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“Not good enough, Marlowe. You know you’re just making up excuses,” he told her. “You need to see your doctor.”
“Fine,” she said from between gritted teeth. “First spare minute I get,” she told him.
“Make an appointment or I’ll carry you there myself,” he told her.
“You need a woman, Callum. Someone you can drive crazy other than me.”
“Until that happens,” he informed her, “you’re stuck with me.”
She slid down in her seat, staring through the windshield. “Terrific,” she muttered. But deep down, she did appreciate the thought.
Chapter 14
“Looks as if the board meeting has to be postponed,” Marlowe told her brother as they got back to Colton Oil headquarters. Just before they’d left the hospital parking lot, she had sent out messages to all four of the other members on a group chat. It had seemed strange to Marlowe to delete Ace’s name from the list of included members, but for the time being, for the sake of peace, she knew it had to be that way.
Three of the texts that she had sent out were answered before Callum pulled up.
“Why?” Callum asked. “Who can’t make the meeting?”
She slipped her phone back into her pocket. “Dad, Rafe and Ainsley are all busy for the rest of the day.”
“I’m sure one of them is available, right?” Callum said.
“Oh no, we’re not having a meeting with just her,” Marlowe declared with feeling. “I might be tempted to hold a meeting if the other three are there and dear old Selina wasn’t, but there’s no way in hell that we’re going to have a meeting with just her at the table.” Taking out her phone, she looked at her schedule for the next day. “Ask them if tomorrow at ten works for them,” she said, getting out of the car. “If not, we’ll keep pitching different times until we find one that works for everyone.”
“Including ex–Stepmommy Dearest?” Callum asked sardonically.
Marlowe sighed. “Yes, her, too,” she answered, although not happily.
Marlowe felt her phone buzz. She took it out, paused to look at the screen and saw she had a new text.
“Someone letting us know that they’ve changed their mind?” Callum guessed.
“No.” Marlowe quickly read the message. Several emotions wafted through her simultaneously as she tried to figure out just how she felt about the text from Bowie. “This has nothing to do with the meeting.”
Callum tilted his head, peering at his sister’s face. “Robertson?” he guessed.
Marlowe looked up sharply. “Since when did clairvoyance become part of your makeup?” she asked.
“I’m not clairvoyant,” Callum denied. “But if I were you, I’d really try to work on my poker face,” he advised. “Your whole countenance changed when you looked at your phone screen. You lit up.”
“You’re imagining things,” Marlowe insisted dismissively. Getting out of Callum’s car, she shut the passenger door.
“No, I’m not,” he said. “Hey, do you have feelings for this guy?” He quickly added, “Because it’s okay with me if you do—that is, if he’s treating you right.”
Oh no, she was not about to get into this with her brother. She loved Callum dearly, but this was none of his business—especially since she wasn’t 100 percent sure just what she was actually feeling when it came to Bowie.
“Callum,” she told him, “the last thing I need right now is to play Twenty Ques
tions with you.”
“Okay,” Callum said, retreating and raising his hands as if in surrender. “But you’re going to have to figure it out sooner or later—for your own sake,” he underscored. “Not for Dad, not for Mother or for anyone else, but for your own sake,” he insisted firmly.
She knew he meant well and that she was being decidedly far too touchy about the matter. “Yes, O Wise One, I know.” Smiling at Callum, she stood up on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against his cheek. “Now go and try to coordinate the troops while I see what this wild card in my life wants.”
“You,” Callum told her as if there was no question about it. “That would be my guess.”
If she were being perfectly honest with herself, Marlowe didn’t know if that was what she was afraid of, or what she was hoping for. So she said nothing. Instead, she hurried off, leaving her brother in the lobby. When she called Bowie, she wanted to be able to talk to him in private.
