Page 23 of Sensing Selma
“Oh,” he said, surprised to see me. “I take it you listened in.”
I nodded. “Sorry. I know I shouldn’t have, and I promise never to do it again, but...”
“Don’t worry about it. I understand that this is a strange and unpleasant time for you and you’re eager to know your fate.”
Again, I nodded. “You’re quite good at convincing people to see things your way,” I said, smiling at him. “I’m going to have to be careful around you from now on.”
“It’s not a practice I’m proud of, but I knew it was the only way to get Jeremy on board with the plan. The idea has to come from him. I’m sure that he is, at this very moment, speaking to some investors about this great idea of his.”
I laughed. “The important thing is that we won’t have to leave right away. Thank you.”
He nodded. “I’ll admit that I have some rather selfish reasons for keeping you around.”
“Oh?”
He simply smiled and gestured that I joined him as he headed back to the breakfast room and onward to the garden.
I wanted to ask him. What did that comment mean? But he playfully avoided my gaze.
“How much history do you know about this place?”
No, I thought. You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to throw out a comment like that and then move on as if you’d never said it. “Quite a bit,” I nonetheless said. “But then again, my mother is an encyclopedia of information.”
“And will Holly get on board?”
“Will Holly get on board with what?”Holly said as she suddenly came up behind us.
My breath caught in my throat. The moment of truth had arrived. My beautiful sister would no doubt enchant Brad and that would bring an end to our pleasant strolls around the property. My heart ached at the thought. In that moment, I wanted desperately to hate her, to resent her beauty and sociable nature. But I did love her, selfish and childish as she was.
“Oh,” Brad said, turning to her. “Hello.”
I watched him closely, looking for the interest in his eyes, or the sensual curve of his lips or the need to approach her. But his eyes didn’t widen with appreciation, and his smile was nothing but friendly, almost brotherly. He made no move to get closer to her at all.
I allowed myself permission to breathe again.
“You must be Brad,” Holly said with a giggle and a flash of her pretty eyes. “I was beginning to wonder if I would ever meet you.”
“Brad,” I said. “This is my sister, Holly.”
“Nice to finally meet you,” he said, offering her a hand for a brief, almost uninterested handshake.
“Well,” she chirped as we reached a fork in the path, and she took to the right. “I have to get going. Charlie wants to show me his new car. You can tell me all about this thing you want me to do later.”
Brad chuckled. “I feel like I just ran into a mini tornado.”
Not a word about her beauty. Nothing about her friendly nature. No word to denote any degree of interest.
I smiled, more relieved than I had a right to.
*****
WE STROLLED SLOWLY, lazily, as if we had the entire day ahead to simply spend together. I was hardly aware of the blooms around me, didn’t really notice the bees that buzzed about, and I heard little of the birds’ songs.
All that seemed to matter was Brad walking beside me. Over and over again, I opened my mouth to question his earlier comment about wanting to keep me around. I wanted to know what he meant. Then again, did I? Was I reading too much into it?
“I’m sorry I was so evasive earlier,” he said as we reached the dried-up water fountain.
“Earlier? When?”
