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“I had a meeting in Lowell. When it finished, I decided to drive here. See how your new project is going. I’m guessing not good.” He entered the house and pointed to the ice pack Curt held against his thumb.
Curt quickly glanced outside before he closed the door. Great. His cousin’s Bugatti Veyron sat in his driveway. Trent owned other cars, including a Mercedes, which he usually drove when he wanted to go unnoticed, and a SUV for when he traveled with his wife and son. Why couldn’t he have taken one of those today? No one would question either in his driveway. But a Bugatti would draw people’s attention. Even people not into cars. At least it was the middle of the day. Most of his neighbors would be at work. Maybe no one would drive by and see the car.
“Minor accident. They go with the territory.”
Trent checked out the library, the first room off the foyer. “Looks like the place has potential. How about a tour?”
They started upstairs and worked their way down. Curt intentionally left the kitchen for last.
“This looks familiar.” Trent walked around the room. “Addie will be happy when I tell her you designed the kitchen after ours in Newport. She insists that’s the best work she’s ever done.”
“Her layout and design fit this room well.”
“It looks like you’ve spent a lot of time working in here. Getting anything done on the book?” Trent didn’t ask before helping himself to a cola from the refrigerator.
Curt pulled out a drink for himself and leaned against the island that had been delivered. “Not even a damn word in over a week.” He popped the can open and took a long swallow. “At this rate, I’ll never get it finished.”
“Writer’s block, or something else keeping you from the keyboard?” Trent asked.
“Writer’s block.”
“How’ve you handled it before?”
“Different kind this time around.”
Trent leaned against the island, next to him. “I didn’t realize there were kinds.” He took a sip from the can before he spoke again. “Is this kind related to the DEA agent you’ve been seeing?”
Leave it to Trent to know his writer’s problems were related to a woman. Perhaps it was some kind of leftover benefit from dating so many women before meeting Addie.
“I think so.”
“Bull. You know it.”
He wanted to wipe the know-it-all smile off his cousin’s face. He refrained. Trent had spent years practicing various types of martial arts and boxing. If Curt started a fight with him, even a friendly one, he’d lose and he knew it.
“What’s the problem? Is she looking to get more serious than you want?” Trent asked.
“I plan on taking care of the problem tonight.” So he hadn’t answered Trent’s questions. Big deal.
Trent laughed. “She still doesn’t know who you really are, does she? Gray and I told you to come clean from the beginning. Now you’re in deep and feel guilty, right?” He clapped Curt on the shoulder. “You should’ve listened to us.”
“She’s coming over after work. And, like I said, I’ll explain everything then.” Never would he tell Trent he’d been right. The guy was insufferable as it was. “It would be better if you were gone before she gets here.”
“And miss the fireworks?”
“You’ll have to wait until the Fourth of July for fireworks,” Curt answered before he lifted his soda can to his mouth. Trent might bust his ass about it, but he’d never stick around and make the situation more difficult or awkward.
“What time do you expect her?” Trent asked.
“Not before five. Are you in a rush, or do you want to stick around? I was going to play the newest Delta Force Recon,” Curt said, referring to video game. A little company would pass the time and distract him from what he needed to do tonight.
“I haven’t played the latest version. Yeah, I’ll stay for an hour or so. I’ll be out of here before five, though. Don’t worry.”
***
Taylor stopped at the red light and pulled out her cell to check for any new text messages. Even though he said he’d be home all day, she sent Curt a text when she left Conway to let him know she was on her way home. So far, she hadn’t received any response from him. An unusual occurrence. He always got back to her. She tossed the cell back onto the passenger seat and accelerated when the light turned green.
She hadn’t gotten home from work this early in a long time. After conducting interviews in Conway, it hadn’t made much sense to drive back to Boston. Plus, she’d put in close to sixty hours the previous week. Her supervisor wouldn’t mind if she cut this day a little short. Getting home on the earlier side also meant she could stop and see Curt sooner. Today she was more eager than usual to see him.
