Turbulent Intentions(61)

“Are you happy with him?” Sherman asked as he moved into the kitchen. He grabbed a soda and some chips and then sat down.

“Yes, but it isn’t anything serious,” she said, not wanting this conversation to get back to Cooper and freak the man out.

“Any time two people are in an intimate relationship, there’s nothing casual about it,” Sherman assured her, making her squirm in front of him. The only thing holding her in place right now was that she had convinced herself it was nothing serious.

“That’s not what I meant exactly,” she hedged.

“I wasn’t born yesterday, missy, and you know there are many forms of intimacy. Don’t mistake what you have with my nephew as casual.”

“He holds himself back,” she said, feeling as if she were tattling.

“There’s been a lot that’s happened in his life. There’s reasons for that, but he’s opened up a lot since meeting you. I’ve seen him blossom in the past month or so,” Sherman assured her.

“He doesn’t talk about his past. I don’t know a heck of a lot about him, actually,” she said with frustration. “Besides the fact that he’s a pilot and has pilot brothers and one who is gone.”

“The boys had a very difficult time when they lost their father six years ago. It wasn’t easy on any of them, and they had to do some growing up,” Sherman said with a sigh.

“Six years ago?” she asked.

“Yes. Why?”

He’d immediately clued in to her uncomfortable shuffle on her seat.

“No reason,” she said, not making eye contact. Had Cooper’s father died before they’d had their night together? If she had the courage to ask him, she just might know. “What’s happened with his family?”

“I’m not one to gossip,” Sherman said before smiling.

They both knew that was as far from the truth as a polar bear living in Arizona.

“I won’t say a word to anyone,” she promised, holding her fingers up and sealing her lips.

Sherman smiled as he got a bit more comfortable. This might be a long story.

“The four brothers were once so close, but life has a way of sweeping our feet out from beneath us,” he said with sadness.

“Please tell me what happened. I want to understand.” Anytime Ace’s name was mentioned, Cooper became instantly distant. She wanted to know why.

“I’m warning you it’s a long story . . .”

“It’s a good thing I have nowhere to go,” she replied.

“Well, it begins when Bill and I were just kids,” Sherman said.

“I wish I could have met him. He sounds like a smart man, and a great father,” Stormy said.

“Yes, he was a great man. And he saw a pattern starting to form with his boys. A pattern that terrified him . . .”

His eyes became distant as he slipped into the past and began speaking. “A long time ago, Cooper’s father and I lived a privileged life. We knew only excess, but excess doesn’t make for a happy life, at least not when you live under the abusive hand of an alcoholic father and a mother too weak to stand up for herself, let alone us. Of course, in those days, people kept to themselves and the help didn’t dare intervene or stop the beatings. All they could do was console us and cover our bruises with fine clothing. As children, we needed an escape, a place to freely wander and explore, to be children, free from the oppression of our drunken father and his plans to shape us into the rulers of his financial empire.” He paused, seemingly looking into the past by the glaze in his eyes.

Stormy didn’t interrupt.

“Bill was five years older than me, so I was only ten years old when he met Evelyn. It was love at first sight, even though they were so young. Evelyn’s family was all farmers, but they were pilots, too, mostly crop dusting and such. Well, in any case, never mind what a looker Evelyn was, Bill could have her—I was instantly in love with the airplanes. It took Bill a little longer to become infatuated, but soon both of us spent our summer days flying. It was an escape from our father. He eventually noticed we weren’t home much anymore. He decided to show us what a real man he was when he found out we’d rather hang around a poor farmer than in the luxury of our expensive home.”

Stormy wanted to tell Sherman he could stop talking. She could see how much pain this story was causing him. But she didn’t say a word and he continued on.

“I know this is about the past, but it influences what happened later with Bill and the boys,” Sherman said apologetically.

“I want to know,” she told him gently while laying a hand on his arm, hoping to ease the pain but knowing she couldn’t.