Chapter 21
Zeke hung up the phone.
“So, I take it they are just getting out of bed?” Conner asked. Zeke glanced at him and wondered at the question, but Conner was studying his laptop screen.
“Yeah, I guess those two get along in the mornings.” He was pretty sure they got along a little more than just not being morning people. But Conner wasn’t ready to hear that. “They’re going to head down to the swap meet today.”
He nodded as he punched a few keys. “She isn’t having a problem with you two, is she?”
Jillian choked on her coffee but Conner didn’t notice. It took her a few moments to compose herself but she looked everywhere in the room but at him. Zeke had a feeling Maura told Jillian. What was he thinking? Of course she did. They were best friends.
“No. I think you’re worrying just a little too much about her. Maura’s doing fine.”
Conner turned his head and gave him a narrowed look. “Are you telling me the truth, or what she told you to tell me?”
“I hate to tell you this, but we don’t sit around the office talking about ways to hide things from you. We’re sort of running the Miami office and shit.”
Conner’s frown turned darker. “I shouldn’t have left it up to her. She’s taking on too much.”
“Hey, whoa, take a step back there, Saint Conner. She’s handling everything just fine. And she has me and Jennifer to help her. It’s not like she’s fifteen. She’s an adult who can deal with shit. Let it go.”
“You’ll call if she starts to drown?”
“No.”
“What?”
“I won’t because it isn’t going to happen. Why do you have such little faith in her?”
Conner’s mouth opened then closed. “What the hell do you mean by that?”
“If you had hired a woman with her background, you wouldn’t think about leaving her in charge of the office. Hell, you would expect her to contact you. But for some reason, you doubt her at every turn. Why is that?”
“Because she’s my sister.”
“Which means that you should have more faith in her than you have in strangers, but you don’t. Do you know what that does to her?”
Conner said nothing.
“I’ll tell you. It makes her second guess everything she does. Ask Jillian. I bet she’d tell you the same thing. Have some faith in the fact that I’m there to catch her if she falls. And have more faith in the fact it would take a lot of shit to make her fall.”
He didn’t realize he had been yelling until he stopped talking. The room was deathly silent.
“I need a break.”
And with that, he strode out of the room, down the steps and out onto the beach. He didn’t have shoes on, so he walked across the hot sand. He found an empty spot and plopped down.
Fuck, what was he thinking? Maura didn’t want her brother to know what was going on, but there was something in the way Conner had talked about her that pissed him off. Conner had been more father than brother for so long, he couldn’t step back and see the amazing woman she had become. And, the way he yelled at his best friend hadn’t been smart. He might as well write I love Maura across his forehead.
“So, I take it you didn’t plan on yelling at Conner?” Jillian said from behind him. He glanced back her and he could feel his face heat. Dammit, he had acted like a fool in front of Jillian. Great.
“No.” He looked back out at the ocean. “I guess I shouldn’t have done that in front of you. Hell, I shouldn’t have done it at all.”
She said nothing as she walked up and sat next to him, crossed legged.
“No, I think it’s good that he hears it from someone other than me.”
“You said the same thing?”
He sensed her shrug. “He has the problem of still looking at her like she’s still that scared teenager trying to deal with the loss of both parents.”
“Yeah.”
“You know, I said things kind of similar when she was in college with me.”
“Yeah?”
“Conner hadn’t prepared her for sex. I did.”
He glanced at her. “You did?”
“Yeah.” She smiled at him. “Conner wasn’t happy to find out that I had given her condoms and showed her how to put them on.”
He chuckled. “I can imagine.”
“It’s so easy to see you love her.”
He sighed. “It’s complicated.”
“Naw, it isn’t. You love her, she loves you.”
“There’s Rory.”
She snorted. “Please, if he isn’t over the moon for her already, he will be soon. I saw the way he looked at her.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you all stopped by here the first day. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.”
“Is that how you figured out we were all involved?”
“No. Maura told me.” He glanced at her. “No, I didn’t tell the bear in there. He’s going to figure it out soon.”
“Why is that?”
“Conner can be a curmudgeon but he isn’t stupid. The three of you in a room together, anyone can tell you’re involved.”
“Damn.”
“And another thing. Make sure you don’t play at Rough ‘n Ready.”
“Oh, Rory was thinking about...”
He trailed off not wanting to tell her as if he were breaking Maura’s trust.
Jillian patted him on the knee. “I know. She’s always had a fantasy of two guys who were bisexual and she wants to play in public. But word will get back to Conner. It would be best if it didn’t. At least not until you all decide what happens when you get home.”
He nodded. Jillian gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Now, you better go make up with that grumpy man because I have a deadline I set for myself.”
“Sure thing. You know if Conner hadn’t gotten to you first, I would have taken a shot at you.”
“And you might have had a shot. Especially with that accent.”
He laughed and stood, holding a hand out to her. She waved it away.
“Naw. You go make up with Conner, I’m going to sit here and contemplate my next scene. It isn’t really sounding right, so I need a break.”
Zeke walked up the hill, which wasn’t easy in the sand. He waved at one of the guys who owned the house in front of Jillian’s before turning toward the front door.
He opened the screen and found Conner right where he left him.
“Over your temper?”
“Zeke?”
“Yes.”
“You want to tell me what that’s about?”
He didn’t but he probably needed to give some kind of an explanation. “You know we were involved.”
“Yes.”
“Dammit, Conner, stop working for a second.”
He hit a few keys, probably saving what he had been writing and looked up at Zeke. He didn’t know what to say now. Zeke had been known as having a cool head. He had to. Growing up in a primarily white area, he had learned to pick his fights. Why he got so hot and bothered over this now was sort of a mystery to him.
“I’m waiting.”
“Okay. We were involved but we called it off. You know that. But, it doesn’t mean I don’t still care for her. I know how she feels when you question every one of her moves.”
“I ask her how things go.”
How did Jillian put up with such a stubborn mule? Why did he?
He sighed and sat in the chair. “I set up that meeting with Colfax. You asked me how it went.”
“Yeah, you said fine. Why, did something go wrong?”
“No, but Maura does something, and you have a list of twenty questions.”
“Well I want to make sure--”
“Exactly. Jesus, you don’t even see it, do you? Jennifer has been working less time for you and you have more faith in her abilities than you do Maura.”
Conner sighed. “I didn’t realize she felt that way.”
“I’m not sure she does. Not all the time. She is used to it. But some praise from you would be good. And you need to trust her. What’s more, she needs you to trust her. She’s smarter than both of us put together.”
Conner smiled. “That’s the truth.”
“She’s not a little girl anymore.”
“No. But it’s just second nature to me. I don’t even think about it. I didn’t realize I was doing it.”
“Lay off her and she’ll do better.”
“You really think that would help?”
“I think it would at least get her back to sleeping at nights. I’m not sure she does much sleeping from the bags under her eyes.”
“She never slept much as a kid to begin with.” Conner sat back in his chair and studied him for a second. “How did you get so smart about women?”
Zeke shook his head. “I’m not that smart about women. I just know Maura well.”
“Because you love her.”
He had never really admitted it out loud to Conner. He was never sure exactly how Conner had felt about Zeke and Maura together.
“Yes, and even if I didn’t, I care about her and you. It’s been a tough few months for you and whether you like it or not, it has an effect on Maura.”
“You love her but you can’t be with her?”
He wanted to strangle the man. He was Zeke’s best friend but there were times he just wanted to slap him silly. He was making this about Zeke and not about Maura. He wasn’t even sure if Conner knew he did that.
“I couldn’t give her what she wanted.” Conner opened his mouth. “And I want you to leave it at that. It’s private and it’s between us. But that isn’t the point I was trying to make.”
Irritation was stamped all over Conner’s face. “What?”
“Your sister is stressed and you aren’t helping. You’re making it worse. I want you to back off.”
“And just what authority do you have to do that?”
“I’m your business partner and this does have to do with work. You never question anyone like you question her. You need to show some faith in her and her abilities. It’s causing problems at the office. And worse, it’s hurting her Conner. She doesn’t realize it, but it is.”
He sighed. “Jillian says I’m obtuse.”
“You are. You’re also an ass.”
Conner chuckled. “I’ll take her to lunch tomorrow, show her the offices.”
Zeke nodded. “I think that would be a great idea.”
“Now, do you have anything else you want to bitch about?”
“I hope not, because I’m ready to get back to work,” Jillian said from the doorway. “Did y’all make up?”
“Yeah. I’m going to take Maura to lunch tomorrow. Wanna come?”
She easily plopped down on Conner’s lap. It was good to see his friend so happy and relaxed. Well, relaxed for Conner.
“Naw. I think it should be a brother sister day.”
Their happiness was something he wanted. At one time, he had always thought it would be with one person…but now he wanted that fantasy to be real. He wanted Maura and he wanted Rory. Forever.
He pushed that thought aside and gathered up his work and shut down his computer. After slipping it in his briefcase, he looked at Conner. “I think we’re done here, then? I thought I would goof off a little bit since I am on Oahu.”
“Enjoy it while you can,” Jillian said, the double meaning not lost on him.
“I plan on it. Hell, I might find a way to enjoy it for much longer.”
She laughed.
“What are you two talking about?”
“Nothing, just joking. See ya’ later, Zeke.”
He laughed and headed out the door. Jillian was already nuzzling Conner’s neck and Zeke didn’t have to be told they would rather be left alone.
He was on his way back to the rental house when he made a promise to himself. He would do everything he could to make the relationship he had started here with Maura and Rory last.
If there was one thing the three of them deserved, it was to be happy.