“You have that slave master’s glint in your eyes,” Eli pointed out.“As if the man isn’t entitled to a life.”
“I’m not saying that.”She looked away from their studious expressions while searching for words.“But he rushed away from work before it was time for him to go.”
Zack shrugged.“Maybe he had an emergency.“They do happen, you know.”
“Well, he’s had more than anyone I know,” she grumbled.
“Give him time.It’s only been a month.”Eli shook his head and looked toward the ceiling.
“My point exactly,” she said, smirking.
“Look,” he glanced at his twin, then let out his breath on a hiss.“I think you should give him a lil more time to settle in.He’s been through a rough patch and from the look of things …”
“You like him,” Zack chipped in.“A lot.”
“That does not mean I’m going to cut him any slack.”
“We’re not saying you should open the floodgates,” Eli shot back.“But I told you he’s been to hell and back.”
She placed a hand on her chest.“Which suggests to me that now is not a good time for him to be contemplating anything with a female in it.”
Giving Shomari access to her heart had been a mistake her brothers didn’t need to know she’d made.
“But love—” Zack backtracked when she cut him a bad look.“Attraction, or whatever, doesn’t wait for us to be ready.”
Lizette chuckled and pointed at him.“But look at you trying to tell me about love.A man who wouldn’t check out anyone for months and months because of a relationship gone bad.”
Hands spread wide, he clapped back.“But here I am, basking in my engagement to the woman of my dreams.”
“Right.”Shomari’s repressed fury and his jerky movements since the Saturday that exposed his problems returned to haunt Lizette, but she pushed that aside.Strangely, the kids seemed to take the edge off his angst, so she had no complaints there.But everything else about his attitude rubbed her the wrong way.Her gaze returned to Zack, and she continued, “All I’m saying is that he needs to manage what he has going on better, and when you guys refuse to say what’s what ...”
She couldn’t share what she knew about the situation with Natanya.That was Shomari’s story to tell, but a gap existed in his history that the twins could fill,ifthey were ever inclined to do so in this lifetime.
“That’s his business,” Eli put in dryly.
“Agreed, but I’m still taking a step back.”
Zack leaned forward, “Speaking from the perspective of someone who was hurt by the woman he loved, I think you should give him more grace.He’s perfect for you.He’s educated, personable, good—”
She shook her head.“I think you mean erratic.”
Scoffing, he continued, “Like I was saying, good-looking—”
“Since when are you admiring men enough to classify one like that?”Eli asked, smirking.
Sitting sideways, Zack dismissed him.“Forget you, with your homophobic self.”
“I am not homo—”
“Guys.”Lizette tapped the desk with one hand.“Focus.This is not about the two of you.It’s aboutmylife and howyou’veboth turned it upside down by introducing me to this guy who—”
“Clearly is sweet on you, baby sis.”Zack nodded for emphasis.
“I agree.”Eli raised one eyebrow and tipped his head toward her.
“Yeah, you would.The two of you haggle over everything, and then when anyone else steps in, you’re a united front.”
They looked at each other, then grinned.“Of course.We’re twins,” they said in one voice, as if that explained their contrariness.
