I squinted down at my feet for a while. “Maybe. But you can’t ignore things that are real just because they’re uncomfortable. I’ll sit on you and make you take care of yourself if I have to. But it’s probably better for them if you do it.”
He nodded. “Probably. I have an idea in mind,” he said. “I’ll work on it. Good enough?”
I raised both of my hands, palms out. “I’m not your brother,” I said. Then it was my turn to frown. “Your dad’s side of the family going to be an issue?”
“When aren’t they an issue?”
“Heh,” I said. Silence stretched. Over the lake, the sky began to swell with the first faint band of deep orange. It had already gotten to the skyscrapers behind us. The light moved steadily down the buildings’ sides.
“Sometimes,” Dennis said, “I hate what I am. I hate being me.”
“M
