Suzy burst into laughter, knowing she was an evil person but still unable to resist the temptation to torture Gray. She waved her hand to stop Beth from turning on the water and took a deep breath trying to control her laughter. “I’m fine Beth, just help me dry off.”
Realization dawned in Beth’s eyes as she too started laughing. “You’re a bad person, you know that, right? That poor man has gone to hell and back for you. Between fits of laughter, she continued, “Let it be known that I object.”
“So, evil one, how are you feeling today? You look better; the spark is back in your eyes. Oh god, you didn’t have sex last night did you?”
Suzy snorted, “Duh, thanks for your faith in me. But even I’d have found that impossible eight hours after getting out of the hospital. I sure wanted to, though. That man sets my underwear on fire anytime he’s near.”
“Um, yeah, thanks for all the sharing. I really need that visual when I look at him. I’d like to at least be able to be in the same room with one of the Merimon brothers. His brother Nick, he gives me the creeps.”
Surprised, Suzy looked at her sister. "Nick, why? I like him. Is he hitting on you or something?”
“Ugh, no. I’m not his type, I’m sure. He’s just always staring at me like I’m some type of science experiment. No doubt, he’s never spent much time around a woman who was bigger than a size three, and he’s probably terrified I’ll eat him or something.”
Not for the first time, Suzy wondered if her sister’s constant fat humor hid a serious problem. She studied her intently as Beth was leaning over to dry her. If possible, she looked even thinner, and despite her joking about women who were a size three, Suzy wondered if Beth was much more than that now. When they were alone without Gray and Nick being in the other room, Suzy vowed to have a serious talk with Beth. She didn’t want to see her sister end up with an eating disorder.
~~~
“Bro, what’re you getting yourself into here.” Gray looked over at his brother leaning against a kitchen counter and walked over to pour a cup of coffee. “In little more than twenty-four hours you have set up house. “
“What’s your point, Nick?”
“No point really, just hope you know what you’re doing. I know how you feel about her, but your life is a little complicated right now. If you plan to continue, you need to come clean with her about Reva before she finds out on her own.”
Gray’s head jerked sharply up and he turned a steely gaze on his brother. “How would she find out; I know you aren’t threatening to tell her.”
“Chill out, of course I’m not. I’m nervous though because we are no closer to finding out how Reva keeps finding your number than we were. I just have a bad feeling about this, man. I don’t think that woman is dealing with a full deck. I think we should get the police involved before this gets out of hand.”
“Nick, what’re the police going to do? She hasn’t done anything other than make a nuisance of herself. Just keep at it and see if you can find out anything.” Walking over to his brother, he laid a hand on his shoulder. “I appreciate the concern, but it’s going to be ok.”
Nick still looked like he wanted to argue, but wisely changed the subject. “Declan Stone is flying in today. Jason wanted to know if you could possibly get away for a few hours this afternoon so that the three of us could meet with him.”
“If Beth is free to stay with Suzy, I should be able to. I need to pick up some papers at the office anyway. I’d like to see Declan in person. I think it’s important to close the deal with him and bring him onboard. He’s more likely to do that if I’m there.”
The merger of Danvers International with Mericom had created a communications giant. Both he and Nick had been pulled away from their base in Charleston, South Carolina and were relocating to the corporate headquarters of Danvers in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Even with the promotion of key personnel in both Charleston and Myrtle Beach, the company was still short staffed and he, Nick and Jason were constantly being pulled in a million directions. The addition of Declan would be huge. He and Declan went way back. They had been college roommates and even though Declan had made California his base for the last several years, they still remained in touch.
Declan had served two tours with the Air Force. Gray knew he’d spent a lot of that time in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Declan who came out of the military was a much darker and harder man than the friend he remembered from their younger days. He came from power and money, and after he left the military, he’d used both as a base to launch his own consulting business. His specialty was mergers and acquisitions. He could smell a weak company a mile away and knew when it was prime for a take-over. He rarely considered a long-term assignment, and the fact that he was even willing to talk with Danvers about a permanent position was a testament to their friendship. With someone like him in place, Danvers would continue to grow and prosper beyond their wildest dreams.