Page 116 of Nothing to Do

Okay, so there it was. In his defense, there weren’t many options for answering that question. And she couldn’t say she didn’t feel the same way.

“I thought you’d be closer.” Alessia didn’t at all question the certainty. “You both live lives of expectation. People always want something from you. It can’t be easy to be chasing yourself all the time.”

The next big revelation. What would Dyce Technologies release next? It had to be secret, had to stay under wraps, yet all eyes and ears and grubby fingers wanted to pick through every word and communication in hopes of even a hint.

“We don’t have a lot in common. I prefer to live my life away from the limelight.”

“But you could, if you wanted to, be famous. Like Roxie and Zairn, they’re famous for being them and having a good time. And they know the CollCom people, they said it there onTalk at Sunset.You could be famous like them.”

“I don’t want to be famous.”

“And Kintyre, it’s Zachary, right?” Zane nodded once. “He was famous for a while.”

Like it was something easily shrugged off.

“His wife was famous, and he got caught in that trap.” Zane kept eating. “He’s not sorry to see the back of it.”

“People are still interested. Because his wife, his ex-wife, she’s having his baby, right?”

“It’s not his baby.”

Alessia angled her chin like she didn’t believe it. “They said that, or Kesley Walsh said it, but she didn’t say who the real father is. Most people still think it’s his. If it wasn’t, why not just name the actual father and be done with it?”

“It’s not their place to do it. That’s between Julietta and the father of her child.”

“Kesley said it was someone rich and influential. Is he a politician?” Alessia gasped. “Is it the President?”

Couldn’t get much more influential than that.

“No,” Zane said. “And that’s as much as I’m saying.”

“But you know, don’t you? You know who the father is?”

“Yes.” Thank God he was taking this with good humor. Someone more uptight might take offense or start a fight. “And no, I won’t tell you.”

“Aww,” Alessia moaned in disappointment. “That would be a cool thing to know.”

“What happened with Lark?” she asked, seizing the opportunity to divert the conversation. Zane smiled at her, rightat her, was he grateful? So long as he wasn’t pissed or put off by her nosey sister, she’d take what she could get. “You said she’d broken up with her boyfriend.”

“Oh, well, yeah, she’s got this crazy idea of—well, not exactly crazy, but it’s, you know, she wants to find an adventure. Lark said her ex wasn’t an adventure, she wasn’t even with him because they were mad in love. They were just together. Like some couples get in a rut. If he wants her, he’ll prove it, that’s what I said.”

“Some relationships aren’t meant to be,” Zane said.

“And if you’re in one that’s not, there’s no point treading water.”

“Exactly! You want to be open to other opportunities that might present themselves, other guys. Like on the island, if she’d wanted to get involved, like you did, she had this guy at home holding her back.”

Involved like her? There were male staff on the island, and God, she hoped that’s what her sister meant. If Lark meant Roman, she wasn’t sure they could trust him not to take advantage of every willing woman. When left to his own devices, the guy just charged on in without thinking. Fool.

Though he wasn’t the only one. There she was sitting with a man she adored, hoping he saw a tomorrow. Ask. That’s all she had to do. This wasn’t a passing whatever for her, they’d said they wanted to make a go of it. What did that mean? What did it really mean? Forever, or until they sated their interest? Was this sustainable? Which, of course, took her back to the same point: ask. They needed to have the conversation, someone had to bring it up. Someone needed to take the leap. Ask. Converse. Simple… right?

THIRTY-SIX

SHE AVOIDED IT. Like a coward, for the rest of the week, she let herself be with him, and just enjoyed it. They fell into a rhythm. Neither crowded the other, they had their own space. She wanted him to succeed, and many, many times, he told her he believed in her and whatever she wanted to do. So much that by the Friday, it almost felt like she could lift the whole company up herself. With his support, that might actually be possible.

“I think I have competition,” she said.

Zane hung up his cellphone. “No,” he said, picking up her hand to kiss her palm. “Sorry, Wanderer, that was rude.”

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