“Yes. Of course. What we have is like a one-night fling.”
“More than a night now.”
“A few nights.”
He nodded slowly. “A several-night stand.”
She supposed the cold description fit. Ouch. “Sure,” she managed. “I don’t want anything more. Don’t worry.”
He drew away from her, each inch feeling like a canyon opening between them. “Right. Good. I’m not worried.”
Jackson entered, a bandage and a tube of antibiotic ointment in his hands. “Found it. Sorry that took me a minute.”
“That’s fine.” Her voice was higher than she would have liked.
Gabe gave Jackson a tight smile. “My sister and mom should be arriving soon. I’ll leave you two to dinner. Smells great, Jackson.”
“Thanks.”
Eve kept her head down while Gabe left the room. Jackson crossed over to her and competently dressed and bandaged her wound. “Eve?”
She glanced up at him.
His black eyes held a hint of worry. “Are you and Gabe okay?”
Oh jeez. The last thing she wanted was tension between Jackson and his half-brother—and over her? No way. “Fine. Blood makes me woozy.” It wasn’t a complete lie at least.
He seemed satisfied by that explanation. “Alistair caught me in the hall. Your grandfather is here, with your brother in the study.”
“Already?” She’d wanted to be on hand to greet her grandfather and his care attendant when they arrived. She made it to the door, then glanced over her shoulder. “Aren’t you coming?” Livvy and Jackson and her grandfather had a deep bond. The man had been their surrogate grandfather their whole lives, until the split.
Jackson shook his head. “No. I’ll see him when he’s alone.”
That was a very Jackson thing to say. “Gotcha.”
Eve scurried down the hall, her stress over Gabe somewhat buried under her anticipation. Her grandpa John was her favorite person in the whole world, maybe even above Nicholas. She pushed open the door of the library, smiling when she caught sight of the elderly man sitting in his power chair next to the luxurious couch.
“Grandpa, it’s so good to see you.”
He beamed up at her, his bushy white hair neatly combed. John tended to favor casual clothes, but he’d dressed up today in trousers and a navy sports coat. “There’s my Evie.”
John was a legend in Rockville, regarded with awe and reverence. There wasn’t a single family who didn’t either know him or know of him, one of the two men who had created the region’s largest employer.
He had always been a larger-than-life figure for her, a gentle, affectionate, yet occasionally gruff father figure. She hugged him gently, a little alarmed at how weak his return squeeze was. Arthritis had made the power chair a necessity a few years ago. “I didn’t know you were already here.”
“Only drove up a little while ago. Chad’s making sure my room’s set up for me and the chair. Nicholas was catching me up on your adventures.”
Eve’s smile slipped slightly, and she glanced at her brother. She hoped he hadn’t told their grandfather about her adventure in the rain.
John shook his head. “Volleyball and kayaking and horseback riding. I’m glad I didn’t come up any earlier. I would have been tired watching you people.”
Oh good. Nothing about her getting stranded, then. “You would have been welcome all week.”
He patted her hand. “No. More important the next generation spends time together. I won’t be around forever, you know. You need to form bonds again.”
She hated hearing stuff like that. She wanted him to be around forever. “You’ll outlive us.”
“Why would I want to do that? Especially when my blood is carrying on the Chandler name so proudly.” He beamed at Eve. “All this time you’ve been secretly plotting to put the rest of this family to shame in the business world.”
