Thrill Me
Page 21
He would have thought he would be pissed at her, or disinterested. He was neither. Being around Maya was easy. She challenged him. They got along. The wanting might be a problem, but he was a big boy. He could keep himself under control.
“You were determined,” she said, drawing him back to the conversation. “I figured it was easier to let you do what you wanted and see what happened. Maybe you were naturally gifted.”
He laughed. “You’re saying I’m not?”
“I’m saying what I said before. It’s harder than it looks.”
She turned back to the screen and pulled up her footage. He watched her edit the few seconds of video. She then played as much of the clip as she had finished.
“Nice,” he told her when it was done. “Mayor Marsha is going to be happy.”
“I hope so.”
He glanced at Maya. “You okay?”
She stiffened, then relaxed. “Sure. Why?”
“I don’t know.” Something was off. He couldn’t figure out what, though. Women were mysterious that way. “You feeling all right?”
She smiled at him. “I’m completely fine. Now let me get back to work. Taking pictures is sometimes the easy part of the job.”
“Pretend I’m not here,” he said, leaning back in his chair and watching her do her thing.
She was good, he thought. Better than good.
For a second he debated telling her about his project. The one he wanted to be his next act, only he hadn’t been able to make it work. Looking at her raw footage, he knew that he’d been the problem. Could what he had be fixed?
He studied Maya’s profile, then looked at her rapidly manipulating the mouse. He had a feeling that if his project could be saved, she was the one to do it, then he shook his head. No, he told himself. He liked Maya. He respected her, but there was no way he was willing to trust her with something like that.
After a couple of minutes, she glanced at him. “Are you just going to sit there, staring, watching me work?”
“Pretty much.”
She smiled. “I don’t think so. I mean this in the nicest possible way, but get out.”
“Just like that?”
“Uh-huh.”
Del stood and stretched. “You’ll miss me when I’m gone.”
Something flashed in her eyes. An emotion that was gone so quickly, he wasn’t able to read it. Had she missed him? Before? When she’d ended things so abruptly? Had she regretted her decision to end their relationship?
Not that it mattered, he told himself. The past was firmly in the past. He didn’t believe in going home, all evidence to the contrary. Because he wasn’t back for more than his father’s birthday. Over the past ten years he’d learned a lot of things. And one of the most important was that he didn’t go back. Not ever.
* * *
AFTER MAYA KICKED him out, Del wandered around Fool’s Gold. Somehow he found himself heading for the Mitchell Adventure Tour offices. Despite the small size of the town, he hadn’t run into Aidan since he’d been back.
As he crossed the street, he wondered when Aidan had changed the name—adding the word adventure. And when their mother had left the business. Assuming she had. Del supposed his mom could be handling the behind-the-scenes stuff or the bookkeeping.
As he approached the brightly colored storefront, he saw his brother step onto the street. He was with a tall brunette in cutoffs and a tank top. The woman—pretty, tanned and obviously a tourist—gave Aidan a brief kiss on the mouth, then murmured something in his ear. She waved and walked away.
“Is that how it is?” Del said as he approached. “You’re preying on innocent tourists now?”
Aidan turned and saw him. Instead of responding with humor, his brother simply watched him get closer. When Del stopped in front of him, there was an awkward moment of silence. At least Del found it awkward.
“So, uh, how’s it going?” he asked.
“Good.”
Aidan was his height—just over six feet—with the same dark hair and eyes. Growing up a Mitchell brother had been pretty easy in this town. They were all dark-haired and dark-eyed. All five brothers were good-looking enough and athletic enough to fit in. Sports came easy, schoolwork hadn’t been that hard. Del and Aidan didn’t have Ceallach’s brilliance, but most days Del figured that was more of a blessing than a curse.
“Got time for a coffee?” Del asked his brother.
“Sure.”
Aidan turned and they started walking toward Brew-haha.
“Who was the girl?” Del asked.
“Santana.”
“That’s her name? Santana?”
“Uh-huh. She’s in town for a couple of weeks.”
Del grinned. “So you are dogging the tourists.”
“I offer a short-term good time. Guaranteed happy memories and no one gets hurt. What’s wrong with that?”
“Sort of a full-service vacation?”
Aidan’s mouth twitched. “Something like that.”
Del understood the appeal. There would always be someone new on the horizon, there was no commitment and when it was over, geography kept things from getting messy. Funny how it was exactly what Hyacinth had liked in a relationship. Because to be with the same person all the time would be boring, right?
Familiar anger knotted at the base of his spine and started to radiate outward. He breathed through the sensations. Hyacinth was the past. He was never going to have to deal with her again.
“You were determined,” she said, drawing him back to the conversation. “I figured it was easier to let you do what you wanted and see what happened. Maybe you were naturally gifted.”
He laughed. “You’re saying I’m not?”
“I’m saying what I said before. It’s harder than it looks.”
She turned back to the screen and pulled up her footage. He watched her edit the few seconds of video. She then played as much of the clip as she had finished.
“Nice,” he told her when it was done. “Mayor Marsha is going to be happy.”
“I hope so.”
He glanced at Maya. “You okay?”
She stiffened, then relaxed. “Sure. Why?”
“I don’t know.” Something was off. He couldn’t figure out what, though. Women were mysterious that way. “You feeling all right?”
She smiled at him. “I’m completely fine. Now let me get back to work. Taking pictures is sometimes the easy part of the job.”
“Pretend I’m not here,” he said, leaning back in his chair and watching her do her thing.
She was good, he thought. Better than good.
For a second he debated telling her about his project. The one he wanted to be his next act, only he hadn’t been able to make it work. Looking at her raw footage, he knew that he’d been the problem. Could what he had be fixed?
He studied Maya’s profile, then looked at her rapidly manipulating the mouse. He had a feeling that if his project could be saved, she was the one to do it, then he shook his head. No, he told himself. He liked Maya. He respected her, but there was no way he was willing to trust her with something like that.
After a couple of minutes, she glanced at him. “Are you just going to sit there, staring, watching me work?”
“Pretty much.”
She smiled. “I don’t think so. I mean this in the nicest possible way, but get out.”
“Just like that?”
“Uh-huh.”
Del stood and stretched. “You’ll miss me when I’m gone.”
Something flashed in her eyes. An emotion that was gone so quickly, he wasn’t able to read it. Had she missed him? Before? When she’d ended things so abruptly? Had she regretted her decision to end their relationship?
Not that it mattered, he told himself. The past was firmly in the past. He didn’t believe in going home, all evidence to the contrary. Because he wasn’t back for more than his father’s birthday. Over the past ten years he’d learned a lot of things. And one of the most important was that he didn’t go back. Not ever.
* * *
AFTER MAYA KICKED him out, Del wandered around Fool’s Gold. Somehow he found himself heading for the Mitchell Adventure Tour offices. Despite the small size of the town, he hadn’t run into Aidan since he’d been back.
As he crossed the street, he wondered when Aidan had changed the name—adding the word adventure. And when their mother had left the business. Assuming she had. Del supposed his mom could be handling the behind-the-scenes stuff or the bookkeeping.
As he approached the brightly colored storefront, he saw his brother step onto the street. He was with a tall brunette in cutoffs and a tank top. The woman—pretty, tanned and obviously a tourist—gave Aidan a brief kiss on the mouth, then murmured something in his ear. She waved and walked away.
“Is that how it is?” Del said as he approached. “You’re preying on innocent tourists now?”
Aidan turned and saw him. Instead of responding with humor, his brother simply watched him get closer. When Del stopped in front of him, there was an awkward moment of silence. At least Del found it awkward.
“So, uh, how’s it going?” he asked.
“Good.”
Aidan was his height—just over six feet—with the same dark hair and eyes. Growing up a Mitchell brother had been pretty easy in this town. They were all dark-haired and dark-eyed. All five brothers were good-looking enough and athletic enough to fit in. Sports came easy, schoolwork hadn’t been that hard. Del and Aidan didn’t have Ceallach’s brilliance, but most days Del figured that was more of a blessing than a curse.
“Got time for a coffee?” Del asked his brother.
“Sure.”
Aidan turned and they started walking toward Brew-haha.
“Who was the girl?” Del asked.
“Santana.”
“That’s her name? Santana?”
“Uh-huh. She’s in town for a couple of weeks.”
Del grinned. “So you are dogging the tourists.”
“I offer a short-term good time. Guaranteed happy memories and no one gets hurt. What’s wrong with that?”
“Sort of a full-service vacation?”
Aidan’s mouth twitched. “Something like that.”
Del understood the appeal. There would always be someone new on the horizon, there was no commitment and when it was over, geography kept things from getting messy. Funny how it was exactly what Hyacinth had liked in a relationship. Because to be with the same person all the time would be boring, right?
Familiar anger knotted at the base of his spine and started to radiate outward. He breathed through the sensations. Hyacinth was the past. He was never going to have to deal with her again.
