“Flynns got plenty of room at his place.”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “Yeah, he does. I guess thats the way itll have to be. He cant get pissed, because Malory will just bat her eyelashes and turn him into putty.”
They divvied up, loaded up. The drive back to Flynns gave her time to wonder how theyd managed to be in each others company for the best part of an hour without a fight.
He hadnt been a jerk, which, she decided, was a rare thing.
And, she was forced to admit, she hadnt been one either. Equally rare when Jordan was involved.
Maybe, just maybe, they could manage to coexist, even cooperate, for the short term. If, as everyone else insisted, he was part of the quest, she needed him around.
Added to that, he had a good brain and a fluid imagination. He could be more than an annoyance through this. He could be an actual asset.
When they arrived at Flynns, she had to concede that it helped to have a man around who was willing to play pack mule with a dozen gallons of paint and the supplies that went with it. “Dining room,” she said, straining a little under the load she carried. “He never uses it.”
“Hes going to.” Jordan wound his way through the house, veered off into the dining room. “Malory has major plans.”
“She always does. She makes him happy.“
“No question about that.” He headed back out for the next load. “Lily put some serious holes in his ego,” he added, referring to Flynns ex-fiancee.
“It wasnt just his ego.” She pulled out a bag loaded with extra paint rollers, brushes, shiny metal pans. “She hurt him. When somebody dumps you and runs off, it hurts.”
“Best thing that couldve happened to him.”
“That isnt the issue.” She could feel the resentment, the hurt, the anger starting to brew in her belly. Struggling to ignore it, she hauled out more cans. “The issue is pain, betrayal, and loss.”
He said nothing as they carried the rest of the supplies to the dining room. Nothing until they set them down, and he turned to face her. “I didnt dump you.”
She could actually feel the hair on the back of her neck rise. “Not every statement I make involves you.”
“I had to go,” he continued. “You had to stay. You were still in college, for Christs sake.”
“That didnt stop you from getting me into bed.”
“No, it didnt. Nothing could have. I had a hunger for you, Dana. There were times I felt like Id starve to death if I couldnt get a bite of you.”
She stepped back, gave him an up-and-down study. “Looks like youve been eating well enough the last few years.”
“Doesnt mean I stopped thinking about you. You meant something to me.”
“Oh, go to hell.” It didnt explode out of her, but was said flatly, which gave it more power. “Meant something to you? A goddamn pair of shoes can mean something to you. I loved you.”
If shed delivered a bare-knuckled punch to his face, hed have been no less shocked. “You… you never said that. You never once said the L word to me.”
“Because you were supposed to say it first. The guys supposed to say it first.”
“Hold on just a minute. Is that a rule?” Panic was trickling down the back of his throat like acid. “Wheres it written down?”
“It just is, you stupid jerk. I loved you, and Id have waited, orIdve gone with you. But you just said, Listen, Stretch, Im pulling up stakes and going to New York. Its been fun, see you around.”
“Thats not true, Dana. It wasnt like that.”
“Close enough. Nobodys ever hurt me like that. Youll never get the chance to do it again—and you know what, Hawke?Idve made a man out of you.”
She turned on her heel and walked out.
Chapter Four