Del accepted the ribbing. “It wasn’t like that.”
“It looked like that,” Aidan said, grabbing a handful of peanuts from the bowl on the counter. “It looked a lot like that.”
It had been a nice kiss, Del thought. When he’d first seen the video, he’d been shocked and a little embarrassed. But even though it was a personal moment, he wasn’t ashamed. Hell, he and Maya looked good together. His only regret was that they hadn’t done more. Not on camera, of course. But later. Privately. One on one. Naked.
She’d always looked good naked and he had a feeling time had been especially kind to her. They both had some years on them, which meant experience. Making love with her had been fantastic before. He would guess it would be even better now.
“What can I get you?” Nick asked.
Del pointed to Aidan’s bottle and sat down at the bar. “What he’s having.”
Aidan glanced at him. “Did you figure out what happened with the video? How it got online?”
“Eddie Carberry got into Maya’s files.”
Aidan shook his head. “You’ve got to admire her and Gladys. They move with the times.”
“That’s what I said. We should all be so determined when we’re their age.” Del found himself watching Nick, thinking about his brother’s secret. Not that he was going to ask. Instead, he turned back to Aidan. “How’s business?”
Aidan’s expression immediately went tight. He put down his beer. “Go to hell,” he said, and walked out.
Del stared after him, then turned to Nick. “What did I say?”
“You have to ask?”
“Yeah, I do. I know he’s pissed. So let’s talk about it. Walking away doesn’t accomplish anything.”
“So speaks the man who ran.”
Not how Del would have characterized his leaving town, but he could see how it would have looked that way. “Maybe I learned from my mistakes.”
“I’m not the one you’re fighting with. No point in telling me.”
Del stared at Aidan’s abandoned beer, not sure how to handle the situation. “I don’t suppose he’s like this with everyone.”
“Nope. Just you.”
“Great. I guess I’m going to have to talk to him.”
“You just tried that. It didn’t go well.”
“What do you suggest?”
“Not a clue.” Nick leaned against the bar. “Regretting coming home?”
“Sometimes. There’s a big world out there that’s a whole lot easier to deal with than family.” He took a drink of his beer. “You know, if Aidan’s so unhappy, why doesn’t he just sell the business and leave? Dad’s not drinking anymore, so he’s not going to go on a bender and destroy a year’s worth of work. No one needs the income to put food on the table.”
Nick straightened. “It’s even easier than that. Aidan bought out Mom a few years back. The business is just his now.”
“So why doesn’t he leave, if it’s so awful? Or does he enjoy spending his days thinking about how I ruined his life?”
“You’ll have to ask him.”
“He’s not here.”
“Funny how that works.”
Del looked at Nick. “Anything you want to talk about?”
“My life’s an open book.”
“Written in invisible ink.”
Nick chuckled. “See what you missed while you’ve been gone? Speaking of being gone, where are you off to next?”
“I have no idea.”
“No great adventure calling?”
Del shook his head. “A few people have been in touch, wanting me to develop the next hot piece of equipment, but I’m not that guy. The sky board I worked on was just one of those things. I didn’t like what was on the market. But I don’t wake up in the middle of the night with ideas for inventions.”
“You need to follow your passion,” Nick told him.
If Del had been drinking, he would have choked. Seriously? This from a guy with a secret life?
“I’m not an entrepreneur,” Del said instead. “I have no desire to discover a better way to reinvent the wheel.”
“Ever think about settling down in one place?”
“Now and then. I’m not sure I mean it.”
“What would you do if you had to stay in one place?”
“I’d be a teacher.”
Nick raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t see that one coming.”
Del rested his elbows on the bar. “I like kids. I like sharing the world with them. That was one of the best parts about my travel. Going into classrooms all over the place and talking about what I’d seen. Showing them.”
“Pictures?”
“Sometimes. Videos. Or telling them stories. Kids want to know what it’s like everywhere. They’re curious. Open.”
Del thought about the videos he shot. They were a start, but not a good one. He had a vision, but not the ability to see it through. Since selling his company, he had capital. Maybe he should hire somebody. Start some kind of travel production company.
He reached for his beer and knew that wasn’t the answer. Even though it might get him where he wanted to go, it didn’t feel right.
For a second, he wondered about Maya. She was brilliant. Dedicated. But she was also committed to Fool’s Gold. And working together for a few weeks wasn’t the same as an ongoing business partnership. Because of their past, he didn’t know if he could trust her. Not completely.
“It looked like that,” Aidan said, grabbing a handful of peanuts from the bowl on the counter. “It looked a lot like that.”
It had been a nice kiss, Del thought. When he’d first seen the video, he’d been shocked and a little embarrassed. But even though it was a personal moment, he wasn’t ashamed. Hell, he and Maya looked good together. His only regret was that they hadn’t done more. Not on camera, of course. But later. Privately. One on one. Naked.
She’d always looked good naked and he had a feeling time had been especially kind to her. They both had some years on them, which meant experience. Making love with her had been fantastic before. He would guess it would be even better now.
“What can I get you?” Nick asked.
Del pointed to Aidan’s bottle and sat down at the bar. “What he’s having.”
Aidan glanced at him. “Did you figure out what happened with the video? How it got online?”
“Eddie Carberry got into Maya’s files.”
Aidan shook his head. “You’ve got to admire her and Gladys. They move with the times.”
“That’s what I said. We should all be so determined when we’re their age.” Del found himself watching Nick, thinking about his brother’s secret. Not that he was going to ask. Instead, he turned back to Aidan. “How’s business?”
Aidan’s expression immediately went tight. He put down his beer. “Go to hell,” he said, and walked out.
Del stared after him, then turned to Nick. “What did I say?”
“You have to ask?”
“Yeah, I do. I know he’s pissed. So let’s talk about it. Walking away doesn’t accomplish anything.”
“So speaks the man who ran.”
Not how Del would have characterized his leaving town, but he could see how it would have looked that way. “Maybe I learned from my mistakes.”
“I’m not the one you’re fighting with. No point in telling me.”
Del stared at Aidan’s abandoned beer, not sure how to handle the situation. “I don’t suppose he’s like this with everyone.”
“Nope. Just you.”
“Great. I guess I’m going to have to talk to him.”
“You just tried that. It didn’t go well.”
“What do you suggest?”
“Not a clue.” Nick leaned against the bar. “Regretting coming home?”
“Sometimes. There’s a big world out there that’s a whole lot easier to deal with than family.” He took a drink of his beer. “You know, if Aidan’s so unhappy, why doesn’t he just sell the business and leave? Dad’s not drinking anymore, so he’s not going to go on a bender and destroy a year’s worth of work. No one needs the income to put food on the table.”
Nick straightened. “It’s even easier than that. Aidan bought out Mom a few years back. The business is just his now.”
“So why doesn’t he leave, if it’s so awful? Or does he enjoy spending his days thinking about how I ruined his life?”
“You’ll have to ask him.”
“He’s not here.”
“Funny how that works.”
Del looked at Nick. “Anything you want to talk about?”
“My life’s an open book.”
“Written in invisible ink.”
Nick chuckled. “See what you missed while you’ve been gone? Speaking of being gone, where are you off to next?”
“I have no idea.”
“No great adventure calling?”
Del shook his head. “A few people have been in touch, wanting me to develop the next hot piece of equipment, but I’m not that guy. The sky board I worked on was just one of those things. I didn’t like what was on the market. But I don’t wake up in the middle of the night with ideas for inventions.”
“You need to follow your passion,” Nick told him.
If Del had been drinking, he would have choked. Seriously? This from a guy with a secret life?
“I’m not an entrepreneur,” Del said instead. “I have no desire to discover a better way to reinvent the wheel.”
“Ever think about settling down in one place?”
“Now and then. I’m not sure I mean it.”
“What would you do if you had to stay in one place?”
“I’d be a teacher.”
Nick raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t see that one coming.”
Del rested his elbows on the bar. “I like kids. I like sharing the world with them. That was one of the best parts about my travel. Going into classrooms all over the place and talking about what I’d seen. Showing them.”
“Pictures?”
“Sometimes. Videos. Or telling them stories. Kids want to know what it’s like everywhere. They’re curious. Open.”
Del thought about the videos he shot. They were a start, but not a good one. He had a vision, but not the ability to see it through. Since selling his company, he had capital. Maybe he should hire somebody. Start some kind of travel production company.
He reached for his beer and knew that wasn’t the answer. Even though it might get him where he wanted to go, it didn’t feel right.
For a second, he wondered about Maya. She was brilliant. Dedicated. But she was also committed to Fool’s Gold. And working together for a few weeks wasn’t the same as an ongoing business partnership. Because of their past, he didn’t know if he could trust her. Not completely.
