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Devon couldn’t miss the note of finality. She’d pried pretty deep. If she pushed James any further, he’d get suspicious.
“I’m glad to hear there are some normal types, too,” she tried instead. “With such a supercharged atmosphere, you’d go nuts if you didn’t have a few friends to hang out with.”
“I get enough downtime. As for friends, I don’t know if I’d call them that. They’re more like comrades in arms.”
“It sounds like war.”
“At times, it is.” James’s jaw was still working. “Being the victor is everything. How you get there is secondary. It’s easy to lose all sense of perspective; to see nothing, care about nothing, but the prize.” Abruptly, he relaxed—or forced himself to. “That’s why I like my double life; part-time at Pierson, part-time on the circuit. It keeps me grounded.”
“Your family must he
lp with that, too.”
“Some members of it, yes.”
Very pointed inference. Time for Devon to take a risk. “You don’t like Blake much, do you?”
James’s brows rose. “Why? Do you?”
She blinked. “I hardly know him.”
“But you’re going out with him.”
Now that caught her off guard. “He told you?”
“He made a point of it, right before I left for the day.”
Devon caught her lower lip between her teeth. “That’s my fault. I insisted that it be out in the open. I didn’t want to cause problems between you two.”
James snorted. “No worries on that score. Any problems between my cousin and me started years before you came on the scene. Blake and I have been one-upping each other since we were kids. It’s partly because we’re the only two male grandchildren, partly because we’re both overachievers, and partly because we have different personalities, different goals, and different ways of going after those goals.”
“Sounds pretty normal to me. It also sounds as if you have one goal in common: pleasing your grandfather. Which I find commendable.”
A grin that could melt ice. “When you put it that way, I come off as noble.” His grin faded. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“About liking Blake? As I said, I hardly know him. He seems like a pleasant enough guy. And, yes, we’re having dinner tomorrow night. He brought Chomper into my clinic for obedience training. We chatted. He was very nice.”
“‘Nice.’ That’s not a word I’d use to describe Blake. Ambitious. Deliberate. Single-minded when he wants something. Relentless when he goes after it. Those are better choices.”
“Those same adjectives could be used to describe you.”
James gave a thoughtful nod, his good humor restored. “Touché. Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe, when it comes right down to it, Blake and I are just too damned much alike. Looks like we’re even attracted to the same women.”
“Why, has this happened before?”
“That we both date the same person? No. Then again, it’s not often that a woman as beautiful, intelligent, and charming as you just strolls through our front door. We’d have to be stupid not to react. And that’s one thing neither Blake nor I is—stupid.”
“A gross understatement, I suspect.” Devon took another sip of wine. “What about you and your sister—Tiffany, isn’t it? Are you two close?”
“When we both stand still long enough to connect, yeah. Tiff’s a whirlwind. She’s got this motherhood–career-woman combination down pat. But it doesn’t leave time for much else. Not that I’m complaining. Kerri’s fantastic. Then again, I’m biased. She’s crazy about horses. And she’s a natural in the saddle. I’m glad I don’t have to compete against her. By the time she takes the equestrian world by storm, I’ll be retired.”
“Somehow I can’t imagine you retired.”
“You’d be surprised.” James resumed slicing his steak. “A couple of gold medals. A big windfall at Pierson. I might be persuaded.”
“In other words, leave your mark on both worlds, then fade off into the sunset?”
He laughed aloud. “Fade off? Nah. I’m not the fading-off type. More like the constant-burst-of-fireworks type.”
