CHAPTER NINETEEN
“BRENT SEEMS LIKE a nice person.”
Nolan decided to refrain from saying exactly what he thought of his friend Brenton Bannister for now. Brent had deliberately flirted with Ivy just to get a rise out of him. That damn ploy should not have worked but it had. In a way that was good just in case his cousins tried doing the same when they met her. He needed to act possessive and territorial. Only thing about it was that today he hadn’t been acting. He had actually wanted to smash Brent’s face in. How crazy was that?
“Nolan?”
He then remembered Ivy had made a statement and was waiting for his response. “He’s okay.”
“Have you known him for long?”
He was wondering why she wanted to know anything about Brent. He knew it was those damn gray eyes. Women would look into them and go crazy. “I guess you can say we’ve known each other all our lives. We share cousins.”
“Share cousins?”
“Yes. My grandaunt Marilyn, who is married to my granduncle Jonathan, was a Bannister before they married.”
“Oh.”
“And if you’re wondering about the color of his eyes, all Bannisters have gray eyes, including Grandaunt Marilyn. However, only one of Grandaunt Marilyn’s kids got her eyes. My cousin Dex. You’ll get to meet them at some point.”
She didn’t say anything for a while and that was fine with him. He needed to regroup and get his mind back in sync. First of all, he was trying to figure out why he’d kissed her when helping her out of his SUV. He hadn’t been thinking about Mama Laverne’s spies, like he told Ivy. It had been spontaneous—and amazing. When had he been spontaneous about anything? Usually, he thought things through before he acted.
“I guess you mentioned to your great-grandmother that we went out to dinner the other night.”
He glanced back over at her when he brought the car to a stop at a traffic light. “What makes you think that?”
“Nana mentioned it when I talked to her yesterday. I figured since she knew about it that you must have mentioned it to Ms. Laverne.”
He shook his head. “No, I haven’t spoken to Mama Laverne since our second day here when she called me. But I think I know how she found out.”
“How?”
“Mrs. Tucker. Her husband is the head cook at Andre’s. He must have gone home and mentioned seeing me to his wife. Just so happens that Erma Tucker and Mama Laverne are good friends. If Mama Laverne knows I took you to Andre’s, then she also knows we kissed there as well.”
“Wow, guess you were right about spying eyes everywhere.”
That had been an excuse at the time, but now that he thought about it, it wasn’t that off. He put on his SUV’s blinkers to turn the corner and thought about that kiss they’d shared earlier and then added, “And just so you know, of course Mama Laverne would be good friends with the Bannisters as well, since one of her sons married into the family. So, don’t be surprised if word gets out about our kiss. I doubt Brent was the only one who saw it.”
A minute or two passed and then Ivy asked him, “Is that why you kissed me at the boat rental place? So they could go back and tell her to further validate our plan?”
Nolan thought it would be so easy to say that yes, that was the reason he’d kissed her. That he had deliberately seized an opportunity for them to be seen locking lips. But he knew that would be a lie. He had kissed her for the same reason he had taken his tongue and licked her lips. He had wanted to do it. He had been tempted to do it. So he had done it and didn’t have any regrets doing so. “No,” he said, refusing to glance over at her but speaking loud enough for her to hear. “The truth is, my kissing you wasn’t part of any plan.”
She didn’t say anything but he could feel the intensity of her gaze on him. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d made himself clear and if she understood what he meant.
Minutes passed before she said anything and then she asked, “Is there anybody that your great-grandmother doesn’t know?”
Nolan realized she was changing the subject. Sort of. In a way he was glad she was doing so. “I’m sure there are some people, but I understand what you mean. She has allies everywhere. We all discovered that the hard way while growing up. There was nothing we could do behind her or our parents’ backs that they didn’t find out about.”
He continued to drive but for some reason the thought that she might be interested in Brent bothered him. “So what do you think about Brent?” he finally decided to ask her because her possible response was nagging at him.
“He seems nice enough. Why do you ask?”
“Just wondering. Most women find him good-looking with those gray eyes and all.”
“He is good-looking, but a person’s looks don’t tell the whole story about them. I could tell he’s a womanizer.”
He was glad she’d picked up on that. “Yes, he is.”
“But then so are you.”
He fought back the urge to tell her just how wrong she was. He’d only stepped into that role with a purpose in mind. Mainly to get her to look the other way.
“Besides, a man should be the last thing on my mind right now. However, necessity dictates I make you an exception.”
He came to another traffic light and glanced over at her as she was pushing her glasses back on her nose. He knew it sounded crazy but he thought she looked sexy whenever she did that. When she glanced over at him he knew he had to say something, otherwise she would have caught him staring at her again. “Why should a man be the last thing on your mind?”
“Because when I return to Houston, I’ll be too busy with my work to be involved with anyone.”
He nodded. That was one thing they hadn’t talked a whole lot about in any great detail. Her work. “I understand you contract out to big corporations and government agencies, right?”
“Yes, whenever they feel they have cybersecurity issues.”
“That’s a unique job. Being a hacker.”
“Unique for a woman. At my first job the men I worked with didn’t hesitate to let me know it. They acted like they’d cornered the cyberworld and unless you were male you had no right to claim any part of it.”
Nolan knew what she meant. Even while at MIT, there were guys who felt threatened by the females in their class. “How did you handle it?”
“By ignoring them when I could. While they were busy trying to sabotage my work and make me look bad, I was busy doing what I was supposed to do, learning as much as I could and perfecting my skills. It pissed some of them off when I got a lot of the big promotions.”
“What about the guys you couldn’t ignore?”
“I had to report only one. I drew the line when he assumed it was all right to put his hands on me in an inappropriate way.”
The thought of someone doing that to her made Nolan’s blood boil. “I’m glad you reported him.”
“That was after I kicked him in the groin real good.”
Nolan laughed. “He got just what he deserved.”
She smiled. “I thought so. After that incident most of the guys left me alone.”
“What do you like most about your job?” he asked, making the turnoff onto the street where his cottage was located.
“I believe that I perfect my computer and engineering skills with every project I work on. And I love the fact that I can work from anywhere and at any time. And last but not least is the fact my job will never become obsolete. There will be a need for cybersecurity even more in the future.”
He had to agree with that. He didn’t want to think about the number of times other technology companies tried hacking into Chenault Electronics’ software while they were creating the Shayla chip.
“If you’re going to be busy, we’ll have to plan how to squeeze me into your schedule to make it seem as if we’re in a hot and heavy relationship,” he said.
She nibbled on her bottom lip. “We’ll think of something. You did say you would be in Paris for a while anyway, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, that will give us a nice break for the both of us, not having to keep up this pretense, without anyone getting suspicious.”
For some reason, Nolan didn’t like that she was already looking forward to a break from him. He pulled the car into the yard. After leaving Brent’s, they had grabbed breakfast at a diner next door. Her phone had rung and when she ignored it, he had a feeling it had been her ex again. It bothered him that she hadn’t blocked the number like he’d suggested the other day.
That only made him wonder if she really didn’t want to get back with the guy like she claimed. Otherwise, why hadn’t she taken steps to permanently cut him out of her life? He recalled the times he’d run into Andrea or had got a call from her over the years. She had apologized as well, but still, he’d had no problem making sure she knew he could never give what they had a second chance. Betrayal was something he just couldn’t get over.
“Will you be going out on the boat today?” she asked him.
“Yes. Would you like to join me?”
She smiled over at him. “Yes, I’d love to.”
* * *
FIVE HOURS LATER Ivy walked beside Nolan as they headed back to the cottage. She couldn’t believe the exciting day she’d had. It had been wonderful being on a boat on the bay. And she’d caught her first fish. She was mighty proud of herself since she’d never held a fishing rod in her hand before.
Nolan had been patient while showing her how to use one and even put up with her acting all squeamish when she had to deal with the bait. But all in all, everything had turned out great. Now they were headed back to the cottage and he would be showing her how to clean her catch. Of course he’d caught more fish than she had. Ivy hadn’t been surprised after he’d told her how often he fished. In fact he’d share with her stories of his father taking Nolan and his brothers and sisters out on the water whenever he could.
He also shared other interesting tidbits about his family and it was easy to see he enjoyed being part of such a huge family. She envied that since she didn’t have any cousins, aunts or uncles. Neither of her parents had siblings and the same held true for her grandparents.
“How good are you with handling a knife?”
Nolan’s questions cut into her thoughts and she studied the set of knives he had placed on the table. It was as if the kitchen was about to become an operating room. “I’ve never handled a knife before.” Already her stomach was getting a little queasy at the thought of what he intended to do with them.
He nodded slowly. “How do you feel about gutting anything?”
He would have to ask and she figured her face had suddenly turned green, giving him an answer. She couldn’t be too sure, but when he suppressed a cough she had a feeling he was trying to hold back a laugh. “And I’ve never gutted anything,” she said.
He smiled over at her. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll clean our catch and get it ready for the grill.”
Ivy hoped she didn’t look as relieved as she felt. Messing with bait earlier had been bad enough. The thought of cutting a fish open was too much to think about. “Is there anything else I can do to help?”
She figured he was too kind to come out and say that what he really wanted her to do was to get out his way. Instead he said, “You can get the veggies started on the grill. That’s easy enough. I’ll show you how it’s done.”
A short while later she was sitting on the patio, watching the veggies. He had seasoned slices of white potatoes, onions, corn on the cob, carrots and broccoli before wrapping them in aluminum foil and placing them on the grill. Her job was just to watch them. He was right, doing this was easy enough.
A part of her felt real dumb. She was a woman who knew a computer inside out, she could decode even the most complicated software and hack into the unhackable, yet she couldn’t do something as simple as cook a meal. She was certain she could if she took the time to learn, but doing so never appealed to her. Boiling hot dogs and making grilled cheese sandwiches were things she knew how to do. However, once when she had tried baking a potato in the oven, she had forgotten about it until her smoke alarm went off. That had been the last time she’d used her oven. Maybe she ought to sign up for cooking classes. She could even get Tessa to go with her.
“How are things going?”
She glanced up when Nolan walked out on the patio. He had removed his shirt and she tried not to gaze at his chest. Or his mouth for that matter. Every time she did, she remembered that hot and scorching kiss they’d shared earlier that day. She doubted she would ever forget it although she tried forcing it to the back of her mind.
And what had he meant earlier about the kiss not being part of any plan? Then why had he done it? She didn’t know the answer to that but knew deep down a part of her was glad he had. Every time he came near her she could feel her pulse kick up a beat and sensations flood her stomach. The man had just finished cleaning fish for heaven’s sake, yet to her he smelled sensual and masculine.
Knowing he was waiting on her response, she said, “So far, so good. I haven’t burned anything. I don’t know what you used to season those veggies, but they smell wonderful.”
“It’s a secret.”
“Like the Madaris family tea?”
“Yes, like the tea.”
While out on the boat fishing, Nolan had told her about the Madaris family tea. He claimed its special ingredients of herbs and spices were a secret recipe that could only be shared with the men in the Madaris family, but only after they had reached their thirty-fifth birthdays. Since he would be turning that age in a few months, he said he couldn’t wait to get ahold of the secret.
“I’ve decided to take cooking lessons. I feel awful that I don’t know how.”
He glanced over at her as he placed the fish on the grill. She couldn’t help noticing how neat he was, spacing each fillet to make sure they cooked evenly. “You live alone and you’re a busy woman.”
“Hey, don’t make excuses for me.”
“I’m not, just stating the obvious.”
She rolled her eyes. “And you live alone and you’re a busy man.”
He chuckled. “Yes, but I didn’t have a choice but to learn to cook. I told you that. I discovered I enjoyed it and that’s why I do it so much. And I know how to cook just enough for me. But if I do overdo it, I know my brothers, Corbin and Adam, as well as a few cousins, have no shame in taking any leftovers off my hands.”
He sat down in the chair across from her and she wished her gaze wasn’t in a direct line to the center of his chest. That hairy and muscular chest. “Take Corbin for instance,” he was saying. “He learned to cook just like I did, but I bet he doesn’t own a pot or a pan.”
Ivy lifted a brow. She owned an entire collection of pots and pans, she just didn’t use them. “Then how does he eat?”
“It’s not how but where. Mostly at my folks’ place. Mom still cooks a meal every day and enjoys it whenever we stop by. But if the folks are out of town or something, there are other family members who Corbin knows will roll out the welcome mat. There are too many Madarises for one to ever think about starving.”
“I think it’s awesome that you look out for each other that way.”
“That’s the Madaris way and it’s the only way we roll.”
A couple of hours later Nolan and Ivy had finished their meal. “That was so good,” Ivy said, dabbing her mouth with a napkin.
Nolan chuckled as he finished off the last of his beer. “Just fish and veggies.”
“Oh, no, don’t even try making light of what you prepared,” she said, shaking a finger at him. “Not only was it good but it was also healthy.” And she’d meant what she’d said earlier. She wasn’t sure what seasoning he had used on the veggies but they were delicious. The grilled fish was delicious as well.
“I try to eat healthy every chance I get.” He leaned back in his chair. “If you were serious about wanting to learn how to prepare a few things, then I can teach you while you’re here.”
His offer made her smile. “You’d do that?”
“Yes, just simple stuff. We can start tomorrow morning with breakfast. That means you’ll have to be an early riser again.”
“No problem. I’ll just go to bed a little early. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He paused for a minute and then said, “Your grandmother...”
Ivy lifted a brow. “What about her?”
“She didn’t encourage you to spend time in the kitchen when you were a kid? You didn’t get any of those little bake sets for Christmas?”
Ivy chuckled. “No, I got books, digital games and all things technology. Besides, I came to Nana late in life since her son wasn’t in a hurry to be a husband or a father. Nana encouraged me to do the things that I enjoyed doing, not the things she might have wanted me to do. It was all about what made me happy.” Ivy thought about the latter and shook her head.
“Why are you shaking your head?”
She drew in a deep breath. “It just seems so strange that she would change that way of thinking now. Back then it was all about what made me happy. Now it’s about what makes her happy.”
“You think so?”
“Yes. If it was about my happiness we wouldn’t be hatching a plan to be in a fake relationship. Me getting married will evidently make Nana happy. But what about me? It won’t make me happy, Nolan. I just don’t understand why they can’t see that we don’t belong together.”
Leaning over the table Nolan said in a rough tone, “Personally, for causing so much trouble, I can’t wait for the day we make that fact known to them.”