She had showered, Banner noted. Her hair, which she had pulled back with a barrette, was still damp. If she wore any makeup, it was minimal-not that she needed any, he thought, studying her porcelain-fair skin. Her chocolate-brown sweater fit snugly over her slender curves, ending at the band of her hip-riding jeans. Had Tim not been standing there watching them with such startled curiosity, Banner would have demonstrated for her how delectable she looked this morning.
It seemed as if there was almost always someone else around when he wanted to be alone with Lucy, he mused.
Funny, for a guy who had spent so much time alone during the past few years, he'd sure had a lot of company lately.
His life hadn't really changed the day Lucy knocked on his door, he assured himself. Not permanently, anyway. It only seemed that way at the moment. He couldn't help wondering how long it would take him to be content with his solitude again after everything went back to the way it had been.
Without pausing for introductions, Lucy gave the stranger in Banner's kitchen one of her warm smiles. “I'm Lucy Guerin. And you must be Tim.”
Both Tim and Banner looked surprised by the instant identification. “How did you know that?” Tim asked.
She laughed, studying his young, handsome, undeniably familiar face. “Are you kidding? The two of you look so much alike, anyone could see that you're brothers.”
Tim looked speculatively from Banner to Lucy. “So Rick's told you about me?”
Though she found the nickname a bit disconcerting, she didn't let it show. “Yes, he has. It's very nice to meet you.”
“You, too-even though Rick's never mentioned you,” Tim added with a sideways look at his brother.
“I'm sort of new around here,” Lucy replied lightly, moving to the coffeemaker. She would let Banner explain their relationship-whatever it was-if he chose to do so.
But Banner said nothing as he set the crisp bacon to drain on a platter covered with paper towels, stacked the first batch of pancakes on a plate and poured more batter onto the griddle. Tim carried three glasses of orange juice to the table, then stood somewhat self-consciously beside his chair until Lucy urged him to sit.
Ten minutes later they all sat at the table with their breakfasts. Following the smell of bacon, Hulk joined them, sitting hopefully beside Banner's chair. Banner slipped the dog a piece of the crisp meat, then said, “That's it, dog. You get the rest of your breakfast later.”
Hulk sighed in resignation. Licking his lips to get the last taste of the treat, he ambled out of the room to return to his rug, leaving his owner scowling down at his plate as though wondering what to say next.
Not surprisingly, it seemed to be up to Lucy to start a conversation. Figuring that Banner would join in if she got things rolling, she smiled encouragingly at Tim. “Your brother told me you're in law school. How's everything going?”
Tim swallowed a big bite of syrup-covered pancakes, then reached hastily for his orange juice to wash it down before speaking. “I, uh, quit law school. I'm not going back for the next semester.”
That certainly took Banner's attention away from his breakfast. “You did what?”
Tim's expression took on a grimly stubborn quality that made him look even more like his older brother. “I quit.”
“Why?”
“Because I hated it.”
Lucy glanced at Banner, who was studying Tim with a quizzical expression that told her he was trying very hard to figure the younger man out. “I guess you've told the rest of the family?” he asked.
Tim's jaw muscle clenched. “Yeah.”
“How did that go?”
“Dad threw me out of his house.”
The stark words made Lucy set her fork down, her appetite gone, even though half her breakfast remained on her plate. Banner and Tim seemed to feel much the same way, since neither of them was eating. Banner took a sip of his coffee, but Lucy thought he did so mostly to give himself time to think of what to say.
She felt compelled to try to fill the tense silence. “I'm sure your father is simply disappointed,” she offered. “He'll come around.”
Tim turned to look at her, his navy eyes almost black with emotion. “Rick hasn't told you much about our father, has he?”
“A little. I know he has high expectations for you and your sister.”
With a little snort, Tim shook his head. “My father has had our lives mapped out since Brenda and I were toddlers. He chose our friends, our hobbies, our colleges. After that he gave us two choices-medical school or law school. Brenda seems to be content enough with medicine, but I've always known that wasn't for me. I thought I could learn to like the law, but it's just not going to happen. There's no need for me to waste any more of my life trying.”
“You graduated cum laude from the university,” Banner reminded his brother. “You were accepted into some of the most prestigious law schools in the country. Why on earth would you want to throw that away?”
Tim's eyes narrowed. “I would have thought that you, of all people, would understand.”
“I don't know what you mean.”
“You've never let Dad run your life. You do exactly what you want, when you want. You always have.”
Banner shook his head. “My situation is different.”
“Only because you didn't live with him full-time. I know he tried to talk you into going to college, maybe following him into business, but you wouldn't let him control your choices. From now on, neither will I.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I don't know, exactly. I've never really had the chance to explore my options. I'll probably spend the next year or so doing that.”
“You couldn't do that while you're finishing law school? At least you wouldn't be burning any bridges that way.”
Tim seemed genuinely surprised by Banner's reaction to his announcement. “I can't believe this. You sound just like Dad.”
Lucy watched as a tinge of red stained Banner's cheeks in response to the unwelcome comparison. Temper sharpened his reply. “I'm not trying to control your life. Hell, I don't care what you do. But I assumed you wanted my opinion. Why else would you show up here this morning?”
“You know, that's a good question,” Tim snapped, pushing his plate away and rising. “I don't know why I thought you would understand-or care. Maybe I thought for just once in my life I could count on my brother to be on my side.”
Lucy gave Banner a look of exasperation when Tim turned to storm out of the room. “Aren't you going to stop him?”
“I can't make him stay,” Banner replied.
Because she knew him well enough to understand he meant that he didn't know how to talk Tim into staying, she sighed and set her napkin on the table. “I'll talk to him.”
Banner nodded and began to clear away the breakfast dishes.
Lucy caught up with Tim just as he reached the front door. “Tim, wait.”
“Why?”
“Because your brother doesn't really want you to leave,” she assured him.
His short laugh held no humor. “He doesn't care. You just heard him say so.”
“He said he doesn't care what career choice you make. That's a lot different from not caring about you.”
“If he doesn't care about my career, why did he sound like Dad with that 'throwing it all away' comment?”
“Maybe because he does care about you,” she replied gently. “Didn't you hear how proud he sounded when he talked about how well you've done in school? With your brother it's sometimes necessary to read between the lines, because it's hard for him to say how he really feels.”
“And you're his interpreter now?”
She hesitated. “I, um…”
Tim sighed and shook his head. “I'm sorry, Lucy. I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's just…well…”
She smiled and rested a hand on his arm. “Banner could try the patience of a saint. I understand.”
