“Jesus Christ.” Brennan forced a laugh and raked his hand through his hair. “I swear to God, nothing is going on. Why do you think something’s going on?”
“You look weird.” Connor raised his brows. “I’ve never seen you look like this before. You look pale. You’re pounding drinks. Cat’s got your tongue. What’s the deal?”
Brennan laughed again, shaking his head. “Sarge,nothingis going—”
“Y’know, Riley.” Connor stepped closer to him and lowered his voice. “Months ago, I asked you a question, and you didn’t answer me.”
Brennan squinted. “I don’t even remember the question.”
“The day I gave Liza all that shit at the meeting? Over the album covers?” Connor prompted. “I asked you if you had feelings for her. You didn’t answer me.”
Brennan tugged at his collar. “Pretty sure I did.”
“You didn’t.” The words were barreling up Connor’s throat, and he couldn’t stop them, so all he could do was make them sound as non-dick-ish as possible. “You feel things for her that aren’t justfriendthings.”
The muscle in Brennan’s jaw ticked, and his eyes flashed. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re insinuating that I did with her, but I haven’t done a goddamn thing that I wouldn’t do right in front of your fucking face.”
Connor scoffed. “I’mnotinsinuating that you did anything with her. I know you wouldn’t do that, and I know she wouldn’t either. And I also know that if somethinghadhappened, it’s not like her friggin’ face wouldn’t give it away immediately. I know for a fact that if something happened between y’all, she and I would notbe what we are right now. She’s just not that kind of person, and you’ve proved to me that even though you’ve got one hell of a reputation with women, that never came into play with her.”
He glanced at the bar entrance and then the table where their friends were still seated to make sure Liza hadn’t shown up and wasn’t around for this awkward as fuck conversation.
Connor leveled his gaze on Brennan’s again. “I, of all people, know Liza’s amazing.Obviously. I wouldn’t have this friggin’ ring in my pocket right now if I didn’t. I know y’all are super close. I know feelings like that justhappensometimes. I don’t think you did anything, and I’m not worried about something happening later,I just want to know.” He paused and lowered his voice even further. “Are you in love with her?”
“Sarge…” Brennan blinked rapidly, his jaw hanging open slightly. “No.”
He abruptly cut his eyes away, and Connor’s gaze followed to see what he was looking at. Liza had just stepped through the doors, face buried in her phone while she typed something with intense focus. Connor looked away from her and back to Brennan, assessing his expression, and noticed his jaw pulsed again.
“I need to go,” Brennan clipped. “This is fucking uncomfortable as hell, and I don’t know what to say to you right now. Except…” He dropped his gaze to the floor as he pulled out his wallet and tossed some cash on the bar. “If you trust me, and you trust her, and you’re not worried about me doing something shady with her, what would it even matter if I had some kind of deep, dark, secretnon-friendfeelings for her?” He looked up at Connor while he pocketed his wallet again. “I got your six. I always will. You know that. You’re my brother, I’m happy for you, and I’m going to be standing by your side when you finally get to do what I know you’ve wanted to do since before I even met you.”
With that, Brennan slapped Connor’s shoulder and started to step away, pausing at the last second. “AndI’m going to make sure she’s nice and distracted tomorrow so everything goes off without a hitch.”
It still wasn’t very convincing, but it really was inconsequential. And now Connor just felt shitty for running off his friend like this.
Brennan was a few steps away when Connor called after him. “Hey, douchebag.”
Brennan turned and gave Connor a deadpan look.
Connor pointed a finger-gun at him and forced the biggest, cheesiest grin possible. “I love you, you sleazy-ass rake.”
Brennan smirked. “I know.” He stepped around the other people seated at the bar and made his way toward the opposite exit that led through the lobby of Hotel Monteleone. He didn’t say goodbye to any of their friends and didn’t hook back to say hi to Liza, all of which made Connor feel that much more shitty for asking at all.
It reallydidn’tmatter what Brennan may or may not have felt about Liza. What mattered was that he was loyal as hell, and that he’d made an obvious effort over the past few months to help Connor and Liza reconcile.
Connor was still watching Brennan stroll through the lobby when he passed a young woman in a short skirt and tall heels who was seated with her legs crossed on one of the tufted, gold couches. Brennan halted, did an about-face, approached her, and then said something to her as he extended his hand. The woman blinked up at him in surprise, and then she smiled flirtatiously as she shook his hand. They conversed for a couple of minutes, and then he sat down next to her, one arm draped across the back of the couch behind her shoulders.
And that appeared to be that.
30
Frenchmen Street, New Orleans
Brennan burst through the door of the label house at around four in the afternoon on Friday, shaking Liza out of her concentration. Jimmy, Connor, and Frankie had abandoned her about an hour earlier in favor of needing to go take some photos of Oscar in Jackson Square, and she’d expected to have a nice, quiet afternoon to tie up some loose ends before heading out for the weekend. But apparently, Brennan was having some kind of emergency, and it was one that required him to be dressed up even more than he normally did. Despite the late afternoon heat, he was dressed in a dark gray suit and a crimson tie, limo-tinted shades on his face, along with an expression of hardened, urgent purpose.
He marched across the foyer to Liza’s side of the desk and announced his sudden presence by picking up her hand off the laptop keyboard and then slapping the lid shut.
Liza snapped her head up to give him an incredulous look as he studied her hand. “Can I help you, B.?”
“L.,” he said rubbing his thumb across her fingertips, “your nails look awful.”
