Working It Out (4 page)

“In the hall. Now,” she repeated, this time with more
steel in her voice.

Seth let out a sigh, said a mental goodbye to the
desserts, and allowed Lanna to lead him out of the room and around the corner
to a secluded alcove. She let go of his arm and turned on him. “I can’t believe
you did that. How could you? You just made a mockery of this entire night.”

Seth blinked, confused. Where had Lanna been during the
final bid? In a bubble? “No, what I did was make your afterschool program an additional
twenty grand. I get that you’re mad at me about the money, but I didn’t make a
mockery of your auction.”

“You bid on another guy, Seth!”

Oh, well there was that. For whatever reason, her words
struck Seth’s funny bone, making him grin. “Didn’t you see the date that guy
offered? How could I pass on something like that?”

“Stop it! This isn’t funny!” Her foot stomped on the
carpeted ground with a soft thud. Based on the way her eyes misted over and how
she looked away, Seth could see that she really didn’t think it was funny. He’d
never seen Lanna cry before. It immediately wiped the grin from his face.

Seth reached for her arm, but she pulled it free, still
not looking at him.

“You wouldn’t take the money any other way,” he said
softly. “So I did what I had to do to finally get you to accept my help. You
and I both know that Mike would want me to do this.”

Her eyes turned back to him, harder now than ever before.
“No, he wouldn’t. Don’t you get it? You can’t force your help on people. Life
doesn’t work like that. All you can do is offer, and if I say no, you have to
walk away and leave it be. You can’t do this to me anymore, Seth. You can’t.”
Her voice broke at the end.

Seth suddenly felt as if he were two inches tall, even
next to her petite body. He wanted to draw her into a hug and assure her that
he’d come here tonight because he cared about her and not for any other reason.
But if she’d slapped his arm away earlier, she certainly wouldn’t let him hug
her now.

 “Okay,” he said. “Lesson learned. I promise to only make
offers from here on out. There. Happy?” Seth certainly didn’t feel happy.

She sniffed and nodded, not looking remotely happy either—or
triumphant, for that matter. “I know Milly accepted your bid, but we’re not
taking that money.”

Whoa—what? Seth blinked, feeling as though she’d tricked
him. In his mind, they’d each surrendered some of their pride and made a
compromise. She finally agreed to take his money, and he promised to never pull
a stunt like this again. Done.

But not really, because Lanna was incapable of
compromising.

Seth lifted his chin. “Good luck telling that to Milly
and the reporter I caught taking notes and snapping a few pictures. Oh and the
parents with kids in your program who will read about tonight’s success in
tomorrow’s paper. Good luck with that.”

Lanna bit her lower lip, her eyelids blinking rapidly.

“For Pete’s sake, Lanna, take the stupid money,” Seth begged.
“You need it. Those kids need it. If for no other reason, take it for them.”

Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as she stood
there, shaking her head and looking almost as miserable as she’d looked the day
of her brother’s funeral. Seth’s heart wrenched at the sight.

“Fine,” Lanna finally said, tears drizzling down her
cheeks. “You win. I’ll take the money.”

With that, she walked away, the same way the girl in blue
had done earlier. Only this time, Seth didn’t feel triumphant at all. He felt
like he’d broken something special, something that could never be put back
together the same way it had been before. He’d broken Lanna’s spirit.

S
till
wearing her
dress, Grace drew her legs beneath her and settled against
the back of her comfy microfiber couch as she stared at her laptop, waiting for
the website, WhatsInAName.com, to load. When it did, her fingers quickly tapped
out the name
Seth
.

Grace had never known another Seth before—at least not
well enough to research the name. But now she did. Only thirty minutes before, someone
with that name had challenged her, caught her off guard, and caused her to run
away—something she never did.

It was the kiss that had done it. That warm, soft, and
completely inappropriate kiss. To make matters worse, for one brief moment, Grace
had actually enjoyed the sensation of that man’s lips against hers—
enjoyed
.
She’d even kissed him back, though it made her cringe to admit it. What had she
been thinking? Especially after he’d just outbid her for Cameron—
Cameron
!

It didn’t matter how handsome Seth was, with those
piercing blue eyes and dark hair, Grace should have done more than shoved him
away. She should have slapped him then stood her ground and told Seth exactly
where he could put those lips in the future—anywhere but on her. Then she
should have slapped him again.

Even now, she still couldn’t shake the horrible, anxious
feeling that crawled across her skin like a colony of ants.

Grace glared at Seth’s name on the screen, hating it more
than ever. What had prompted him to go to the auction anyway? Wouldn’t it have
been easier—and far less humiliating—for him to simply donate the money? It
didn’t make sense.

Realizing she hadn’t clicked the search button, Grace
quickly did so, waiting for the results. What would it mean? Arrogant? Jerk?
Self-serving? All of the above? It had to.

The page finally loaded, and two results appeared—one
with the Hebrew meaning, the other with the Egyptian mythology meaning. Grace
clicked on the Hebrew version first.

Third son of Adam and Eve. Means “placed” or “appointed.”

Grace frowned. Placed? Appointed? That sounded way too
positive, like someone destined to be a great leader or something. She drew her
bottom lip into her mouth. Hmm . . . maybe it wasn’t meant to be positive.
Maybe what it really meant was that all the Seths in the world appointed themselves
to be cocky and vain, intimidators and manipulators of other people.

Yes, Seth was a self-appointed ego-maniac. That fit much
better.

Just to be sure, Grace went back and clicked on the
mythology version of his name. She scanned the words quickly, and as she did
so, a slow smile stretched across her face. Turned out that Seth was also the
name of the Egyptian god of chaos.

Suddenly it all made sense. Not only had Seth brought his
self-appointed ego to the auction, but he’d wrought total chaos. No wonder
Grace had run. Anyone in their right mind would have run from a god of chaos.

At least she’d done so with her head held high.

Armed with her newly acquired knowledge, Grace closed the
laptop with a satisfied snap, feeling much better. If she ever came up against
another Seth again, she’d be ready.

G
race
shifted the
bag of groceries she carried to the opposite hip as she
paused in front of her brother’s first-story apartment. She breathed in the
damp air and looked longingly at a jogger coming toward her down the street. If
only she could be at the park right now, running her favorite route, and not
standing outside this apartment. While lovely on the outside, with a colonial
townhouse feel, the inside was a different matter. Grace could almost feel the
dreariness seeping through the door.

Ever since Grace had moved to Seattle to be near Alec,
she’d promised herself to show up at least two or three times a week,
regardless of whether he wanted her there or not. So here she was, keeping her
promise. She glanced at the front window, covered by dark wooden blinds, and
took one last breath of fresh air. However dark or stale it was on the other
side, Grace wasn’t about to admit defeat no matter how difficult her brother
could be.

Squaring her shoulders, Grace rang the bell, knowing he
wouldn’t answer but wanting to alert him of her arrival. Then she pulled out
the spare key he’d given her and slid it into the lock, pushing the door open
with her free hip. The smell of stale and musty air invaded her senses, making
her want to stay on the outside. But she forced her feet forward and closed the
door quickly behind her, shutting out the temptation to leave.

“Hey bro, it’s me,” Grace called as she walked to the
kitchen, feeling like she’d entered a place that shut out all light and
happiness. The tap-tapping of the keyboard sounded from down the hall, letting her
know that Alec was busy working in his home office. He gave no greeting or
indication that he’d heard her come inside.

She sighed and opened the blinds and windows in both the
kitchen and family room, wishing Alec had a box fan that would draw the fresh
air inside faster. No matter how many times she hinted to her brother that he
could open his windows occasionally, he never seemed to do it. A light coat of
dust covered the coffee table and entertainment center, and Grace made a mental
note to wipe them clean before she left.

She put most of the groceries away, started a pan of rice
on the stove, and pulled out a cutting board so she could chop vegetables for a
stir fry. She often cooked for her brother and brought him fresh groceries. It was
the only way she could guarantee he ate a home-cooked meal since he didn’t like
to venture out. Alec used to get after Grace for coming, telling her to stop
treating him like a special-needs case, but when she continued to come, week
after week, he finally gave up the fight.

Their parents continually told Grace to stop enabling
Alec, but Grace knew if she didn’t, he’d eat cereal, order takeout, or find
some other form of easy cuisine. Alec needed fresh produce and a good meal
every once in a while. So every Tuesday and Thursday night, and typically
Sunday, he got one. Grace also made sure to leave enough leftovers for at least
one meal the following day.

As the sunlight brightened the room and the fresh air
began to make its way inside, Grace felt her spirits lift. She turned on some
upbeat music and felt them lift even higher. Someday, things would change.
Someday, her brother would find something to live for again. And someday, the
heavy weight of guilt that settled against her chest every time she thought of
Alec would lessen.

Once dinner was ready, Grace wiped her hands on a
dishcloth and went to find her brother. With his profile facing her, he tapped
away at his computer, and Grace allowed her heart to constrict for a few
moments as she studied him. His sandy-blond hair was in need of a haircut, his
face in need of a shave, and his complexion in need of some sun.

The physical therapist in her also noticed that his
biceps and triceps weren’t nearly as toned as they used to be, and his once-lean
stomach now carried extra weight. Then there were his legs—so weak and fragile
looking. Grace swallowed. For someone whose name meant “the protector of
mankind” this wasn’t him. Alec should be strong and erect—a force to be
reckoned with.

Grace swallowed the lump in her throat, moved forward,
and put her hand on his shoulder. “Dinner’s ready.”

Alec jerked back and shot her a look of surprise. “When
did you get here?”

“A little while ago. Didn’t you hear me?” Grace could
still hear the radio from where she stood, albeit faintly.

He rubbed at the scruff on his chin as he blinked at the
monitor. “Sorry. I’ve been working on a new code, and you know how I get.”

“Yeah, I know.” Her brother was always working on some
code. If Grace never came over, he’d probably come up for air only when he
needed to use the bathroom, got hungry, or slept. She had no idea how many
hours he spent working, but it was way too much.

There was a time when Grace thought they’d put the worst
behind them, but ever since he started working from home, things had gone
downhill.

Why had she ever asked Alec to skip a day of high school
and go skiing with her that horrible winter day nearly ten years ago? How many
times had she wished she could rewind time and take it all back? Why didn’t she
just go to school like Alec had planned to do? Why couldn’t she have been more
responsible, like he was? Instead, she’d convinced him to be irresponsible for
a day, and it had cost him the use of his legs.