First on her list was Bart. Not only were they siblings, they were also the best of friends, so Kelsey wanted to be the one to tell him. She dug her phone out of her purse and dialled his number, nervously pacing as she punched the keys. Nick was hardly the textbook boyfriend her family would expect her to bring home, but she didn’t care. She felt something special with this guy and, once Bart understood that, she was sure he’d approve. Wouldn’t he?
But when it came to her brothers, God help Nick Jensen if he hurt her.
“Hey, Kels!”
She held her breath at the sound of her brother’s voice. “Hey, Bart! Long time no see. How are you?”
“I’m good, sis. I know it’s been too long. Get that damn emergency clinic up and running so you have more time for us again, okay?”
“Working on it, big brother. Hey, what are you and Faith doing this evening?”
“Well, Faith’s on duty tonight, so I’m just hanging out at home. Why, what’s up?”
“How about I take one of my favourite brothers out for dinner? My treat.”
“How can I pass up an offer like that? How about we meet at Shindigs around six thirty?”
“Perfect. I’ll meet you there. It’ll be good to see you again.”
“You okay, sis? You sound like something’s bothering you.”
“I’m fine, Bart, just busy. I gotta run, but I’ll see you tonight, okay?”
“Sounds good, Kels. I’ll see you then.”
* * * *
Nick unlocked his door and hurried towards the small table. The thought of his phone sitting ignored for the entire night made him nervous, but there wasn’t much he could do about it now. He hoped he hadn’t missed much, if anything.
“Shit,” he grunted when he heard the chirp from across the room, “I missed something.”
He dropped his things and hurried to the side of the bed. After picking up his phone, he scrolled through the calls and looked at the clock. They’d called almost hourly since he’d left.
“Fuck!” He listened to the automated voice alerting him to eight new messages. He deleted them without listening, knowing full well what they’d say. The boss wasn’t happy.
He dialled, hoping he’d get an answer. It would take some fast talking, but he was confident he could get out of this one. “Come on, damn it. Answer.”
“This better be good,” Vincent barked into the phone.
“I misplaced my phone. I know you’re pissed off.”
“Pissed off? This isn’t a game, Jensen. You have tried my patience for the last time!”
“I went out last night trying to find Kapman. I was hoping to run into him, so I hit all his favourite haunts,” Nick said, trying to calm the situation down.
“Let me guess. You didn’t find him.”
“No, I didn’t, but it’s not a matter of finding him. I know where he is. I just can’t let him get suspicious of my showing up all the time. I was trying to play it cool… Bump into him unexpectedly.”
“I’m running out of time! I want Kapman in! Now!”
Nick held the phone way from his ear to avoid the pain-inducing screams coming from the other end.
“I’m on it. Believe me, I want him in, too. I have a lot riding on this.”
“Perhaps not enough.”
The tone of Vincent’s voice unnerved him. “What do you mean?”
“You just better produce. And fast. I don’t like to be toyed with.”
He stood frozen as the line went dead. Nick didn’t like threats, but Vincent Gianelli wasn’t a man to mess with. He’d have to step it up.
“Saturday,” he said to himself. It was the perfect opportunity, but Kelsey was going to be there. The last thing he wanted to do was get her mixed up in this. Maybe he’d just have to cancel the date with her.
No, she was too excited about it. She wanted to meet his buddy. “Damn, what do I do now?”
* * * *
Kelsey felt as if she’d been walking on a cloud all day, but by the time she arrived at Shindigs, she was a bundle of nerves. She wasn’t quite sure what Bart’s reaction would be to the news of her new boyfriend, but she wanted him to approve so much. “Oh, please let him be happy for me,” she said looking up to the sky.
She’d thought hard about it, and decided to do what she’d always done with her brother. She would be completely honest. They’d never hidden anything from each other in the past. Why should this situation be any different?
Because it feels different.
Sure, Bart would probably disapprove of their initial meeting, but considering she’d been the aggressor, and they were now in a relationship, why should that night make a big difference? She was a grown woman and her decisions should be respected, whether he agreed with them or not. Perhaps if she continued to repeat that, she’d eventually believe it.
“Kels!” Bart called out from the booth in the corner.
“Hey!” She made her way through the crowd until she reached him. They hugged before taking their places, but she avoided looking him in the eye.
“What’s going on, sis?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
He laughed. “Come on, Kels. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the dinner invite, but you obviously have something to tell me. So, out with it.”
“Okay, I do have something I wanted to tell you.”
Bart sat silently waiting for her to continue when the waiter stepped up to the table to take their orders. Kelsey began asking questions about selections on the menu she’d ordered countless times and she knew her stalling was obvious.
After they had finished ordering their food, he asked her again. “Come on, sis. It can’t be that bad. Tell me what you want me to know.”
“Okay.”
Like a bandage, one quick rip.
“I met someone,” she said, exhaling nervously.
“You met someone. A man, I assume.”
“What? Of course a man.”
“Well, I’ve never seen you acting like this, so I figured the news may be something monumental, like you’re dating another woman.” His laugh helped break the ice. “So tell me about him.”
“His name is Nick. I met him at The Rusty Spoke the other night. We hit it off and, well, he asked me to be his girlfriend,” she said with pride.
Bart sat nodding, but expressionless. “And you’ve known him, what, less than a week?”
“So? What difference does that make? We’re just dating, Bart, not getting married. It’s not like I need your permission. I just want you to be happy for me.”
“I know, I’m sorry. It’s just my cynicism talking.”
“He makes me happy.”
Bart took a deep breath. Kelsey knew that meant he was choosing his words carefully. “I can see you’re happy, but I’d like to meet him before deciding how happy I am about this, is that fair?”
She giggled. “Yeah, I suppose that’s fair for an overly protective big brother.”
Their meal went on uneventfully, the two talking about the same old things and catching up for the days they’d gone without speaking. Bart apologised for forgetting about the boxes they’d left behind and told Kelsey how to fix the second bathroom’s tricky faucet. Kelsey vented about the issues involved in getting the emergency clinic up and running and told him she was counting the days until the doors finally opened.
When the waiter had cleared their empty dishes, Kelsey checked her watch for the third time. Bart apparently noticed. “Am I keeping you from something?”
“Oh, sorry. It’s just Nick said he was going to call tonight and I’m not sure when to expect it.”
“You have your phone with you, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Then you’ll be available when he calls, right?”
“Yes,” she said laughing. “Sorry. I just get excited when I think about him. He gives me butterflies, you know?”
“Yeah, I know.” There was no mistaking the expression on Bart’s face. It was the horrible realisation that his baby sister was involved in an adult relationship.
“I’m gonna run to the ladies’ room. I’ll be right back.” She slid out of the booth and disappeared down the hallway.
A moment later, Bart turned to see a familiar face enter the restaurant. “Hey, man. What are you doing here?”
“I rented the upstairs apartment here, dude. I came down for a quick bite. What are you doing here, slumming?”
“Funny. I had dinner with my sister. Seems we’re running into each other a lot lately.”
“Brookfield’s a small town inside a big city, I guess.”
Kelsey finished washing her hands and checked her phone one more time. “Oh, jeez, Kelsey, he’ll call. Relax!” She gave her reflection one more look and headed out of the door. She stepped out of the hall and found Bart talking to a tall blond man in a leather…
“Nick?”
“Kelsey? What are you doing here?”
“I’m having dinner with my brother. I’d like you to meet him,” she said with a big smile as she stepped towards Bart.
“Your brother?”
Chapter Sixteen
“Nick?” Bart said loudly. “This is the Nick you were telling me about? Nick Jensen?”
“Yes. You know him?”
“This is the hottie? My sister? My sister is the one that you… What the hell did you do to my sister?” Bart barked at Nick, his voice gradually increasing in volume as he stood from his seat.
“Bart! Calm down!” Kelsey said calmly, pulling Bart back a step and glancing around the restaurant. “You’re making a scene.”
Bart sighed and nodded in agreement. “You’re right. I’m just shocked. I never would have guessed this.”
Nick stood in stunned silence, watching the nightmare unfold before him. Brother? Of all the women in the world, he hooks up with his target’s sister? This had to be a joke. For a moment, he was tempted to look for the hidden cameras until he felt Kelsey pulling him to sit beside her in the booth so they could talk.
“So? You haven’t said a word. Why didn’t you tell me you were dating my sister?” Bart asked.
“I’m sure there’s an explanation, Bart,” Kelsey said, turning towards Nick. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew my brother?”
“Because I didn’t know, baby. I had no idea you were Bart’s sister.” He turned to say the same to Bart. “I didn’t know, dude.”
“Wait a minute,” she said, “how do you guys know each other, anyway?”
Nick locked eyes with Bart, then quickly looked down to the table. When Nick didn’t answer, Bart explained, “We met at the academy.”
Nick didn't shift his focus, but out of the corner of his eye saw Kelsey look from her brother to him.
“The police academy?” Kelsey said. “Are you a cop?”
“You don’t know what he does for a living?” Bart asked with a snide laugh. Without looking up, Nick could feel Bart’s burning glare. “What, were you in such a rush to get her into bed you didn’t bother with the normal conversation? Is she just another barfly to you?”
“Bart, that’s enough! How dare you speak to him that way?”
“He’s taking advantage of you!”
“He’s doing no such thing! What’s happened between Nick and me is our business. I expect you to stay out of it!” Her voice had more authority than Nick had ever heard. She lowered her head in an obvious attempt at eye contact. “Are you going to say anything?”
Nick was forced to look her way. “What do you want me to say, Kelsey?”
“You never answered me. Are you a cop?”
“He left the academy, Kels. He got hurt,” Bart said softly.
“Hurt? Was Bart with you that night?” she whispered towards Nick.
Nick nodded, unable to hide the pain he wore on his face.
“You told her about that?” Bart asked.
“Yes, he told me.” Kelsey’s defiance returned. “Despite what you assume about us, it wasn’t all just sex. We did speak once or twice…between romps, of course.”
“I told you that night changed my whole life. I left the academy because of my injury,” Nick said quietly to Kelsey, feeling the need to explain.
Under the table, she laid her hand on his leg and rubbed it supportively. “We’ll talk about it later, okay?”
Nick gave her a small smile before turning his attention back to Bart. Not liking the disapproving glare he received, he settled his gaze back on the worn spot on the table.
“So I take it by your attitude you don’t approve of Nick and I dating.” Nick could tell by her tone Kelsey was no longer angry with him. Her brother, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky.
“You don’t know him like I do, sis. He’s a player. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Was, dude,” Nick quickly added. “Things change.”
“I’m not going to let you hurt my sister.”
“That’s not your job, Bart. I’m not your responsibility. I’m a grown woman and I can make my own decisions—including whom I choose to spend time with.”
Just as Bart was about to speak, his phone interrupted them. He checked the caller ID and groaned. “I gotta take this. I’ll be back.” He slid from the booth and gave Nick a look that said
touch her and I’ll kill you.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered to Nick as soon as her brother had walked away. “He shouldn’t talk about you like that.”
“He’s known me longer than you have, Kelsey. Maybe you should listen to him.”
“He may have known you longer, but I think I’m getting to know you better.”
She’d done it again. That innocent smile got him every time. “You don’t let anything get in your way when you’re determined, do you?”
“Nothing can stop me from getting what I want,” she replied with a hint of mischief in her eyes.
“Just answer one question for me. Were those Bart’s clothes I was wearing the other day?” he asked with his face scrunching in disgust.
She giggled at the situation. “Yes, they were.”
He laughed himself, despite the creepiness of it all. “No wonder he recognised the shirt,” he whispered to himself as he shook his head.
“What?”
“Nothing, baby. I just can’t believe what a small world it is.”
“Well, I do think we have a problem here.” Her face suddenly became more serious.
For a moment his heart stopped. She was having second thoughts. “Bart doesn’t approve of me.”
“Oh, I couldn’t care less about that, but this is twice today I’ve had to chastise you for not kissing me. That’s a real problem.”
He smiled in relief and focused on her plump, red lips. “I promise to do better about that. I certainly don’t want to end up on your bad side.”
“Well?” she asked with her eyebrows raised in anticipation.