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CORBIN
“Ithought he’d never leave,” Hazel said repositioning her head on my shoulder.
Over the course of the night, she’d cuddled up beside me on the couch. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders keeping her in place.
I kissed the top of her head and ran my hands over the smooth skin of her arm. “Cyrus doesn’t like to be alone.”
I didn’t tell her, but more than likely, he’d be back the next morning. Cyrus did not like the quiet, downtime, or not having a steady slew of people around him. Usually he filled it with women, but he hadn’t dated anyone for a good two to three months.
If it continued much longer, I’d have to sit him down and have a conversation because that would be a major sign something was amiss with my twin.
It didn’t help matters we were supposed to be in Canada next week. Cyrus set up a meeting with government officials in Québec, but I’d postponed indefinitely. I considered fixing Hazel’s situation more important than a couple million Canadian dollars.
Hazel readjusted herself closer, and I squeezed her tightly, resting my chin on the top of her head. I loved the fact she found Cyrus annoying, but in ways my brother was correct. I didn’t plan to let go of Hazel, and Cyrus was here to stay too, so eventually the two of them had to learn to get along. She’d be spending a lot of time with my twin if things worked out how I wanted.
I imagined Hazel wanted to live in one place. That was something women did. Right? Cyrus and I jumped from one place to the next and didn’t have a permanent spot to call our own, but Hazel might want to pick a home base. If she did, I’d stay too.
The question was whether my twin would stay close by us. I’d grown weary of bouncing from one location to the next for the last few months. In my twenties I’d have cringed at the idea of staying in one place, but now the idea had promise. Anywhere Hazel stopped, I’d stop.
Although, I hadn’t asked her. Maybe she’d want to travel for a while. I’d take her anywhere she wanted. The world held tons of opportunities.
“Do you like boats?” I asked out of the blue.
She turned her head to look at me, and her eyes narrowed like I’d lost my mind. “Like fishing boats?”
It was my turn to give her the same expression. “Babe, do I look like I fish?”
Hazel laughed, her head hitting my shoulder. “No.”
“Boats you live on.”
“Like a house boat?”
“Not really,” I said.
“A yacht?” Her expression grew even more puzzled.
I shrugged, trying to pretend to my line of questioning was no big deal. “Yeah.”
Her mouth fell into a little pout, and she shrugged, mimicking my movements. “I’ve never been on a boat of that size. Do you own a yacht?”
“No, but my cousin Oliver does.” And Cyrus and I discussed buying our own boat more than once, but we didn’t want to be tied down to one location or living arrangement. Now we had to consider it. No way would I put Hazel on Oliver’s yacht.
Now that he and Mari were both living on it, I could only imagine the way the thing rocked at night. And the middle of the day. And probably mornings too. No, thank you. We’d be seasick. And deaf.
“Then why are you asking?” She let her head fall to my shoulder again.
“I’m just curious.”
It was more than that, but I didn’t want to say anything to scare Hazel away. She was still technically on the run for her life, and I wanted to ease her into living with me slowly, so she didn’t panic.
Cyrus and I normally rented out a large yacht for a few months every year. We coasted around the Bahamas and soaked up the sun in the fall when the rest of the country’s leaves were turning brown and dying. Boats offered freedom. The ability to go anywhere and see anything. Well, anything on a coastline.
I kissed the top of her head again, missing the smell of her peach shampoo. “Why don’t you lie down for a bit and get a little rest?”
Both our gazes fell to the computer screen, but it hadn’t made much progress. I sent the files through my encryption process to keep them safe, make sure nothing had a virus attached, and to various off-site locations for safety. It meant not getting to see the files as quickly, but the process was safer for everyone involved. I wanted nothing on the thumb drive to be a trap and lead people right to us once I cracked it.
Of course, all the safety precautions took longer than normal, and I twitched with irritation at the slowness. I’d run our own internet lines if I had to for the future because this slow internet had to go.
