his head, incredulous. “Did you tell her who you were?”
“Yes, of course. Why else would I go there?”
“I don’t know. I can’t believe you went there, period.” His fingers were flying again, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he resumed his secondary conversations, probably encouraging his friends to listen in. Fortunately, they couldn’t simply pop open screens and gawk because of the cover charge.
“You went there, too,” Rob pointed out.
“She told you that?” Nathan seemed surprised.
“She mentioned it, yeah.”
He studied Rob for a moment. “I want to hear the whole story. You’ve got beach balls, Cousin.” He put his arm across Rob’s shoulders, turned him toward the bar. “Come on, I’ll buy you a drink.”
Rob began at the beginning, with Lorelei. He wanted Nathan to have the full context for the accident. If he was going to convince Nathan to commit to visiting Winter, and hopefully coordinate with Rob to spread out their visits, he needed Nathan to like him. When he mentioned he’d been living with Lorelei, Nathan’s already animated features lit up further. “Lorelei Van Kampen?”
“You know her?”
“Indirectly. Three degrees.” It took Rob a second to get it, that Nathan knew someone who knew someone who knewLorelei. Three degrees of separation. “She’s got a trillionaire grandfather, but she’s mostly cut off, right?”
“Right. So, she’s throwing everything I own out the window with three hundred screens looking on. My photo files. Recordings of songs I composed—”
“Yeah, I can see what you mean about all the eyes—she’s got quite a following. She’s one rare bird, though. Gorgeous.”
Rob’s stomach lurched. “Are you watching her right now? Live?”
Nathan nodded, his attention clearly compromised.
“Please don’t do that. I don’t want any connection to her, not even once-removed.”
Nathan flashed a wide smile, nodded. “No problem, I get it. I take it there’s no chance of me getting an introduction, then?”
Rob laughed. “No, we’re not on speaking terms.” This guy was something.
Rob went on with the story, careful to avoid foisting responsibility for Winter’s death onto Lorelei, or onto Winter herself. From the start it had been tempting to claim Winter came out of nowhere. Given Winter’s breakup with Nathan that day, Rob could have weaved a convincing story of a heartbroken and careless woman not watching where she was going. Maybe he could have even convinced himself. But Rob had been the one who came out of nowhere, drunk, driving too fast. He skipped the part about being drunk.
When he told Nathan about the promise he’d made to Winter, and how he planned to keep it, Nathan stopped him. “Wait a minute. You’re giving up everything, including your dream of becoming a famous musician, just so you can visit Winter?”
“That’s right.”
“For how long?”
Rob shrugged. “Until she’s out of there.”
Nathan tilted his head, as if maybe he hadn’t heard Rob correctly. “Cousin, she’s not ever getting out of there. She’s a cutie, no doubt, but there are many, many cuties on ice in that place.”
“Then I’ll visit her for the rest of my life.”
Rob looked at Nathan, daring him to question his commitment.
Nathan groaned, rolled his eyes. “Shit. We’re about to have company. One of my coworkers just touched base and she’s completely unglued, babbling about someone jumping from a bridge. Hey, I’m sorry about this.”
Rob waved off the apology, quickly got to the point. “The reason I’m here is because Winter said you were planning to visit occasionally as well—”
Nathan’s smile vanished. Suddenly he looked grim, pained. “I see where this is going. Not a chance, Cousin.”
Someone in the bar pinged Rob; Rob sent a quick decline, wondering who would be interested in talking to a guy with a rented system, a guy who was so scrawny he looked like bait for stray cats. “But you promised her
“Yes, of course. Why else would I go there?”
“I don’t know. I can’t believe you went there, period.” His fingers were flying again, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he resumed his secondary conversations, probably encouraging his friends to listen in. Fortunately, they couldn’t simply pop open screens and gawk because of the cover charge.
“You went there, too,” Rob pointed out.
“She told you that?” Nathan seemed surprised.
“She mentioned it, yeah.”
He studied Rob for a moment. “I want to hear the whole story. You’ve got beach balls, Cousin.” He put his arm across Rob’s shoulders, turned him toward the bar. “Come on, I’ll buy you a drink.”
Rob began at the beginning, with Lorelei. He wanted Nathan to have the full context for the accident. If he was going to convince Nathan to commit to visiting Winter, and hopefully coordinate with Rob to spread out their visits, he needed Nathan to like him. When he mentioned he’d been living with Lorelei, Nathan’s already animated features lit up further. “Lorelei Van Kampen?”
“You know her?”
“Indirectly. Three degrees.” It took Rob a second to get it, that Nathan knew someone who knew someone who knewLorelei. Three degrees of separation. “She’s got a trillionaire grandfather, but she’s mostly cut off, right?”
“Right. So, she’s throwing everything I own out the window with three hundred screens looking on. My photo files. Recordings of songs I composed—”
“Yeah, I can see what you mean about all the eyes—she’s got quite a following. She’s one rare bird, though. Gorgeous.”
Rob’s stomach lurched. “Are you watching her right now? Live?”
Nathan nodded, his attention clearly compromised.
“Please don’t do that. I don’t want any connection to her, not even once-removed.”
Nathan flashed a wide smile, nodded. “No problem, I get it. I take it there’s no chance of me getting an introduction, then?”
Rob laughed. “No, we’re not on speaking terms.” This guy was something.
Rob went on with the story, careful to avoid foisting responsibility for Winter’s death onto Lorelei, or onto Winter herself. From the start it had been tempting to claim Winter came out of nowhere. Given Winter’s breakup with Nathan that day, Rob could have weaved a convincing story of a heartbroken and careless woman not watching where she was going. Maybe he could have even convinced himself. But Rob had been the one who came out of nowhere, drunk, driving too fast. He skipped the part about being drunk.
When he told Nathan about the promise he’d made to Winter, and how he planned to keep it, Nathan stopped him. “Wait a minute. You’re giving up everything, including your dream of becoming a famous musician, just so you can visit Winter?”
“That’s right.”
“For how long?”
Rob shrugged. “Until she’s out of there.”
Nathan tilted his head, as if maybe he hadn’t heard Rob correctly. “Cousin, she’s not ever getting out of there. She’s a cutie, no doubt, but there are many, many cuties on ice in that place.”
“Then I’ll visit her for the rest of my life.”
Rob looked at Nathan, daring him to question his commitment.
Nathan groaned, rolled his eyes. “Shit. We’re about to have company. One of my coworkers just touched base and she’s completely unglued, babbling about someone jumping from a bridge. Hey, I’m sorry about this.”
Rob waved off the apology, quickly got to the point. “The reason I’m here is because Winter said you were planning to visit occasionally as well—”
Nathan’s smile vanished. Suddenly he looked grim, pained. “I see where this is going. Not a chance, Cousin.”
Someone in the bar pinged Rob; Rob sent a quick decline, wondering who would be interested in talking to a guy with a rented system, a guy who was so scrawny he looked like bait for stray cats. “But you promised her
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