Jack shook his head. No point in lying to himself. If he could turn back time, he would do it all over again. Which made him a pretty big bastard and a sorry sort of friend.
He glanced back at the photo. Now what?
He heard footsteps on the stairs. But instead of a petite blonde with an attitude, he saw Betina climbing toward him.
“Morning,” he said.
She reached the landing and looked at him. There was something in her eyes-something that warned him she was not happy about certain events.
“What?” he asked.
“That would be my question to you.” She drew in a breath. “Look, it’s not my business-”
Great. She was going to get protective. “You’re right. It’s not your business.”
She glared at him. “Meredith is my friend. I care about her. I don’t want her to get hurt.”
“What makes you think that’s going to happen?”
“It’s in your nature. You’re the kind of man who is used to getting what he wants and walking away.”
True enough, he thought, not sure what that had to do with anything. “Meri’s not in this for the long term,” he said.
“That’s what she keeps telling me, but I’m not so sure. I think she’s in a position where she could get her heart broken.”
“Not by me.”
Betina rolled her eyes. “Are all men stupid about women or is it just the ones in this house?”
“You expect me to answer that?”
“No. I expect you to respect someone you’re supposed to care about. You’ve known Meri a long time. She’s not like the rest of us. She didn’t grow up with a chance at being normal. She managed to fit in all on her own.”
“I heard you had a part in making that happen.”
Betina shrugged. “I gave her direction. She did the work. But she’s not as tough as she thinks. What she had planned for you was crazy-and I told her that, but she wouldn’t listen.”
“Typical.”
“I know. My point is I don’t want anything bad to happen to her. If you hurt her, I’ll hunt you down like the dog you are and make you pay.”
He gave her a half smile. “Going to hire someone to beat me up?”
“No, Jack. I’m going to tell you exactly how much she’s suffering. I’m going to point out that you were her brother’s best friend and that he asked only one thing of you and you couldn’t seem to do it. Not then and not now. I’m going to be the voice in your head-the ugly one that never lets you rest.”
He met her steady gaze with one of his own. “You’re good.”
“I care about her. She’s part of my family. She deserves someone who loves her. Are you that guy?”
He didn’t have to think about that. “No.” He’d never loved anyone. He refused to care. It cost too much.
“Then leave her alone. Give her a chance with someone else.”
“Someone like Andrew?” Jack had a bad feeling about him. He would get his report soon enough and then figure out what to do.
“Funny you should mention him,” Betina said, looking amused. “I guess you don’t know.”
“Know what?”
“He’s here.”
Meri pulled back, stood in front of the open door and wondered if she looked as guilty as she felt. While she and Andrew had agreed that they were on a relationship hiatus, saying the words and having him show up less than four hours after she and Jack had made love for the third time of the night was a little disconcerting.
“You’re here,” she said, feeling stupid and awkward and really, really guilty.
“I missed you.” He smiled that easy Andrew smile-the one that had first drawn her to him. The one that told the world he was pleasant, charming and curious about everything. “Did you miss me?”
She’d spent five months working on her plan to seduce Jack Howington III and nearly a week putting that plan into action. In her free time she’d been consulting for two different defense contractors and working on her solid- rocket-fuel project. Who had time to miss anyone?
“Of course,” she said, resisting the urge to fold her arms over her chest and shuffle her feet.
“Good.” He stepped into the house and put his arm around her. “So this is where you’ve been hanging out.”
“I’ve actually been down in Los Angeles a lot. Remember? The consulting.”
“I know. Is your team here?”
“They’ll arrive in an hour or so.”
“How fortunate.” He pulled her close again. “So we have time to get reacquainted.”
Ick and double ick. She couldn’t get “reacquainted” with Andrew right after having seduced Jack. It was wrong on many, many levels.
She stepped away and looked at him. Andrew was tall like Jack but not as muscular or lean. His brown hair was longer, his blue eyes lighter. Jack was a sexy version of the devil come to life. He played every hand close and gave nothing away. Andrew was open and friendly. He assumed the world liked him-and most of the time it did.
Which didn’t matter, she told herself. There was no need for comparisons. She had a relationship with Andrew and she had nothing with Jack. They’d been friends once, she’d proved her point and now she was moving on. She should be happy Andrew was here. He was part of the moving-on bit, wasn’t he?
Andrew’s blue eyes clouded. “What’s wrong, Meredith? Aren’t you happy to see me? It’s been weeks since we met at The Symposium in Chicago. I’ve missed you. You said you wanted time for us both to be sure about our feelings. I’m still sure. Are you?”
Life was all about timing, Meredith thought happily as Colin walked into the room, saw Andrew and grimaced.
“Oh. You’re here,” he grumbled. Colin had never been a fan.
It wasn’t anyone’s fault, Meri told herself. Andrew was inherently athletic and Colin…wasn’t. She wasn’t either, but she tried and she always forced her team to attempt something new a couple of times a year. She ignored the complaints and reminded them it was good for them.
“Colin!” Andrew said cheerfully, ignoring the other man’s obvious irritation at his presence. “Haven’t seen you in a long time. How’s it hanging?”
Colin looked Andrew over with the same enthusiasm one would use when seeing a cockroach in one’s salad. “It’s hanging just fine.”
Colin poured his coffee and left.
“I think he’s starting to like me,” Andrew said in a mock whisper. “We’re really communicating.”
Despite everything, Meri laughed. “You’re an optimist.”
“Hey, you like Colin and I like you. Therefore I must like Colin. Isn’t that some kind of math logic? You should appreciate that.”
She should, and she mostly did. She appreciated that Andrew was never tense or intense. She enjoyed his humor, his spontaneity and how he seemed to live a charmed life. According to every women’s-magazine survey she’d ever taken, Andrew was perfect for her.
So how had she been able to be apart from him for six months only seeing him for a few days at a time and not really mind?
Before she could figure out the answer, she heard more footsteps on the stairs. She turned, expecting to see Betina, who would be a great distraction. Instead Jack walked into the kitchen.
The room got so quiet Meri could actually hear her heart pumping blood through her body. She felt herself flush as she tried to figure out what on earth she was supposed to say.
Andrew stepped forward, held out his hand and smiled. “Andrew Layman. I’m Meredith’s boyfriend.”
Jack looked him over. “Jack Howington the third. Friend of the family.”
Meri stared in surprise. Jack had used his full name, including the number. Why? He never did that.
The two men shook hands. When they separated, it seemed that they were both crowding her a little.
“So you know Meredith’s dad?” Andrew asked. “You mentioned you were a friend of the family, but she hasn’t mentioned you before.”
