Page 6 of Secondhand Secrets

New light entered Dean’s eyes, and he reached out, bumping a knuckle to Sarah’s chin. “Only because you wouldn’t commit to going out with me.”

Something about the soft moment between these two brought a heaviness to Chip’s gut. Not an unusual feeling since his return.

“Whatever.” She half-heartedly rolled her eyes and turned back to Chip, who distracted himself with delivering the remaining plates. “Anyway, back in the day, you two might as well have been conjoined twins, and it looked like you both got along great today too. So… I guess that means you’ll be a married man by the end of this week, and Little Ally Egan’s wedding dreams will finally come true.”

“Hey!” Dean’s voice was a low warning. “Too far.”

“What?” Sarah gave an oblivious shrug. “You wouldn’t think it possible to be both clingy and flighty, but somehow, Ally nails it.”

Chip took a seat, albeit slowly, his sidelong stare held to his sister. So much animosity.

Sure, the friendship had soured, but Sarah’s “joke” edged on cruel, as though she sought to one-up Ally’s rejection.

That was the way with close relationships, wasn’t it? The arguments were uglier. The hurt, deeper. He’d seen that in his parents’ divorce.

None of this would have happened if I’d been able to stay.

And maybe he’d been wrong to ask his sister to look out for Ally…

Speaking of Ally, what did Sarah mean about “Little Ally Egan’s wedding dreams”? That, plus the wallflower remark, painted a confusing image.

Come to think of it, so did Ally’s anger over Sarah’s secrecy—partly justified—but for this long and with this level of lingering friction? There had to be more to their fight, his concerns stuck less on what caused the discord, so much as his failure to understand who Ally Egan had become over the years.

Sarah was the type to keep most pertinent details private and he couldn’t count on asking her, but he had three weeks in town to uncover the truth, so he’d drop the subject of Ally for now. Maybe focus on forming his own opinions of her.

“How are you settling in?” Dean’s question knocked Chip from his musing; the man’s steady stare seeming to register more than he gave away, perhaps a symptom of his military past.

“It’s strange being back in our childhood home, that’s for sure.” Chip embraced the change in topic and pitched a genuine smile to his sister. “But thanks for the great timing, Sis. I’ve set up my computer, and the quieter setting means I’m powering through my project.”

She laughed and kissed Dean on the cheek. “We’re happy to help.”

“So…” This time Dean spoke. “I keep hearing that you’re kind of a big deal?”

Chip gave a tight laugh and peered down at his plate, using the pretense of scooping up potato mash as an excuse to not look anyone in the eye. “Sure, if being a big deal means keeping good grades and having an idea with some potential. Other than that…”

“Still way more than most ‘round these parts.” Sarah nudged his leg under the table—just like when they’d been little and his mind wandered—once again succeeding to shift his attention to what she had to say. “You’re working on your own idea straight out of college. If not now, then when, right?”

Except so much rode on his success, his latest idea for an encryption program named Stonewall being the difference between proving his dad wrong and having to live out the frivolous life he’d otherwise planned for Chip.

“While true, Sister, I probably do need to start earning some money one day.” He pointed his fork at Sarah, a square of steak still on the end. “Unless Stonewall secures some funding, that day might be sooner than I’d like.”

He couldn’t keep living under his dad’s sway forever, and finding people to hand over large wads of cash wasn’t all that simple either. He needed investors who understood what his work meant for the global information security infrastructure. People with money and technical knowledge. People who could give him the financial security to be free of his dad.

Thanks to him, who I am, and who everyone thinks I am, are two different people.

“What exactly is Stonewall, anyway?” Dean’s gaze bounced between Chip and Sarah.

“Oh, that’s right, I heard you’re a bit of a tech fan.” Chip lowered his fork, still hungry post-baseball game and wondering when he’d get another bite in. “Stonewall deals in information security. I’ll start with email encryption, but the program’s scope could be much wider. That said, working with sensitive data means Stonewall needs to be flawless, and with a host of bugs to iron out, I’m slammed with things to do. Which brings me to Harlow. So quiet. So little distraction.”

Sarah scoffed, making a show of fake-choking on whatever food sat in her mouth. “Yeah, right. Don’t be deceived. This town is way more dramatic and distracting than it lets on.”

She had a point. What with her failed engagement to Blaine, then meeting Dean, plus all the Syndicate’s carnage through town, Harlow had delivered some major upheaval. Which brought him to his other secret reason for returning.

Two months ago, Dean’s past with the Syndicate had come to a head with Sarah being taken hostage. Though Dean saved her, the whole saga helped Chip to see past his sister’s constant strong act and be the one to visit her… for a change.

Once again, his mind wandered, and she nudged him under the table, sending forth her bright smile. “Either way, I’m proud of you.”

Not used to praise, he set on a silent retreat to his meal, reveling in his reducing hunger and his ability to cook a juicy steak while occasionally glancing back at his sister.

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