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“We need to talk.”

“No, we don’t.”

“Yes, we do.”

She pushed aside her half-eaten breakfast. “I have work to do.” Not that she expected that to deter him. The man clearly had no respect for anything or anyone.

“I’m sure it can wait a few minutes. My brother may be tough, but he must let you take a break now and then.”

“What makes you think I’d want to waste my break talking to you?”

“I figure since we’re going to be working together, we should figure out a way to get along.”

Getting along with him was the last thing Indie wanted to do, but she couldn’t afford to lose her job. “You stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours. That should work.”

He shook his head. “I’ve encountered a lot of stubborn people in my life, but, lady, you top the list.”

Ignoring the irritation coursing through her, Indie took a deep breath. “Now that we’ve established that I’m stubborn, and therefore unlikely to change my mind about you, you’re free to leave.”

“I know you care about my brother and his wife. So do I. Surely we can agree about that?”

“You care about Cassidy?” Indie nearly bit her tongue. She was venturing into dangerous territory. She was crazy to bait her boss’s brother about such an intensely personal issue, in their workplace no less.

“Of course I care about Cassidy. She’s family,” he said, frowning. “Why would you question that?”

“No reason.” Indie was grateful when Drake tapped on her door, interrupting her lame attempt to extract herself from the uncomfortable conversation. “Hey, Drake.” She infused her voice with false enthusiasm. “Come in.”

Drake looked confused. “Lee, I didn’t know you were here.”

“I was just on my way to your office,” Lee said, leaning forward. “But I thought I’d have a little chat with Indie first.”

“About?” Drake asked.

“Now that I’m going to be working here, I thought we should try to get along.”

Indie was sure Lee was about to tell his brother that she was determined to make his life miserable. “I—”

“I think we’ve worked things out,” Lee said before she could defend herself. “Don’t you, Indie?”

Surprised by his attempt to extend an olive branch, she merely nodded.

“Good,” Drake said, seeming satisfied. “I’m glad to hear you two have buried the hatchet. And I’m happier than hell that you’re accepting my offer. It’s gonna be great, us working together full time. Just like we’d always planned.”

Indie felt like an intruder. As much as she disliked Lee, she didn’t want to diminish Drake’s excitement, so she stood. “Excuse me, I have a meeting. Y’all can use my office for as long as you want.”

“Thanks, Indie,” Drake said, touching her shoulder as she walked past. “I mean… for everything. I know it’s not easy for you to back down, but the fact that you’re willing to give my brother the benefit of the doubt means a lot to me.”

Indie stole a glance at Lee. He looked as uncomfortable as she felt. In spite of his faults, he clearly didn’t enjoy deceiving his brother any more than she did. “I’ll talk to you later, Drake. Lee.” She nodded in his direction as she backed out of the room.

***

Lee realized his eyes were still fixed on the closed door when his brother said, “I’m happy y’all have decided to make nice, but I meant what I said before, Lee. I don’t want you dating any of the women on my staff. I can’t afford to lose Indie if you…”

“If I what?”

Drake sat next to his brother. He took the time to choose his words carefully, which was unusual for him. “You have a lousy track record with women. Since your divorce, you’ve been…”

“A bit of a mess?” Lee smiled to let Drake know he wasn’t offended. His brother was right. He’d dated quite a few women since he left Katie, and all of them would make his mama frown down on him from Heaven.

“Something like that.” Drake chuckled. “I didn’t wanna say anything, but what gives? These girls we’ve seen you with, they’re…”

“Young? Beautiful?”

“Yeah, but they’re not really stepmom material.”

“Exactly.” Lee had been choosing women who were looking for a good time, not a wedding ring. He’d made such a mess of marriage the first time around, and though he was older than he’d been when he married Katie, he couldn’t claim to be any wiser. He still didn’t know what he was looking for in a life partner and wasn’t sure he was willing to put in the effort to figure it out. “Not everyone wants what you have, man. The big house in the suburbs, kids, dog? It’s not for everyone.”

“So you like living in a crummy apartment, seeing your daughter on weekends, having meaningless sex with women who don’t give a shit about you? That’s your idea of happiness?”

“Honestly?” Lee knew the only way to get his brother off his back was to ‘fess up. “I don’t know what’ll make me happy. I figure I’ll sort it out as I go along.”

Scowling, Drake asked, “That’s your plan? Jesus, Lee, you’re not twenty-one anymore. You’ve got to grow up.”

“I have grown up,” Lee said, trying to keep his temper under control. “I put my daughter first. I got clean. I let my wife go so she could be happy with someone else. I’m trying to help a kid put his life back together. I—”

“I’m sorry,” Drake said. “You have come a hell of a long way, and I have no right to judge you. Date whoever you want. It’s your life.” He held up his index finger. “As long as she’s not on my payroll.”

“Deal.”

“Good.” Drake grinned. “Let’s head back to my office and get that contract signed.”

“Before we do that,” Lee said, “I need to ask a favor.”

“Sure, anything.”

Drake’s response reminded Lee of how far they’d come. Years ago, Drake would have been wary if Lee asked for a favor, mainly because he would have expected it to involve money.

“I’m willing to accept your offer, but only on a trial basis,” Lee said. “I need to get a feel for this before I decide if it’s right for me.”

“You’ve been freelancing for me for over a year. I’d say that gives you a pretty good idea of what it’s like to work for me.”

“Yeah, but… I got another offer.” He hadn’t planned on telling Drake about J.T.’s offer because they were close friends, but he didn’t want to keep secrets from his brother either.

“What kind of offer?” Drake frowned. “If another studio’s offered you more money, I can—”

“It’s not another studio. J.T.’s offered to sell Jimmy’s to me.”

Drake blinked repeatedly before he said, “You can’t be serious.”

“I am.” The seconds that ticked by while he waited for his brother’s response felt like the longest of his life.

“Why would you wanna buy a bar, given your history with substance abuse?”

“I’m not that guy anymore. What better way to prove it to myself and everyone else?” That question had rattled around in his head all night.

“Sounds like tempting fate to me.”

“I disagree,” Lee said, He didn’t have to defend his position. At the end of the day, the only person he had to impress was the guy staring back at him in the mirror. “I appreciate your offer, and I’d like to see if we can make it work. But if we can’t and I decide to pursue a different path, I need to know there won’t be any hard feelings between us.” Drake was quiet for so long Lee was afraid he’d lost him. “We’ve come too far to let business come between us, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, I do,” Drake said, looking him in the eye. “You’re my brother. I want you to be happy, no matter what.”

“Thanks, man,” Lee said, getting to his feet. He offered Drake his hand and pulled his twin into a back slapping hug. “Having your support means everything to me.”

“Always.”

***

Indie passed by the rape crisis center on her way home from work that day. She knew their evening meeting would be breaking up soon, and she needed to talk to her friend Jocelyn. The older woman had been the first person Indie met when she visited the center nearly five years earlier, and she was still the person Indie credited with her new lease on life.

Indie waited while women filtered out of the group session. A few cast nervous glances at Indie, but most seemed in a hurry to break free. She understood. The hours she’d spent in therapy, expressing her heartache to a roomful of strangers, were the hardest of her life.

“This is a nice surprise,” Jocelyn said when she spotted Indie. She held out her hands. “It’s been a while.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” Indie had been volunteering regularly at the center, helping to plan fundraisers and raise awareness for their cause in the community, but working late had been eating up most of her free time for the past several months. “I’ll come by this weekend to help out. I promise.”

“No worries.” Jocelyn slipped her arm around Indie’s waist and led her into the small director’s office. “Tell me what’s been happening with you.”

“I’ve taken up Pilates,” Indie said. “I thought about what you said about respecting and caring for my body.” She laughed self-consciously. “I even booked a massage, like you suggested.” Indie still had a hard time with anyone putting their hands on her, even for therapeutic reasons, but letting go of her irrational fear was part of the healing process.

“That’s wonderful,” Jocelyn said, clasping her hands as her green eyes twinkled. “And was it delicious?”

Indie laughed. “Let’s just say it was relaxing.” She sank onto one of the threadbare chairs in the corner of the office. “It was a female massage therapist.”

“Oh,” Jocelyn said, trying to hide her disappointment.

“I know that’s not what you had in mind, but baby steps, right?”

“That’s right,” Jocelyn said, patting Indie’s hand. She tucked an errant silver hair behind her ear. “So what else is new, beside the Pilates and the massage?”

Indie had come to talk about Lee. She hadn’t been willing to admit that to herself, but she needed Jocelyn’s take on her feelings about her boss’s brother. “My boss hired his brother.” Biting her lip, she wished she’d eased into it.

“Okay,” Jocelyn said slowly. “You obviously have an opinion about that.”

“I don’t like him.” Indie reached for a toss cushion and hugged it.

“Why’s that?”

“He hurt someone I care about.” Indie cursed softly when her eyes filled with tears. “He’s a horrible person, and I don’t understand how they could forgive him for what he’s done.”

Jocelyn reached across her desk for the tissue box. “It might help to talk about it.”

“He
raped
Drake’s wife.” She whispered the vile word, knowing it was a painful trigger inside those walls. “Well, she wasn’t his wife at the time and I guess he didn’t exactly rape her, but he violated her. In my mind, it’s the same thing.” Taking a tissue from the box, she twisted it instead of using it to dry her eyes.

“Why don’t you tell me what happened?” Jocelyn said. “Start at the beginning, and take all the time you need.”

“I… It’s not really my story to tell, Jocelyn. Cassidy told me what happened in confidence. I’m not sure if I should—”

“You know that anything said here never leaves. Not only am I bound by professional confidentiality, but you’re my friend. I hope you know you can trust me?”

“Of course I do. It’s just that Cassidy is my friend, and she trusted me.”

“Okay, why don’t you start by telling me what this is doing to you? How do you feel?”

“Angry. Frustrated. Helpless.” She took a deep breath to force herself to calm down. “I don’t want to have to deal with him every day, but it’s not my call. It’s Drake’s business, and Lee is his brother. He’s the one who calls the shots.”

“And not having a vote makes you feel helpless?” Jocelyn asked. “It makes you feel as though someone you trust is taking away your power to choose?”

Indie hadn’t realized there was some correlation between what was happening and the rape she’d suffered at the hands of her brother-in-law. But Drake wasn’t a violent criminal. He would never intentionally hurt her. “It’s just so frustrating. I know how much Drake loves Cassidy. He would never let anyone hurt her, so how can he work alongside the man who…”

“Raped her? Is that the word you would choose to describe what he did?”

“I guess not.” Indie was torn between keeping her thoughts to herself and sharing them with her friend. “Lee was a drug addict. So was Cassidy.”

“I see,” Jocelyn said.

That’s what Indie loved most about Jocelyn. She never judged; she just listened and offered her unwavering support. “Cassidy hadn’t been using in some time, but her sister…”

“What did her sister do?”

“She and Lee went to Cassidy and Drake’s apartment to score a piece of jewelry or something they could sell to get their next fix.”

“I’ve worked with a lot of drug addicts,” Jocelyn said quietly. “There’s very little they wouldn’t do to feed their addiction. Things they wouldn’t even consider doing while in their right mind suddenly seem like a good idea while under the influence.”

Indie couldn’t claim to understand. She’d never used drugs or been close to anyone who did. She had enough trouble without borrowing more. “But being under the influence doesn’t excuse their actions, does it?”

“No, it doesn’t,” Jocelyn said. “People have to live with the repercussions of their actions, honey. Sometimes living with the guilt is even worse than spending years behind bars.”

“I don’t know if Lee feels guilty about what happened. Even if he does, I think it’s too late to apologize and expect that to erase what happened. He hurt her, and he deserves to pay.”

“Isn’t Cassidy the one who has to forgive him, Indie? Not you, not even Drake. Cassidy is the only one who can decide whether he’s earned her forgiveness.” Jocelyn wrapped her hands around the arms of her worn upholstered chair. “Like I’ve told you before, forgiveness isn’t a gift the victim gives her attacker. It’s a gift she gives herself.”

Indie knew forgiveness was one of the cornerstones of healing, but she couldn’t bring herself to forgive Kendall for raping her, and she couldn’t understand how Cassidy could forgive Lee. “I know.”

“Do you? Really?”

“According to Cassidy, Lee believed she knew she was having sex with him, but she thought it was Drake.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”