her?”
“I didn’t, technically.” Cody snapped. “She figured it out on her own.”
Justin’s sigh was audible.
“Stop it. Don’t fight. Please. I’m okay,” she said, not sounding okay.
Both guys looked at her with disbelief.
“No, really.” She stood. Her legs were a little wobbly, but not too bad. Her head felt funny, and her stomach was twisting and turning in her belly. At the moment, all she could think about was getting out of there, going somewhere quiet. She needed to think this through, figure out what she thought, what she felt. About everything. “Excuse me. I need some fresh air.”
“I’ll go with you.” Justin sprang upright.
Cody knocked him aside. “No, this is my fault. I have to--“
“No, it’s not necessary,” she said, throwing a wave over her shoulder as she made a beeline for the stairs. “I don’t need a babysitter. I just need some alone time. Some space. I’ll be back later.”
“Here.” Cody rushed to her side, extending a hand. “Your keys. We’re still painting, but the bedroom’s done. If you want to stay here tonight, rather than go back to the hotel, we’ll be quitting work at six.”
“Okay. Thanks.” She fisted the keys and offered what she hoped would pass for a smile. At the creases she saw on his forehead, she said, “I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
“Now you see why we didn’t want to let you get too close?” Justin said.
“I get it. You were trying to protect me, protect my memory of my father. That was a kind, selfless thing to do. But it’s better that the truth is out in the open. It helps me understand you better. At least now we can all say that there are no more secrets between us...right?”
They both nodded. “Right.”
“Then we’re moving in a good direction, the three of us. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Cody appeared slightly relieved. Justin, not so much.
“I’ll call you later.” She gripped the doorknob. Her hand was still trembling a little. She twisted it.
Justin moved closer. “Okay. If you need us--“
“I know. All I have to do is call.”
* * * * *
Justin gave his brother a long, hard stare. “Dammit, Cody.”
“Don’t.”
Justin narrowed his eyes. “Why did you tell her? We agreed--”
“I didn’t tell her. She figured it out.”
“Obviously, you said too much.” Justin kicked the bucket of paint, knocking it into the wall. His jaw was visibly clenched, the veins on his neck sticking out. He was furious, but Cody didn’t care. It had been the right thing to do, and he wasn’t going to apologize or make excuses or back down.
“Maybe I did say too much. Maybe I felt like it was better if she knew.”
“Better for who? Her? Or us?”
“Both. Maybe I didn’t want this big, ugly secret hanging over our heads. It’s better this way. She knows everything. We can all move forward--”
“Have you forgotten? She’s not into the lifestyle like we are.” Justin pivoted, staring at the doorway, wondering when he’d see Candi again. And, more importantly, wondering if she’d look at him like he was dirty, a freak, when he finally was face-to-face with her. “She might not be able to get past this.”
“If she can’t be with us because of that, then it’s better to know now. I’ll deal with it. Somehow. I just couldn’t keep dodging her questions. I love her. She deserves our honesty. She deserves our trust. She deserves a chance to make a choice.”
“Fuck.” Justin went to the door, opened it, stared down into the empty staircase. She wasn’t there. God, how he wished she was. How he wished she’d come racing up those fucking steps and throw herself into his arms and tell him she loved him and trusted him. But she was gone. For all of...five minutes. Already, he could feel that hollow, empty sensation in his chest. It hurt. Physically. He needed things to be okay between them. He wouldn’t be able to do anything, think about anything else, until they were. “I need to talk
“I didn’t, technically.” Cody snapped. “She figured it out on her own.”
Justin’s sigh was audible.
“Stop it. Don’t fight. Please. I’m okay,” she said, not sounding okay.
Both guys looked at her with disbelief.
“No, really.” She stood. Her legs were a little wobbly, but not too bad. Her head felt funny, and her stomach was twisting and turning in her belly. At the moment, all she could think about was getting out of there, going somewhere quiet. She needed to think this through, figure out what she thought, what she felt. About everything. “Excuse me. I need some fresh air.”
“I’ll go with you.” Justin sprang upright.
Cody knocked him aside. “No, this is my fault. I have to--“
“No, it’s not necessary,” she said, throwing a wave over her shoulder as she made a beeline for the stairs. “I don’t need a babysitter. I just need some alone time. Some space. I’ll be back later.”
“Here.” Cody rushed to her side, extending a hand. “Your keys. We’re still painting, but the bedroom’s done. If you want to stay here tonight, rather than go back to the hotel, we’ll be quitting work at six.”
“Okay. Thanks.” She fisted the keys and offered what she hoped would pass for a smile. At the creases she saw on his forehead, she said, “I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
“Now you see why we didn’t want to let you get too close?” Justin said.
“I get it. You were trying to protect me, protect my memory of my father. That was a kind, selfless thing to do. But it’s better that the truth is out in the open. It helps me understand you better. At least now we can all say that there are no more secrets between us...right?”
They both nodded. “Right.”
“Then we’re moving in a good direction, the three of us. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Cody appeared slightly relieved. Justin, not so much.
“I’ll call you later.” She gripped the doorknob. Her hand was still trembling a little. She twisted it.
Justin moved closer. “Okay. If you need us--“
“I know. All I have to do is call.”
* * * * *
Justin gave his brother a long, hard stare. “Dammit, Cody.”
“Don’t.”
Justin narrowed his eyes. “Why did you tell her? We agreed--”
“I didn’t tell her. She figured it out.”
“Obviously, you said too much.” Justin kicked the bucket of paint, knocking it into the wall. His jaw was visibly clenched, the veins on his neck sticking out. He was furious, but Cody didn’t care. It had been the right thing to do, and he wasn’t going to apologize or make excuses or back down.
“Maybe I did say too much. Maybe I felt like it was better if she knew.”
“Better for who? Her? Or us?”
“Both. Maybe I didn’t want this big, ugly secret hanging over our heads. It’s better this way. She knows everything. We can all move forward--”
“Have you forgotten? She’s not into the lifestyle like we are.” Justin pivoted, staring at the doorway, wondering when he’d see Candi again. And, more importantly, wondering if she’d look at him like he was dirty, a freak, when he finally was face-to-face with her. “She might not be able to get past this.”
“If she can’t be with us because of that, then it’s better to know now. I’ll deal with it. Somehow. I just couldn’t keep dodging her questions. I love her. She deserves our honesty. She deserves our trust. She deserves a chance to make a choice.”
“Fuck.” Justin went to the door, opened it, stared down into the empty staircase. She wasn’t there. God, how he wished she was. How he wished she’d come racing up those fucking steps and throw herself into his arms and tell him she loved him and trusted him. But she was gone. For all of...five minutes. Already, he could feel that hollow, empty sensation in his chest. It hurt. Physically. He needed things to be okay between them. He wouldn’t be able to do anything, think about anything else, until they were. “I need to talk
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