by Elle Casey
“Why would you say that?”
“Because we were on the computer together looking at a dating site, and he was telling me how I should go find a guy and set up a date with him. It was the perfect situation for him to suggest himself, but he told me to go date someone else. I mean, that doesn’t sound like a guy who’s interested in me.”
May is frowning. “That is weird. He asked me lots of questions about you, even when we were talking about other things. He just brought it up randomly, several times. Why would he tell you to go out with other guys if he’s so interested in you, though?”
“Exactly.” I’m so sad right now. God, this sucks. I’m going to be single for the rest of my life.
“Maybe I read him wrong. Maybe I got the signals crossed or something.”
I nod. “He’s probably just being really friendly, asking you about me because you guys are coworkers and he likes you.”
May doesn’t look very convinced. “I don’t know. He seems to be interested in more than just a friendly way. But you never know with Dev. He plays it pretty close to the vest, I guess.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, his son, for one thing . . .”
“Jacob? What do you mean?” I take a big bite of my muffin to keep myself from talking for a while. I want to hear everything May has to say on this subject.
“I didn’t find out about Jacob until recently. I mean, I knew that Dev had a child, but I didn’t realize that he had a child with special needs, or that he was a single dad doing everything himself.”
“How could you not know everything about the situation? You’re dating his boss, and you see Dev every day.” Obviously my sister needs some training in how to be a proper busybody. I thought I’d taught her better than this . . .
She shrugs. “Ozzie isn’t somebody who’d share people’s personal details with me. If I ask about something specific, he’ll usually tell me, but he doesn’t elaborate and he doesn’t just volunteer stuff.” She shrugs. “I guess I never thought to ask about Dev’s family life.”
I shake my head. “Sometimes I’m not even sure we’re related.”
She pokes a finger at me and then herself. “You were always the psychoanalyst. I was always the patient, remember?”
“I guess so. I’m starting to think I should’ve let you be the doctor more often.”
May reaches over and puts her hand on mine, squeezing it gently. “I’m sorry that I haven’t been more concerned about your life. I should have asked you more questions about what was going on with Miles and the kids.”
I put my free hand on top of hers, making a tower of sisterly support. “Don’t say that. You haven’t done anything wrong. You’re the best sister in the world. Seriously. I didn’t want to talk to you today to make you feel guilty about anything, because you have nothing to feel guilty about.”
She sits back, apparently mollified. “So, what are you going to do about Dev?”
“Well, we’re going out to dinner tonight, so we’ll see. I guess I’ll just play it by ear.”
May’s expression brightens. “You’re going out for dinner? That’s awesome!” She takes a giant bite of her muffin, causing a pile of crumbs to fall and land in her lap. She brushes them onto the floor and then freezes when she realizes what she’s doing. “Oh cwab. Feev not here.”
I ignore her muffin-talk about her dog not being here to clean up her mess. I’ll vacuum it up later. I have bigger problems to fix right now.
“It’s not a date,” I say. “We had a bet and I lost it, so the loser had to buy dinner. And on this dinner event or whatever it’s supposed to be, we have plans to discuss our dating strategy moving forward.”
May’s mouth is still too stuffed with muffin to answer, but she tries anyway. “Vo vabing vabbevy?” More crumbs fly.
“Yeah. Dating strategy.” I shake my head, disappointed in myself. Why can’t I just get up the guts to tell him how I feel? “It’s so stupid.”
May finally manages to swallow her chunk of muffin and speaks in a strained voice. “Whose brilliant idea was this?”
“I don’t remember. Most of the time when I’m with him, I feel really comfortable, like I’m hanging out with someone I’ve known for a long time—a real, solid friend, you know? And then he’ll do something or say something that makes me notice how cute he is or how nice he is or how fun he is, and all those good friend-type feelings go away and I go gaga over him and start acting like I have only half a brain.” My voice rises as my inability to manage a single-adult life becomes clearer with my explanation. “And then the next thing I know we’re talking about going out on dates with other people. It’s really frigging frustrating, if you want to know the truth. I’m totally out of practice with this being-single shit. I’ve barely started doing it, and I already want to quit. And I hate that Miles is so much better at it than I am.”
May shakes her head. “It’s not you that’s the problem here. And don’t even begin to compare yourself to that turdbasket, Miles. Ugh. He’s such a dick and you are so not a dick, okay?”
We both smile. She always had a way with words, my sister.
“This stuff with Dev . . . don’t let it get you down. I think he’s just a complicated guy. In fact, I think all the people at Bourbon Street Boys are particularly complicated people. They had rough lives growing up here in New Orleans. We thought we had it tough, but it was nothing compared to what they went through, believe me. Ozzie has told me some stories . . .” She waves her hand around, dismissing that thought before she can elaborate. “Anyway, they went through a lot of tragedies together that brought them close. They’re a special breed for sure, and it takes longer to get to know them, but when you do get there . . . when you’re accepted into their group . . . it’s totally worth it.”
I yearn for the kind of acceptance she’s describing. If only I could woman-up and stop worrying about everything all the time. “I’m really happy for you, that you found Ozzie and his team. It’s difficult for me, but clearly good for you.” It feels nice to finally admit that out loud. All the risks she takes fade a little in my mind when I see the happy expression on her face and hear the confidence coming out in her voice. She’s found her place in the world, and that’s something to hang on to. Hell, I’m thirty-two and I still haven’t gotten there; I’m starting to doubt I ever will.
“Thank you,” she says. “I was worried you didn’t approve.”
“Actually, I didn’t. I’ve been freaked out about what you’ve been doing, to be honest. I know Ozzie’s a good guy, but your life has really changed since you met him, and I worry about the risks that you run going out and taking pictures of criminals.”
“But you know that I’m being trained, and I have the whole team around me. I’m never alone doing the work. And most of what we do is behind the scenes.”
I nod. “I know that. But still, my first day there? Remember? There was that big . . . incident or whatever. Do you even know what it was all about?”
May nods, getting serious all of a sudden. “We have an idea.”
I raise my eyebrows at her. “Is it top-secret, need-to-know stuff, or am I allowed to hear about it?”
She doesn’t answer me right away, which only makes me more curious. I up the ante by handing her another muffin and then settle down deeper into my chair. This promises to be really good, if the expression on my sister’s face is any indication.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
My sister looks a little uncomfortable. “I’m not really sure, actually,” she says. “You’re not technically an employee of the Bourbon Street Boys, or at least not as far as I know. Did they officially offer you a job yet?”
“No. Lucky hinted around that there could be a job for me, but I don’t get the impression that he’s the one who would do the offering.”
May shakes her head. “No, it would officially come from Thibault or Ozzie. But I know there’s a job opening. I guess you just need to let them know you’re interest
ed. Everybody has kind of gotten the impression that you’re on the fence about it, and nobody wants to push you.”
I nod. “That’s a fair assessment. I am on the fence about it. I can see all the benefits, and I really do need a job right now, but there’s still that element of risk there . . . So, I’ve decided to think about it a little bit longer.” I pause for a few seconds and then try to act casual. “So, you know where that big dent in the door came from? Who did it?”
May nods. “I guess I can tell you that much. You’ve signed an NDA and you were kind of involved.” She sighs. “We think we know. We had surveillance set up around the building, and we caught some images on tape. Ozzie and Thibault are looking into it right now . . . along with Toni.”
The way she mentions Toni’s involvement makes me pay extra attention. “Does it have something to do with her? Toni, I mean?”
“I think so. Ozzie’s not positive, but based on some of the things that we’ve seen, and some of the things that Toni has said, I think it has something to do with her past. With her ex.”
“Ooh, gossip. Tell me.” I have to believe that anything having to do with Toni’s ex will be an interesting story. In fact, I can’t imagine anything about Toni’s life being boring. I’d bet even her daily routines would make mine look positively stodgy in comparison. She probably brushes her teeth while twirling nunchucks and puts on mascara while throwing Chinese stars into targets across the room. I wait anxiously for May to spill the beans.
Normally, my sister would jump all over the opportunity to gossip with me about interesting people, but she’s chewing her lip, acting like she’s not sure that she wants to.
“What’s up? What are you thinking? ’Fess up, sister, or I will be forced to withhold muffins.” I snatch one up and hold it by my shoulder.
“Ozzie has told me some things about Toni’s past, but I’m pretty sure it’s not something he’d want me to discuss.”
Of all the things that May has said or done since she met Ozzie, this one makes the biggest impression on me. She has never kept a secret from me in our entire lives as far as I know. Until now. It makes me both sad and happy.
May throws a big muffin crumb at me. “Why are you looking at me like that? You look like I just slapped you across the face or something.”
I pick the crumb off my shirt and throw it back at her. “No, I’m just thinking how much it sucks when your baby sister grows up and leaves the nest.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet,” she says in a mocking tone, right before going totally serious. “What the hell are you talking about?”
I unwrap the muffin slowly as I respond to her command. “Dev and I were talking, and he was sharing his opinion about you with me, and it really got me thinking about a lot of things.”
“Like . . . ?”
“Like, how I’ve always looked at you as my baby sister, as somebody who I needed to protect. But how, now that we’re older and we have our own lives, that’s not an accurate picture of who you are or who I need to be.”
“Uh-huh . . .”
I sigh in frustration. “I don’t know if Dev is some sort of guru or whatever, but every time I talk to him, I feel like I get a clearer picture of who I am and what my life is all about.”
I feel sad about the next part. Admitting it out loud is harder than just thinking it inside my own head. “And I don’t necessarily like everything that I’m seeing. I feel like I’ve been afraid of way too many things for way too long, and I’ve basically become a turtle hiding in a shell, letting an adventurous life pass me by. I guess that’s why I feel so conflicted right now about Bourbon Street Boys, about the kids, about the whole dating thing . . .”
“It sounds like you’re having a midlife crisis.”
I shake my head. “No, I don’t think it’s that. I don’t have the urge to go out and buy a Corvette or date an eighteen-year-old or anything. But am I ready to jump into being a freelancer with a security firm? I don’t know. This job has really changed you, May, and I have to believe you see that.”
She nods. “I do. But I think they’re all good changes. And what do my changes have to do with you? We’d be doing different jobs. You could work from home most of the time. It’s not the same thing.”
“I agree they’re good changes in you. Now I do, anyway. I didn’t agree last week, but after getting to know the team a little bit better, and seeing them in action, I realize the big attraction. I see why you’re excited about going to work in the morning, and I also see why you find Ozzie so attractive. He’s confident, he’s smart, and he’s very loyal.”
“And he’s awesome in bed. Don’t forget that part.” She can’t stop grinning.
“You and I both know that’s not the reason you’re with him. But it is a nice side benefit.”
May gets a far-off, misty look in her eye that I’m almost jealous of. I quickly move the conversation forward to keep from dwelling on anything negative. I’m thrilled she’s so happy.
“Anyway, it’s been nice having Dev to talk to, and I think I could really have fun with him as a friend, so even if that’s all that’s going on between us, I’m happy.”
“I’m happy for you too.” May smiles. “You guys could make a cute couple, though.”
I shake my head. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We just met each other last week.”
“So? Love at first sight is a real thing. Trust me, I know.”
I laugh. “You told me, when you met Ozzie, you thought he was a hideous beast-man with that beard of his. You said he was completely and totally ugly. That was no love-at-first-sight situation, no way.”
May frowns at me. “That impression lasted only about ten minutes. Once he shaved, and I saw how amazing he was, I was done. I fell for him like a rock.”
I roll my eyes. “Whatever.”
May crumples up her muffin paper. “So, did you find anything good on those computer files or whatever you went after the other night?”
“Well, I should probably save this for the briefing later today, but I did find some stuff on the clone drives last night after the kids fell asleep.”
May sits up really straight in her chair. “Really? Tell me.”
I lean in, excited about what I found after working into the wee hours of the morning. “There’s somebody there at Blue Marine who sits at station number three, named Anita, who’s been messing around with the accounts. I haven’t shared everything with Lucky yet about it.”
“So? Tell me anyway.”
I’m too excited about my results to wait. “I think I can prove the existence of at least two fake companies that this woman has set up to divert funds into an account she owns.”
May’s jaw drops open, and it takes visible effort for her to start talking. “Oh . . . my god. That is . . . incredible. How did you find it?”
I shrug. “Well, she had some pretty high-level computer skills going for her, I’ll give her that much.”
“But not as much as my sister does,” May says, squeezing my arm.
I smile. “You know it.” I use this opportunity with my sister to explain what I did in a way that a non-geek could understand, knowing she’ll cross her eyes if I say anything too technical. “She was using file-hiding software that had a pretty difficult AES 256 encryption matrix . . .”
May’s eyes cross almost on cue with my description. “Oh my god, you are such a nerd.”
“I’m a geek, not a nerd. Big difference.” I try again to explain. “Let’s just say she had a super-hard password on the system, but I figured it out. And I might have accessed some legal documents online that I wasn’t supposed to see that allowed me to track the companies back to her. I think she paid a lot of money to some lawyer to keep that all secret, but she should have budgeted for a computer engineer too.” I grin like the Cheshire Cat.
May leans over for a spontaneous hug. “You are so awesome. I knew you could do it. But do me a favor. Don’t tell them like you told me. Use all the fancy words.”
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I laugh. “Why?”
She suddenly sounds desperate. “Because! I want them to offer you the job! If you act like it’s no big deal, they’ll think they can just hire some doofus off the street to do it.”
I’m a little surprised by that. “Do they want to hire some doofus off the street?”
May shakes her head. “No, of course not. They want to hire you. But Toni tends to be very negative about people coming on board, so I’m afraid she’s going to make the team worry that you don’t really want to be there. But if you can show them that what you do is very special and that not any doofus off the street can do it, I think they’ll be more inclined to ignore her.”
“Wow. I didn’t realize she disliked me so much.”
May shakes her head vigorously. “It’s not that she doesn’t like you. I promise. She’s just really prickly, like, all the time. Even when she’s being nice to me, I’m suspicious she’s just messing around. So don’t take it personally.” She looks like she’s about to say something else, but she stops herself.
I’m instantly suspicious. “What were you going to say?”
“What? What do you mean? I wasn’t going to say anything.” She’s way too bright and cheerful now to be telling the truth.
I give her my best annoyed-mother look. “Don’t play, May. You were about to say something about Toni. What was it?”
May fiddles with a wrapper from one of the muffins for a little while before she answers me. “I really shouldn’t say.”
I steal the paper from her to get her attention. “No, you really should say.”
May is opening her mouth to answer my question when her phone rings. She picks it up to look at the screen, and holds up her finger at me. “I have to take this. It’s Ozzie.”
I try not to be annoyed when she pulls his call up. Instead, I clean up our mess as she exchanges a short conversation with her boyfriend. I really want to know what she was going to spill about Toni. If I knew the woman better, maybe I could fix whatever I’ve done wrong. I wouldn’t want to work at Bourbon Street Boys if Toni hates me; it would be way too uncomfortable.