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I raise my face to him, trying to calm my irritation. He’s asking logical questions, sane questions, but there’s only one way to make him understand. “Usually, I’d agree with you. Her hair was different, her clothing was different, and she looked professional, more mature. Regardless, I knew the instant I saw her. It could be two years or ten. It was the eyes… She had violet eyes that can’t be forgotten.”
“Jesus the eyes…The fucking eyes.”
He knows exactly what I’m saying, considering he’s obsessed with Bizzy’s ice blue-grey eyes. “I guess us Bennett brothers have a commonality.”
There’s another knock at the door, and Mathis strolls in without waiting for an invitation.
“This is a private meeting,” I grumble.
“Now, it’s a party of three. I couldn’t miss this.” He goes to the chair facing the desk and turns it so his focus is on me. “You tell him yet?”
“Most of it.”
“Wait? Mathis knew and I didn’t?” Shaw questions.
“Yeah, I told him after it happened. When nothing came out of it, I never talked about it again. Besides, you were busy.”
“Mathis was in medical school. Can’t get much busier!”
“I’m the cooler brother.” Mathis doesn’t skip a beat, egging him on.
“That’s fucking questionable, considering I worked a miracle to keep his ass in Miami so Mom and Bizzy didn’t kill me. Not to mention, you received the largest—”
“I get it.” I raise a hand to stop his impending tirade. “But seriously, I knew you had other things on your mind, and it actually slipped one night while I was drunk.”
Mathis slaps his hand over his heart and leans back dramatically, adding to my growing aggravation. Shaw bursts into laughter, going to sit.
“We’re kidding with you, Nick. Mathis gave me a head’s up you may need something.” He glances at his watch then back to me. “And it’s been almost forty-eight hours. I’ve been waiting for you.”
Now, it’s their turn to exchange a look that I don’t like one bit. Before I can say anything, Shaw starts firing questions.
“For one, I need more to go on than her eye color. What’s her full name? What do you know about her? Age? Height? Overall description?”
Everything comes rushing back. “Her name is Grace Monroe. She’s somewhere around my age… twenty-five, maybe twenty-four. I’d guess she’s about five-five. Her hair was a rich shade of brown with streaks of auburn shining through. It was long, straight, and silky, going to the middle of her back. To say her eyes were violet is an injustice. They were so many different shades of purple.
“She had a southern accent, not from around here. She mentioned living close to Tallahassee, a small town in South Georgia. I didn’t get too many details, but I believe she was an Art Major. The two times we were around each other, our conversation was all over the place. We joked about the stupidest stuff, everything mindless. She took my mind off the upcoming draft and all the pressure I was under. More than once, I found myself wondering what—” I stop talking and see both my brothers staring at me, their jaws hanging.
“Holy shit.” Mathis whistles and leans on his knees. “You have it bad.”
“Nah, I’m very observant.” I try to sound nonchalant but fail miserably. Replaying my words in my
head, I realize how much of a sap I sounded like. “Okay, I admit, this girl got under my skin.”
“So why didn’t you approach her the other night?”
“I looked away for less than a second and she was gone, but I think she saw me, too.”
“She saw you and ran? Maybe that should be your first clue.”
“Don’t be an asshole.”
They both glare at me with shit-eating grins until I start to squirm in my seat. “You both need to stop fucking looking at me like that. I’m regretting my decision to ask for your help.”
“Give us a break. I personally have been waiting for this day for a very long time, even more so since I fell for Bizzy. All your comments are going to come back to bite you in the ass. I can’t wait to tell her.”
My body stiffens. “You can’t say a word, Shaw. You neither, Mathis.” I point between them. “No one can know until I find Grace. I’d like to talk to her first. She may not remember me. Hell, she may be married. This has to stay between us until I get more information.”
Shaw raises an eyebrow at me questioningly. “You’re not going to tell Bizzy?”
