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“Sorry?”
Hiro sighed, then suddenly realized where Dylan’s thoughts must be. “The Gala’s tonight.” A muscle flexed in Dylan’s cheek. “Do you think she’s done treasure hunting?”
“Never,” Dylan said. “It’s in her blood.”
For a moment, Hiro didn’t say anything. He could tell Dylan didn’t really want to talk about Hollis, but Hiro was smart enough to know that at some point, something had gone down between his boss and the gorgeous redhead. Hell, every time she saw Dylan, her eyes narrowed to slits and if the phrase “if looks could kill” were a reality then Dylan would be dead a thousand times over. “She’s going to need a new partner,” Hiro said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
“Probably.”
“Maybe you and she could-”
“No. I screwed that up years ago.” Dylan looked down at Fisher who whined softly in agreement. Hollis Quinn hated his guts to the point that they couldn’t even have a civil encounter. Ever since that night on the salvage ship when she and her Dad found him and Tony pillaging the gold, she’d made it a point to let him know where he stood in her eyes.
That he was the lowest of the low.
And, who the hell could blame her? He knew he was a fuck-up, had learned it from the best-- his old man.
And, even though Dylan had his shit together now, for the most part, anyway, he knew Hollis was off-limits. Despite her barbed comments, he couldn’t deny the lingering attraction he’d felt over the years. Something about her. She was like an itch he couldn’t scratch.
Sure, she was totally gorgeous. But, it was more than that. He loved her dedication to treasure hunting and the relationship she had with her Dad should’ve made him jealous. But, it didn’t. He thought it was the coolest thing in the world. They had been so close.
Dylan would’ve loved to have had something similar with his father. But, the only thing they ever bonded over when his Dad came around was jazz music.At least the old man had been good for something,Dylan thought.
Dylan’s father had never understood his need to hunt for long-lost treasures. He had constantly reminded him it was a waste of time and energy every time they saw each other. And, the chances of ever actually finding something? Well, that was ridiculous. A million to one shot.
But, he did pay for some piano lessons when Dylan was younger and, other than treasure-hunting, tickling the ivories was Dylan’s other love.
Nora Ford, the best of the best, finally passed away a year ago. But, his useless old man was still out there somewhere, probably healthy and happy, though he smoked like a chimney and drank like a fish. Dylan hadn’t heard from him in over a year and he certainly wasn’t at Nora’s funeral.
But, what did he care? Frank Ford was a useless piece of shit.
Chaz Quinn, on the other hand, had treated Dylan like a long-lost, prodigal son.
Dylan had no idea why the man had taken pity on him, but Chaz had spotted him one day selling bait in the hot sun when he was 16, trying to help earn some money to help his Mom pay the bills. They talked for almost an hour and Chaz learned how much Dylan loved diving.
Though he didn’t have the money to buy his own equipment, Dylan borrowed or rented it and even fashioned some homemade gear himself to improve upon it. Chaz recognized how damn smart the kid was and took him under his wing a bit.
From that moment on, Chaz reached out to Dylan every so often to check in on him. He even invited him on some of his diving trips. That’s when Dylan first saw Hollis. She was a couple of years younger than he was and didn’t appreciate him taking up her father’s time.
And, she didn’t hesitate letting him know. Hollis had a feistiness that could bite if you pissed her off. And, for some reason, Dylan could bring her prickliness out like no one else.
She hated him. No doubt about it.
“Still, you should talk to her at the Gala,” Hiro pressed.
“I wasn’t invited.”
Hiro turned and walked over to a table and grabbed an envelope. He held it up, then offered it to Dylan. “I called in a favor.”
Dylan’s gaze moved from his laced fingers to the Gala invitation in Hiro’s hand. “Why?” he asked, a frown wrinkling his forehead.
Hiro shrugged. “Look, I don’t know what happened between you and Hollis, but I do know that you always had this weird respect for her Dad. You should be there.”
Dylan accepted the card with a slow nod. “Thanks, Hiro.” It would feel good to be there and honor Chaz Quinn’s life. He had been such an influence on Dylan that missing it wouldn’t have felt right. Truthfully, it would have kept him up at night.
It’s just too bad he was going to have to see Hollis and deal with her barbed words and narrowed looks. He planned to avoid her, just blend into the crowd, and hopefully be out of there before she even realized he’d been there in the first place.
∞∞∞
