Sometimes It Is Rocket Science (28 page)

“Mr. Prask did this to me?” Tab asked, eyes hooded and fists clenched.  “Why?”

“Because he’s a prick,” Robert said.

Georgiana kicked his shin.  He winced but did not take back his assertion.  “Because he’s caught in quicksand, kiddo, and he’s grabbing for an easy solution to his money problems.”

“He wants your sister,” Robert interrupted.  The heavy undercurrent of anger in his tone had the others sitting straighter.  He grasped one of Georgiana’s hands tightly.  “And he’s ruthless enough to do whatever he feels is necessary to get what he wants.”

Without prompting from Georgiana or Robert, Dan explained to Tab about the poisoning.  Georgiana took advantage of the distraction to pull her chair closer to Robert’s.  “When do we leave for Dallas?”

“As pleased as I am that you automatically included me in your little road trip, the answer is never.”

She arched an eyebrow in disbelief.  “You can’t honestly expect me to believe we’re not going to confront Mr. Buchanan.”

“We are not.”

“He sabotaged my brother’s car!  At best, that’s endangerment of a minor and depraved indifference.  At worst, it’s attempted murder!”

Robert’s smile was equal parts cunning and satisfaction.  It was the smile he usually gave business opponents right before he pulled the plush, hand-woven Persian rug out from under their imported leather loafers.  “Which is why we are sending Allan to question Mr. Buchanan.  He will ensure that Mr. Buchanan gives us
all
the information we require.”  He brushed his lips across the apple of her cheek.  “If both of us go tearing up to Dallas, Prask will get suspicious and disappear.  We need to pretend that nothing’s wrong.”

She laughed dryly.  “Isn’t that what I’ve been doing for months?”

“Yes, but cheer up, doll,” Robert said, “this will all be over soon.”

Her heart sank like a stone.  With Prask out of the way and the sword over all their heads gone, there would be no need to continue their sham of an engagement.  She and Robert would have to find the best way to “break up.” 

They would drift apart.  There wouldn’t be any rendezvous in the hallway or kitchen that to make her pulse do a funny little flutter.  Meals, with only Tab for company, would be quieter, a little duller.  She couldn’t search him out to bounce business or project ideas off of.  No more company in the workshop, no one to flirt with her using science-laden innuendos. 

No kisses that burned like wildfire.  No piercing, smoldering eyes.  No strong arms to hold her whenever the pressure of work and Tab and
life
left her reeling.

No Bobby.

Georgiana had always assumed that as soon as she discovered the reason behind Tab’s accident she would get rid of the car.  That she’d never want to see another Mercedes ML63 again.  She hadn’t expected it to be so hard to give the car to the police.

While Dan walked Detective Sanchez and a crime scene tech through the reports Georgiana had spent half the morning compiling, she walked around the mostly assembled vehicle.  She trailed her fingers across the twisted front bumper.  She’d invested so much time in rebuilding the car.

“Are you all right?” Robert asked.

Her hand fell away from the SUV.  She ducked her head in embarrassment.  “I remember when Tab and I picked out this car.  It took him two hours to make up his mind over which model he wanted.  Twenty minutes on the color.  None of the models at the dealership had all the accessories he wanted.  I tried to talk him in to custom ordering one, but he insisted on driving his new car out of the lot that day.”

“I drove my father crazy when we purchased my first car.  He nearly had a heart attack when he learned it wasn’t brand new.”

Georgiana grinned.  “The ’92 Viper.  What a stir you caused when you pulled into the parking lot with that beast.”

Robert rounded the car to stand behind Georgiana.  He wrapped an arm around her waist and hooked his chin over her shoulder.  She stiffened at the contact but didn’t pull free.  “All the girls wanted to go for a ride.  I had to start giving out numbers.”  He kissed his way from the side of her neck to the curve of her ear.  “Not you, though.  You wanted to put that puppy through its paces.”

Her thoughts scattered like marbles when he nibbled her earlobe.  She brushed at his cheek as if he were a hungry mosquito.  “400 horsepower and a V10 engine.  4.6 to sixty.  Man, I miss that car.”

“I think you drove it more that first year than I did, and you didn’t even have your license.”

“Good times.”

“Yeah, they were.”  Robert spun her around.  He didn’t give her a chance to speak; he bent his head and settled his mouth over hers.  His tongue ran along the inside of her bottom lip, stroked her tongue with such intent that she swore her heart stopped for a moment.

As soon as he lifted his head, she moved out of his embrace.  Her lips tingled; her limbs felt heavy, molten.  Robert’s eyes were dark with promise, but she kept her distance.

“Is something wrong, Gigi?  You’ve been avoiding me for hours.”

“I’ve been busy,” she said, eyes sliding to the floor.  “I’m worried that this will all fall apart.  The chain of custody on the car is broken, so the evidence alone isn’t going to be enough to touch Prask.”

“We’ll get a confession from Buchanan.  He’ll give up Prask.”

“How can you be so sure?  There are too many variables for anyone to accurately predict the outcome.”

Robert shrugged.  “I know Allan.  He won’t let Buchanan go until he gets everything we need.  If Buchanan is smart, he’ll flip on Prask.  Prask isn’t worth going to jail for.”

“And Allan has already contacted the authorities in Dallas so that everything is done properly?”

“Gigi,” Robert chided, “try to have a little faith in me.  I have made it clear to Allan how vital it is that he not give Buchanan the slightest loophole to slip through.  I would not send him if I did not trust him implicitly.  He will leave tomorrow morning; by tomorrow evening the police should have all they need to arrest Prask.”

By the time the police took possession of the reconstructed SUV and the program Robert had uncovered, it was late in the afternoon.  Tab offered up his graded makeup history quiz as soon as Georgiana reached the kitchen.  He’d only missed one short-answer question.

“Can I go with Dan to the club?” he asked, practically bouncing in the chair.

Georgiana frowned at an oddly silent Dan.  “Golf?  So soon?  You just got out of the hospital, Dan.  I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“No golf, Georgie dear.  Just a little mingling.  Reassure everyone that I am, indeed, on the road to recovery.”

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Georgiana, Robert crossed his arms over his chest.  “Really, Dad?  You’re going to involve Tab in this?”

“He’s already involved, son.  The boy needs to get a little payback.”

Georgiana glanced back and forth between father and son.  She was missing part of the puzzle.  Normally she would walk away from one of their squabbles, but they were discussing Tab.  “What’s going on?”

“I gave Dad and Cedric a little extracurricular assignment.  Cedric and Yvonne are going to use Yvonne’s connections to spread the word, discretely, about Prask’s cash flow issue.”

“Is that legal?”

“The information is all there if you know how to find it.  All they are doing is leaving breadcrumbs.  It may not be entirely ethical, but Prask’s downfall will be absolute.”

Georgiana wasn’t going to argue with that stern, lord-of-the-boardroom voice.  Not that it wasn’t what Prask deserved, anyway.  “Where do Dan and my brother come in to this?”

“While he is swapping gossip with his friends, Dad may let slip one or two hints about Prask’s financial and legal problems.”  Robert’s smile reminded Georgiana of a predator closing in for the kill.  “I don’t believe Prask’s SEC investigation has gone away, either.”

“So, can I go?” Tab asked again.

Georgiana sighed.  It was good that Tab was interested in leaving the house, in being around others.  What if was too much at once?  What if he had a panic attack?  What if he said something about the accident?  Just one wrong word would negate all the work she’d done to keep the accident a secret.

“Pretty please?”  Tab tucked his folded hands under his chin and batted his eyelashes like an overzealous debutante.

Her resolve was as sturdy as a sandcastle.  “Yes.”  She held up a finger when he let out a
whoop
.  “But only for two hours.  And you have to finish your literature paper tonight.”

Dan eyed Tab’s baggy denim shorts and soda-stained t-shirt.  “They won’t let you in the front door looking like that, Tab.  Khaki pants and a clean polo will suffice.  Solid.  No wild prints.”

“Yes, sir.”  Tab shot out of his chair and disappeared up the stairs.

Georgiana set a hand on Dan’s shoulder.  Dan reached up to cover her hand.  “I’ll watch him, dear.  I won’t let anyone corner him or ask too many questions.”

“Thank you,” she said.

“This could be good for him,” Robert added.  “Tab needs to spend time with people who don’t know about the accident.  He needs to be social again.”

Georgiana nodded but doubts lingered.  Was she doing the right thing by allowing him to go with Tab?  Should they start with something smaller?  Did he need more than just Dan for support?  Did he need her and Robert to follow along, as well?

“He will be fine, doll.”  Robert swept his thumb along her cheekbone before cupping the side of her face.  “It’s time to let him heal.”

“I’m not holding him back,” she snapped, stepping back so that his hand dropped to his side.  “I would
never
do anything to hinder his recovery.  I can’t believe you’d even think that.”

Robert reached for her, but she darted out of his grasp.  Her departure was as hasty as Tab’s.  The silence left in her wake made Robert’s chest ache.

“Well, you sure did screw that one up,” Dan observed.

“Thank you, Dad.  I don’t know where I would be without you to point out the glaringly obvious.”  Robert sank onto the chair across from his father.  His eyes were on Dan, but his mind was upstairs.  “Was it this way with Mom?  Did it feel like you were navigating a minefield while blindfolded?”

“Blindfolded, naked, and half-drunk.”  Dan laughed at his son’s horrified expression. 

Robert was unsure how far to take the conversation.  They hadn’t seriously discussed women or relationships since he had been in high school.   It was awkward but also nice.  They rarely talked about anything other than work.

“I expected it to be easier,” Robert mused.

“Like those women you dated up in New York?”  Dan shook his head.  “This isn’t New York, and Georgie isn’t one of your typical girls.   You can’t impress her with your wealth.  You can’t intimidate her with your intellect.  You’re equals.”

Robert considered his father’s assessment.  With Georgiana, it did feel like they were on equal footing.  She didn’t play coy games.  He didn’t have to weigh her words or look for hidden meanings.  He didn’t have to exhaust himself living up to the rich, playboy stereotype.  He could relax, be himself.  Just enjoy being with someone.  Not have to worry about leading someone on or the inevitable breakup.  He could be happy. 

Prask and Tab’s accident aside, he
was
happy.

“I want to marry her,” he murmured.  

“I had hoped that was your motivation for proposing to her,” Dan said, a note of censure creeping into his tone.

“Yes.  Yes.”  Robert shook his head.  He schooled his face into a nonchalant mask and rose from the table.  “Enjoy your time at the club, Dad.  Allan drop you off and be waiting to pick you up.  Do not overtax yourself.”

“Have fun dismantling Prask’s empire,” Dan called out after his son.

Georgiana knocked on Tab’s door.  At his call, she slipped inside the room.  Clothes were strewn across the bed and the nightstand.  With a resigned sigh, she started collecting the discarded shirts and pants.

“Flat front chinos.  Tan.  We bought six pair last summer.  Pick the pair that doesn’t fall off.  Pale green polo.”  She perched on the edge of the bed and began folding pants.  “Wear a belt and tuck your shirt in.”

A hand, mint green polo dangling from the fingers, extended from the depths of the closet.  The bottom of the shirt was wrinkled, but, it had been on the small side when they’d purchased it, so it wouldn’t highlight the weight he’d lost since the accident.

“That’s the one,” she said.  “Socks.  You can wear brown boots if they aren’t scuffed.”

Tab stepped out of the closet as she finished folding the last shirt.  She set the shirt on the pile of clothes at her feet and stood.  She used her fingers to arrange his hair so that it didn’t fall into his eyes.

“You need a haircut.”

“Can we go this weekend?”

She blinked back tears and straightened his collar.  It was ridiculous.  All she’d wanted for months was for him to heal.  Now that he was, it made her cry.  “Sure.  Whatever you want, Tab.”

Tab caught her hands between his.  Shadows gathered in his eyes.  “Are you okay with this, Gigi?  Do you think it’s wrong that I’m going out?  That I’m having fun?”

“Oh no.  Not at all.”  She hugged him tightly.  “It is horrible that those two men died, but you didn’t.  You lived, honey, and now you need to actually
live
.  You can’t spend the rest of your life mired in despair.  You’re far too young for that.  You have to laugh.  Play.  Study.  Work.  Love.  You can be sad sometimes, and that’s okay, but you can’t let the accident destroy you.”

Tab kissed the top of her head.  “I think I’m ready to try seeing someone again.”

Georgiana pulled away, studied his face for signs that he felt pressured.  “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.  No one’s forcing you to do anything.”

“I want to.  I’m tired of it being so hard just to get out of bed in the mornings.  I want to do all those things you said.”  He rubbed the back of his neck.  “I want to go to Stanford.”

She gasped theatrically and pressed a hand over her heart.  “All the way to California?  There are plenty of good schools right here in the South, young man.”

“At least it’s not
Boston
,” he laughed.

She shuddered, pulled a face.  “Snow. 
Blech
.  Never again.”  She sobered, stuffed her hands in her pockets.  “I’ll follow your lead, honey.  We’ll do whatever you think you need to do.”

“Thank you.  I mean it, Gigi,” he insisted when she tried to brush off his gratitude.  “I don’t know what I would have done without you.  You are the best sister anyone could ever ask for.”

She snorted.  “Prask wouldn’t have tried to have you killed if it hadn’t been for me.”

“If you hadn’t loved me so much,” Tab said.  “If you didn’t care about me, Prask wouldn’t have been able to use me against you.  I want to help Dan today.  I want to do something to make Prask pay.  He made a mistake thinking he could mess with our family.”

The fresh tears that stung her eyes were happy tears.  There was so much of their father in her brother.  Tab had Jerome Collier’s fervent devotion to family and strong sense of fairness.  “Dad would be proud of you.”

Tab blushed.  “I hope so.”

“He would.  Trust me.  Mom would, too.”  Georgiana rocked back on her heels at the thought of the mother she doubted Tab remembered.  “I’m sure Bobby has a summer internship waiting for you, but how do you feel about taking a trip as soon as school is out?   We could shock the hell out of Aunt Clara by popping in for a visit and work our way up to New Orleans.”

“Could we see where Mom grew up?”