She wondered if it was really because he was brilliant or was he simply taking advantage of everyone around him. She knew Nick had a lot of talent, yet he managed to be a pretty decent guy. The twins were rumored to be just as brilliant as their dad, and although she didn’t know them well, they seemed okay. Maybe it was a generational thing.
“After dinner we’ll all go to the studio,” Ceallach was saying. “You can see what I’ve been doing.”
“We’d love that, Dad,” Mathias said. “There’s no one like you.”
Ceallach puffed out his chest in pride. “This I know.”
* * *
SOMETIME AFTER ELEVEN, Del stepped out onto the porch. The night was clear and cool and he could smell smoke from the fireplace.
Maya had ducked out an hour before. He couldn’t blame her for leaving. He would have done the same if he could have. Talk had turned to art and stayed there for much of the meal. Now Mom had gone to bed while Ceallach, Nick and the twins argued style, technique or whatever it was they could talk about for days.
He sat on the bench and stretched out his legs in front of him. A few minutes later, Aidan joined him.
“Tired of hearing about process?” he asked.
His brother grimaced. “That and being ignored.” Aidan sat in one of the chairs. “They give me a pain in my ass sometimes. It’s as if nothing else matters.”
“Nothing else does. To them, anyway. You know that.”
Aidan stared up at the sky. “They’ll be at it for hours.”
“Luckily we both have somewhere else to sleep.” Del knew he should head home, and he would. But for now, this was good. “How’s business?” he asked.
“Busy. Labor Day freaks people out. They realize summer’s nearly over, so we get a lot of last-minute bookings for weekend tours. Some people deliberately take time off in September because it’s less crowded and the weather is usually still good. So we’re slammed.”
“Does it ever slow down?”
“Some. October and November have less going on. Once it starts to snow, we’re running ski weekends, back country trips, that kind of thing.”
Del nodded. “Makes sense. You’ve really grown the company. You should be proud of yourself.”
Aidan looked at him. “I am. Thanks. It was difficult at first. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. But I’ve made it my own. There’s nothing I’d rather be doing.”
“I appreciate you saying that.”
“I’ll bet you do. Now you don’t have to feel guilty.”
“It’s going to give me a lot of free time.”
Aidan grinned. “I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”
“At least I spend my days off pursuing something worthwhile.”
Aidan’s grin turned into a chuckle. “So do I. Just with a different outcome.”
“All your outcomes are the same.”
“Jealous?”
“Nope.” Del thought about all the women he’d seen his brother with. What they had in common was they were female. Otherwise, Aidan didn’t seem to have a type. “Don’t you ever want more than variety?”
“Hell, no. Why would I? Every time, it’s a new day. A new woman. I have my fun and we all move on. Why complicate life with a relationship?”
“Because it’s nice to have someone who has your back. It’s nice to belong.”
“So speaks the man who travels the world. Where do you belong?”
An interesting question. He thought of Maya, wanting to say he belonged with her. Only he didn’t. Working together wasn’t the same as being romantically involved. He wanted to be with her in the most intimate ways possible. But that was different. It had to be. Trusting her again wasn’t possible.
“I’m still figuring that out,” he admitted. “Which is a great way to try to distract me from what we were talking about.”
“Saying it didn’t work?” Aidan asked with a chuckle. “I’ll try harder next time.” His humor faded. “I’m okay. I like how I live my life. I keep all my risks related to work. There’s nothing dangerous about what I do with women. It’s never serious and I never get stuck.”
“Sometimes being stuck isn’t a bad thing.”
“Believe that if you want. I won’t.”
“Don’t you worry that going from woman to woman means never connecting with any of them? What if one of them falls for you? Unlikely, but it could happen.”
Aidan grinned. “I’m clear with the rules. They know going in it’s just for the weekend or the week. Nothing long-term. I don’t want more. Don’t need it, don’t have time for it. If they push, we’re done.”
“Doesn’t that make you an asshole?”
“Maybe, but a lucky one.”
“One day it’s all going to crash in on you,” Del said, knowing his brother wouldn’t heed his warning.
“Never gonna happen.” Aidan sounded confident. “I know exactly what I’m doing.”
Del hoped he was being honest with himself. Because if he wasn’t, things could go bad, and fast.
* * *
DEL STAYED ANOTHER half hour, but his father and brothers didn’t seem inclined to discuss anything but art. When he called out that he was leaving, they barely paused from their heated conversation about blending colors in nontraditional mediums. Whatever that meant. Aidan had gone home fifteen minutes before, so Del left them and made his way to his truck.
“After dinner we’ll all go to the studio,” Ceallach was saying. “You can see what I’ve been doing.”
“We’d love that, Dad,” Mathias said. “There’s no one like you.”
Ceallach puffed out his chest in pride. “This I know.”
* * *
SOMETIME AFTER ELEVEN, Del stepped out onto the porch. The night was clear and cool and he could smell smoke from the fireplace.
Maya had ducked out an hour before. He couldn’t blame her for leaving. He would have done the same if he could have. Talk had turned to art and stayed there for much of the meal. Now Mom had gone to bed while Ceallach, Nick and the twins argued style, technique or whatever it was they could talk about for days.
He sat on the bench and stretched out his legs in front of him. A few minutes later, Aidan joined him.
“Tired of hearing about process?” he asked.
His brother grimaced. “That and being ignored.” Aidan sat in one of the chairs. “They give me a pain in my ass sometimes. It’s as if nothing else matters.”
“Nothing else does. To them, anyway. You know that.”
Aidan stared up at the sky. “They’ll be at it for hours.”
“Luckily we both have somewhere else to sleep.” Del knew he should head home, and he would. But for now, this was good. “How’s business?” he asked.
“Busy. Labor Day freaks people out. They realize summer’s nearly over, so we get a lot of last-minute bookings for weekend tours. Some people deliberately take time off in September because it’s less crowded and the weather is usually still good. So we’re slammed.”
“Does it ever slow down?”
“Some. October and November have less going on. Once it starts to snow, we’re running ski weekends, back country trips, that kind of thing.”
Del nodded. “Makes sense. You’ve really grown the company. You should be proud of yourself.”
Aidan looked at him. “I am. Thanks. It was difficult at first. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. But I’ve made it my own. There’s nothing I’d rather be doing.”
“I appreciate you saying that.”
“I’ll bet you do. Now you don’t have to feel guilty.”
“It’s going to give me a lot of free time.”
Aidan grinned. “I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”
“At least I spend my days off pursuing something worthwhile.”
Aidan’s grin turned into a chuckle. “So do I. Just with a different outcome.”
“All your outcomes are the same.”
“Jealous?”
“Nope.” Del thought about all the women he’d seen his brother with. What they had in common was they were female. Otherwise, Aidan didn’t seem to have a type. “Don’t you ever want more than variety?”
“Hell, no. Why would I? Every time, it’s a new day. A new woman. I have my fun and we all move on. Why complicate life with a relationship?”
“Because it’s nice to have someone who has your back. It’s nice to belong.”
“So speaks the man who travels the world. Where do you belong?”
An interesting question. He thought of Maya, wanting to say he belonged with her. Only he didn’t. Working together wasn’t the same as being romantically involved. He wanted to be with her in the most intimate ways possible. But that was different. It had to be. Trusting her again wasn’t possible.
“I’m still figuring that out,” he admitted. “Which is a great way to try to distract me from what we were talking about.”
“Saying it didn’t work?” Aidan asked with a chuckle. “I’ll try harder next time.” His humor faded. “I’m okay. I like how I live my life. I keep all my risks related to work. There’s nothing dangerous about what I do with women. It’s never serious and I never get stuck.”
“Sometimes being stuck isn’t a bad thing.”
“Believe that if you want. I won’t.”
“Don’t you worry that going from woman to woman means never connecting with any of them? What if one of them falls for you? Unlikely, but it could happen.”
Aidan grinned. “I’m clear with the rules. They know going in it’s just for the weekend or the week. Nothing long-term. I don’t want more. Don’t need it, don’t have time for it. If they push, we’re done.”
“Doesn’t that make you an asshole?”
“Maybe, but a lucky one.”
“One day it’s all going to crash in on you,” Del said, knowing his brother wouldn’t heed his warning.
“Never gonna happen.” Aidan sounded confident. “I know exactly what I’m doing.”
Del hoped he was being honest with himself. Because if he wasn’t, things could go bad, and fast.
* * *
DEL STAYED ANOTHER half hour, but his father and brothers didn’t seem inclined to discuss anything but art. When he called out that he was leaving, they barely paused from their heated conversation about blending colors in nontraditional mediums. Whatever that meant. Aidan had gone home fifteen minutes before, so Del left them and made his way to his truck.
