extra minute to be sure. Looked at what she was wearing and saw her later."
Toby didn't say anything.
"You had no idea?" Chad said.
"None," Toby said. He stared. Chad waited, sympathetically.
"You know I was thinking," Chad said. "With what happened with mom and dad. Maybe dating girls who are little more stable. Older. At least straight with you from the get go."
"Yeah," Toby said, starting to feel angry. "Well, I don't own Taryn, I just never thought - if it was someone in high school, but damn, the bartender, right there in front of me and I didn't get a clue. I don't even know which bartender you mean. She's friends with Clay. No way would Mikhail date her."
"Clay," Chad said, shortly. "I hate telling you this, man, but I'd rather let you in on what's up than you have to find out like I did."
"Yes, I know, thanks, Chad."
"It's at least good for a song," Chad grinned. "Tell Yvonne all about it."
Toby tried to smile a little, because he knew his brother wanted him to feel better.