´We were just too dissimilar. He was like quicksilver. Zane·s a lot like him.µ
She crossed her arms over her bel y, not real y sure she wanted to talk about fathers. Or Zane. Both were uncomfortable subjects that she·d tried over the years to analyze, and ended up with more pain than answers. She was better off leaving both men out of her thoughts.
´The only time I·ve ever seen Zane blind drunk was at Dad·s funeral,µ Nick told her. Óf the three of us, he was hardest hit by his death. They were so damn alike ³outgoing daredevils, always the life of the party, the center of attention. But they·re different too. Zane had a hard time seeing Dad·s faults, although God only knows they were in flashing Technicolor. Logan and I, maybe because we·re older, saw the other side of him that wasn·t so pretty. Women were a way of keeping score. A passing fancy easily obtained, and just as easily disposed of.µ
Í think Zane saw exactly who your father was and has tried to emulate him since he was in diapers,µ Teal told him, feeling pissy. She didn·t need to be warned off. She got it.
Nick drank from his glass and gave her a considering look. Í think Zane fools a lot of people with his personality. But there·s more to him than being the life of the party.µ
Right. He had a wel of hidden depth just waiting for the right woman to plumb. If she was beautiful enough, if she was amusing enough, if she was ³whatever. Hel .
If she had a freaking pulse . That was Zane·s kind of woman.
Teal turned to stare over the calm, crystal blue water at the Decrepit. Zane and Colson stood near the crane, talking to Maggie.
The sun gleamed off his shoulders and hair, and a glint of light sparked off his earring. A pang of intense longing pressed deep inside her chest. Yesterday·s kiss seemed a lifetime ago. She didn·t want him to know how much that kiss had affected her. Kiss ing Zane, she thought, wishing « Her breath snagged in her throat. Kissing Zane was as insubstantial as holding glitter in her fist. He·d kissed her because he could. She·d kissed him back because she couldn·t³ not .
But it couldn·t happen again. Wouldn·t happen again. No matter how wonderful, no matter how freaking tempting. She was done with being meaningless.
As if he felt her eyes on him, Zane suddenly looked up, glanced over at the Scorpion , and waved. Cocky devil.
After a nanosecond, Teal casual y waved back, then turned back to Nick, intentional y leaning in just a bit closer to him. Éveryone has faults.µ
´Yeah. But Dad liked his alcohol, drank too damn much. Other than that one night for Zane, none of us do. We saw Dad passed out enough times to know we didn·t want to go down that slippery slope. It was no secret that he was a womanizer, and his behavior hurt my mother intensely.µ
That she knew. Gossip on the island was that Mrs. Cutter had taken the boys aw ay. ´You al went to Oregon?µ
Śhe knew about his affairs, but what could she do? She was stuck with three boys to raise while Dad went off on the next grand adventure. He usual y took a woman with him. And he cheated on them as wel the moment he reached port.
When Mom final y had enough, she took us to her mother in Portland. I don·t know what precipitated it, if it was just the last straw on the camel·s back, or something else, but she filed for a divorce.µ
´But your father got custody?µ
´By default. We were in Portland less than a month. Dad was a very wealthy man. He wasn·t going to tolerate anyone, even our mother, taking us away from him. He hauled us back to Cutter Cay and brought in the expensive lawyers and fought her for custody with everything he had.µ
Teal sat up straight. ´But he drank. He cheated.µ
´Yeah. Chances were, he wouldn·t have won. But it didn·t matter ³Mom was hit by a drunk driver a few months later. He didn·t let us go to the funeral.µ Nick shrugged like it was ancient history, but Teal felt his pain.
Śo we adapted to life without
She crossed her arms over her bel y, not real y sure she wanted to talk about fathers. Or Zane. Both were uncomfortable subjects that she·d tried over the years to analyze, and ended up with more pain than answers. She was better off leaving both men out of her thoughts.
´The only time I·ve ever seen Zane blind drunk was at Dad·s funeral,µ Nick told her. Óf the three of us, he was hardest hit by his death. They were so damn alike ³outgoing daredevils, always the life of the party, the center of attention. But they·re different too. Zane had a hard time seeing Dad·s faults, although God only knows they were in flashing Technicolor. Logan and I, maybe because we·re older, saw the other side of him that wasn·t so pretty. Women were a way of keeping score. A passing fancy easily obtained, and just as easily disposed of.µ
Í think Zane saw exactly who your father was and has tried to emulate him since he was in diapers,µ Teal told him, feeling pissy. She didn·t need to be warned off. She got it.
Nick drank from his glass and gave her a considering look. Í think Zane fools a lot of people with his personality. But there·s more to him than being the life of the party.µ
Right. He had a wel of hidden depth just waiting for the right woman to plumb. If she was beautiful enough, if she was amusing enough, if she was ³whatever. Hel .
If she had a freaking pulse . That was Zane·s kind of woman.
Teal turned to stare over the calm, crystal blue water at the Decrepit. Zane and Colson stood near the crane, talking to Maggie.
The sun gleamed off his shoulders and hair, and a glint of light sparked off his earring. A pang of intense longing pressed deep inside her chest. Yesterday·s kiss seemed a lifetime ago. She didn·t want him to know how much that kiss had affected her. Kiss ing Zane, she thought, wishing « Her breath snagged in her throat. Kissing Zane was as insubstantial as holding glitter in her fist. He·d kissed her because he could. She·d kissed him back because she couldn·t³ not .
But it couldn·t happen again. Wouldn·t happen again. No matter how wonderful, no matter how freaking tempting. She was done with being meaningless.
As if he felt her eyes on him, Zane suddenly looked up, glanced over at the Scorpion , and waved. Cocky devil.
After a nanosecond, Teal casual y waved back, then turned back to Nick, intentional y leaning in just a bit closer to him. Éveryone has faults.µ
´Yeah. But Dad liked his alcohol, drank too damn much. Other than that one night for Zane, none of us do. We saw Dad passed out enough times to know we didn·t want to go down that slippery slope. It was no secret that he was a womanizer, and his behavior hurt my mother intensely.µ
That she knew. Gossip on the island was that Mrs. Cutter had taken the boys aw ay. ´You al went to Oregon?µ
Śhe knew about his affairs, but what could she do? She was stuck with three boys to raise while Dad went off on the next grand adventure. He usual y took a woman with him. And he cheated on them as wel the moment he reached port.
When Mom final y had enough, she took us to her mother in Portland. I don·t know what precipitated it, if it was just the last straw on the camel·s back, or something else, but she filed for a divorce.µ
´But your father got custody?µ
´By default. We were in Portland less than a month. Dad was a very wealthy man. He wasn·t going to tolerate anyone, even our mother, taking us away from him. He hauled us back to Cutter Cay and brought in the expensive lawyers and fought her for custody with everything he had.µ
Teal sat up straight. ´But he drank. He cheated.µ
´Yeah. Chances were, he wouldn·t have won. But it didn·t matter ³Mom was hit by a drunk driver a few months later. He didn·t let us go to the funeral.µ Nick shrugged like it was ancient history, but Teal felt his pain.
Śo we adapted to life without
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