Free 9 1/2 Days by Mia Zachary Page A

me you two split up. So there’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
    “Yes, we did. But I thought we could get back together temporarily. Why do you think I went to all this trouble to seduce him?”
    Danny paused in the act of pulling on his shirt, then continued to slip it over his head. He watched her fling open the closet door, then rifle through the contents. All of her clothes were arranged by color, dark to light, then long to short. A woman that organized must hate to make mistakes.
    He scrubbed a hand over his face and wondered what to say. She considered and rejected several outfits, finally choosing a white V-necked blouse and dove-gray business suit. He took a couple of steps toward her then stopped, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “This is really awkward…”
    She scowled at him over her shoulder while she knelt down to pick out shoes. “No kidding.”
    “Last night you said you knew about David. You said, quote, ‘I know all about your brother,’ unquote.”
    “That’s because I thought he was talking about you again, but it was you talking about you. I mean, about him. Argh!”
    What had David been saying to Jordan about him? Why? Never mind. It could wait.
    “I’m sorry, Jordan. I thought you knew.”
    She stood up and slowly turned toward him. “Knew what? Why do you sound so strange?”
    This was a hell of a mess. He felt terrible about betraying his brother’s confidence, but at the same time he resented being the bearer of embarrassing news. “Jordan, David is gay.”
    The clothes draped over her arm slipped onto the floor as she stared at him. Though her mouth fell open, no words escaped. Her face was absolutely expressionless, but her eyes had taken on a sheen of wetness. Suddenly, she stooped down to pick up her suit and blouse, her movements jerky.
    “I’m really late for work. I can’t talk about this now.” Her voice sounded thin as she shoved the gray suit back into the closet. “I’ve got to get to the office so I can leave early and go to the airport. I have to pick up my family.” She pulled out a bright blue pants suit instead and tossed it on the bed. “Then I have to figure out how to explain to them that my whole engagement was a fraud.”
    Danny’s eyes darted to her hands, to the emerald ring on her right hand…and the diamond solitaire on her left. He cursed viciously under his breath, really damned unhappy with his brother right now. He looked at Jordan’s face again and felt something twist inside his chest. He reached for her, but she shifted away. Her light brown eyes were rimmed with tears and her expression was bleak.
    “Get dressed, Danny, and please go.”
    He shoved his fists into the pockets of his sweatpants to keep from reaching for her again. “I can’t.”
    “Excuse me?”
    He frowned, no happier about the situation than she was. “You kidnapped me, remember? My car is still at David’s.”

    T HE SILENCE in Jordan’s car as she drove to David’s condo was like an unwelcome third passenger. Annoying and awkward. But it was preferable to dealing with the situation before she’d had time to think about everything.
    Danny cleared his throat. “Jordan, we should talk.”
    “I don’t want to talk.”
    “Avoiding me doesn’t solve anything.”
    She continued to stare straight ahead, frowning as she drove. Couldn’t he just leave her alone? She felt humiliated enough without rehashing every detail.
    Danny kept talking. “I know you’re upset about what happened, but I think we can—”
    She checked her rearview mirror for traffic, then stomped on the brake. Danny jerked forward before the safety belt slapped him back against the seat.
    “I do not want to talk about this, Danny. You’re more than welcome to walk the rest of the way.”
    He held up both palms in acquiescence so she put the car in gear and started off again. He crossed his arms over his chest and glowered out the window for the next few blocks, but apparently the