Dylan likes having me around. But he also likes having the last word. That’s how it is having a twin brother.
And I can’t say I mind.
Not much, anyway.
It’s a Thursday night in September, and we’re finishing up the Chinese food we all ordered together. I dump the last bit of fried rice onto my brother’s plate. “You know you want this.” Dylan is a bottomless pit, and always has been.
“Thanks. I totally do.”
I carry my plate over to the sink and rinse it. Rickie joins me there. He places a hand lightly on my back. “I ran into Karim in the library. He wants a karaoke rematch. Can you swing it next Wednesday night?”
“Um, no,” I say. “There’s something I need to do. Actually…” I drop my voice to a whisper. “I have a favor to ask. Can I talk to you privately?”
“Any time, baby girl.” He takes the plate out of my hand and puts it into the dishwasher. “Why don’t you step into my office? We can do some filing.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me.
Dylan, with a mouthful of fried rice, makes a disgusted sound. “Stop it with the creepy euphemisms.”
Rickie snickers and leads me into his room, where I close the door. “Do you really need a favor?” he asks.
“Yes.” I sit on the bed.
“A sexual favor?” He climbs behind me and starts rubbing my shoulders.
“No, but you can keep doing that anyway.”
Soft lips kiss my neck. “What can I do for you?”
“Can I drive the Volvo to Connecticut next week? I’d borrow Dylan’s truck, but I don’t want to explain where I’m headed.”
Rickie’s hands go still on my shoulders. “Where are you headed?”
“Harkness. Remember that invitation I showed you? The reception is on Wednesday. I plan to drive down, stay for less than an hour, and drive back.”
He doesn’t say anything for a moment. He goes back to massaging my shoulders. “Are you just going to schmooze?”
“No.” I shake my head. “I’m going to slip into the office and get the postal account password out of that file folder.”
“Daphne, baby. What if you didn’t?”
“What if I didn’t what?” I demand.
“Didn’t get it. Don’t take that chance,” he says, dropping his hands. “Is it worth it?”
“Yes,” I say immediately. Then I spin around so I can see his solemn face. And there’s a dark look in his eye that makes no sense to me. “I need to fix what he did.”
Rickie sits back, propping himself up on muscular arms, frowning. “You didn’t make that mess, Daphne. It isn’t yours to clean up.”
“But it’s science,” I insist. “It matters.”
“So write a letter telling the dean where to find this information.”
“No way. If I strike out at him, it has to be ironclad. I need to see the evidence first. Otherwise he’ll bury me.”
He pinches the bridge of his nose. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“No. I can’t,” I insist.
Besides—he’s wrong. I did make this mess. I was in charge of this data. And if I hadn’t slept with Reardon, I would have been able to ring the alarm the moment I saw something was wrong. I wouldn’t have let him blackmail me.
I’m such an idiot. But if I can fix this problem, I won’t have to feel like one anymore.
“Okay,” Rickie says.
My heart lifts. “I can use the car?”
“I’ll drive you down there,” he says. “You let me go with you.”
“Oh my God. You don’t trust me with your car?”
His gray eyes widen. “Baby, I trust you with my car, and I trust you with my life. But I don’t trust the violent fuckface you had the misfortune to date before me. So if you want my wheels, you take me as your plus one.”
“Oh.” My heart practically explodes. “Well okay, then. This thing is Wednesday night. It’s a four-hour drive.”
“I’ll make time, Shipley,” he says, laying a hand on my knee. “I don’t want you to go alone. We’re a team, okay?”
“Okay,” I say softly, because I really like the sound of that. “Okay.”
Thirty-Eight
Rickie
That night I lie awake for the first time in a long while. I can’t sleep.
Daphne is curled up in my bed, breathing deeply. Her presence is not the reason for my troubles. It’s just the opposite.
The truth is that I'd forgotten about Daphne's big plan. I’d been too busy enjoying my new life with her to think about it. I’d been too busy cooking meals with her in the kitchen and snuggling in front of the TV. Too