Hotshot (The Bennett Brothers 1)

“Define okay? If you’re asking is she still alive, breathing, and functioning, then yes. But the functioning part is questionable. I’m not sure she’d eaten a decent meal in weeks until I got here.”

Silence.

“You don’t get to do that, Shaw. I’m not going to even attempt to explain to her what’s going on. That’s your job. I’m not sure why you’ve kept it all from her in the first place. It’s crossed my mind to kick your ass again.”

Silence.

He runs his hand down his face then drops his head, squeezing the back of his neck. I watch his chest heave a few times, and my own chest tightens. What exactly is Shaw keeping from me? My mind races with possibilities. It’s obvious there’s been an enormous strain between us, but what is he keeping from me? Claire twists her arm in mine, squeezing my wrist supportively.

“Hell fucking NO! I don’t care what she says.”

Silence.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! You can’t handle this shit on your own? You have to bring me into it?”

Silence.

“That’s low, Shaw, really low. Why can’t you get them?”

Silence.

“Well, tough shit what she wants. But for the sake of God, I’ll handle it.”

I watch his lips twist in an evil grin, and he turns his head to the side, catching us listening and winks.

Busted.

“Yeah, I get it. You’ll probably owe me forever, but I think a weekend on the boat will handle this favor.”

He smiles, and I can tell the conversation has taken a turn. Shaw may have said he bought the boat for his family, but he’s denied their request for an afternoon out on it. At one point, Mathis and Nicky both called me to beg

that I persuade Shaw to let them have it for the weekend. He still denied them, explaining to me that he considers it our boat.

I hold my breath to see if he says anything about allowing Nicky to use it. The smile drops from Nicky’s face, and his hand shoots in the air in frustration.

“Come on, man! This is getting old. Remember, it’s you asking the favor.”

My heartbeat speeds, knowing he’s still denying anyone who asks.

“Yeah, I’ll be home tomorrow mid-day. You gonna pick me up?”

Silence.

“Call her, tell her you love her, adore her, and let her know it’ll all be okay soon. She was watching Darren Jackson’s game for God’s sake! Do you know what that did to me?”

Claire and I try to smoother our giggles.

Silence.

“Later.”

When he hangs up and comes back in, Claire and I exchange a glance and turn our questioning eyes to him.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you that eavesdropping is rude?” He walks by us to the kitchen and gets another beer out of the fridge. He grabs the wine off the counter and comes back into the living room, refilling our glasses, then sits back in the chair.

“We weren’t really eavesdropping. We were concerned about you being outside in the cold, so we were watching to make sure you didn’t freeze to death.”

It’s the stupidest excuse I’ve ever made up, and Claire snorts, kicking me at the same time.