Key of Knowledge
Page 66
“Sit down, Jordan. I’ll get you some coffee.”
Flynn studied his friend’s face. “What’s the deal? You and Dana have a fight?”
“No, no fight. She just told me to go.”
“Go where?”
“Flynn.” Malory set a mug of coffee in front of Jordan and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Can you possibly be that dense?”
“Well, Jesus, give me a minute to catch up. If you weren’t fighting, why did she kick you out?”
“Because she didn’t want me there.”
“So you just left?” Flynn tossed out. “Without finding out what pissed her off?”
“She wasn’t mad. If she’d been mad I could’ve handled her. Handled it. She just looked . . . tired, and sad. And finished.” He rubbed his hands over his face. So it wasn’t going to be anger after all, he realized. It was just pain.
“Whatever she felt, Jordan, whatever’s behind it, you have to find out.” Malory gave his shoulder a quick shake. “Doesn’t she mean anything to you?”
He shot her a look storming with emotions, and with a sigh she moved in to wrap her arms around him. “All right, then,” she murmured. “All right.”
“She means enough,” he managed, “that I’m not going to put that look on her face again. She wants me gone, I’ll go.”
“Men are such morons. Haven’t you considered that she wants you gone only because she already expects you to go?”
ZOE met Malory at the front door, then nudged her back out. “I’ve been watching for you. Dana’s in there, painting your side. Something’s wrong. I can see it. But she won’t talk about it.”
“She broke up with Jordan.”
“Oh. If they’ve had a fight—”
“No, it’s something else, and nothing as simple as an argument. I’m going to see what I can do.”
“Good luck.” Zoe went back in.
“What’s that noise, anyway?”
“Just one more complication. Bradley’s over in Dana’s section with an electric floor sander. He won’t let me use it. Yes, it was very nice of him to lend it to us,” she continued when Malory lifted her eyebrows. “But I’m perfectly capable of sanding the floors. With him here, it’s that much harder to get Dana to open up.”
“Keep him busy, I’ll deal with Dana.”
“I don’t want to keep him busy. The last time I was alone with him for ten minutes, he put the moves on me.”
“Which moves?”
Zoe glanced over her shoulder toward the sound of the sander. “The night we were at his place, after everyone else left. I was having a simple conversation with him, then he kissed me.”
“He kissed you? That perverted maniac! Get the rope.”
“Oh, ha, ha.”
“Okay, did you have to fight him off? Was it a scarring experience?”
“No, but . . .” She lowered her voice, though she could have shouted and not been overheard. “He really kissed me, and my head went wonky for a minute, so I kissed him back. I’ve got entirely too much on my plate for fun and games right now. Besides, he makes me nervous.”
“Yeah, great-looking guys who take time out of their day to sand floors for me always make me nervous. Listen, I’ve got to talk to Dana. When I’ve taken care of her, I’ll run over and, if necessary, save you from Brad’s nefarious clutches. Unless, of course, you don’t think you can handle yourself.”
“Okay, that was low. Very low.”
“Just make sure he doesn’t wander over while I’m talking to Dana. Scoot.” She waved Zoe away, then headed in the opposite direction.
Her first thought was: Oh! Her walls were coming to life with that pale, delicate burnt gold she’d chosen. It was right, just so right. Already she could see what a perfect backdrop it would make for art.
Her second thought was how set and blank Dana’s face was as she worked.
And that was wrong, just so wrong.
“It looks wonderful.”
Obviously jolted out of long thoughts, Dana turned her head. “Yeah. You’ve got a knack for bull’s-eyeing color. I figured this would look bland, even a little dingy. Instead it has this nice, quiet glow.”
“You don’t. You don’t have any glow at all today.”
Dana shrugged, and continued to work. “Can’t be Mary Sunshine all the time.”
“I saw Jordan this morning. He wasn’t glowing either. In fact,” she continued as she walked to Dana, “he looked devastated.”
“He’ll get over it.”
“Do you really think that, or do you need to think it because it gets you off the hook?”
“I’m not on any hook.” She stared hard at the wall as she painted. Gold over white, gold over white. “I did what was right for me. It’s none of your business, Malory.”
“Yes, it is. I love you. I love Flynn, and he loves you.”
“We’re just one big, gooey family.”
“You can be angry with me if you want, if it helps. But you have to know I’m on your side. Whatever happens, I’m on your side.”
“Then you should understand why I broke things off and you should support my decision.”
“I would, if I thought it was what you really wanted.” Malory rubbed a hand over Dana’s back. “If it made you happy.”
“I’m not looking for happy yet.” Her friend’s comforting stroke made her want to sit down on the floor and wail. “I’ll settle for a little stretch of smooth road.”
“Tell me what happened between yesterday and today.”
“I remembered—with a little help from Kane.”
“I knew it.” As she snapped it out, Malory’s face went bright with anger. “I knew he was behind this.”
“Hold on. He took me on a trip down memory lane. That makes him a son of a bitch, but it doesn’t change the facts.” God, she was tired. She just wanted to be left alone to paint the walls. Paint away the ache and fatigue. “He didn’t change what happened or make it worse. He didn’t have to. I just knew that after seeing it again, feeling it again, I was making a mistake.”
“Why is it a mistake to love a decent man?”
Flynn studied his friend’s face. “What’s the deal? You and Dana have a fight?”
“No, no fight. She just told me to go.”
“Go where?”
“Flynn.” Malory set a mug of coffee in front of Jordan and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Can you possibly be that dense?”
“Well, Jesus, give me a minute to catch up. If you weren’t fighting, why did she kick you out?”
“Because she didn’t want me there.”
“So you just left?” Flynn tossed out. “Without finding out what pissed her off?”
“She wasn’t mad. If she’d been mad I could’ve handled her. Handled it. She just looked . . . tired, and sad. And finished.” He rubbed his hands over his face. So it wasn’t going to be anger after all, he realized. It was just pain.
“Whatever she felt, Jordan, whatever’s behind it, you have to find out.” Malory gave his shoulder a quick shake. “Doesn’t she mean anything to you?”
He shot her a look storming with emotions, and with a sigh she moved in to wrap her arms around him. “All right, then,” she murmured. “All right.”
“She means enough,” he managed, “that I’m not going to put that look on her face again. She wants me gone, I’ll go.”
“Men are such morons. Haven’t you considered that she wants you gone only because she already expects you to go?”
ZOE met Malory at the front door, then nudged her back out. “I’ve been watching for you. Dana’s in there, painting your side. Something’s wrong. I can see it. But she won’t talk about it.”
“She broke up with Jordan.”
“Oh. If they’ve had a fight—”
“No, it’s something else, and nothing as simple as an argument. I’m going to see what I can do.”
“Good luck.” Zoe went back in.
“What’s that noise, anyway?”
“Just one more complication. Bradley’s over in Dana’s section with an electric floor sander. He won’t let me use it. Yes, it was very nice of him to lend it to us,” she continued when Malory lifted her eyebrows. “But I’m perfectly capable of sanding the floors. With him here, it’s that much harder to get Dana to open up.”
“Keep him busy, I’ll deal with Dana.”
“I don’t want to keep him busy. The last time I was alone with him for ten minutes, he put the moves on me.”
“Which moves?”
Zoe glanced over her shoulder toward the sound of the sander. “The night we were at his place, after everyone else left. I was having a simple conversation with him, then he kissed me.”
“He kissed you? That perverted maniac! Get the rope.”
“Oh, ha, ha.”
“Okay, did you have to fight him off? Was it a scarring experience?”
“No, but . . .” She lowered her voice, though she could have shouted and not been overheard. “He really kissed me, and my head went wonky for a minute, so I kissed him back. I’ve got entirely too much on my plate for fun and games right now. Besides, he makes me nervous.”
“Yeah, great-looking guys who take time out of their day to sand floors for me always make me nervous. Listen, I’ve got to talk to Dana. When I’ve taken care of her, I’ll run over and, if necessary, save you from Brad’s nefarious clutches. Unless, of course, you don’t think you can handle yourself.”
“Okay, that was low. Very low.”
“Just make sure he doesn’t wander over while I’m talking to Dana. Scoot.” She waved Zoe away, then headed in the opposite direction.
Her first thought was: Oh! Her walls were coming to life with that pale, delicate burnt gold she’d chosen. It was right, just so right. Already she could see what a perfect backdrop it would make for art.
Her second thought was how set and blank Dana’s face was as she worked.
And that was wrong, just so wrong.
“It looks wonderful.”
Obviously jolted out of long thoughts, Dana turned her head. “Yeah. You’ve got a knack for bull’s-eyeing color. I figured this would look bland, even a little dingy. Instead it has this nice, quiet glow.”
“You don’t. You don’t have any glow at all today.”
Dana shrugged, and continued to work. “Can’t be Mary Sunshine all the time.”
“I saw Jordan this morning. He wasn’t glowing either. In fact,” she continued as she walked to Dana, “he looked devastated.”
“He’ll get over it.”
“Do you really think that, or do you need to think it because it gets you off the hook?”
“I’m not on any hook.” She stared hard at the wall as she painted. Gold over white, gold over white. “I did what was right for me. It’s none of your business, Malory.”
“Yes, it is. I love you. I love Flynn, and he loves you.”
“We’re just one big, gooey family.”
“You can be angry with me if you want, if it helps. But you have to know I’m on your side. Whatever happens, I’m on your side.”
“Then you should understand why I broke things off and you should support my decision.”
“I would, if I thought it was what you really wanted.” Malory rubbed a hand over Dana’s back. “If it made you happy.”
“I’m not looking for happy yet.” Her friend’s comforting stroke made her want to sit down on the floor and wail. “I’ll settle for a little stretch of smooth road.”
“Tell me what happened between yesterday and today.”
“I remembered—with a little help from Kane.”
“I knew it.” As she snapped it out, Malory’s face went bright with anger. “I knew he was behind this.”
“Hold on. He took me on a trip down memory lane. That makes him a son of a bitch, but it doesn’t change the facts.” God, she was tired. She just wanted to be left alone to paint the walls. Paint away the ache and fatigue. “He didn’t change what happened or make it worse. He didn’t have to. I just knew that after seeing it again, feeling it again, I was making a mistake.”
“Why is it a mistake to love a decent man?”
