Chapter 16

© Copyright 2006 by Elizabeth Delayne



Jason could feel the tension when he walked into his own home. For the first time in a long time, it wasn’t centered around him.

He glanced at Gabriel who sat alone in the living room.

Festering, he thought. Staring at a blank television screen.

When there were dozens of sports channels coming through satellite.

“Ah—“ Jason set the papers he’d brought in with him down on the counter, walked in to the living room and watched as his friend scowled at him. “Did I miss something?”

“No,” Gabriel pushed to his feet. “I should be going.”

“Something going on with you and Nicole I should know about?”

“Nothing’s going on,” Gabriel muttered. “She’s just has a problem with the town chief of police. For whatever reason.”

“And you’re going to leave?” Jason asked as Gabriel put his keys and wallet back into his pockets.

“It’s your home.”

“Yeah, and from the feeling I get here, you’re going to leave me alone with a tense female.”

“She’s your sister.”

And obviously, from Gabriel’s stance, his problem. “You going to explain things to me?”

Gabriel glanced back and seemed to shake what ever it was, off. He smiled as he reached for the door. And he was back to being Gabriel Flynn, the down home southern—transplanted New Jersey—cop.

“Nope.”

As Gabriel’s car started up outside, Jason heard footsteps on the stairs.

“Is he gone?” Nicole asked.

“Barely. You want to tell me what that was all about?”

She rolled her eyes. “He’s your friend.”

“You’re my sister.”

“Did you know he investigated me when he was in New York?”

“Ah—“ Jason frowned over it. “I know he pulled a lot of strings, handled a lot of the legal work.”

“He questioned my roommates.”

“Nicole—he said he talked to them. I don’t think he brought in the bright shiny light and cornered them in a small room. They were just there when he grabbed your stuff.”

“So he says.”

“So he said,” Jason suddenly thought about how much he’d missed out on being around as a brother, especially coming from the old neighborhood. Fighting seemed to come as natural as breathing.

Though they weren’t exactly fighting yet. But he could feel it revving in his blood.

“Gabriel did us both a big favor by going to New York.”

“Maybe. And maybe he hoped he could uncover some more dirt on me. He doesn’t trust me. Not here, not with you. He played this big game, trying to get me to talk to him. Makes this huge deal about how he wants to listen and how he wants to help me,” Nicole flopped down on the sofa and stared miserably across the room. “But it was all to get me to open up and talk. Without the closed in room and bright light. But you don’t need one when you’re playing someone for a fool.”

Jason sighed. He felt the beginning of a headache just above his right eye. He ran his hands over his face. It was better, he thought, then using them on her.

“Nicole, why would he go to the trouble?”

“Because he thinks its his job. Because he’s a cop. Open up, bare your soul,” she waved a hand. “But–ha-ha. Don’t get close.” She waved both her hands in frustration. “Don’t open up from both ways. I’m not here for you. Just like TV. Just trying to get a little more information, mam.”

“Sounds like Gabriel,” Jason pointed out.

“I guess you would know.”

“I would know. Whatever he says, from the day Gabriel and I crossed over from strangers into friendship he’s been after me to find you.”

“He doesn’t like me.”

“Why not?”

“Haven’t you heard a word I’ve said?”

“Have you said anything practical? If you’re looking for Gabriel to open up. He’s not going to.”

“But he expects it from me.”

“He wants it from you. He wants it from everyone.”

“And you just give it to him, without trust?”

Jason sat down beside her. “You can trust Gabriel. He’ll give his life if it could help you. What he holds back, he hasn’t even shared with me. And I was around at the time.”

Nicole leaned back and stared at him, suddenly concerned ... or maybe just interested. Maybe a little of both. “What happened?”

“He did his job. And paid a big price.”

Nicole seemed to accept the answer. Why this one, he wondered, and not the numerous others they’d thrown out.

She stared at him, then smiled. “Did we just have out first brother sister fight?”

“Was it a fight?”

“You were yelling.”

He laughed–appalled. “I wasn’t yelling.”

“Yes you were,” Nicole laughed—and though he wanted to doubt that he had been yelling, he was intrigued by the delight in her laugh. He hadn’t seen this side of Nicole. Not in a long time.

Maybe not ever.

When she threw her arms around him in a joyful embrace, his heart opened wide. Maybe the happiness was catching. He was sure he hadn’t felt like this either.

Not in a long time.

* * *

That night, after dinner, Jason took a walk outside with Trisha, their intertwined hands swinging between them. What good, after all, was living in the country, if you couldn’t enjoy it? Nicole was inside looking into the information he’d brought back that afternoon. There was an agent in their livingroom and another on the lane.

Jason ignored them—or tried to. As far as he was concerned their job was to be invisible, so that’s what they were going to be to him.

Invisible.

And he was going to enjoy his walk. After all, it wasn’t his fault that they were here when things were finally openning up ... or falling into place ... or whatever.

“Dinner was nice,” Trisha said after awhile. “Today must have been a good day. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you two seem so close.”

“We had our first real brother-sister fight. As adults.”

“And that’s good?”

“It wasn’t ugly. It was probably healthy. We’re Italian.”

“I wouldn’t know. I was an only child.”

He shook his head as he looked at her blond hair. “And not Italian.”

“Not anything in particular.”

“I wouldn’t say that. You’re beautiful. Definitely beautiful.”

Trisha smiled and squeezed his hand. “You’re getting better at this.”

“I have had a long time to practice.”

“Who were you practicing with?”

“Myself. What do you think I do in my office all day?”

“Play on the computer.”

“That too.”

“So your meeting with Judy—it went good?”

“No.” He hadn’t been able to talk about it over dinner, so he told Trisha about the meetings he’d had. His day spent explaining, praying, waiting, watching and dealing with disappointment.

“I thought I had a chance with Judy.”

“She referred you to the high school. That’s something.”

Though the principal had only said that he would get back to him. Nothing positive, not even a whole lot of speculation.

For a moment, sitting across the desk with all the plaques on the wall—having to explain himself—Jason had felt like he was in high school all over again.

Even small town principals had their ways, he thought.

“At least I didn’t tell Nicole.”

They walked along in the quiet night, with the crickets, locusts and frogs humming along. The sounds had puzzled Nicole at first, which made him smile. His first few evenings out in the country, he’d just sat outside and listened. It was what he’d wanted. Part of what he’d come south for. The quiet. The night.

He stopped in the grass and just looked up at the stars. He had never known there were so many before moving down here. He slid his arm around Trisha and she seemed to settle in.

“I don’t think we’ve ever done this before,” she said softly.

“Stood in the dark?”

“Took an unplanned, unhurried walk after dinner,” she corrected blandly. “To stand in the dark.”

He chuckled and thought about his life before Nicole came into it. He’d been busy, focused. Oddly enough, he seemed to have more time ... though not enough. But time for important things.

“You certainly have changed,” she said.

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Not at all.”

He turned to face her. For a long time he just looked down at her, the moonlight in her eyes. Her hair, a blond and brown mixture, some would have called dirty blond, framed her face. It highlighted her eyes. Her cheekbones were narrow, her nose rounded.

“I don’t know if the time’s right for us,” he said at last. “I know you want to eventually finish your degree and do something besides work at the diner and hold a part time job. I know you still feel like your dad needs you. But I can’t get it out of my mind that you’re right for me. That this is right.”

She swallowed. “Jason ...”

He liked that she seemed speechless. That he’d made her that way. In a good way.

He couldn’t count the number of times he’d made her angry. That he’d intentionally put a division between them to push her away.

“I know my family is taking priority right now. I know that life is crazy. Crazier then I wanted it to ever get again. But it occurred to me—finally. You’re part of my family.”

“Jason, I—“

”I know its crazy.” This time he interrupted her—desperate for her to understand. Before she pushed him away. Before he heard her excuses all over again. “I know it’s asking a lot. But step into the madness with me and share my life.”

“Jason,” she said slowly, looking up and searching his eyes, “I lost my mom when it seemed I needed her most. I even lost a part of my dad because it died with her. Why would I deny you your family?”

“Then?”

She wrapped her arms around him and looked up at him. “Let me be part of it. We’ll worry about the rest on an as needed basis.”

Jason lowered his head and claimed her lips in a kiss that was sweet and careful. It drew something from him, out of him, that he’d never shared with a girl before.

Tenderness.

“I love you,” he murmured as he pressed his cheek against hers and closed his eyes. “Its been a long time since I loved a woman. Since my own mama died.”

He leaned back and reached into his pocket. He pulled out Trisha’s ring and held it up in the moonlight. The gold sparkled and the red ruby glowed.

“I’ve had this for nearly two years,” he murmured as he studied the way the diamonds, that surrounded the ruby, twinkled. “I had it made for you ... it matches the neckless. My mama’s neckless. I had intended to give it to you. And maybe that’s why I could never completely give my heart to you before. The neckless, though my mama left it to me, really belongs to Nicole.”

“I couldn’t take it anyway. What would I do with a multi-million dollar ruby necklace?” Trisha asked.

Jason snorted. Weren’t women supposed to want jewels, diamonds and the rest? What was it with the women in his life?

“Wear it?” he suggested.

“To what?”

“We’ll find a place. Borrow it from Nicole one of these days and wear it somewhere. Just to prove we can. We might not be the Medici’s, but we can play the part at some point.”

“The who?”

He sighed. “I’m going to have to beef up your Italian history since you’re going to be part of this family. You are, aren’t you?”

“I said I would.”

“You want the ring? It goes with the family.”

“I’d love the ring.” She held up her hand and watched as he slid the ring on. She smiled down at it then pushed herself up to kiss him.

“Now this I can wear.”



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