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I have to cough to keep from laughing. “Yeah, that does sound like the sort of thing that would catch Irving’s attention. Sounds very familiar.”
“But really? It doesn’t seem like enough,” she finishes with a modest shrug.
“It must’ve been, because here you are,” I counter.
She blushes again, and the freckles on her nose stand out. From this proximity, I can practically count them.
I am sure her drone power idea was a good one, but there was probably something else too. She is different than Irving’s usual employee. Softer. Demure, but with a strong center. Unlike Veronica, Opal does not have layers and layers of protection to wade through. She is plain, obvious, no tricks up her sleeve.
And by the way she is blushing, she is obviously very attracted to Irving. I can feel her pulse fluttering in her wrist. It accelerates every time she mentions something about him.
“It probably doesn’t hurt that you are beautiful,” I remark. “Irving may be cold, but he is not inhuman. He’s a red-blooded—”
She scowls irritably. “That is not why I—”
“I didn’t mean to suggest anything in particular,” I interrupt her.
It’s basic biology, and obvious to me. I don’t want to listen to her objections, which are probably fueled by a combination of modesty and politeness.
“To be frank, I think you would be a good influence on him. He needs somebody like you in his life.”
Her lips pop open in surprise. She swallows, and I watch her throat contract.
“That’s not what I—”
“Of course, Veronica doesn’t think that she is done with him yet,” I smile. “She is probably very aware of your every move, and making sure that you never spend a lot of time alone with Irving.”
“Wait, how did you know that?” Opal blurts out.
“I know Veronica pretty well. Well, I know her type pretty well. And I know my brother like the back of my hand.”
Her eyes travel around the jet cabin as she considers what I said. As her breath quickens slightly, I can sense that she is open to the possibilities.
A woman like this would be a completely different experience for Irving. Part of his stern exterior is a complete fabrication. It is all an act. He acts that way because he thinks he needs to. But over time, I worry that it will become permanent. He will forget how to act any other way.
Especially when he is hurt or confused, Irving’s protective impulses make him want to wall himself off. We have spent the last few years acting this out. After our father died, he shut me out completely. At first I thought it was a temporary situation, but Veronica saw that as an opportunity to secure him completely. Without her, he probably would have worked through it and we would have reconciled long before now. But Veronica saw the rift as an opportunity for her.
Now that she has gone, anything is possible again. Suddenly I feel like I might be able to get my brother back.
“I’m sure it is not an accident that Irving wanted me to bring you here,” I observe simply.
She shakes her head in disbelief. “Today is just getting weirder and weirder,” she remarks.
“In a good way?”
She nods tightly, pressing her lips together as she stares up at me. Her hand squeezes mine, warm and delicate.
“In a very good way.”
“And would you be open to the idea of continuing good things?”
She tips her head and searches my eyes.
“What does that mean exactly?”
“It means… I think you and Irving might have something. I think you would be good for him. For me too. For us.”
She gasps, her breath sharp against the back of her mouth. “What are you saying?”
