“Well, tough shit what she wants. But for the sake of God, I’ll handle it.”
I watch his lips twist in an evil grin, and he turns his head to the side, catching us listening and winks.
Busted.
“Yeah, I get it. You’ll probably owe me forever, but I think a weekend on the boat will handle this favor.”
He smiles, and I can tell the conversation has taken a turn. Shaw may have said he bought the boat for his family, but he’s denied their request for an afternoon out on it. At one point, Mathis and Nicky both called me to beg that I persuade Shaw to let them have it for the weekend. He still denied them, explaining to me that he considers it our boat.
I hold my breath to see if he says anything about allowing Nicky to use it. The smile drops from Nicky’s face, and his hand shoots in the air in frustration.
“Come on, man! This is getting old. Remember, it’s you asking the favor.”
My heartbeat speeds, knowing he’s still denying anyone who asks.
“Yeah, I’ll be home tomorrow mid-day. You gonna pick me up?”
Silence.
“Call her, tell her you love her, adore her, and let her know it’ll all be okay soon. She was watching Darren Jackson’s game for God’s sake! Do you know what that did to me?”
Claire and I try to smoother our giggles.
Silence.
“Later.”
When he hangs up and comes back in, Claire and I exchange a glance and turn our questioning eyes to him.
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you that eavesdropping is rude?” He walks by us to the kitchen and gets another beer out of the fridge. He grabs the wine off the counter and comes back into the living room, refilling our glasses, then sits back in the chair.
“We weren’t really eavesdropping. We were concerned about you being outside in the cold, so we were watching to make sure you didn’t freeze to death.”
It’s the stupidest excuse I’ve ever made up, and Claire snorts, kicking me at the same time.
“That’s lame.” He drinks his beer, reaching for the remote. I leap at him, tangling our arms together as we fight for the controller.
“Don’t you dare!” I grunt, yanking it out of his hand.
“Why not?” he asks innocently, his eyes shining bright.
“You know why! Tell me what he said. Why’d he call?”
“He called to check on you.”
“Why didn’t he call me?”
“Because you lie to him. He can hear it in your voice.”
“I don’t get it, Nicky. Seriously, why wouldn’t he ask me? We’ve been through more in the months we’ve been together than most people have to go through in a lifetime. What’s really going on? What do you know that you’re not telling me?”
“Bizzy, I’d do anything in the world for you. You know this, right?” His fun-loving attitude changes. His eyes still shine, but with a different kind of brightness.
“I do.” I nod, a nervous lump forming in my throat.
“There are some things I can’t tell you. Not because I don’t want to, but because they need to come from Shaw. Stick with him. Have some patience. He’s going through something I can’t understand. It’s a range of emotions he can’t get under control. I promise you, this distance you feel, this emptiness and fear, it will all be over soon.”
“How can you know?”
“Because if this was any other motherfucker on the planet causing your pain, they’d be dead. But since it’s my brother, I’ve given some leniency. Trust me.”
“I do, Nicky. I trust you,” I assure him, now more curious than ever. A part of me wants to call Shaw and demand he tell me what’s happening. Give him an ultimatum… tell me or lose me.
But that’s not my style, and I can see it in Nicky’s face; whatever is happening, I need to hear it from Shaw.
“Okay, well, can you at least tell me what he asked you for? Must be something pretty big if you went for the boat.”
“Promise me you won’t freak out.”
“Well, of course I’ll freak out when you start the conversation like that.”
“He asked me to get Sasha and her family tickets to the game on Christmas Day.”
Whoosh! The air is sucked right out of my lungs as my vision becomes blurry. This is an ultimate betrayal.
“What?” I say in barely a whisper.
“Hey.” He leans into my face and cups my cheek. “Whatever you’re thinking is the wrong assumption.”
“Why would he ever fucking ask you that?” Claire’s voice is laced with bitterness.