All She Ever Wanted - Barbara Freethy [69]
"I'd like a martini, thanks."
"That's a sophisticated drink."
"I'm a sophisticated girl. I don't suppose you know where Dylan is."
"I think he's in L.A. I'm not really sure. He travels around a lot these days."
"Doing what? I would think he'd keep busy running this club."
Josh shrugged. "I have no idea. He doesn't tell me much. And that ESP thing that's supposed to exist between twins—not between us."
"That might be a blessing. I can't imagine what the inside of Dylan's brain looks like." She paused as the bartender set down their drinks. "He doesn't like me much, never has. But I'm thinking about changing that."
"He's stubborn once he makes up his mind about someone. It makes him a loyal friend and a bad enemy."
She popped the olive in her mouth, considering that. "What was he to Emily?" she asked, wondering how much Josh knew.
Josh's smile dimmed a bit at that question. "They were good friends."
"Were they more than friends?" Her question made him glance away, and she had a feeling she had her answer. "Were they, Josh? Do you know what I know?"
"What do you know?" he asked sharply, turning back to her.
"I know that Dylan had a raging crush on her. He was mad about her. They spent a lot of time together, a lot of time alone together."
"Emily wasn't that kind of girl."
Madison shook her head, amazed by his naivete. "What kind of girl is that? A girl who wants love and sex and passion? Because Emily was just like every other girl in that regard. She wasn't a saint. She was a woman."
"She was the girl next door, our friend," Josh said, a raw edge to his voice. "Dylan and Emily had a special relationship from way back."
"Why was it so special?" Madison asked, feeling an unexpected twinge of jealousy.
"Emily was sick a lot as a kid, so she was always stuck in her room. The Parishes wouldn't even let her have friends over for fear they'd bring germs. But that didn't stop Dylan. He used to climb up the tree next to her bedroom and go through the window to see her. He'd perform tricks for her. She was his best audience, believe me. The rest of us got tired of him pretty fast. But not Emily. She always wanted to see another trick. And he was always happy to give her one." Josh shook his head, then took a swig of his beer. "Cole and I preferred sports, but Dylan was into reading and books. He even used to write poems and stories for her, if you can believe that. Anything to entertain Emily. She was the princess in the tower, and he was determined to rescue her from a life of boredom. It became his mission in life to keep her amused. At least until she got healthier and started leaving the house. Then they drifted apart. Dylan went down to Santa Cruz, and I guess they renewed their friendship when Emily went there two years later."
Madison couldn't quite picture the motorcycle-riding, bad-boy Dylan writing poetry, but then nothing about Dylan added up right. There was something else about Josh's words that struck her funny. It took her a moment to realize what that was. "Did you say Dylan used to write stories?"
"Yeah, mostly stuff about magic worlds, knights of the round table, that kind of thing. He uses those stories in his virtual-reality games now. Have you ever tried one of them?"
"As a matter of fact, I have," she said, not bothering to explain just what virtual world Dylan had taken her to. She was more interested in pursuing her current train of thought. "So you would say that Dylan feels comfortable writing a story?"
Josh raised an eyebrow at that. "What are you getting at?"
"It's just a simple question."
"Nothing is simple about you, Madison. I know Dylan always thought you had a hidden agenda. Why don't you just tell me what's on your mind instead of beating around the bush?"
"All right. Do you think Dylan wrote Fallen Angel, the story of Emily and us?"
Josh's jaw dropped open. Either the thought had never occurred to him, or he was an excellent actor. "Are you out of your mind?"
"I don't think I am, Josh.