"Say what? That I care for her? What good is that going to do anyone, least of all her?" I asked.
"I think it will make all the difference to her." My sister sat down on the patio chair across from me. "You can love someone. Why do you always think you're like him? You're nothing like him."
"Dad? I've gotta be. Everyone says I look just like him," I said.
"And, that's as far as the similarities go. He thought love was about people admiring him. He thought family was something to escape. He hated being needed and he was never around. You were always there, you always loved Mom and me, and all you ever wanted was for us to be together as a family. So, no, you are nothing like him."
"I'm sorry I let us drift apart." I caught my sister's hand.
"Drift apart? Is that what you call sending a private investigator to find me?" Dana Maria asked. "You know the girls at work still think Matt Smith, or whatever his real name is, is my boyfriend?"
"Really?" I asked. "He seems like a decent guy. I like that idea. Whoa, wait, are you blushing? Have you gone out with him?"
"Maybe. We're talking about you here."
"What's to talk about? Kya is interesting. It'll never work. End of story," I said.
"It's already working. You can't tell me you don't think she's different. You feel differently about her than any other woman you've ever dated."
"Is that how you feel about Matt Smith?" I asked.
Dana Maria's smile faded as her thoughts wandered. Her face was serene and far away for a moment. "You know, I always thought it would happen quietly. One day, the right guy would just show up and be in my life. He wouldn't judge me, and he wouldn't want to change me. He would just want to see me and we'd end up spending time together. No big fireworks, no grand scenes or mountains of roses. Just someone I want to be with who wants to be with me."
I did not hold my breath. It just wasn't there. When it came back, I said. "I love that. I love that for you."
Dana Maria patted my cheek, hard. "And you, too, baby brother. I love that for you, too. Except you had to go ahead and have the fireworks."
"No," I said. "Think about it. Don't you think everything you just said is what Kya's saying about Jackson McRay? They're the ones that fit together. He just appeared in her life and he actually fits her life."
"Why would you say that?" Dana Maria asked.
I flinched thinking maybe her sisterly pat was going to turn into a slap. "Because I heard her say it. I accidentally overheard Kya tell Sandi that Jackson McRay is the man she is supposed to choose."
"What? That's what you think?" Sandi asked.
"Is everyone eavesdropping on me?" I asked. I stood up and faced everyone in the suite.
"The patio doors are wide open, man," Kev said.
"You were there, you heard the same thing," I reminded him.
"Well, I was there, too, and I was actually the one that Kya was talking to, so let me set you straight," Sandi said. She propped her tiny fists on her slim hips. "Kya said that Jackson McRay is the one she is supposed to choose. But you are the one she desires."
"Oooh," Dana Maria said. She fanned herself. "Now tell me which one you'd rather be."
"That doesn't mean she's going to choose me," I said. "He's the better choice, right?"
Dana Maria looked ill. "Not from what I hear."
"Not from what we've seen," Kev muttered.
I waved a hand to cut him off. "What have you heard, Sis?"
"He's been down to my club a few times, thankfully, not while I was on. At first, the girls were all excited. They fought over him. You know, nice-looking rich guy in suave clothes. They all thought he was Prince Charming."
I could not keep still and started pacing. "So, what made them change their minds?"
"He'd tell them all the people he knew, hint at all the ways he could get them fired or worse, then he was all hands. The bouncers were on him right away, but some of the girls were too afraid to call them. He thought he could do whatever he wanted."