Page 16 of Irresistible

CHAPTER SIX

Thursday

Lilly walked into her sister’s office with Popcorn trailing behind her. She lifted the box higher on her hip, then set it on the credenza. “As requested, notes from the first two books.”

Loren glanced at Lilly and held up her finger. “Almost done.”

Lilly collapsed into a chair and watched Popcorn lie down. This was their fifth stop of the day and they were both tuckered out. Wasting time on this lawsuit was getting on her last nerve. Every couple of weeks there was some sort of fire drill, and she had to produce all kinds of information for her defense. At first, she thought the lawsuit was ridiculous and assumed it would go away with little effort on her part. That was a year ago, and if it wasn’t for her sister, there might be no end in sight. The fact that her legal bill would be well over a hundred thousand dollars if her sister had charged her was sickening.

It was hard to believe that Drew possessed the stamina to pursue the case the way he had. Lord knew he didn’t have any in bed or even in his career. Why he chose this as a place to display his fortitude was beyond her. His chances of walking away with a check were almost nonexistent, and she’d made it known to as many people as she could what he was up to.

Public shame had to be outweighing anything he hoped to gain financially. Most people she talked to expressed their outrage at his actions. They saw him as a wealthy man going after an old girlfriend for a paycheck. As far as she could tell, there wasn’t anything more shameful. Maybe he never heard about public opinion, so the fact that most people thought he was lower than a snake didn’t mean a thing to him. His folks were a whole different story because they courted people’s approval like it was their job. The whiff of scandal surrounding Drew probably had his mama’s hair on fire.

When this had started, she actually thought his mama would make him stop. She wasn’t a woman who would put up with gossip about her son, especially if it affected her social standing in the community. His folks had tightened the leash after they gave him control of the dealerships, and she couldn’t imagine why this had escaped their scrutiny.

“Sorry about that,” Loren said as she pulled her glasses off and leaned back in her chair. “I was finishing the notes on my closing argument for the soap trial.”

“How’s that one going?”

“As well as can be expected.” Moving her papers over, she smiled. “I heard from a little birdie that Brock Landry all but told Drew and Tina that you two were sleeping together.”

Sitting up straight, she gave her sister a blank look. “What?”

“Drew and Tina were part of that big accident on Interstate 10 yesterday. A friend down at the station told me about the report that Tina filed on her slashed tires. She was yapping away about what Brock had said while Drew stood next to her, throwing death glares at anyone who dared to look at him.”

“Funny, he failed to mention the conversation last night when he was over watching TV,” Lilly responded. When her sister tipped back in her chair and crossed her arms, she knew she was going to have to give her some details. “What?”

“Brock Landry…You gonna tell me what’s going on or do I need to call him and ask him myself?”

“Listen, nosy Nellie, butt out. Nothing is going on—at least, nothing I’m going to talk about.” The fact that her attitude toward him had completely reversed in the last couple of days wasn’t anything she was ready to discuss. How could she explain why he’d suddenly become irresistible if she didn’t understand it herself? They’d been smooching and groping for a couple of days now, and she had no desire for it to stop. For such an irritating man, he sure was appealing.

Loren clapped and her face lit with a big smile. “It’s about damn time.”

“What are you talking about?”

Flipping her hand around, Loren laughed. “Brock’s had a thing for you for longer than I can remember. I’m happy to see that maturity has taken hold and he’s finally going to do something about it.”

Giving her sister a faint smile, Lilly kept her mouth shut, which by any measure was a miracle. The Bertrand sisters shared everything, and the fact that she wanted to keep what was happening private was as much of a shock to her as anything. Her relationship with Brock was between the two of them, and talking about it seemed like a betrayal. “We had drinks and hot dogs the other night, and then watched Predators Up Close.” Sealing her mouth shut, she kept the kissing and groping to herself.

“Well, I doubt that’s the whole story, but I won’t push.”

“Who are you and what have you done with my sister?” Lilly asked with a snort.

“I always thought if something happened between the two of you then it would light the world on fire. There’s something combustible between you two, and…”

“What?” Lilly almost yelled.

“I don’t know.” Rubbing her hand across her chin, Loren shrugged. “When Brock’s mama died, I think a part of him did too. I saw him go from an outgoing, funny kid to a cautious, overprotective one within the span of a couple of days. I think he took it harder than anyone else. A part of him shut down, and the only time I saw a spark in his eyes was when he looked at you.”

“I don’t remember any spark. All my memories are of him keeping me out of trouble. He was forever telling me what to do and how to do it. I didn’t figure out until much later that he couldn’t help himself. His mama’s battle with cancer and his inability to do anything about it ensured that whatever natural protective instincts he had were going to be the driving force in his life. Good thing he had me to keep him busy.”

“Is that why you were such a daredevil and would jump off anything someone dared you to?”

Shrugging, Lilly rested her hand on Popcorn’s head. “Maybe. I didn’t really grasp the gravity of the situation with Mrs. Landry because I was too young. But I did know that when he was watching out for me and telling me what to do, he didn’t look so sad. I guessed I figured mad was better than sad.”

Loren fiddled with a paper clip and made a face. “You gave him a lot to work with. Your fascination with homemade explosives had him about off his rocker. You’re just lucky that he didn’t tell Mama and Daddy what you were up to. If he had, you would’ve been on restriction for years.”

Smoothing down her sweater, Lilly knew her sister was right. “He told me something the other day that made his behavior when we were teenagers a lot more understandable.”

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