Caleb laughed. “Don’t worry. Living with you is a constant reminder of the weight of responsibility. Am I allowed to ask why you’re holding a book with a pink cover, or is it better not to know?”

Spencer didn’t make an attempt to hide it. “It’s research. And I’m serious. Has that animal improved in the slightest since you took this job?”

“Of course he hasn’t. I assume that was why you allowed me to take her on as a client in the first place. You know damn well Wheezy is untrainable.” Caleb paused just long enough to take a breath. “Aren’t you going to ask me how it went with my parole officer?”

Spencer sighed. For once in his life, he wanted to talk about something other than his brother’s legal problems. He wanted to discuss what they were going to do about Wheezy. He wanted to talk about his feelings for Ruby. He wanted to rip that tape up off the floor and sit in his own living room so they could have a conversation face-to-face.

Shit. What he really wanted was a friend—his friend, his twin brother, the companion of his youth. Not the roommate who lived to thwart him or the reckless competitor who would do anything to win.

Once upon a time, being around Caleb had been easy. His brother had always laughed and loved large, as his obscenely high number of friends could attest. All that laughing and loving got him into trouble sometimes, but that was Caleb all over. He never let anything bring him down. Not the guidelines and conventions that were Spencer’s bread and butter, and definitely not the idea that an arbitrary set of rules could dictate his life.

He admired that about Caleb. He always had.

“Caleb, I—” he began, but his brother interrupted before he could figure out what he wanted to say.

“Hang on a sec, would you?” Caleb asked. “Caesar wants to be let in.”

Spencer heard the sounds of the sliding door opening and the bulldog bouncing exuberantly inside. Even though he’d gone out to play with and feed the dog after Ruby had left, Caesar had declined the invitation to accompany him inside afterward. The arrival of Caleb, however, was a cause for celebration.

“Yes, boy. I see you. Yes, I’ve missed you. I would’ve brought you with me, but you know you get carsick.”

Spencer watched as his dog and his brother enjoyed a reunion fit for a separation of a year instead of a few hours. Caesar licked every inch of skin he could reach before jumping up and tackling Caleb to the ground. There, the pair wrestled and laughed and generally acted the way man and his best friend were supposed to.