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Bruce closed the door then sat himself on the plush sofa for a moment, then got up to open the sliding door that led out to a big deck.
She went out on the balcony to join her husband, took in the cool of the air, the rustle of leaves. The afternoon light was starting to wane; the mountains were purple in the distance.
“This is—something,” Bruce said.
“Leave it to Mako,” she said. “Nothing but the best.”
She felt rather than saw Bruce frowning.
He had a hard time relaxing in general, his mind always turning—she knew that. His work was complicated, consuming—yes, lots of difficult clients. He was more comfortable with code than he was with most people. She accepted that about him; a weekend surrounded by people was not something he’d have chosen. Even if he hadn’t caught her snooping; even if they hadn’t been arguing.
“Look, I get it. You’re not having an affair,” she whispered, not sure what could be heard from the deck below them. “So what is it then? Talk to me and let me help, okay?”
He motioned for her to come back inside and she followed. Bruce flipped on the switch that turned on the fireplace and it flamed to life. He sat on the sofa and she melted in beside him, feeling his arms close around her. He released a deep breath.
“Doesn’t this just seem like—too much?” he said.
“How so?”
“I mean he pressed for this, for months, insisted on paying for everything. We’re out here in the middle of nowhere. There’s anitineraryon the bed.”
Mako. Yeah, he was a bit much, larger than life, big ideas, big appetites, grand gestures. That was his way. “He’s just trying to show his gratitude.”
But it was more than that, even she knew it. He was running some kind of an agenda. What was it? It might be internal. It might be something he wanted from them. No way to know until the big reveal.
“Family is never perfect,” she said. “But he loves us.”
She felt him nod. Then,
“Hannah, I don’t think I can work for your brother anymore.”
She looked up at him. His face was drawn, still. There was a heaviness to his tone.
“Okay,” she said. “Why not?”
He glanced away, rubbed at his temples with a thumb and forefinger. “There are things going on at Red World that I—can’t live with.”
His words landed oddly, making a strange kind of sense, but frightening her at the same time.
“What kind of things?” she asked, feeling her throat constrict a bit.
She’d worked at Red World, too. There were always trolls and ugly rumors about Mako, about the company. But power, success, always attracted hatred and jealousy, right? That’s what Mako always said. And there was just something about her brother. Even at school, there had been rumors and lies circulating about him—that he’d cheated on an exam. Other things. Hannah felt a clench in her middle.
“What kind of things, Bruce?” she repeated when he didn’t answer.
“Oh my GAWD! Look at this place!” Cricket’s voice carried up from downstairs. “Hannah! Hannah! Where are you?”
They locked eyes. He looked so—sad.
“Coming!” called Hannah. But she kept her gaze on her husband. Bruce kept watching her for a moment, then looked down at the floor.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t—just forget I said anything, okay?” he said, voice taut. “This isn’t the place to discuss it.”
She wanted to push him, but she knew it was true, that whatever it was, they needed to talk about it later when they were alone. She couldn’t hear what Bruce had to say and then go downstairs and face her brother, pretend that everything was all right.
She could see the strain on him, that whatever it was, it was big.
“Whatever it is,” she said. “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out. I love you.”
