Chapter 6
“Ithink your friend may be a kidnapper.” Lizette adjusted the screen so she could see her brothers better. She’d initiated an online chat to find out more about Shomari, but of course, she couldn’t admit what she was doing.
Zack’s rich chuckle filled the air before he sat and dragged a hand over his beard. “Why would you say that? Mari is as straight as they come.”
“I happened to look at the phone at the same time a notification came in from someone asking to talk with her daughter.”
“And for that reason, you assume he’s a criminal?” Eli’s incredulous tone made her a wee bit ashamed, but she still needed a reasonable explanation.
“Did you stop to think he may have a child?” Zack asked, raising one eyebrow.
“Well, does he?” A sensation she didn’t care to name spread in her chest. If Shomari had kids …
“He told you that?”
“No.” She pulled her hair into the scrunchy on her wrist and settled more comfortably at her kitchen table. “Why are you even asking me that?”
“I think you should mind your business,” Eli said, laughing.
“Wait a minute, your silly twin is the one who brought up whether he’s a dad.”
“But you’re the one spying on people’s phones and reading their messages.”
Warmth spread from her chest into her neck, and she protested. “For your information, I didn’t do it deliberately. I was standing over him when his cell lit up.”
“If you say so, Little Bit.”
Eli and Zack chuckled, which she chose to ignore. Because she’d always followed them around and popped into their conversations when they didn’t expect it, they thought she was still interested in anything to do with them.
She stopped herself from shaking her head and pulled the laptop closer. “Anyway, Miss Whorms didn’t turn up today, so I left after speaking with Shomari. He had some ideas about adding to the curriculum, which is good, but I must say, his attitude could use some work.”
“Trust me, if you’d been through what he has, you’d be acting some kind of way, too.” Eli nodded like a professor who’d imparted invaluable information.
“I know if I ask what you’re talking about, I won’t get any answers, so I won’t bother.”
“That’s correct,” Zack nodded. “If he wants to include you, that’s fine, but it’s not our history to tell.”
She held up both hands in surrender. “I hear you.”
Their evasiveness only made her more curious about Shomari and his problems. How was he their respected contemporary, but didn’t have a home or a job?
And they claimed they outsourced work to him.
It didn’t make sense. And why return to the island if he had no prospects, which brought her back to the seriousness of her situation.
“I’m warning the two of you again. If he disrupts my business, you’ll owe me for life.”
“You worry too much, baby sis.” Zack removed his glasses and laid them next to his hand. “He’ll be a great addition to Wintertime, and you’ll wonder how you managed without him.”
“I’m not promising to keep him, but we’ll see how he works out.”
“And we thank you for that,” Eli chipped in.
Her gaze strayed to the doorway, and the holly and pepper lights in her darkened living room. “When are you lugs coming home anyway?”
“A week or two before the holidays.”
“Good. I look forward to having you back, not to mention Luca. Mom has already started baking, so there’s that.”
The twins had been in Miami for several weeks, where they were attending an expo and meeting with clients.
Their regular business was the reason they were behind on the student assessment app Zack had built for her more than a year ago.
He was constantly in fine-tuning mode because his ex had gotten hold of the original program and shared it with someone else.
She wondered whether Shomari knew anything about animation, because Eli was way behind on a short film he’d made around the animated characters he created for her. Her kids loved them and couldn’t get enough.
“We have to leave you, baby sis.” Zack made kissing noises. “We have work to do.”
“Okay. Don’t stay up until all hours of the night and present like zombies tomorrow.”
They broke out laughing, but before they cut the link, Zack said, “Go easy on Mari, He’s good people. Trust us on that.”
So much for thinking they’d give up anything more on the man whose praises they’d been singing. She moved to the living room, sank on the sofa, and placed the laptop on the cushion next to her.
When she realized Shomari had left his wallet, she wondered about his mental state.
He had to be deeply preoccupied to walk away without something that important.
In the middle of handing it to him, she was certain a little girl came to the doorway, then disappeared.
It wasn’t her business, as she’d told herself several times already, nor was she interested in him, so she’d leave that part of his life alone.
But she questioned the disappointment that chilled her like a wet blanket. A frown crimped her eyebrows as one word floated into her mind.
Liar.