“I’m not telling you my password,” I protested, although I didn’t really care if Harlow knew it. I just didn’t know what she was after.
“Fine, don’t tell me. Just enter it for me.”
I gave her a glare, before snatching my phone back and quickly tapping it in for her. “What the hell are you doing anyway?” I asked as I handed the phone back over.
Harlow gave me a considering look before she tapped open my messages. “Checking to see how many times Nash has texted you.”
She was quiet for several moments, and then her eyes swung to mine again. “He’s texted you every single day, and you’re not replying.”
I blew a puff of air from my bottom lip upward, forcefully blowing a loose lock of hair out of my eyes. “I don’t know what to say.”
“It’s obvious you miss him,” Harlow said when she handed the phone back to me. “Why aren’t you doing something about it?”
Turning my phone face down on the table, I opened my mouth to protest, but she shook her head quickly. “Don’t argue with me on that. Every time his name comes up, you whip around.”
“Does Max know what you think about this?” I hedged.
“You just told me what was going on!” When I rolled my eyes, Harlow added, “I had my suspicions, and I mentioned to Max that I thought you might like Nash. But that’s it. I swear. Look, take it from someone else who screwed up with men plenty, you can get past that.”
I shrugged, a smile slowly stretching across my face as I regarded her. “Of course, you married my brother. Max is awesome except when he’s an overbearing older brother.”
Harlow snorted a laugh before pausing to take a sip of her coffee. “He is. For what it’s worth, I told him no sister wants to be lectured on dating. I think you should reply to Nash and get your ass back down to New Orleans to see him. You have unfinished business.” Her tone was stern and almost a dare.
“Are you serious? You’re acting like this is a big thing. I seriously doubt Nash has time for an actual relationship.”
Harlow eyed me and shook her head slowly. “You’re scared. Look, no matter what you think about the timing, the only way to find out if this might be worth it is to try. If you don’t try, you’ll never know.”
“The timing is terrible. I just broke up with Brett, and—”
Harlow cut in quickly. “You told me yourself before you even went on the trip with Brett that for all intents and purposes, you two were broken up. You’d hardly seen him for months. Plus, love isn’t always about timing.”
“What about love?” my brother’s voice carried to us.
I cast a firm glare at Harlow. “You’d better stay quiet about this.”
Max stopped beside our table, leaning over to press a lingering kiss on Harlow’s cheek. As he straightened, his blue eyes flicked from Harlow to me and back again. Sometimes I hated how perceptive my brother was, so I elected to put this one on Harlow. “I was just pointing out how fast you fell for her, oh mighty brother.”
Max hooked his hand over an empty chair from the table beside us to sit down quickly. “Give me all the hell you want. Harlow is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
When his smile unfurled slowly, my heart clenched. “She is. Even though I was teasing, I’ll never stop being happy for you.”
“So, we’re flying back to San Francisco in two days. Are you going with us?” Max asked.
I shrugged. “Probably. I’ve got to finish up that story I started in New Orleans. I have all the photographs, but I need to pull everything together. I might as well find a new place soon.”
A sense of disappointment settled over me. It wasn’t awful, but it was dull and tinged with regret. There was nothing to keep me in San Francisco now, except for my brother and Harlow. I wished I had a place to be, and a reason that felt purposeful and perhaps even passionate. Just like my career, my living situation and location felt like something I’d simply stumbled into. I’d gone to college there and ended up with a job, so I stayed.
San Francisco was an awesome city, and my brother was there almost every other month. Yet, there was nothing holding me there. I had friends, but I traveled enough for work that I didn’t have a strong sense of belonging there.
“You know you can stay at our place as long as you need,” Harlow chimed in. “We have plenty of room. Besides half the time, it’s all yours.”
Harlow was kind and generous, as she always was, but I didn’t want to be a charity case. “I know, and I do appreciate it. I might take you up on that for the short term, but I need a plan.”
“I’ll cover your ticket,” Max offered.
When I looked into his eyes, I knew he was just trying to be helpful however he could. I also knew the money was a drop in the bucket for him, but I hated the situation I was in. Between Nash and Max, they’d largely dealt with the mess Brett created. Although my credit cards were back in order and so on, that didn’t mean I magically had money.
“I know you will, and I appreciate it. I’ll go to San Francisco and figure it out from there.”
Chapter 25
Nash
“Lydia!” I called through my open office door.
Lydia appeared in the doorway within a minute and rested a hand on her hip as she leaned her shoulder inside the door frame. “Yes?” she queried, her tone on the sharp side.
“What’s the status on the closing for that property in the French Quarter?”
“It’s all set. Closing is tomorrow, and your attorneys are handling everything.”
I nodded and glanced back down at the screen on my laptop.
“Can I make an observation?” she asked.
Looking up, I replied, “Of course.”
“I’ve had just about enough of your attitude. Go find Mari.”
I stared at her for a long beat and then leaned back in my chair, running a hand through my hair. “Have I been that bad?”
Lydia nodded slowly, the annoyance on her face shifting to sympathy. Which I hated.
“Yeah, that bad,” she countered, her tone dry as chalk.
“What makes you think it has anything to do with Mari?” I hedged, rather pointlessly, but denial was a great coping skill, and I was working it these days.
“Because you’ve been like this ever since she left. First, you were just a little off. Then, you got snappy.”
I shrugged. “Not much I can do about it because she’s gone and won’t reply to my texts.”
Lydia considered me for a moment and then rolled her eyes. “Let me guess, you’re saying vague, friendly things.”
“What the hell am I supposed to say?”
“For a man who had the blessing of being raised by two parents who adore each other, you can be really clueless,” Lydia said tartly as she shook her head slowly.
“What do you mean? I know I’m blessed.”
“I mean your parents. Your father still gets your mother flowers for every event of the year. She’s always getting him surprise gifts. I don’t mean you should be getting Mari gifts, but that they do things to take care of each other in both small and big ways. They make it clear how much they love each other. I don’t know how you feel about Mari, but it’s obvious to me that she’s the first woman I’ve seen who you actually care about.”