Page 16 of Sass

He blinked, then gave me a strange, almost regretful look, and shifted his gaze to the colour swatches on the wall. “I like the dark orange. It fits you. Have a good night, Christopher.” He gave me a sombre nod and headed for the stairs.

I watched him go, not liking the twinge of something too close to guilt in my belly. “Kip,” I corrected, just loud enough to be heard, although the usual sting was missing. And what the fuck did he mean by itfitsme?

I shook the Leon-shaped fog from my brain and refocused on the wall, my gaze lingering over the burnt sienna swatch, which had been my favourite even before Leon’s comment. It definitely worked best in the space, dammit. And then it occurred to me that Leon worked with colour every day, so of course he had a good eye, although it still didn’t explain his comment about it fitting me. And that really shouldn’t have been as irritating or as sexy as it was.

I blew out a sigh because I wasn’t petty enough to choose another colour simply because Leon and I liked the same one. But I didn’t have to stroke his ego, either. I’d buy the paint but wait before revealing my decision.

Okay, so maybe a little bit petty.

CHAPTERFOUR

Leon

I loungedon the couch with a beer in hand, humming with contentment. After two weeks camping above my studio, living on takeout and whatever I could cook in a microwave, the luxury of having actual furniture, a shower with decent water pressure, and a bed with a comfort factor somewhere above granite was a gift from the gods. The sooner I moved into my little villa in Meadowbank, the better. Even if it came with an eye-watering price tag, and a shopping list of renovations that included at least a semblance of insulation, so it didn’t bleed every scrap of heat out into the universe.

But those were problems for another day. For now, I could relax and be thankful for the kindness of my neighbours. Well, some of them. I thought of Chris and sighed. I was going to have to do something about our unresolved issues. I just wasn’t sure what.

The beep of the store’s alarm system arming jolted me from the couch to sneak a peek through the bedroom window at Chris leaving. The security light lit up the parking area and the Mini’s headlights flashed. Chris threw his satchel in the back and then unexpectedly turned and glanced up to where I was standing in full fucking view.

Shit.I jerked out of sight, my heart thumping in my chest, mortified at my own ridiculousness.

One, two, three.I peeked back around the curtain to find Chris was now staring at my Harley. What the hell? I’d set the bike’s alarm, so I was a little concerned when he reached out a hand and almost touched the cover. But then he appeared to catch himself, and seconds later he was behind the wheel of his Mini and zooming up the alley into the night.

I leaned on the window frame and stared at my Harley. Chris didn’t like bikes. Hell, he called the Harley a fucking Honda more often than not... I narrowed my gaze.Oh, that sly little minx.

I chuckled and shook my head. It was another little mystery I intended to solve before my time in the flat was done. That was if I could get Chris to lower his guard and actually fucking talk to me. But based on our most recent encounter downstairs and his response to just the idea of me staying in the flat, I figured that opportunity was nowhere near a slam dunk.

But I deserved his disdain. I’d behaved like an arsehole at that party. Chris might be off-limits but that didn’t mean we couldn’t be friends, right? Hey, I was a friendly guy. But if that was ever going to happen, I needed to come up with a plan to get through those steel-clad defences.

I wandered back to the couch and tried to think of one that wasn’t going to get my balls laid on a platter and handed back to me. I’d come up with precisely nothing when my phone went off in my pocket. One look at the screen and I sighed. My brother.

“Hey, Kev. What’s up?”

“Hey, arsehole.”

Okay, not a great start. “I take it this is about this morning?”

“You know damn well it is. Jenn was only trying to help.”

She had been. And Kevin was right. Iwasan arsehole. “Look, I told her I was sorry, but it doesn’t change how I feel. She’s not—”

“If you sayfamily, so help me god, I’ll come over there right now and deck you where you stand.” Kevin sounded as angry as I’d ever heard, and it took me aback.

“You can try,” I answered carefully, aiming to defuse things a little with the long-standing tease. Kevin had missed the family giant genes, sliding comfortably in at just under six feet if he stood on a small footstool. “But I didn’t mean she wasn’t family. You know I love her. It’s just that—”

“How many fucking times has she been there for you when you’ve needed her help over the years?” Kevin’s voice rose. Score zero for the defusal. “You know, liketoday, for example? Or when you needed her financial opinion on your business. Or when she stayed up all hours helping you fill in all those damn business loan applications?”

Fuck.“I’m sorry. She caught me at a bad time. The water leak, needing to cancel appointments, having to move again, Caitlyn... My head’s messed up, okay? I didn’t mean to hurt her feelings.”

“You didn’t. She’s tougher than that, and you know it. She’d eat you for breakfast and not blink an eye.”

All true.

“But she is upset, and that hurtsme,you jerk. I’m not saying Jenn should’ve said anything, but I am saying she had as much right to do so as anyone else in this family after the last few years, and you fucking know it. She knew Caitlyn. She was here that day. And she helped pick up the pieces, meandyou, included.”

Well, shit. “Low blow, brother.”

He huffed. “Not low enough if you can still breathe through the pain. Now, what the hell has crawled up your butt and built itself a home, cos we are all about done with it? Caitlyn’s anniversary is coming up fast and you’ve got everyone tiptoeing around you like you’re something special. But you’re not the only one hurting. Caitlyn didn’t belong to you. Weallmiss her, and weallget a say in how we remember her, as a family. What you do on your own is up to you, but what we do as a familyneedsto be talked about. And if we feel it’s time to change how that happens,you needto listen to us.”

---