hook up. We had a very brief conversation and then I walked her home so that she wouldn’t be on the streets by herself.”
“So is anything going on between you and her?” Esteban poured him a glass of iced tea along with his own. “Are you going to try to get back with her again?”
Nando shook his head. “No chance of that. She wouldn’t want me even if I tried. The best we can probably do is to be civil to each other. Beyond that, it’s mostly a lost cause.”
Esteban shrugged. “You could always apologize.”
“No I couldn’t.” Nando’s jaw clenched tight. “I tried that before and it didn’t work. And after a year, there’s not much chance she’d be interested. Best to just let it go.”
His brother leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. “Lizzie Farraday.”
Nando closed his eyes briefly. “Let it go.”
“What did you see in her anyway?”
“Nothing.” He sighed. “I didn’t see anything in her, and she didn’t see anything in me. It was just one of those stupid things.”
“She never struck me as much competition for Kit,” Esteban mused.
“She wasn’t. Not one of my smarter moves.”
“Got that right. Did you ever…”
Nando gritted his teeth. “What part of ‘Let it go’ do you not understand?”
Esteban glanced at him, smiling faintly. “That bad, huh?”
Nando rubbed a hand across his face. “Oh yeah. Definitely that bad. Nothing like having your worst mistake waved in front of your face every day.”
Esteban took a swallow of his tea. “So tell me what happened. Everybody in town’s gonna be talking about it soon enough. Might as well let me know too.”
“You mean what happened tonight or what happened then?”
His brother shrugged. “Then.”
Nando closed his eyes. Might as well get it over with. “We had a fight. A big one. Epic. Kit told me to get the hell out and then she walked out too. I went down to the Dew Drop and ran into Lizzie Farraday. That’s it. Unless you want the lurid details of us doing the nasty in the backseat.”
Esteban frowned. “Whatever happened to Lizzie Farraday?”
“Damned if I know. She took off a few weeks later. Didn’t bother to say goodbye. Not that I wanted her to. We didn’t have anything much to do with each other after that night.”
Esteban grimaced. “Nice story.”
“No it’s not. But that’s what happened.”
“You want a beer? There’s some Shiner in the fridge.”
Nando shook his head. “Not tonight. I’m tired. I’m turning in.” He pushed himself up from the table and started down the hall. So what if it was only nine-thirty? If it was a choice between sleep and alcohol, at least this evening he’d be smarter than he’d been the night before.
Behind him he heard the pad of feet. Guinevere stared up at him when he turned back. “Beat it,” he muttered. “I don’t need company.”
The cat stayed where she was, studying him with burning golden eyes. Bite me, tough guy.
After a moment, he sighed, pushing open his bedroom door. He wasn’t even particularly surprised when Guinevere jumped onto the foot of his bed and stretched herself out full length.
Just another female getting her own way at his expense. Seemed to be the way his luck was running these days.
Chapter Five
Nando wasn’t altogether surprised when he dreamed about Kit that night. It wasn’t the first time it had happened. It wasn’t even a new dream—just the one where he saw her looking the way she had the first time they’d made love. Like a ribbon of gold against the white sheets, dark eyes made darker by desire, lips parted slightly to show a glimpse of white teeth, nipples rosy against the golden cream of her breasts. The dream didn’t last long, but it was enough to make him wake up aching and sweaty.
Sweet Jesus, is this going to happen every time I see her? If it did, he’d have to come up with some counter measures, like getting a mental image of his eighth-grade math teacher, a dead ringer for
“So is anything going on between you and her?” Esteban poured him a glass of iced tea along with his own. “Are you going to try to get back with her again?”
Nando shook his head. “No chance of that. She wouldn’t want me even if I tried. The best we can probably do is to be civil to each other. Beyond that, it’s mostly a lost cause.”
Esteban shrugged. “You could always apologize.”
“No I couldn’t.” Nando’s jaw clenched tight. “I tried that before and it didn’t work. And after a year, there’s not much chance she’d be interested. Best to just let it go.”
His brother leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. “Lizzie Farraday.”
Nando closed his eyes briefly. “Let it go.”
“What did you see in her anyway?”
“Nothing.” He sighed. “I didn’t see anything in her, and she didn’t see anything in me. It was just one of those stupid things.”
“She never struck me as much competition for Kit,” Esteban mused.
“She wasn’t. Not one of my smarter moves.”
“Got that right. Did you ever…”
Nando gritted his teeth. “What part of ‘Let it go’ do you not understand?”
Esteban glanced at him, smiling faintly. “That bad, huh?”
Nando rubbed a hand across his face. “Oh yeah. Definitely that bad. Nothing like having your worst mistake waved in front of your face every day.”
Esteban took a swallow of his tea. “So tell me what happened. Everybody in town’s gonna be talking about it soon enough. Might as well let me know too.”
“You mean what happened tonight or what happened then?”
His brother shrugged. “Then.”
Nando closed his eyes. Might as well get it over with. “We had a fight. A big one. Epic. Kit told me to get the hell out and then she walked out too. I went down to the Dew Drop and ran into Lizzie Farraday. That’s it. Unless you want the lurid details of us doing the nasty in the backseat.”
Esteban frowned. “Whatever happened to Lizzie Farraday?”
“Damned if I know. She took off a few weeks later. Didn’t bother to say goodbye. Not that I wanted her to. We didn’t have anything much to do with each other after that night.”
Esteban grimaced. “Nice story.”
“No it’s not. But that’s what happened.”
“You want a beer? There’s some Shiner in the fridge.”
Nando shook his head. “Not tonight. I’m tired. I’m turning in.” He pushed himself up from the table and started down the hall. So what if it was only nine-thirty? If it was a choice between sleep and alcohol, at least this evening he’d be smarter than he’d been the night before.
Behind him he heard the pad of feet. Guinevere stared up at him when he turned back. “Beat it,” he muttered. “I don’t need company.”
The cat stayed where she was, studying him with burning golden eyes. Bite me, tough guy.
After a moment, he sighed, pushing open his bedroom door. He wasn’t even particularly surprised when Guinevere jumped onto the foot of his bed and stretched herself out full length.
Just another female getting her own way at his expense. Seemed to be the way his luck was running these days.
Chapter Five
Nando wasn’t altogether surprised when he dreamed about Kit that night. It wasn’t the first time it had happened. It wasn’t even a new dream—just the one where he saw her looking the way she had the first time they’d made love. Like a ribbon of gold against the white sheets, dark eyes made darker by desire, lips parted slightly to show a glimpse of white teeth, nipples rosy against the golden cream of her breasts. The dream didn’t last long, but it was enough to make him wake up aching and sweaty.
Sweet Jesus, is this going to happen every time I see her? If it did, he’d have to come up with some counter measures, like getting a mental image of his eighth-grade math teacher, a dead ringer for
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