I ignored him. “Besides, today’s a good day for it. We’re closed,” I said, stating the obvious.
“Going out on a real limb there, taking an entire day off when there are no customers. You rebel.”
“If you knew the shit that I should be doing today—”
“Let me guess: Harassing Lakeside to get their asses down here to start working on the dock. Reaching out to distributors because you don’t trust Marco to actually do his job. And while we’re on the subject, you probably have bills to pore over just to make sure Maci is doing hers too.”
I stopped him, knowing Neo would go on all day. “It’s not that I don’t trust them to do their jobs.”
“No just that you’re a control freak. Like Dad. I get it.”
Was I a control freak? Or did I just like to ensure everything was running as smoothly as it should be? Maybe a bit of both.
“Why are you really taking the day off?” Neo asked, cutting through the bullshit.
I looked at my brother, wanting to tell him. But this was different. Admitting it would be admitting I was weak. No one could argue that getting involved with an employee was a good idea. Not even Neo, who stuck up for me when I hid all of Marco’s green army men and then couldn’t find them, enraging our younger brother and earning a tongue-lashing from Mom, who found the little fuckers two years later. Yes, I had known Marco adored those plastic men, but I’d stepped on one too many of them and had had enough.
“I need a break,” I said lamely.
“I’ll take one with you.”
That wasn’t at all what I’d been expecting. “What?”
“We’ll go out on the lake. Grab lunch at Southpoint. Do some waterskiing.”
Not exactly what I had in mind.
“That way it’ll give you more time to see where she’s at before you really lose yourself to her,” Neo added.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Really? Come on, Cos, give me some credit.”
“Fucking Marco. He told you.”
“Told me what?”
Neo really didn’t know?
“What were you talking about?” I said, testing him.
“Brooke, obviously.”
“And Marco didn’t tell you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“If Marco didn’t tell you, then how do you know my taking the day off has anything to do with Brooke?”
“I don’t know, Cos. Maybe because I have eyes.”
Shit. “It’s that obvious?”
“To me, yes. I suspected you liked her. Pretending to hate her was always a front.”
“I did hate her.”
“Okay, whatever you say. But after last night, I knew for sure.”