Chapter and Verse (16 page)

I waited a beat and then looked at them.  I expected to see sympathy, what I got was shock.  I knew they’d never heard the story and I had no intention of them hearing it.  But they had to know and understand my reasons or this would never end.  They were determined to get us back together, it was obvious!  All this, “He loves you, do you love him?” crap had to stop or this would be the weekend from hell.  I didn’t mind talking about him, but the high school shit?  It was killing me.

Bree moved before Grant did.  She turned and opened a cabinet and pulled out three wine glasses.  Grant reached for the corkscrew.  Party time, Sloan style.

They both came to the table and Grant reached for the wine bottle.  He was halfway through uncorking the sweet Australian white that was quickly becoming my favorite, when he blew out a breath.  His voice was gentle, deep, and sincere.

“
Dorothy I’m not sure what to say.  We had no idea that this was a pattern of some kind.  Of course we understand and if anyone should be apologizing, it’s Deacon.  He’s not ready to do that yet, and believe me when I say that he has no clue that he’s screwed himself royally.”

The cork popped out and he filled the glasses.  As he handed one to me, he placed his hand over mine when I accepted it.

“
I hope you’ll stay in our lives even though you can’t stay in his.  We’ll understand if that’s too difficult for you, but I hope you’ll think about it.”

I stood, walked around the table and hugged them both.

“
I’m glad you still want me around.  This means the world to me.”

Can you say three-way hug?  A true bonding moment for sure.  If Deacon had walked in at that moment, I don’t know who would have killed him first.  His mother with a kitchen knife, or his father with a corkscrew.

“
Dude.  You should seriously contemplate a vacation.”

Deacon had just about had all he could take from his brothers.  The phrase, “This shit is getting old” came to mind, but if he responded to Anton’s dig, he’d keep digging.  So he blew off the comeback and sighed instead.  It got him nowhere.

“
Look, I know Pierce and I have been thorns lately, but you have to see our side of this.”

Deacon raked his hands through his hair and down his face for what felt like the hundredth time that day.  He was well aware how he looked.  He’d been staring at the same dark circles under his eyes for weeks now.  He lost his appetite sometime around day three and insomnia introduced itself shortly after.  He’d taken a liking to cheesy country music and tequila, neither of which agreed with him.  He lost count of how many times he’d asked himself what the hell she’d done to him, and this was usually followed by another shot, a lime, and some salt.  On the up side, he was pretty sure at this rate, he wouldn’t die of scurvy.

He turned his eyes up to his brother who was still standing on the other side of his desk, looking down at him like a gargoyle.

“
Great.  You two have a side?  Since when?  I thought this was between Dorothy and I.”

Anton rolled his eyes, took a seat and crossed his ankle over his knee.

“
Deke, you always were a selfish prick.  Of course Pierce and I have a side.  Forget the fact that we’re both crazy about Dor’, what about Melody?”

Deacon knew he was so sleep deprived he bordered on hallucinating, but he was pretty sure that his pain in the ass brother had just inserted Melody as well as Pierce and himself into his nightmare of a life.

“
Anton, I am three seconds from making a lifetime commitment to a prison cell and our mother one son down.  You’d better start clarifying so that you can get the hell out of my line of sight.”

“
You are one touchy asshole.  You know that?  Melody is still up for grabs Deke.  She thinks she likes Pierce and he’s got that look in his eye, but she’s not committing and he’s not actually chasing.  I say, You snooze, you lose.  I’d planned on swooping in and sweeping that little honey off her feet.”

“
Right...”

“
Do you think she’ll give either one of us the time of day as long as you’re treating her sister like a no-fly zone?  Shit Deke!  Pierce and I are carrying guilt by association and that ain’t right!  You need to get your shit together, straighten up, and fly right.  You know you wanna call her, do it.  You’ve even got the perfect damned excuse.  You need to give her the thumbs up on that book, it’s your ‘in’ dude.  Take it.”

Leave it to Anton to zero in on the sore spot and poke it with a stick.  The minute he’d started reading about himself in the words she’d chosen, he knew.  Well he didn’t actually know, because he himself was unfamiliar with the sentiment.  But he had a hunch.  He’d taken the book to his folks and they knew without a doubt.  Dorothy had feelings for him.  Strong feelings.  He’d always suspected as much.  The thing was, he had feelings too.  He wasn’t sure what they were, but they were strong and unrelenting.  So he couldn’t let her go.  He knew when the decision was made that there would be repercussions.  He figured that as long as he continued to keep her at arm’s length and treat her as a friend, she’d follow his lead.  She’d done exactly that.  That is until “The Derailment” happened.  He’d started calling it that because that’s exactly what it was.  They had the perfect arrangement.  They were happy.  Then she’d kissed him.  Had he overreacted?  Hell yeah.  He knew he’d freak out, that’s why he hadn’t kissed her himself.  Every time he’d held her hand it was all he could do not to pull her into his arms.  The jolt he got every damned time he touched her was addictive.  She didn’t seem to mind the touches and hugs, so he didn’t stop.

Then she had to go and kiss him.  That’s when his train jumped the tracks and how does one come back from something like that anyway?  If he had the answer to THAT question, maybe he’d start sleeping again at night.  Meanwhile, his brothers and his parents had decided that playing “Switzerland” wasn’t in their repertoire.  Family loyalty?  What the hell was that?  They’d joined team Dorothy and never looked back.  Remember that nickname “The Lone Wolf”?  All of a sudden that sucker seemed accurate and Deacon didn’t appreciate it.  The only person that still played ball for his team was Miranda and she was beginning to get on his nerves.  He’d never noticed how nasally her voice was until hers was pretty much the only voice he heard anymore.

Deacon felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up and he gave a small involuntary shiver until he noticed that his brother was still looking at him expectantly.  What had they been talking about again?  Oh yeah.  A vacation or something.  He needed sleep in a bad way.

“
I can’t take a vacation now Anton.  We’ve got the LilowTech merger next week.  I have to be here for that.  Besides, where would I go?  Hell, I can’t sleep now.  I never could sleep in a strange bed, what good would a vacation do?”

He was rambling and he knew it so he closed his mouth and looked up at his brother.  Anton looked at him as if he were tap dancing sheep.

“
What the fuck is the matter with you Deacon?  Get a grip.  We weren’t talking about a vacation, I mentioned that ten minutes ago.  We are going to revisit it though, so hold that thought.  We were talking about you talking to Dorothy.  You need to tell her that you liked the book so that you can talk to her.”

“
Talk to me about the vacation idea before you forget it.”

Anton cocked his head and sized up his brother.

“
You’re avoiding the Dorothy issue and it’s got something to do with the book.  You did like it, didn’t you?  The rest of us did, and I can’t imagine you finding fault with it.  She told your story in a positive light and made you seem likable.  Hell Deacon, for a minute there, I actually thought you had a personality.  I may have her write mine.”

“
It was okay.”

Antons foot fell off his leg and his head tipped forward but his eyes never left his brother.

“
Okay?  It was...okay?  Excuse me, did we read the same book?  A little over three hundred pages?  Made you sound like the only thing missing was the crown of thorns and a wicked water trick?  Seriously?”

“
I said it was okay.  I think it could’ve been more objective is all.  Maybe a few more stories about my formative years.  There was nothing in there about my high school years at all.  What about those four years?  Huh?”

Anton rolled his eyes and cracked his knuckles.

“
Your high school years?  What did you do in high school?  You dicked around in shop class like the rest of us and marked time until you could graduate and go to college.  No great romances, no accolades of any kind, no sports capabilities or musical talent to speak of.  I could write that part if you want.  How about this?  ‘Deacon Sloan went to high school’.”

Deacon narrowed his eyes and pointed his finger at Anton.

“
You, are the asshat.  Not me.  Your time’s coming buddy.  One of these days the spotlight will be off me and pointed directly at your ugly puss.  Let’s see how well you do when that happens.”

Anton’s face lit up and Deacon had a bad feeling.  He knew he should’ve kept his book opinion to himself.  If he’d been in his right mind, he would have.

“
You sneaky bastard!”

Anton was having a Eureka moment and Deacon sincerely wished he’d have it somewhere else.

“
Anton, I do not have the energy to be a sneaky bastard.  What are you talking about now, and can we maybe talk about it later?”

Anton was pacing his office now, visibly excited.  That could either be a good or a bad thing, he was about to find out.

“
I don’t know why none of the rest of us thought of this.”

He stopped in front of his brother’s desk and looked at him, an expression of awe on his face.

“
Deacon, Dor’ was right.  You are brilliant.”

“
I’m devilishly handsome too.  You left that out.”

“
Shut up asshat and listen.  I’m on to you, tell me how to help.”

“
Help?  Help with what?  Anton please explain and then remove yourself.”

“
Oh I’m not going anywhere.  You’re gonna use the book to keep her in your life, aren’t you?  You’re gonna keep making her rewrite it because that keeps her tied to you!  It’s despicably genius and romantic.  She’ll like the romantic part if she doesn’t shove the first draft up your ass and the second one down your throat.  How many are you gonna make her write?  Damn Deacon.  Pierce is gonna love this!”

Deacon stood and gave his brother the ten yard death stare.

“
Anton, how evil do you think I am?  This has nothing to do with keeping her in my damned life!  If I wanted Dorothy Lincoln in my life, she’d be in my life.  I’d call her up, demand her presence, and she’d show the fuck up.  Granted, I lost my head and got confused for a bit but I’m working through that.  Why would I wade back into that gator infested swamp?”

Anton looked deflated.

“
So you’re telling me that you genuinely didn’t like the book?  Honestly?”

“
I didn’t say that I didn’t like it, I’m saying that I think it could be better.  There were gaps a mile wide in there and I think they need to be addressed.  Does the book prove that she’s talented?  Yes.  But I knew that when I hired her.  Anton, she stands to make a great deal of money off of this venture, and my reputation is on the line.  I want her to get it right.”

Anton scrutinized his brother carefully.  He saw nothing in his demeanor that suggested that he was being less than honest.  Deacon was actually planning on making her rewrite the book.  Then his face lit up as something else occurred to him.

“
Can I be there when you tell her?  You know.  In case you need back-up or an ambulance?”

Deacon ran his hands through his hair - again - and rested his elbows on the desk with his face in his hands.

“
Anton?  Please leave.  You’re on my last good nerve and my patience is now at the breaking point.  I’m calling her today before I leave and telling her the news.  If you want to be here, be here at quitting time.”

Anton stood and nodded at his brother.  He seemed satisfied and Deacon questioned whether or not that should be making him nervous.

“
I’ll be here Deke and I’ll bring Pierce with me.  We should probably all be on the same page with this when it blows up.”

“
Why do you think this will blow up?  Dorothy is a very reasonable woman.  This is purely a business arrangement and I’m telling you, she’ll understand.”

Anton laughed with his hand on the doorknob.

“
And I’m telling you, she’s a woman.  She invested her time and her heart in you and that book and you’re about to tell her it sucks as it stands.  If I were you’d I’d park the Porsche in an undisclosed location for a little while.  Trust me on this Deke.  I’ve pissed off enough women in my time to know how this is gonna go.”

Deacon rolled his eyes and waved him off.

“
You don’t know MY woman.  She’ll take it in stride and rework it in a week.”

“
You’re woman?  Did you just call Dorothy Lincoln YOUR woman?  Wait until Pierce hears THIS.”

“
You two are like two old women around a clothesline.  You need lives.  Or maybe new jobs.  Something challenging that’ll give you something to do besides sit around and gossip about the boss...”

“
Alright, alright, I’m gone.”

He opened the door, walked out and peeked back around the doorjamb.

“
I’m still telling Pierce though.”

“
Asshat.”

Deacon heard his brother’s laughter as he walked towards the elevator.

Deacon swiveled around in his chair and took in the view.  Anton had been so close to the truth it had damn near stolen his breath.  Had he become that transparent where Dorothy was concerned?  That was an issue best explored after decent rest and maybe a drink or two.  He was more inclined to count his lucky stars at the moment.

He knew he had to call her.  Yes he was nervous, but that was no excuse for rudeness.  They’d been friends.  Good friends.  He was hoping that time and distance would be like hitting a reset button, but it wasn’t feeling that way.  It was beginning to feel like she was slipping through his fingers and he didn’t like that one bit.

Deacon rubbed a spot over his heart without thinking and considered his options.  He could do the smart thing and tell her the book was perfect as it was and walk away, but that would be the end of his association with her.  That wasn’t a supposition, that was a fact.  She’d left the ball in his court and he’d picked it up and carried it home.  Game over.  It was too late to propose two out of three, if he wanted to play he’d have to start a brand new game.  A new game with new rules.  This is where it got tricky.  He knew her.  If she agreed to play again, and he wasn’t positive she would, it would have to be the long game and she’d play for keeps.  What else could she do?  Was he ready for that?