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The next step was getting Caitlin and Miguel on board. Caitlin was the general manager of the Moonlight Inn, the hotel Sean and I owned but Sean ran. Miguel was the new assistant manager. Both of them were quite capable of running the hotel while Sean was away. I texted Caitlin and asked to meet with her and Miguel in her office the next morning.
We met while Sean was busy taking a delivery. After I laid out my plan, Caitlin’s eyes lit up with delight. “Liam, this is such a great idea. He needs a break. I think he feels like he has to run everything, or it won’t go right.”
“I’m absolutely shocked by this,” I deadpanned. Miguel snickered and Caitlin laughed out loud. “So, do you two think you’re up for the challenge?”
Caitlin rolled her eyes. “We had this all planned out back in the summer when he planned to join Jeremy for parts of his tour.”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak right away. My brother had given up so much to take care of me. Now it was my turn to take care of him. “Okay, we’re all set then.” I stood and pulled out my phone to check the time. “I’ll give him an hour to get settled before I go see him. I’ll text you if he says he can’t leave the hotel on such short notice.”
“We’ll be ready,” Caitlin said.
As it turned out, Sean didn’t give me too much trouble. After some yelling and some tears, he gave in. Now I was driving him to the airport in rush hour traffic because he had to be there three hours early.
“I forgot how much you like to drive,” Sean said as I finally eased onto the Belt Parkway.
“I do,” I agreed. “But not in bumper-to-bumper traffic. The Belt Parkway sucks.”
“Truth,” he replied with a smile. He looked around my eight-year-old Honda Civic and asked, “So, whatever happened to you getting that Dodge Charger you wanted?”
I gave a one-shoulder shrug. “I still want one. I even have money saved for a down payment. But I need to have a job to get a car loan.”
Sean shook his head. “You know there’s money sitting there for you from Moonlight. It’s yours by right as part owner.”
I sighed softly. This was an old argument. “I don’t feel right taking it since I’m not doing anything to earn it. I know Sam left half of it to me to keep me around, but that’s not my life. It’s yours. I’d rather just sign my half over to you and let it be yours in truth.”
To my surprise, Sean didn’t argue with me like usual. “Let me give it some thought while I’m away. It might be the best move for both of us.” He turned a little in his seat to face me. I had to keep my eyes on the slow-moving traffic, but I could see he looked serious when he spoke. “If we do this, though, you’re not just going to sign it over to me. I’m going to buy you out.” I opened my mouth to argue, but he shook his head sharply. “No, Liam, listen to me. Mr. Whitaker left the hotel to both of us. Whatever he originally intended doesn’t really matter. It’s half yours, and you have a right to benefit from that.”
I felt a lump form in my throat. I swore I won the sibling lottery. I’d known other families who fell on each other like hyenas on a sick gazelle when money was involved. But here was my brother, willing to give me half the worth of his beloved hotel because it was the right thing to do. I took a moment before I replied. “All right. We’ll talk about it when you get back.” Sean smiled like I’d just given him the best Christmas present ever. I loved my brother.
I decided to park the car and hang out with Sean until he had to go through security. I figured that would give the traffic time to calm down a little bit. I also decided to make the trip into Manhattan instead of going straight home. I hadn’t been out on an adventure since I’d gotten back, and I missed it. Not that Manhattan was all that much of an adventure. Sean and I had spent plenty of time in the City going to concerts and the theater and even one memorable New Year’s Eve freezing our asses off, waiting for the ball to drop in Times Square. I figured I would find a nice spot to have a drink and do some people-watching before I headed back to Jersey.
Sean got his bags checked pretty quickly. There were definite benefits to traveling first class. I walked with him to security, where he gave me a big hug. “Thanks for knocking some sense into me. And tell Tony and Marco thank you for me.”
“I will,” I said. “Give Jeremy a hug for me. I’ll see you in a couple of weeks.”
Traffic had eased up a bit by the time I got out of the airport, but it still took me an hour to get into Manhattan. I decided to go to the Marriott Marquis in Times Square because they had a mellow bar with huge windows overlooking Times Square. I splurged and paid for valet parking instead of spending more time looking for a parking space. Once I’d gotten my seat by the windows and ordered my drink and some food, I sent a quick text to Tony.
Me: Thanks for all your help. I got Sean to the airport on time and made sure he went through security.
Tony: Excellent! Are you back home already?
Me: Not yet. I decided to drive into the City since I was up here anyway. I’m having a drink at the Marriott and looking out at the lights in Times Square.
Tony: No way! That’s where our job is tonight. We’re up in one of their fancy ballrooms.
Me: Small world. Well, stay safe. And tell Marco I said hi.
Tony: Will do.
I thought about texting Marco, but I decided against it. He’d seemed strained when I talked to him yesterday, and besides, he was doing bodyguard stuff, no doubt. I thought about my revelation yesterday. Did I really have a crush on the man?
Admittedly, my libido had been virtually nonexistent for months, even before I’d been kidnapped. Frankly, it was a surprise to find myself attracted to anyone. But then again, there was a lot to like. The man was the very definition of tall, dark, and handsome. And all those delicious muscles.
I sighed. Yeah, he was a physically attractive man, but there was so much more to him. I had memories of him gently holding me in his arms as he carried me to safety. And every time I’d woken up in the hospital in Beirut, he’d been there. I remembered, to my everlasting embarrassment, calling him my starlight savior. I blamed the drugs. Sometimes he’d be asleep when I woke up, and I’d find myself just watching him, wondering why he would give up a comfortable bed to sit with a complete stranger.
Of course all of this begged the question: was this some kind of hero worship? I didn’t think so because my interactions with him since we’d returned home had been limited to phone conversations in which he asked about my PTSD symptoms and would sometimes talk about his own and how he dealt with them.
No, what I was feeling was definitely attraction. I just didn’t know what to do about it. I didn’t even know if Marco was gay, bi, or anything else on the rainbow. It occurred to me that I had only seen him in person twice since I’d gotten home. I supposed that was a pretty good indicator of his interest level beyond checking up on my well-being.
