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“Stay out of it.”
“Does that mean you have feelings for him?” he countered.
I felt heat flash into my cheeks. Diego’s brows practically lifted past his forehead. “Wow. I was actually kind of feeling for him. I thought you'd slap him down quick.” He cocked his head to the side, looking thoughtful. “Actually, this is probably worse for him.”
“What's worse for him?”
“You having feelings for him. If you're even considering this, you have feelings for him.”
“Fine,” I muttered. “If he hurts me, I'll take care of myself.”
“You’re my little sister,” he said as if that explained everything and gave him some kind of pass to stick his nose into my business. “How would you feel if Gemma hurt me?”
Ah. He had me there. “Fine. Could you just stay out of it?”
“No, I can't. I don't want the details, but Grant talked to me about it, so I can't stay out of it. Plus, I trust him. He told me he was worried about you when you fainted.”
I growled in my throat. “Whatever.”
Diego held my gaze for a long minute before he stepped closer and pulled me into one of his bear hugs. I squeezed him back, smiling when he stepped away.
“Love you, sis.”
“You're supposed to love me. You're my big brother.”
He grinned. “I don't have to, though.”
Though I was annoyed at him for nosing into my life, my lips twitched with a smile. “I love you too. Now, don't get nosy about Grant and me.”
He rolled his eyes, waiting while I climbed in my car and drove away.
ChapterTwenty-Three
HARLEY
The following day, time got away from me. I meant to go over to the lodge for breakfast as the situation in our refrigerator was looking bleak. I had a video conference on a graphic design project, then dived into work, forgetting everything until I went to stand. I was starving and almost light-headed. I stuffed my feet into my shoes and hurried through the trees to the lodge.
Daphne always kept leftovers around. I realized my mistake as I stepped into the back hallway. My heart felt funny, the beats too fast. It felt almost as if my heart stumbled. I saw black dots on the edges of my vision. That was the last thing I remembered until I heard Daphne saying my name. She sounded far away.
“Harley,” she repeated.
I blinked my eyes open. She was kneeling beside me, her worried eyes widening the moment mine opened. “Oh, thank God.” She sat back on her heels and let out a deep sigh.
“I'm fine,” I said.
“Um, you were unconscious.”
When she put her hands on her hips and gave me a sort of concerned glare, I almost burst out laughing. Except I felt weak, and, apparently, I’d just fainted in the back hallway at the lodge. Fuck my life.
“I'm fine. It's this heart thing I have.”
“I know, you’ve mentioned it before, but—”
I cut her off. “It's not a big deal. I just started medication for it. My heart skips a beat here and there, and it can get a little out of whack. I need to be careful about not having my blood sugar get low or anything like that. I skipped breakfast this morning. We don't have anything over there. Please don’t mention this to anyone.”
Daphne studied me quietly. “I sent Cat into town for errands because she has practice tonight for her play. It’s just you and me.”
She deftly avoided agreeing not to tell anyone. I knew Daphne would say something to Flynn, and Flynn would say something to Diego and Grant. Well, whatever. I resigned myself to the inevitable.
