“And he can manipulate most people with a smile and a wink, I’ll bet.”
“Pretty much.” Rob laughs.
“And Zac? I feel like I know the least about him compared to the others.”
“He does tend to be a bit more closed off than the others,” he agrees. “Zac’s a good guy, though. He’ll do anything and everything for those he cares about.”
“And those he doesn’t like better get out of the way, huh?”
“You could say that, but I think you two would get along well if you two would just sit down and talk to one another without trying to antagonize each other.”
“I would be willing to let bygones be bygones… potentially.”
“Ah. There’s the keyword, huh? Potentially.”
I nod emphatically. “What can I say? I need to know that they are going to forgo the war they promised me.”
“War?” Rob blinks a few times. “Who said anything about war?”
“Ace did, but that had been before tonight, when he told me about his parents.”
“Shit. He told you about…”
“His mom and his dad.”
“Well, there you go. There’s no way Ace would have told you that unless he is willing to let things go. Trust me.”
I point at him. “Unless that’s his goal, for me to trust him and then wham! He’ll do something to get back at me, some kind of prank or stunt, something.”
Rob narrows his eyes at me. “And if that would happen, let me guess. You have a few pranks up your sleeve in case they’re needed.”
“Maybe…”
“Hmm. No maybe not this time, I see.” He shakes his head. “I would much rather you all make nice.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have told them about me.”
“Maybe I had to because I couldn’t get you out of my head and then running into you again… it should’ve been a dream come true.”
“Instead…”
“It was a nightmare. Can you blame me for venting? I didn’t intend for all of the rest—”
“You harassed me too!”
He grimaces. “Not my best days, I’ll admit.”
“What happened?”
His smile is a bit weak. “Maybe another time. We’re having such a nice conversation right now.”
“Are we?” I ask softly.
“Why must you psycho-analyze everything?”
“Maybe I’m not a trusting person by nature.”
“Yeah, I get that. For the most part, people will let you down. Once or twice is on them, but any more than that, and it’s on you. I don’t allow that to happen. You get two chances with me, and that’s it.”