Part 10 (1/2)
My mistake again, then.”
Deo did some fast thinking. She had been about to try again, and because she didn't think of her relations.h.i.+p with Allie as anything that would prevent her from doing so, she hadn't considered how it might look to Nita. h.e.l.l, when had she ever considered how anything might look to a woman she was interested in? ”Jesus, you're confusing as all h.e.l.l.”
”Look,” Nita began in a reasonable voice, determined to control a potentially uncomfortable situation that showed no signs of going away. Admittedly, she'd had a visceral response the instant she'd seen Deo enter the waiting area. Before she could contain herself, she had been both happy and excited to see her. That Deo had been with the pretty young brunette from the night before had helped her gain some perspective. There wasn't much doubt in her mind where the bite on Deo's neck had come from. Like a dash of cold water, the sight of the two of them was a blunt wakeup call and a stark reminder of just why Deo was dangerous. ”This is a small town and we have a lot of acquaintances in common. We're going to be running into one another all the time. Why don't we just decide right now that the best thing we can do is have a nice casual friendly a.s.sociation.”
”I wasn't proposing marriage.”
”I know what you are proposing. I'm not in the market.”
”And if you were, it wouldn't be with me, right?”
Nita shrugged. ”No. It wouldn't be.”
”Because I'm not your type.” Deo made it a statement, not a question.
”I think I already mentioned that.”
”How about a contractor? Are you in the market for a general contractor?”
”Excuse me?” Nita said, thoroughly perplexed by not only * 81 *
RADCLY fFE the abrupt change in topic but by the fact that Deo seemed to have capitulated with no argument. And that bothered her. Lord, she must be sending out mixed signals because she certainly felt mixed up. She didn't want the woman's attention but it upset her when Deo simply gave up pursuing her as if it were of no further consequence. She hadn't realized how vulnerable she was to any kind of attention from a woman. It had been a long time. Obviously, she needed a date-with someone non-threatening and low-key and normal. Someone whose attention would be pleasant but not distracting, someone with whom she could share something enjoyable but not consuming. Not someone like Deo whose mere presence stirred her up. Not someone like Deo- like Sylvia-who would occupy her mind twenty-four hours a day and keep her body in a state of constant arousal.
”You bought the Captain's house,” Deo said, again stating fact. ”If you plan on living in it, it's going to take some serious work.”
”How do you know about my house?”
”It's my business to know what's happening with the properties in town.”
Nita shook her head. ”Small-town living will take some getting used to. Yes, I bought it, but I haven't made any decisions yet about what I'm going to do with it or who is going to do it.” What she didn't add was that whoever she hired, it certainly would not be Deo Camara.
The last thing she wanted was to see her on a daily basis for weeks.
”Rehabbing historic structures is my specialty,” Deo said, serious now. ”You're going to get the best prices if you go local, and I'm the best there is on the Cape. You'll at least want a bid from me.”
”Lord, you really are too much.” Nita remembered Pia mentioning the towns.h.i.+p's regulations regarding what could and couldn't be done to historic buildings and realized she would be better off using a local builder. It was late, she was tired, and she didn't want to argue. In fact, Deo made sense. Compromise. Compromise was something she'd always been good at. ”Why don't you send Joey around to look the place over. I'm closing on Friday afternoon and I'll have the keys after that.”
”Joey's not experienced enough.” Deo grinned. ”Besides, he's compet.i.tion.”
”I'm sorry?”
”He wants to ask you out.”
* 82 *
Winds of Fortune Nita gaped. ”Joey? My G.o.d, he's just a boy.”
”He's eighteen,” Deo said with a straight face, enjoying seeing Nita off balance.
”He's also a patient.”
”He won't be forever.”
”Don't be ridiculous,” Nita snapped. ”You know I'm a lesbian.”
Deo lifted a shoulder. ”Can't prove it by personal experience.”
”And you never will.” Exasperated and recalling what Pia had said about their family enterprises, Nita said, ”Then send one of your brothers to do the estimate. You must have half a dozen working with you.”
Deo jerked as if Nita had slapped her. Beneath her tan, Deo's bronze skin paled and a world of hurt fl ashed across her face. For a fraction of a second, Nita actually thought she might faint. Without giving it a thought, driven only by her instinct to comfort, she grasped Deo's hand. ”What is it?” The fi ngers lying motionless in her palm were cold and trembling. ”Deo?”
”Sorry,” Deo rasped, jerking her hand free. ”No, no brothers.”
”I'm sor-”
”No problem.” Deo backed away a step. ”Sorry to bother you.”
”Deo...” Nita called quietly, but Deo had already spun away. She felt terrible for bringing up something that was obviously still painful.
She didn't mind clas.h.i.+ng with Deo's arrogance or misplaced sense of ent.i.tlement where women were concerned, but she would never have willingly hurt her. ”d.a.m.n it.”
”Everything all right?” Tory asked.
Nita gave a start, then fl ushed, wondering how much of the encounter Tory had witnessed. She'd always been a private person, and the terrible public humiliation of her relations.h.i.+p with Sylvia had solidifi ed her desire to avoid any kind of display of her personal business. ”Yes. Everything's fi ne.”
”Oh, okay. I just thought Deo...never mind.”
”I...I unwittingly said something to upset her.” She should simply let the matter drop, Nita knew that. But the agony in Deo's eyes had been so deep, so raw, she still ached from having seen it. ”I asked her about having brothers.”
”I see.” Tory sighed. ”Her twin brother Gabriel was killed in a boating accident when they were teenagers.”
* 83 *
RADCLY fFE ”Oh,” Nita murmured, ”that's horrible.”
”I know,” Tory said. ”I hadn't been in town very long, but something like that in a community like this affects everyone. I can still remember Nelson calling me down to the harbor. It was the middle of the night, and it was pointless to transport Gabriel anywhere. We tried to resuscitate him right there on the beach...G.o.d, we worked on him for almost two hours, and we just couldn't get him back.” She shook her head. ”I thought Deo was going to lose her mind.”
”She was with him?” Nita automatically searched the room, wis.h.i.+ng desperately she could fi nd her and say something to ease the pain she had carelessly incited. But Deo was gone, and so was the young offi cer she'd come in with.
y ”You don't have to leave,” Deo said dully, opening the driver's side door. ”I'll just wait in the truck.”
Allie climbed in the opposite side and slid as close to Deo as the gear s.h.i.+ft would allow. ”I need to get back.”
”Why don't you try to catch some sleep, then.” Deo started the truck and pulled away from the hospital.
”You look pretty b.u.mmed out. Are you okay?”