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“Well, there’s a story behind that.”
“I figured there was.”
“Apparently, your cousin has been in love with me from afar for years.”
Dave’s jaw drops. “Say what?”
“Yeah, scared the shit out of me when I found out. Especially when I developed real feelings for her. She’s so young.”
“Same age as Maddie,” Dave says.
“I know. She’s so young, too.” I finally let go of my glass and signal to the waiter. “Can I get another?”
“Deux, s’il vous plaît,” Dave says. Then to me, “That’s about all the French I know.”
The waiter nods. Good thing everyone speaks English here.
“It’s more than I know,” I tell him.
“So you and Bree…” he nudges.
“I can’t explain it,” I say. “And I feel weird talking to you about it. Guys don’t talk about this kind of thing. At least I don’t.”
“Don’t I know it.” He exhales sharply through his nose. “But I’ll say one thing about Maddie and me—because you’re her brother.”
I lift my eyebrows.
“I didn’t intend for anything to happen with your sister. I thought we would enjoy each other’s company while we were here on the trip. She and I talked about it, and I thought we had an understanding.”
“Is there more coming, or do I have to kick your ass?”
He chuckles dryly. “You’ve already tried that, Pike. But yeah, there’s more coming.” He crumples his cocktail napkin in his fist. “That drop on the plane has me freaked out. Like I said. I’ve been complacent. You know, when your life is good for so long, and then chaos erupts.”
“That’s kind of the way of the world, Simpson.”
“Right, I get that.” He frowns. “But it’s never been the way of my world. I never had any worries. About the only bad thing that happened to us before we found out about our family’s past was when Aunt Ruby had breast cancer. But they caught it early, and she made a complete recovery. It was like the sun was always shining on us, you know?”
I can’t help gritting my teeth slightly. “Oh yeah. I know.”
“And now,” he continues, “Uncle Talon gets shot, this bitch Wendy Madigan shows up and wreaks havoc, and I find out she’s been running a human trafficking ring on our property. It’s like some kind of floodgate has opened and we’re all struggling to keep above water.”
“You guys still have it pretty good,” I say.
He casts his eyes to the floor. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten that. We weren’t raised to be spoiled brats, Jesse. We were raised to understand our good lot in life, to appreciate hard work and the value of a dollar. But when you never have to worry about anything, well…”
“You kind of forget all of that,” I finish for him.
“You knew where I was headed.”
The waiter comes with our drinks and sets them down.
“Merci beaucoup,” Dave says.
“Oui, messieurs.”
I take a sip of my brandy… Or is it cognac? Whatever it is, I take a sip.
“So,” Dave says, “I’m not sure I can continue this thing with your sister.”
