Temptation Ridge (Virgin River #6)(119)

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the perfect nymphet, Shelby. She left you and you’re going down the shitter.” He took a drink of his beer.

Luke silently and meanly glared at his brother.

“She left you, you’re miserable and completely f**ked up. I had to come all the way up here to make sure your ten-day-old dead body wasn’t in this house and you’re not being at all cooperative or hospitable.”

“No one asked you.”

“Well, Jesus, I know that! God forbid the firstborn ever show weakness or ask for anything. You’re the steel man, right? Give me a break, Luke. Look at you. You augured in. Crashed.”

“I’ve been working,” he said.

“Bullshit. The work’s done. Tell me what happened.”

“Nothing happened,” Luke said. “It’s been kind of quiet around here. I didn’t feel like talking to anyone. That’s all.”

Aiden looked down and shook his head with silent laughter. “Brother, you give me no credit. You think I took emergency leave to come up here and save your life without knowing anything? I called that bar—that sweet little bar you like so much? Where they haven’t seen you in a long time? I talked to Jack a while, got Walt Booth’s number and talked to him, too. Here’s what happened—Shelby went to Maui for a warm, sunny vacation before heading to San Francisco to get an apartment for school that’s not starting for months. She got out of town. Since we had this talk once already, I can guess why. You pushed her away. You wouldn’t tell her how you feel because you think it’s a mistake for her. And you’re still scared every woman you meet is going to do you dirty. You’re still making decisions for other people without getting their opinion. Now she thinks you don’t care about her and so she took you up on the challenge and she left. Got as far away as she could. And now you’re in the shitter!”

Luke glared at Aiden for a moment before he said, “I’m going to f**king kill you.”

Aiden sat back in the chair and grinned. He took a slug of his beer. “Oh yeah? And why is that?”

“You called the general? About me?”

“Yup. And the bartender. But I got the call from Sean who got the call from Mom and you should just be glad Paddy and Colin aren’t stateside or they’d be in it. Now, why don’t you just answer the f**king phone and tell people you’re busy and can’t talk? What the hell are you doing?”

“Save my life?” Luke asked. “Emergency leave? Save my life? What the hell are you talking about?”

Aiden sat forward and grew serious. “Look, we’ve been here before. We were all young, true, and the circumstances were entirely different, but try to imagine what it’s like to see your big brother—the guy you most admire in the world—hit the skids and just about sink out of sight. Scared the shit out of everyone. That’s not going to happen again. No one is going to let it happen again.”

Luke took a breath. “Look, it’s not a big deal. Shelby was just following through with her plans. She wants to travel, go to school. I’m adjusting. Gimme a week. It’ll be fine.”

Aiden stared at him for a second. “Aw, bullshit,” he said.

Before Luke could respond, the phone rang.

“See? Goddamnit! Why’d you plug that thing in?” Luke roared.

Aiden went to the phone. He said hello. “Yes, Mom, I’m here—he’s fine. Yes, fine. I took his pulse, he’s alive, he’ll be fine. Yes, Mom. Yes, Mom. Mom! I just got here! Would you let me— Yes, Mom. Goodbye. I love you, too.” Before he could get back to his chair, it rang again and Luke groaned very loudly. Aiden picked it up and said hello. “Jesus, I just got here! Will you give me ten minutes to find out what the hell’s going on? Yeah, he’s fine! I’ll call you back. Now leave us alone!”

Aiden went back to his chair, his beer.

“See?” Luke said.

“Yeah, but you obviously unplugged the phone after all the calls started. You never bothered to tell anyone you were fine. What if Shelby called to say she’d thought it over and decided to sit it out here until her classes started? What’s the deal?”

“She wasn’t going to call.”

“What if she did?”

“That wouldn’t be good for her.”

Aiden was stunned silent for a minute. His mind was whirring. Then he was slowly overcome by a sly grin. “Oh man,” he said. “You wouldn’t be able to keep yourself from answering the phone if it rang, hoping it could be her, so you unplugged it.”

“You’re out of your mind…”

“You’d rather have her think you weren’t here. That a day or a week after she left you, you got it together and you were out looking for girls. Jesus, Luke.” He laughed. “What if she wanted some more time with you? Huh? What if she wanted to give you some more time with her to work out your issues?”

Luke shook his head helplessly. He got up from the sectional and went to the kitchen to get a beer. He went back to the living room. “That would be a bad decision.”

“Okay, now we’re on the same page. You’re looking out for her. You going to come clean with me, or do we have to have six more beers to get there? Because I don’t drink a lot anymore. On call all the time, you know…”