“I do.” She smiled. “So that’s me. What’s up with you, Reid? You’ve been lying low these past couple of months.”
“With good reason. I do have a couple of things I need to talk to you about.” He glanced at Walker. “You got my letter of resignation, right?”
Dani glanced between the two of them, then glared at Reid. “You’re quitting your job here? Just like that? Did you know?” she asked Cal.
Cal shifted in his seat. “He might have mentioned it.”
Dani grabbed a chip from the pile of nachos and chomped down furiously. She swallowed. “Dammit, I’m always the last to know. I swear, the next time I get a great secret, I’m not telling any of you.”
“It wasn’t a secret,” Reid said. “I’ve been thinking about leaving for a while. I’m not good at running this place, probably because I’m not interested. There are some good managers here.”
“I know,” Walker said calmly. “Don’t sweat it. They’ll pick up the slack until I get someone else in here.” He looked at Dani. “Are you interested?”
“In working here? No, thanks.”
“You’d be in charge. I’d like to keep it in the family. And don’t say you’re not family because you are.”
Dani glanced around. “Not my thing. I want a real restaurant. Not liquor and finger food. But I appreciate the offer.”
“I’ll find somebody else, then,” Walker said. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
“I will, but don’t expect anything.” She turned back to Reid. “What else do you want to spring on me?”
“I have something, but this time no one else knows.”
“Cool.”
His brothers looked at him. “What is it?” Cal asked.
“It’s a bitch not knowing everything, isn’t it?” Dani asked.
Walker glanced at Reid. “Was she always this annoying?”
“Pretty much.”
Dani bounced in her seat. “Come on. Enough suspense. Spill.”
Reid hadn’t figured out exactly how to tell them what he was going to do.
“One of Gloria’s nurses is the main reason for her change of heart,” he began. “Lori has been great with her. Patient but not a pushover. When Gloria gets her back up, Lori won’t take any crap. She’s—”
Dani punched him in the arm. “You’re dating her. Cal and Walker are nodding knowingly, which means they’ve probably met her. You’re dating this woman and you didn’t tell me?”
“It just happened. We’re not really dating.” He hesitated. “We’re involved. I like her, okay? Can I get back to the important part now?”
“You like her?” Dani sounded surprised. “As in ‘hey, I really like this girl. Let’s see where the relationship goes’?”
“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”
“No.” She looked at Walker and Cal. “You guys should say something.”
“You’re doing fine messing up on your own,” Walker told her.
“I’m not messing up. I’m just happy to find out Reid has a girl.”
Reid ignored that. “Her sister, Madeline, is sick. She has Hepatitis C and needs a liver transplant. Because of her blood type, she’ll be difficult to match. I’ve talked to Lori and a couple of donor places. I want to go public and talk about the need for people to donate. That means accepting some of those interview offers I’ve been getting over the past few weeks. That means having my name in the press, which will impact the three of you. You’re family and people will talk.”
“You’re the one they’re going to try to annihilate,” Walker said. “There won’t be anything they won’t ask.”
Reid thought about the article in the paper—the one claiming he was lousy in bed. “They’re going to take it as far as the censors will let them.”
“Are you prepared for that?” Dani asked. “It will be humiliating.”
He knew that. He would probably become the butt of a lot of late night comedy jokes.
“This isn’t about me,” he said. “If something doesn’t change, Madeline will die. I don’t know any other way to help.”
Cal nodded. “Then you do what you have to do. We’re fine with it.”
Reid looked at each of them. “Are you sure?”
“Of course we’re sure,” Dani said. “When compared with what Lori and her sister are going through, none of the rest of this matters. We’ll be fine.”
“We can handle it,” Walker said.
Reid had known they were going to say that, but he was still gratified to hear the words. “Then I’ll e-mail you and let you know when I’m on Access Hollywood.”
LORI HAD NEVER BEEN inside a television studio before. Reid’s Access Hollywood interview was being held at a Seattle station.
The set was used for a local morning show. Lori didn’t expect it to be so small, or so isolated in a sea of backdrops, lights, cables and cameras.
She and Madeline stood several feet behind the equipment and watched as a woman dabbed Reid’s face with a sponge.
“I’m nervous,” Lori admitted. “Nothing about this is going to be easy. They’re going to ask some awful questions. I know he says he’s prepared, but I’m not so sure.”