“Eighty-nine.”
This had to be the longest conversation that she could remember having with her dad about his father. Her heart lifted a little. Her dad remembered how old his father was. As a home care nurse, she’d worked with family members who had regular contact with each other and still didn’t know that kind of information.
“What are you asking me, Dad?”
“Nothing. I wanted to tell you.” Her father’s almost sad tone turned cross. “And ask when you plan to finally come home for a visit.”
“Depending on the timing for this next job, if I accept it, it could be another month, give or take.”
He gave a disgusted grunt. “Your mother misses you.”
Eve grinned. “Mom and I talk almost every day, and she’s not pushing for me to come home right away. Are you sureyou’renot the one who’s missing me?”
He started to bluster, like he always did when she accused him of having feelings. She’d wondered many times over the years how he managed to be so successful as an attorney with that kind of temper. She’d asked him once if he’d ever been found in contempt while in court, and that had sent him off into another one of his rants. From her mother’s expression, Eve had decided he had, and that experience had forced him to learn to control it. Nowadays, she thought she must be the only one who could set him off.
“Dad, I hate to interrupt—” She waited for him to stop his little rant. “—but I have to go into the building now for my meeting. I’ll come up either this weekend or the next. I’ll let Mom know which. Call me again when you have more information.”
“Tha gaol agam ort.”
“I love you too, Dad.” Eve ended the call, dropped the phone in her purse, and entered the building.
* * *
“I still don’t getwhy you wantmeto do this. The charity wasyouridea,” Darius Dimitriou said with a scowl. He wished he knew why his partner had been so agitated since he’d returned from Ireland. Darius couldn’t afford to take on responsibility for a wish-fulfillment organization if it might turn him irritable and cranky like Kayn had become.
“Because I’ve decided I don’t want to run this thing, but it’s still a worthy cause. The nurse I worked with in—” Kayn tripped on the word. Why wouldn’t he even name Ireland now? What had happened on that first bucket-list trip? “Well, she has a great suggestion for a candidate that I thought you in particular would be interested in helping.”
Him particularly. What was that supposed to mean? Darius had never considered making a bucket list for himself. He’d always thought that was for people who hit forty. With adventures like an African safari, tour of the Egyptian pyramids, and sailing across the Pacific, he’d had enough fun to mark off items from many people’s bucket lists. He had a decade before he had to worry about adding to his own.
“Don’t we already fund enough charities?” He rubbed the back of his neck. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to give back, but it’d been a tough summer. Their company REKD Gaming was gearing up for the playoffs for the World Championships, and he’d just found a replacement for his intern—Kayn’s sister, as it’d turned out. Darius had been looking forward to taking off some time; he needed a break.
“Please listen to her and then decide.” Kayn headed toward the conference room door. “Let’s go.”
“All right, but I’m making no promises.”
“That’s all I ask.”
Darius followed but only because of the haunted look in his friend’s eyes. Seriously, what had happened to him in Ireland to have caused that? It was like Kayn was in the middle of some kind of internal battle. Since the drama with his sister had been resolved, what could be troubling him now? The single time Darius had tried to bring it up, Kayn had rather rudely brushed aside his question.
Kayn strode from the room and had to quickly step aside to keep from plowing into a woman holding a baby carrier.
“Morning, Cayenne,” she said to Kayn, a twinkle in her eyes.
“Cass.” He barely blinked and didn’t tell her to pronounce it likecane, another indication that something was troubling the man. The ribbing about the correct pronunciation had been a running gag with the CEO’s executive assistant for three years.
With a crease between her brows, she watched Kayn continue down the hallway.
“You need to find out what’s bugging him,” Cass said. “His sense of humor died in Ireland. I thought he was too focused on work before, but he’s worse now. It’s not healthy. For any of you.” She reached up and poked Darius in the chest.
“Ow.” He rubbed the spot. “Maybe he’s just getting tired of your joke. Try something about Cain and Abel for a change.”
“No. This is more,muchmore. That man is miserable.” Shaking her head, Cass went into her office.
Darius broke into a jog to catch up with Kayn, who had reached the elevator and was holding it open. They entered and faced the door, saying nothing.
Cass was right, but Darius didn’t know how to help his friend if he wouldn’t open up about the problem. Kayn had done one test case and gone with the wish-fulfillment lady to Ireland. She’d been an old woman with cancer. He wouldn’t talk about the trip. Had he gotten attached to her, and she’d since taken a turn for the worse? That was the danger in getting emotionally involved.
He’d said the nurse had a potential client. Where would this person want to go? Someplace like Disneyworld or Universal Studios? On a cruise?
