He glanced at her. “You did?”
“Yeah.” She smiled at him. “Conner wasn’t happy to find out that I had given her condoms and showed her how to put them on.”
He chuckled. “I can imagine.”
“It’s so easy to see you love her.”
He sighed. “It’s complicated.”
“Naw, it isn’t. You love her, she loves you.”
“There’s Rory.”
She snorted. “Please, if he isn’t over the moon for her already, he will be soon. I saw the way he looked at her.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you all stopped by here the first day. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.”
“Is that how you figured out we were all involved?”
“No. Maura told me.” He glanced at her. “No, I didn’t tell the bear in there. He’s going to figure it out soon.”
“Why is that?”
“Conner can be a curmudgeon but he isn’t stupid. The three of you in a room together, anyone can tell you’re involved.”
“Damn.”
“And another thing. Make sure you don’t play at Rough ‘n Ready.”
“Oh, Rory was thinking about...”
He trailed off not wanting to tell her as if he were breaking Maura’s trust.
Jillian patted him on the knee. “I know. She’s always had a fantasy of two guys who were bisexual and she wants to play in public. But word will get back to Conner. It would be best if it didn’t. At least not until you all decide what happens when you get home.”
He nodded. Jillian gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Now, you better go make up with that grumpy man because I have a deadline I set for myself.”
“Sure thing. You know if Conner hadn’t gotten to you first, I would have taken a shot at you.”
“And you might have had a shot. Especially with that accent.”
He laughed and stood, holding a hand out to her. She waved it away.
“Naw. You go make up with Conner, I’m going to sit here and contemplate my next scene. It isn’t really sounding right, so I need a break.”
Zeke walked up the hill, which wasn’t easy in the sand. He waved at one of the guys who owned the house in front of Jillian’s before turning toward the front door.
He opened the screen and found Conner right where he left him.
“Over your temper?”
“Zeke?”
“Yes.”
“You want to tell me what that’s about?”
He didn’t but he probably needed to give some kind of an explanation. “You know we were involved.”
“Yes.”
“Dammit, Conner, stop working for a second.”
He hit a few keys, probably saving what he had been writing and looked up at Zeke. He didn’t know what to say now. Zeke had been known as having a cool head. He had to. Growing up in a primarily white area, he had learned to pick his fights. Why he got so hot and bothered over this now was sort of a mystery to him.
“I’m waiting.”
“Okay. We were involved but we called it off. You know that. But, it doesn’t mean I don’t still care for her. I know how she feels when you question every one of her moves.”
“I ask her how things go.”
How did Jillian put up with such a stubborn mule? Why did he?
He sighed and sat in the chair. “I set up that meeting with Colfax. You asked me how it went.”
“Yeah, you said fine. Why, did something go wrong?”
“No, but Maura does something, and you have a list of twenty questions.”
“Well I want to make sure--”
“Exactly. Jesus, you don’t even see it, do you? Jennifer has been working less time for you and you have more faith in her abilities than you do Maura.”
Conner sighed. “I didn’t realize she felt that way.”
“I’m not sure she does. Not all the time. She is used to it. But some praise from you would be good. And you need to trust her. What’s more, she needs you to trust her. She’s smarter than both of us put together.”
Conner smiled. “That’s the truth.”
“She’s not a little girl anymore.”
“No. But it’s just second nature to me. I don’t even think about it. I didn’t realize I was doing it.”
“Lay off her and she’ll do better.”
“You really think that would help?”
“I think it would at least get her back to sleeping at nights. I’m not sure she does much sleeping from the bags under her eyes.”
“She never slept much as a kid to begin with.” Conner sat back in his chair and studied him for a second. “How did you get so smart about women?”