Keith (Hathaway House #11) - Dale Mayer Page 0,52
“I guess that’s kind of the same thing. I just hadn’t considered that other people were doing it.”
“I think it’s a self-defense thing,” she said. “If I was at the top of the class, everybody would look at me and would judge me that much harder because I would be the best. Turns out everybody wanted to be the best, but nobody wanted to be held to that much higher standard and also be criticized constantly.”
He nodded slowly. “And did you finish school that way?”
“No,” she said. “My mother told me what I was doing. She showed me how I was doing it and said that maybe, just once, it would be nice to achieve something for myself and that I should put in 100 percent of my effort, not just seventy. The next year I graduated at the top of the class,” she said with a laugh, “and I timed it just right, so I could leave in the number one spot, but I didn’t have to deal with all the students behind me in the rankings who hated me.”
He laughed. “I love it,” he said. “That’s cool. I guess maybe I’ve been doing that too. It’s a sobering thought though. Using a baseball analogy, if you never take that giant swing at a pitch, you avoid some embarrassing strike-out scene, but you give up the opportunity for that grand slam home run.”
“As long as you’ve learned that lesson,” she said firmly, “it doesn’t matter now. So, how’s the relationship with your sister going?”
“Perfect,” he said. “They’re making wedding plans. Apparently I’ll walk her down the aisle and hand her over to Iain.”
“I think that’s lovely,” she said. “I hadn’t heard yet.”
“Hey, I just heard it yesterday,” he said immediately. “I know she’s got a big list of people to invite.”
Ilse shrugged. “We’re friends, but she may have a lot of other friends too. I don’t know.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” he said, wondering if he’d accidently crossed some invisible line here.
She laughed and said, “No, don’t worry about it. Robin and I are good.”
With relief, he attacked the fish again. “I’m so glad to hear that.”
“What do you think of Iain?”
“Well, he was at the top of the class, so I hate him,” he said cheerfully. Then he watched in joy as she started to laugh, then got the giggles and couldn’t stop. He leaned forward and said, “Not really. Obviously I don’t hate him. My sister loves him, so that’s good enough for me. Iain already knows that, if he does anything to hurt her, I’ll be right there, and it’s me he’ll have to face. Besides, what I’ve seen of him so far, I like him.”
“Typical protective brother,” she teased.
“Absolutely, but it’s also a good thing,” he said. “He may have a line on some work for me.”
“Cybersecurity?”
He nodded. “Somebody who’s looking at setting up a security company needs a couple pros, one in the cybersecurity field,” he said. “I was thinking about setting up my own company, but I’m probably better off to start with somebody else first.”
“So does this guy have the money to bankroll this endeavor?”
“Don’t know. His name is Gunner,” he said with a frown. “I’m not exactly sure about the rest of it, but apparently he’s heavily involved in all kinds of things.”
“When will you meet him?”
“Well, we’ve been emailing back and forth already, and he knows that I’ve got a few more months in here yet, but I’m hopeful.”
“So—” and she abruptly stopped, looking embarrassed.
He looked at her, leaned across, and covered her hand with his. “So … what does that mean? Is there something you want to ask me?”
She sighed. “I guess I’m asking,” she said, “if you’ll be staying in town then.”
“Well, that was always the intention,” he said. He watched as a tiny smile kicked up at the corner of her mouth. He sat back. “I guess I never said that out loud, did I?”
She shook her head. “I have to admit that I was worried,” she confessed.
“Gunner’s out of Houston, but he wants to set up a Dallas office.” Keith glanced around at all the people seated around them. “You know what? It would be really nice if we could talk somewhere with some privacy for a change.”
“Well, tomorrow is Friday,” she said. “How would you feel about a picnic?”
He looked at her in delight.
“If you can walk out to the animals, that is.”
“I’ll make it,” he said. “Even if I have to bring the wheelchair,