Page 16 of Ruining His Smirk

I actually really loved our data suite. It wasn’t every ship that had a huge room that felt like an expensive hotel lounge. Sunlight poured through a row of large circular portholes running the length of one wall, falling across a long floating desk lined with computer monitors and a desk phone.

Landry slowly turned in a circle. “Huh.”

I folded my arms.

“I figured scientists worked in little laboratories.”

I ignored him.

His brother, Dexter, though, looked like he was a kid at a mall. “Wow! This looks like NASA.”

“Thank you,” I replied sweetly.

“Whose fucking side are you on?” Landry immediately rounded on the kid.

“Uh, sorry! Right.” Dexter blinked. “This is uhh… shitty?” He peered at his older brother.

Keith started laughing.

“You don’t have to listen to your brother, Dexter. I’m sorry to say he is full of shit,” I said.

Dexter’s eyes went wide and then he shook his head vehemently. “No, my brother is the most wonderful man alive.He is brave, noble, and kind. You…” he pointed a trembling finger at me. “You… I know all about you.”

My eyebrows flew to my hairline. “Is that so? And what do you know about me?”

Dexter glanced at Landry, who had puffed out his chest like a rooster about to crow.

“You… cheated and refused to fight fairly with my brother during the fencing competition last year.”

I scoffed. “He wishes!”

Landry took a step towards me. I stood right where I was. As if he scared me.

“I won fairly and your oaf of a brother can’t accept that all his big, brawny muscles lost to a scientist like me,” I told Dexter while staring right at Landry.

“A man who cheats has no honor.” Landry spit out.

“A man who can’t accept defeat is no man at all!” I retaliated.

Both of us stood glaring without breaking eye contact. I had no respect for men like him. They used their size to bully others. When I was younger, I may have given in to my fear, but not anymore. The gall of this arsehole to talk about honor. And the extra gall to send me that note. He wanted a rematch. Why? I won. In public. Why should he get to have a rematch because he couldn’t deal with that? The fact that he was still obsessed about a lost fencing match in a friendly tournament in Antarctica during the holidays told me all I needed to know about him.

Suddenly there was a gasp. We all turned towards the sound.

“Oh my God! Look at those screens!” Dexter had drifted to the display wall. Opposite us, an entire wall glowed with giant screens with endless scrolling numbers. It was really impressive and I remembered being in awe when I had first seen it too.

“Garrett! Look!” Dexter was gesticulating excitedly. “That’s live data! Look… this one is showing the view over the ship’s bow… and oh, look, this is sonar it says. Wow.”

Landry shot me a look as if he dared me to say something mean. Well, I wasn’t going to. The kid was too excited and I couldn’t bring myself to spoil his happiness. I glared back at Landry, but didn’t say anything. I may want to strangle him, but I had no beef with his brother. I remembered being a grad student. It was tough.

Landry waited for me to respond, and when I stayed silent, something passed over his face. Too fleeting for me to catch.

He turned to his brother. “Do you understand all this, Dex?” He spoke in a low voice.

Keith came up beside me. “The kid reminds me of you. Ten years ago,” he murmured.

I snorted. “I wasn’t that excitable… was I?”

“You were. I liked that about you,” Keith replied, voice low enough just for my ears. “Though I must say I’m enjoying this new side of you. Didn’t know when you said you hated him, you really meant it. I have seen hostage negotiations with a friendlier atmosphere.”