“What do you mean?”
“I mean I don’t know what her dad did, but after this morning’s incident, he was pissed—said he was taking matters into his own hands. I got off the phone with him just now. He assured me this war is officially over.” Moe chuckled as Isaiah heard what sounded like him typing on a keyboard. “I’ve been checking into this guy’s background, and he’s a bad ass when he has to be. I guess messing with his baby girl crossed the line. Whatever it is he did, he said no one will be bothering his family again and you two are free to come home.”
Kelli was on the phone now too, and Isaiah could only assume it was her dad giving her the news as well. As good as the news was, it was still a little nerve-wracking. He glanced up at Kelli, who gave him the thumbs-up with a big smile. Isaiah nodded, returning the thumbs-up, and attempted to appear as happy about this as she looked. He took a deep breath as the reality sunk in.
Time to face the real world.
~~~
It was subtle but not subtle enough. Isaiah hadn’t missed Kelli’s reaction to something she read on her phone. They’d just reached the altitude where the flight attendants gave them the go-ahead to turn their electronic devices back on. Kelli had nearly gasped but caught herself.
“What?” Isaiah asked a bit concerned.
She shook her head immediately, making him peer at her. “Nothing.”
“You practically gasped, Kel. What is it?”
She turned to him, shaking her head, then stopped and exhaled. “It’s just a job I’d applied for in Santa Fe a while back. It was a just-for-funsies thing I didn’t think I’d get because I’m grossly under qualified.” She placed her hand on Isaiah’s knee. “This was before you ever arrived. I still wasn’t sure if I’d be ready to go back to La Jolla. I went to the interview and then never heard back, so I’d forgotten all about it. Then a few days ago I got the email offering me the position. Only I saw it on my phone when I was still in bed. Then you woke up.” She smiled playfully, leaning into him. “And, well, you know how that goes. I got distracted, and the next thing you know we’re in the shower then having breakfast, and I’d completely forgotten all about it.”
Isaiah didn’t want to be suspicious. From the moment she’d come clean about everything, he’d decided he’d give her the benefit of the doubt from then on, unless she actually lied to him about anything. She was acting weird now. It felt almost as if she were holding something back. But he’d give her a chance to explain further before letting his head create suspicion where there shouldn’t be any.
He glanced down at her phone. “So why the reaction to whatever it is you saw on your phone?”
“It’s another email reminding me I have until the end of the week to respond before the offer’s off the table.”
That had Isaiah raising a brow. “You’re considering it?”
“No.” She shook her head a bit too adamantly. “I just feel bad that I forgot to respond to the first one. I mean, even though I’m not taking the position, it’s still unprofessional of me to just ignore him.”
That piqued Isaiah’s interest further. “Him? What kind of job was this?”
“Personal image consultant/stylist.”
Isaiah stared at her for a moment without saying anything. He took that in for a moment. There was nothing demeaning about that kind of job, except Kelli had just said she was grossly under qualified. Yet after interviewing her only once this guy offered her the job? “Whose personal consultant would you have been?”
“This guy whose family owns one of the biggest wineries in Santa Fe. The ranch where I went to get interviewed was huge.”
They were interrupted momentarily by the flight attendant, who took their drink orders. When the attendant walked away, Kelli turned back to him, looking as if she’d forgotten where she’d left off, so Isaiah reminded her. “You interviewed at his family’s ranch.”
“Oh, yeah. So I guess he recently got his masters and is taking over the position as liaison for the family. He’ll be traveling around the globe, dealing personally with their bigger clients and such. He said they have a tradition of having a family member, not just a hired exec, deal with their bigger clients. Only he’ll need to look presentable and keep his image in tip-top shape. So he’ll need a consultant with him on most of his trips. It’s customary for people in his position in such a big company to hire consultants and stylists.”
“How old’s this guy.”
Kelli must’ve picked up on Isaiah’s unease about this whole subject because she tilted her head and her brows pinched. “Does it matter? I’m not taking the position.”
“No, I know.” He shrugged, trying to ease up on the sudden edginess he’d begun to feel. “I’m just curious.”
“I didn’t ask, but if I had to guess, I’d say mid-thirties?”
“Married?”
“That, I don’t know.” She ran her hand up and down his thigh slowly. “But I’m assuming, with all the traveling the job would have required me to do with him, that he’s not. But then you know how some rich people are. They put their work before their family, so who knows?” She leaned into him and kissed him then stared him in the eyes. “Baby?’
“Yeah?”
“I know what you’re thinking.” She lifted a sharp brow, but humor danced in her eyes. “My taking a job that calls for me to circle the globe with a single or even a married man would never fly with my boyfriend—”
“Fiancé.”
Kelli laughed softly and kissed him again. “I know we’ve discussed it, but you’ve never actually asked me to marry you.” She lifted her finger with the fake engagement ring that she hadn’t taken off since the chili cook-off over two weeks ago. “This doesn’t count, you know.”
“I know,” Isaiah said, finally feeling the tension he’d begun to feel ease up a little. “Give me time. But I did want to talk to you about something. I know you said you’re gonna have to stay at a hotel until you can find a place, but I think you should just stay with me. My place is huge. In fact, why don’t you just move in with me? We both know we’ll probably end up there all the time anyway.” He slipped his hand in hers, squeezing it. “You know, when it comes time for you to leave every night, I’ll just be begging you to stay the night.” He smirked. “Until you’re staying every night.”
“Move in with you?” Kelli asked, more surprised than he’d expected. “But you said you live with Nathan.”
This was moving fast, yes, but technically they’d already been living together for weeks, and it’d felt perfect. It’d take some time for her to find a place anyway, so she could move in with him at least until they figured out what their next step would be. Isaiah already knew what he wanted it to be.
“We live on the same property,” he explained, “not the same house. It’s two homes on one huge property. We lived with AJ in that beachside home you went to once. But when he got married, it felt weird staying there. When we told AJ we were gonna get our own place, he bought this property with two homes on it and Nathan and I moved into one each.”
Kelli’s expression was a strange one. “So you lived with AJ; then he bought you guys houses?”
Isaiah explained how they’d been renting them from AJ, who’d bought them as an investment, but just before Isaiah had gone to New Mexico, he and Nathan had bought the homes from AJ.
“It’s why Valerie kept calling me. She was working on all the technicalities, and we had it divided into two properties so we each own our separate properties now. Everything is pretty much set. I just have to sign some final paperwork and get it filed with the county and it’ll be done, but we don’t live in the same house. And trust me”—he chuckled—“more often than not, we either ride a bike or drive to each other’s places because the homes are that spread apart.”
Kelli stared at him apprehensively then shook her head. “It’s still gonna be too weird, at least until you talk to him about us. I’d die if I were at your place and he showed up before you had a chanc
e to explain it all.”
Remembering how uncomfortable AJ’s unexpected visit had been back in New Mexico was the only reason Isaiah didn’t insist she come home with him that very night. They discussed her moving in a little more, and he seemed to have convinced her. So he wouldn’t be holding off talking to Nathan. In fact, if it weren’t because he knew Nathan was working today, he might have planned to go over there first thing. They’d be home early enough today. The last conversation he’d had with AJ, yesterday when Isaiah called to tell him he’d be home today for sure, AJ had been adamant that, before Isaiah got too serious with Kelli, he talked to Nathan first. It didn’t get any more serious than this for Isaiah, so he had every intention of doing so first thing tomorrow.
Before they even landed, Isaiah already knew Kelli was anxious to check on her salons. Despite her father’s war being over, it still made Isaiah nervous. For over a month, he hadn’t let her out of his sight, and now he wouldn’t be with her for hours.
Still, he had no choice but to agree to meet back at her hotel room later that evening. He needed to get home and check on a few things he was in charge of for AJ then run some errands, including stopping at the county offices to make sure those papers Valerie said she had ready for him were signed and filed. Nathan had already signed his part.
He went home to pick up his car and, to his surprise, saw that not only was Nathan’s car in Nathan’s driveway so were his sisters’. Instead of having the cab driver take him all the way through to his place, he decided to have him drop him off at Nathan’s so he could visit with his siblings. Emi opened the door and hugged him tightly with a groan. “I’m so glad you’re home, big brother. I missed you.”
There was more to it than her just missing him, and immediately Isaiah felt concerned. Olivia rushed to him the moment she saw who it was and hugged him too.
“So glad you’re home.”
Isaiah pulled away, eyeing them both. “What’s going on? Everything okay?”
The girls exchanged glances then shook their heads. “Nathan’s on the phone right now,” Emi said in a somewhat lowered voice. “He was in an accident early this morning. But he’s fine,” she added quickly when Isaiah felt his eyes grow wider.
“He was on duty,” Olivia explained, “on a call, and he was driving the big engine. He said he took all the usual precautions—slowed, used the louder horn, and waited a few seconds before going through a red light—but someone flew through the intersection just as he was crossing it, hitting the engine at a high speed, and the car basically split in half.”
“No one on the fire engine was injured,” Emi assured Isaiah as his heart began to race and he started toward the other room where the girls had motioned Nathan was. “The captain told him he was in complete compliance and everything, but both the driver and a child in the car were seriously injured. They put Nathan on temporary administrative leave, only he’s more upset about the child. He’s on life support right now.’
“It’s not Nathan’s fault,” Isaiah said, immediately going into protective mode.
“That’s what we keep telling him,” Olivia said as they all walked toward the family room. “It hasn’t been officially released, but he’s already got word that they suspect the guy driving the car was drunk.”
“Even if he weren’t—” Isaiah stopped talking when he saw his brother standing behind the bar in the family room, staring at his phone on the bar. “Nate?”
His emotionally worn looking brother glanced up, and instantly, Isaiah’s heart ached for him. “Hey, you’re home.”
They all walked toward him slowly. “Yeah, I won’t be leaving again, not for that kind of work anyway.”
Nathan nodded, his expression vacant, but said nothing.
“I heard what happened. You know it’s not your fault.”
“They put me on leave.”
“That’s a formality,” Isaiah said, putting his hand on Nathan’s shoulder when he reached him. “You know they always do that. It doesn’t mean you’re guilty of anything or that they’re saying you are.”
They heard the front door open and someone walk in. “That’s probably AJ,” Emi explained. “I texted him to come over.”
Nathan downed a shot and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “It’s fucking bullshit.”
AJ walked in and they all turned to him. He slowed, taking in the scene. “What’s going on?”
“Nathan’s upset,” Emi explained.
“I can see that.” His eyes shot from Nathan’s to Isaiah’s; then something appeared to hit him. “I told you he’d be pissed.”
Isaiah started to shake his head as both his sisters turned to him in confusion. Nathan turned to Isaiah, who said nothing then turned to AJ. “Of course I’m pissed.” He knocked his shot glass against the bar top. “This is bullshit, AJ.”
“Alright, so he ends it,” AJ said very matter-of-factly as he walked toward them but glared at Isaiah. “Right, Sai? Simple as that. You said you would if it upset him and there you have it.”
Isaiah closed his eyes for a moment and waited for the inevitable. “Ends what?” Emi asked as both sisters’ and now Nathan’s eyes were going back and forth between Isaiah and AJ.
“What are you talking about, AJ?” Nathan asked, sounding more curious than pissed now.
AJ turned to Isaiah. This time confusion washed over his face. “He was in an accident this morning at work,” Isaiah explained. “He was driving the big engine. Kid in the other car that smashed into the engine’s on life support, and Nate’s been put on administrative leave.” He saw as AJ took everything in and his face paled. “That’s what he’s upset about.” Isaiah paused so that it’d register, but in case it didn’t, he added, “I just got here. They were filling me in on it all.”
The moment it seemed to fully register AJ turned to Nathan. “You weren’t injured, were you?”
Nathan shook his head, only his eyes were still full of questions. “I’m fine. But what did you think I was upset about?”
“Nothing,” Isaiah began. “He was just—”
“No,” Nathan turned to AJ, still shaking his head with a suspicious gleam in his eye. “Break what off? What’s going on?”
Isaiah took a deep breath, bringing his hand to his forehead and running his fingers through his hair. Could there be a worst time to be discussing this? God damn it!
“Just tell him,” AJ said, and Isaiah had never wanted to wring his little brother’s fucking neck more than he did at that moment.
All eyes were on him, so he had no choice now. “The girl I was assigned to watch in New Mexico . . .” He paused for a moment deciding how best to word it. “She’s someone I have a past with and we reconnected.” The girls seemed intrigued, but Nathan still appeared understandably confused, so Isaiah continued. “You have a past with her too.”
Except for AJ, who already wore an impatient frown, everyone else was now staring at him, a bit wide-eyed. “Who is she?” Nathan asked.
“Kelli.”
Nathans brows furrowed as if the name didn’t even ring a bell, and that relieved Isaiah. He waited to see if his brother remembered, but Nathan shook his head. “Who?”
Trying not to make his exhaling in utter relief too obvious, Isaiah held back smiling. “The girl you met at the salon in La Jolla. Pinks?”
Nathan’s mouth fell open. “She’s who you were watching?” Then his expression changed sharply. “You had a past with her?”
“Did we ever meet her?” Olivia asked.
Isaiah nodded at Olivia but didn’t miss the exchanged glance between Emi and AJ. “I actually met her before you did. I spent a weekend with her, one I thought was more than just a weekend, but then I never heard back from her.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Now Nathan sounded bothered by this, if not all out irritated. “You seeing her was just sprung on me at Manny’s party,” Isaiah said. “It was too awkward.”
Isaiah explained further about Kell
i texting him that very day and most of what she’d said: that she’d had no idea they were brothers and that she wouldn’t be seeing Nathan now that she did. The plan was to spare his brother any ego-bursting comments about her not having any feelings for him and never having considered her time with him a relationship.
“So what? You didn’t say anything because you wanted to keep seeing her, even if it was only when she was around me?”
“She was the one playing games, Nathan, not Sai,” Emi said in what Isaiah could only imagine was her attempt to back him up.
“No, she wasn’t, Em,” Isaiah snapped then turned back to Nathan. “Neither was I. It was nothing like that.”
AJ held his hand up. “Isaiah was gonna tell you, Nate. It’s just that—”
“Wait,” Nathan said, shaking his head. “You all knew?”
“I didn’t,” Olivia said quickly, staring at all of them, stunned.
Nathan scoffed, peering at Isaiah then Emi and AJ. “But you three did and nobody thought it might be a good idea to let me in on it?”
“Because she was supposed to stop seeing you after that day at Manny’s,” Isaiah clarified and hoped that his other two siblings would just stay out of it and let him do this. “You said it more than once that you’d stopped seeing her. I still had feelings for her, but when I found out she’d gone out with you, I wanted nothing to do with her. I told her this, when I responded to that first text she sent me. The only reason she kept coming around,” he said, addressing Emi, “was because she wanted to explain herself to me.” He turned back to Nathan. “It’s why we were gone for a while when we left to use the restroom at that restaurant in Los Angeles. She was explaining herself.”
The whole time Isaiah was talking to him Nathan was half listening. He kept tapping the screen on his phone. It was irritating as shit, but since it was out, Isaiah wanted to get this over with once and for all.
“Is that what she was doing at the awards show?” Emi asked.
Jesus Christ. He knew his siblings meant well. They were only looking out for Nathan, and clearly Emi thought she was helping Isaiah. But Nathan shook his head, a bit disgusted now, and smirked. “So you and Kelli were doing the sneaky-sneaky at the awards show too?”