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She shook herhead.
“I don’t blame you,” Nora said. “He’d probably have you under lock and key if he knew. They allwould.”
“All?”
Nora waved a hand in the air. “Damian, Braden, Locke… they’re cut from the samecloth.”
She tucked a gun into the basket, picked it up, and headed for thedoor.
Aria grabbed her towel and followed. “Are you saying they’resexist?”
Aria stepped onto the narrow street in front of the house and Nora turned to lock the door. They started down the pathway leading to thebeach.
“I don’t think sexist is the right word,” Nora said as theywalked.
“What is?” Ariaasked.
For a moment, there was only the sound of their feet crunching over pebbles, the race of waves onto the sand growing louder as they came closer to thebeach.
“Protective,” Nora said. “They’re a little old school, I’ll admit, but not because they think we’re less than they are — because they think we’remore.”
It was an interestingtheory.
“How so?” Ariaasked.
“They think we’re better than them, more valuable,” Nora said. “I mean, I recognize the way Damian looks at you. Braden looks at me the same way. To be honest, sometimes he worships me to the point ofannoyance.”
Aria smiled. “I’d say it’s a good problem to have, but I’m not sosure.”
Nora stopped her with a hand on her arm. “It is,” she said. “Especially in thisbusiness.”
They started walkingagain.
“Are we in the same business?” Ariaasked.
“More or less,” Nora saidwryly.
“But you’re here in Greece without Braden,” Ariasaid.
“Yeah, Iam.”
“That wasn’t a problem forhim?”
“Let’s just say we’ve had enough arguments over the past year or so about boundaries that he’s learned to pick his battles,” Norasaid.
It didn’t sound promising. Aria didn’t want to fight Damian every step of the way. She didn’t want to spend the next year arguing over how involved she was allowed to be in the business that impacted both ofthem.
But if they did have to argue about it, she wanted towin.
“How did you get him there?” Ariaasked.
“A lot of fighting.” Nora looked over at her with a smile. “A lot of makingup.”
Aria laughed. “That’s not veryspecific.”
“I’m sorry,” Nora said. “I don’t mean to be flip. I know it’s a serious source ofcontention.”
“Did it help that you’d been with the FBI? That he knew you could handleyourself?”
