Which Way the Wind Blows

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Sorry for the long break! Work’s been very busy lately. Thanks for the reviews! Here’s another chapter!

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Chapter 29

Mindy hummed to herself as she made her morning omelet, careful to loosen it completely before she flipped it. Luck was with her and it made it without breaking apart. She smiled as she added some cheese to the top and folded it over. She gave it another minute to cook before she turned off the flame and slid it onto her plate. She then poured herself a glass of orange juice before sitting down at the table to dig in. Warren was already sitting there, reading the newspaper and eating a bowl of Cheerios. He looked as she sat and raised a dark brown eyebrow.

“You’re in a good mood,” he muttered.

“I am,” she shrugged still not ready to forgive his faux pas until he acknowledged his mistake. Damn it! For someone supposedly so smart, he was monumentally thick in the head.

“May I ask why?”

“You may,” she sang. “When I’m really talking to you again, that is.”

Warren sat back in his seat and scowled at her while she dug into her omelet with enthusiasm. It wasn’t fair that Chris even seemed to have his sister on his side. She was always in his corner when they were growing up, and she was the one who’d convinced him to leave Seattle in the first place. He scratched at his unshaven jaw and sighed deeply. This wasn’t the way he’d pictured his life in New York to turn out when he first arrived. He had to admit though that this time he couldn’t blame it on Chris.

He’d gone over his conversation with Lauren in his head many times and he had to admit her parting shot couldn’t be argued. He’d stayed in the relationship so long through his own choice. Maybe Chris had used some coercion on him from time to time, but there were plenty of opportunities to leave the exact way he eventually did. And he’d never taken them. He’d told himself back then that if he just held on a little longer Chris would change the way he treated him and they would be able to act like a real couple. But he knew even then that the blonde would likely never change as long as he stayed. And yet he did stay. Part of the reason could have been love. But another part he could definitely put down to his own fear of being alone. Not until Mindy was able to secure a decent job in New York had he been willing to take the first step. At least then he would be living with his sister … and he wouldn’t be alone. But now he saw how much time he’d wasted on his fear. Who is to say he wouldn’t have met Jake and the guys if he’d come out here on his own the previous year? He probably would have. All three of them had been with the company already, and his supervisor in the Seattle office had broached the subject back then. Lauren was right on that point. He did have himself to blame more than Chris for letting the relationship drag on for so long.

“I was wrong last week,” he mumbled with his head bent down.

Mindy looked up at her brother in surprise, glad she hadn’t taken the bite she’d been about to … or he’d be wearing it.

“I’m sorry, what?” she asked.

“I was wrong to screw Chris when he was drunk,” he said in a small voice. “And I was wrong to leave you here to deal with my mess.”

She put down her fork and stared at him silently. He hadn’t raised his dark eyes to hers yet, still studying the tabletop with nervous fascination. She knew somehow that he’d figured out he was in the wrong, though and that was all that mattered.

“I’m glad you’ve finally come to your senses.”

He nodded.

“You might want to apologize to Chris, you know,” she added.

He looked up at her then with a pout.

“I know, I know,” she nodded. “It blows to have to apologize to the guy who hurt you so much.” She waved a hand in the air carelessly as she picked up her fork again. “But think of the good karma you’ll attract.”

“Sure,” he muttered. “But how do I apologize when I don’t even know where he is?”

Mindy stopped in mid chew. She’d forgotten about that. Despite being grateful for Victoria’s help, she hadn’t thought to ask for the woman’s phone number or address. Not, she grudgingly admitted to herself, that Victoria would have been so eager to provide it.

“Maybe Tom will tell you?” she finally asked after she swallowed her bite of egg.

“If Lauren has anything to say about it, I doubt it.”

“Then we’ll find a way to convince her to set something up.”

“I don’t think she’ll go for that.”

“I’ll talk to her for you,” Mindy said. “We women are better at the negotiating thing.”

“Okay,” he replied skeptically. “Now … why are you in such a good mood?”

“Oh that!” She laughed at him. “I was told that I as good as have the promotion yesterday!”

“You did?”

“I did!”

“No offense but … how?”

“I found myself one hell of a personal shopper,” she winked at him.

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“Is good now,” Tony said as he and Chris peered under the hood of the Mustang they were working.

Chris nodded in satisfaction. He was wearing an old t-shirt he’d had from college with his school’s name on it and now he was wiping his dirty hands down his old, torn designer jeans. Tony had joked with him about them when he’d first started helping him, but he didn’t have any “regular” jeans, and he didn’t see the point in going out to buy a pair only to wreck them in the shop when he already had enough old pairs at home. Sacrificing one wasn’t an issue for him. His golden blonde hair was hopelessly mussed from going under the front of the car to tighten bolts, and dirty from running soiled fingers threw it during the more frustrating parts of the operation.

The warm spring afternoon offered a slight breeze ever now and then to keep the weather from getting too warm. It was a lazy Saturday and he and Tony had been working on the car since 7 am, installing the new motor and interior of the car. It came in from a junkyard – the inside was completely torn and ripped and the original engine had seized. He’d been helping around the shop on the weeknights he came home early enough, as well as the weekends. The work was slow going on this one but Chris liked throwing himself into it. It kept his mind off of things better left alone right now.

“Now we work on the other car,” the older man grinned amiably as he led the way over to the other area of the shop where an old Chevy sat. “I get so much work done now, Chris!”

“I’m happy to help,” the blonde gave him a small smile in return.

“You keep working so much and my wife’s gonna have to start paying you to live upstairs!”

“No, she won’t,” Chris laughed. “I don’t help you that much!”

They started taking out the old engine first, working mostly in silence, only speaking when Chris had a question or Tony needed an extra pair of hands. They were so engrossed in what they were doing that neither noticed the refined looking young man approach the shop disdainfully. He grimaced as he looked around him, taking care not to get any dirt on his expensive shoes, pants or fine silk shirt. He wagered that his suit alone probably cost more than the dilapidated vehicles they were working on. His light hair was styled carefully and held in place with a copious amount of costly hair product. Recognizing one of the dirty figures working on an old car that looked like it would make a better paperweight than a mode of transportation, he sighed. Oh how the might are fallen, he thought sardonically. Was this really the guy he grew up with? The one who had idolized him so much? He shook his head and took off his Oakley sunglasses before clearing his throat loudly to get their attention. When only the old man’s eyes turned to him, he had to consciously keep his eyes from rolling.

“Can I help you?” the old man smiled.

“I’m looking for someone,” he replied coolly.

At the sound of his voice a surprised set of blue eyes jumped up to meet his own. Chris immediately looked mortified, giving the man a deep sense of satisfaction. Good. You should be ashamed. He raised a mocking golden eyebrow and waited to see what Chris would do.

“Que-Quentin?” he stammered out.

“Good to see you again, brother,” he said in an icy tone conveying he was anything but happy to be there. He looked around him pointedly and crossed his arms. “Nice place.”

“We like it,” Tony replied in a cooler voice than he’d greeted the man with earlier.

“Yes, I’m sure you do.”

“We do,” Chris said, recovering from his surprise and narrowing his eyes. “Why the hell are you here?”

“Can’t a guy come to see his baby brother?” Quentin asked innocently.

“Not when said guy helped his father in evicting his brother from his apartment and getting him fired from his job.”

Quentin was taken aback by Chris’ blunt reaction. They’d always been raised to keep family skirmishes private. He thought his brother would at least wait until they were away from this … commoner before they discussed things. Damn their father for sending him out here to collect the brat! He wasn’t even the oldest son! This should be Cyril’s problem to deal with!

“I think we need to talk alone,” he said in a warning tine.

“I don’t think we need to talk at all,” Chris replied and turned away from him to go back to work on the contraption. The old man smirked at Quentin and did the same.

“Chris …” he hissed.

“Go away,” the other blonde snarled. “And don’t come back!”