He studied me for a moment, and then his amused smile turned to something more serious as he leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. His face was closer to me, and the table between us felt like a safety guard.
“I haven’t been flirting with you, Reese. When I flirt with you, you’ll know it.”
Oh. OK. Well, what he was doing now seemed kind of flirty. But was I wrong about that? Was I assuming that his trying to be friendly was flirting? No. He had made comments about wanting what Mase had.
“You’ve made comments, comments about me . . .” I trailed off, feeling my face grow hot.
He shrugged. “I’m honest. I don’t worry about what others think. If I want to say something, I do. Doesn’t mean I was flirting, baby.”
He was so confusing. I fisted my hand in my lap, totally frustrated. “OK. Well, then, let’s forget all this and get to business. What do you have for me?”
He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a manila folder. “Here you go.” Then he stood up and headed for the door. “If you have questions, you can call or text,” he said, without looking back at me. When the door closed behind him, I sank back into my seat and let out a frustrated sigh. How had I ended up sounding like the jerk? He had been honest and turned it around to make me look like the idiot.
Shaking him off, I opened the folder to find more paperwork and receipts than I was going to have time to handle today. I still had several things to do for Piper. She would be gone tomorrow, and I had to feed and water the horses, on top of brushing them down and cleaning stalls. Piper had recently let her stable help go because the girl had kept talking on her phone during business hours. She hadn’t hired a replacement yet.
I had a busy few days ahead of me and needed to work late that night. I had pulled out my phone from my pocket and started to dial Mase when his name lit up my screen.
Smiling, I answered, ready to hear his voice. “Hey, I was just about to call you.”
“Hey, baby, I’ve got a problem. I hate to have to call you about this, but I’m packing up now and have to nail some things down before I fly out at six.”
What? Packing? “What’s wrong?” I asked, not liking the idea of him going anywhere on such short notice.
“It’s Kiro. Harlow’s mom is having health complications, and Kiro isn’t dealing with it well. He’s acting out like he always does, and Harlow has been dealing with it on her own. She doesn’t need this shit. Her heart . . . well, I’ve told you about her heart. I just need to handle him. Get him calm and reassure my sister that everything is going to be OK. I’d take you, but this is going to be ugly. Kiro . . . isn’t normal. He’s a crazy fuck. But I don’t want to leave you, either. I’m having a hard time with this.”
I couldn’t leave. I had more work than I could handle as it was, plus Piper was going out of town and was relying on me. “I have to work anyway. Piper is leaving, and I have to cover for her. Just go. Help Kiro, and keep me updated.”
“I love you. I’m going to miss you. I’ll call every night. Momma said she’d give you a ride to and from work, and she’ll pick you up at five tonight; I have to leave for the airport before then.”
“I love you, too. I’ll be fine. I’ll miss you, but your family needs you. Do you think there’s any way Maryann can come get me at six thirty instead? I have to work late tonight.”
He hesitated. “Yeah, she can. I just hate the idea of you working that late.”
I wanted to hug him tight and feel his kiss on my lips. My heart hurt already from missing him. But I wouldn’t let him know that. He had enough to deal with right now. I wasn’t adding more to it. “I’ll be fine. I just have a lot of paperwork that needs to be filed first. Travel safe, and call me when you get there.”
He sighed. “God, I hate leaving you.”
I hated it, too. “It won’t be too long. I’ll miss you, but I’ll be here when you’re back.”
“I love you. So damn much,” he said fervently.
“I love you more,” I replied.
Mase
We took the private jet to Florida so I could check on Harlow, but I wasn’t staying with her long. I had to get to Los Angeles and deal with Kiro. I just had to talk to Harlow first; she knew what all was going on. I also wanted to assure her that I would handle the situation right. Anything to keep her from worrying.
Grant opened the door before I even knocked. I’d texted him that I was on my way from the airport. He looked stressed. “Thanks for coming,” he said in a whisper.
I nodded. “Get in touch with me sooner next time, yeah?”
Grant nodded his head toward the back of the house. “She’s out on the back porch. She’s calling Dean to check on Kiro. Lila Kate is already in bed.”
I dropped my duffel bag onto the floor and headed back to the porch.
I saw Harlow sitting in a chair with her phone in her hand, dangling at her side. Her chin rested on her knees. “He didn’t answer,” she said, sounding sad. She still hadn’t looked at me. She thought I was Grant.
“I’m headed out there later tonight. I’ll find out how he is and call you right away,” I said.
At the sound of my voice, her head jerked up, and she turned to look at me. Immediately, her eyes filled with tears. “I told him not to tell you,” she said with a choked voice.
“He didn’t. Rush did. You should have,” I said, walking over to her, reaching for one of her small hands, and holding it in mine.
“You’ll be mad at him. He doesn’t need that. He’s hurting,” she said with a sob.
I knew that. And if it wasn’t for Harlow, I’d go beat his ass for acting like this. But I wouldn’t hurt my sister in any way. “I won’t do that. I know he’s hurting. I’m going to talk to him. See if I can’t get him to see things clearer and lay off the vodka. He’s got to find another way to cope without turning to alcohol. Next, he’ll be back on drugs. Someone has to stop him, and we both know Dean can’t.”
Harlow dropped her forehead to her knees. “He loves her so much. I can’t imagine that, Mase. I can’t comprehend how he deals with seeing the woman he loves so much lost in her own body. It breaks my heart. I want him to find a way to be happy again. He hasn’t been happy in so long.”
If any of Kiro Manning’s kids were going to cry over him, it would be Harlow. She loved him in a way I didn’t understand. The father she knew was so different from the Kiro I was familiar with. I was thankful that he cherished Harlow. I’d hate him and completely wash my hands of the man if he didn’t adore Harlow the way he did. That was his one redeeming quality in my eyes. He loved my little sister. That was enough for me to try to stop him from killing himself with his own stupidity. “He has held on to Emily for a long time. This is rocking him. He feels like he’s losing her again. But he’s going to lose himself if someone doesn’t shake some sense into him. I won’t be mean to him, but I will force him to see the big picture. He needs that, Harlow.”
She sniffled and nodded as she wiped at a stray tear that rolled down her face. “I love him,” she said softly.
I reached over and pulled her into a tight hug. “I know you do. And because you do, I’ll do everything I can to save him from himself.”
She clung to me, and we sat there like that until her quiet sobs died down. When she pulled back, she used her sleeve to clean her tear-streaked face. “Where’s Reese?”
Reese. I’d had to leave Reese. I hated leaving Reese behind. I needed her. “She has a new job, and her boss isn’t going to be there tomorrow. She has to fill in for her. And honestly, I don’t want Reese to be there to see Kiro in his current state.”