A Bad Boy is Good to Find - By Jennifer Lewis Page 0,103
my truck from the bar. Who’s gonna drive us over?”
Con put his hand on Danny’s forearm. “No use going anywhere. It’s over.”
“What’s over?”
“Me and Lizzie.”
Saying it out loud socked him in the gut. He jumped to his feet and out of the room, damned if he was going to let anyone see him cry. He slammed out the back door and sucked in some air.
Danny was right behind him. “It’s not over. You love her, right?”
“Yes,” Con managed to keep his voice steady. “But that doesn’t mean a damn thing. When I thought this house was mine and that I was rich I knew I could ask her to marry me, to come live with me here. But without it—” He shook his head. He’d offered to marry her out in the desert. She’d turned him down flat.
“What?” Danny’s face creased into amusement. “You have to be a royal prince for this chick? I don’t get it.”
“She’s from a rich family. Filthy rich, old money.”
“So you’ll live on her dough.” Danny slapped his back. “What’s the problem?”
Con let out a hollow laugh. “Funny you should mention it, but that was my original plan.” He pushed his fingers through his hair. “Now she’s broke too.”
“Nothing wrong with that. You’re even, you can build your empire together.”
“Empire? Doing what? I’m a mechanic. She does graphic design, or something like that.”
“Sounds good. What’s the problem?”
Con wrinkled his brow. Hmm. What was the problem? “We fixed up a car together. I rebuilt the engine and she sprayed it. She’s an amazing talent, a real artist, I’ve never seen anything like it. We turned a profit of eleven thousand dollars in a couple of days.”
“That’s what I’m talking about!”
“It was kind of an emergency situation, I don’t know if she’d do it again.” Con looked at him. His brother’s eyes were so blue, like the sky out over the gulf. A heavy weight on his heart made it hard to breathe. “Our old man married a pretty rich girl and ended up ruining her life. She’ll be better off without me.”
“Big brother.” Danny grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. “Does she know you love her?”
“Of course she…well, I don’t know.” Con rubbed a hand over his face. “I guess I never did say it to her. I was waiting for the right moment. I wanted it to be perfect. But that was before, you know, the DNA.” A funk crept over him like the sticky heat. “She won’t want me now.”
“So you say, bro, but from what I saw last night, she’s crazy about you. Love doesn’t have anything to do with money—it comes from in here.” Danny tapped Con’s chest with a brawny finger. “I bet you that right now she’s cryin’ her eyes out, wishing you were there to put your arms around her.”
Con stared at him. The image of Lizzie crying cut into him like a boning knife.
She thought he’d screwed her over. Dumped her now he didn’t need her money anymore. He had to set that straight, at least.
Adrenaline roared through him. “Let’s go get your truck. And don’t you start lecturing me on love, little brother. What the hell do you know about it?”
Danny grinned. “That’s the spirit!”
Lizzie wasn’t at the airport. She wasn’t at the bus station, or the train station. Danny rolled his eyes while Con made nervous phone calls to the police and local hospitals, who’d never heard of her either.
“Must be still on the road.” Con snapped his phone shut and drummed his knuckles on the dash of Danny’s truck.
“Maybe we can check her credit cards? See if she’s used one. You know the numbers?”
“Um, yeah. I’m afraid I do. I filched them from her wallet and made some payments without telling her.”
“You still got that amazing memory?”
“Old habits die hard.” Con winked and flipped his phone open.
“Dwight!” Maisie plastered on her biggest smile. “Finally, I have a few moments. I was so excited when I heard you were coming.” The chef had whipped together some oyster po’boys for lunch and the remaining members of the crew were gathered on the patio. She’d been delayed by a phone call with Don so she was the last to attack the buffet.
“Really.” Dwight helped himself to some coleslaw.
“I would have spent more time with you last night, but this show just sucks up every living second. You know how it is when you have one of your big bond deals going through.”