Page 29 of Tempt

He groaned. “Damn, I showed my hand, eh?”

“You like to know everything. You always did. I liked the idea of keeping you off-centre. But you know the first part of my pen name, anyway, and if you remember any parts of the poem…”

“Is that published?” His eyebrows soar. “Wow.”

I roll my eyes. “Your name isn’t in it, remember.”

“I meant I was impressed.” His face shows it, too.

I soften. “Thank you.”

“Shall we go back and grab our bags, and then hit the road?”

“Sure.”

Alex’s luxuryLand Rover is nicer than any car I’ve ever been in.

I smooth my hands over the leather interior as Sam navigates onto the QEW heading east. “This is quite the car to just lend to a friend.”

“Alex knows I’ll be good to her. And he’s not a materialistic kind of guy. Not anymore.” When I look at Sam curiously, he shrugs. “We all have our demons. And some of us learn to look them straight in the face and tell them to get fucked.”

“I like that.” I think about my own demons. Of feeling stuck and frustrated. It might feel good to suggest politely that some things I’m hanging on to could take a flying leap.

“Easier said than done, of course.” He signals for the exit to the Don Valley Parkway, then continues. “Did you ever meet my brother? He was on campus when we were doing our undergrads. He was at the biz school.”

“I don’t think so.”

“We used to be really close.” He frowns, his profile taut. “We haven’t been for a long time.”

“Alex is a friend of his, too?”

“Yeah.”

I rake my teeth against my lower lip. He brought the topic up. “Alex doesn’t know about the problems with Grace?”

“Nobody does. I wouldn’t, if I hadn’t lived with them.” He swallows hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing, then shoots me a swift look. “It’s complicated, and private.”

“I gathered. So…they have a Christmas Eve party?”

“Grace goes all out. It’s quite glitzy. I used to like it, but I used to have questionable taste in everything, so…I dunno. Last year wasn’t as much fun, and now… It’s almost guaranteed we’d get into a fight at some point, and I’m over that.”

“You and your brother?”

He nods.

“Don’t you work together?”

“Yeah.” He shakes his head. “And that can’t last forever. It won’t. I need another year to get back on my feet, and he needs time to build equity again, and then he’ll buy me out of the firm. Or maybe I’ll just walk away from it.”

“That does sound complicated.”

“It is.” Another shake. “Not a festive topic, sorry. Let’s discuss how you’re going to tell me your pen name for Christmas.”

I laugh. “Did you like that?”

“I loved it.”

Before I left home yesterday morning, I packed one of my books to leave in the library at the lodge. Now I’m pretty sure I’m going to give it to Sam instead. The thought of what that would reveal makes my insides quiver, but it’s not the worst feeling in the world. Not at all.

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