Luke stared at her for the space of a heartbeat, then unexpectedly he grinned, a gleam of admiration in his eyes. The tension in his shoulders eased a bit and he looked at his brother. “Persuasive, isn’t she?”
Even Tommy seemed amused by her threat. When he smiled, the resemblance to Luke was startling.
“A regular hellcat,” Tommy agreed.
“Shall we go inside?” Luke asked.
“I don’t see that we have a lot of choice. I for one don’t relish getting soaked to the skin.”
Katie watched with satisfaction as they walked off together. She didn’t hold out a lot of hope that the negotiations would be peaceful, just that they wouldn’t kill each other. Maybe, given enough time, they would remember what family was supposed to be.
* * *
Luke sat across from his brother at the kitchen table and wondered for the zillionth time how Katie had managed to get the two of them inside. Surely neither he nor Tommy had actually felt threatened by that spray of water she’d been waving around. Maybe they both knew in their guts that she was right, that it was time to start talking calmly before this entire custody mess got completely out of hand. At any rate, he had to admire her audacity in forcing them to the bargaining table. If only she had come inside to keep peace, he thought as he studied Tommy warily.
Because he couldn’t decide what to say, Luke got to his feet, went to the refrigerator and grabbed a pitcher of iced tea. Holding it out, he asked, “Want some?”
Tommy shook his head. “You got any beer in there?”
Luke pulled a bottle out and handed it to him without comment. He kept his opinion of drinking before noon to himself. When Tommy saw Luke watching him swig down a huge gulp, he said defensively, “It’s hot as blazes out there.”
“Sure is,” Luke agreed readily. Determined to stay on neutral turf, he asked, “So, tell me, are you still working over in Birmingham?”
Tommy shook his head. “The job was a dead end. I thought I might go to Alaska. I hear you can make great money up there and it’s gotta be cooler than this. I’m tired of being steamed like a piece of broccoli from May through October.”
“Pretty damned cold up there come February, especially for a little boy,” Luke said.
The comment seemed to startle Tommy, as if he’d forgotten all about the fact that he claimed he wanted his son with him. His reaction only confirmed Luke’s suspicion that what Tommy really wanted was a financial stake either to get him started in Alaska or to keep him from having to work anywhere for a while.
“But I’ll bet he’d love all that snow,” Tommy finally countered. “You ever seen snow, big brother? Oh, wait, what am I thinking about? You probably go skiing at least twice a winter in Aspen, don’t you?”
“I’ve never been skiing in my life,” Luke retorted. “Besides, what the hell does that have to do with anything?”
Before Tommy could snap out a reply to that, Katie strolled through the door. She glanced hopefully from one to the other, but apparently she didn’t like what she saw.
“Haven’t you two settled anything yet?”
Luke scowled. Tommy glared.
“Terrific,” she commented wearily. “Now you’re not even talking.” Suddenly she brightened. “Then again, maybe that’s an improvement. I’ll do the talking.”
“Give it a rest, Katie,” Luke warned quietly. “I think Tommy has made himself clear here. His terms are unacceptable.”
“What terms?” Katie said.
“Money.”
Tommy shot to his feet. “I never said a damned thing about wanting your money.”
“But that’s the bottom line, isn’t it? That’s what the crack about Aspen was all about, right? You want what you think I have. You just don’t want to be bothered working for it they way I did.”
For an instant Tommy’s outraged expression gave way to something sad and lonely. Luke was taken aback by that stark look in his brother’s eyes. Was there even a remote chance that he’d gotten it wrong after all?
“That is what you want, isn’t it?” he repeated, hoping for a denial he could buy.
Tommy heaved a sigh. “Would you believe me if I said no?”
Luke wished he could say an unequivocal yes. He wished with all his heart that he didn’t remember each and every time Tommy had sworn something to him, only to have his promises turn out to be lies. The stakes were too high this time for him to allow himself to be taken in.
“Never mind,” Tommy said. “I can see the answer on your face.” He turned and headed for the door. “See you in court, big brother.”
The screen door slammed behind him. Only after the sound of his footsteps had faded did Luke dare a look in Katie’s direction. She seemed as shaken by the outcome of the encounter as he was.
“Luke?”
“Don’t even say it,” he warned. “I won’t start feeling sorry for him.”
“But what if all he really wants is someone to love?” she asked, voicing the thought that had been taunting him for the past few minutes. “What if this isn’t just about Robby, but about you, about getting your attention and your love?”
“He’s always had my love,” Luke said tightly. “All those years, even when everybody said I was a damned fool, Tommy had my love. He’s my brother, for God’s sake.”
“He had it and threw it away,” she pointed out. “Maybe he doesn’t realize that it’s still here just for the asking.”
“Dammit, Katie, don’t start thinking like that. Whatever his real agenda is, he’s using Robby as a pawn. I doubt I’ll ever be able to forgive him for that.”
Before she could turn those big green eyes of hers on him and change his mind, he set his unfinished glass
