Marriage by Mistake

measure.
    Somehow, Kelly was sure, all these things were connected.
    But they needed time and privacy. So in the dining room, surrounded by French waiters, Kelly just smiled. "Sure," she replied. "My bedroom." She leaned forward and kissed him. They were going to talk. She was not going to let this fester. Heck, this might even be a chance to break through Dean's remaining defenses. "See you," she murmured, and smiled with extra warmth as she turned and left the room.
    ~~~
    Dean knew it would take Kirk a while to divest himself of Robby. He also knew Kirk would take his own sweet time before dragging whatever sorry problem he had to his older son. So Dean sat behind the desk in his study and attempted to busy himself with some neglected paperwork.
    But he couldn't concentrate. The more he thought about it, the more furious he became. For weeks Kirk had ignored Robby and his school situation. Now he rode in and thought he could play the white knight.
    And what had that been about, interrogating Kelly? Questioning Dean's judgment. As if any of it, top to bottom, were Kirk's business!
    Dean ground his teeth and told himself not to get worked up. He didn't want to get into a big argument with Kirk. He only wanted him out of there, him and his...insinuations. He would give Kirk whatever he wanted and then bid him goodbye.
    But Dean had to wait an hour-and-a-half before Kirk sauntered into his study. He walked in chuckling. "That Robby," he told Dean. "Busted my butt on his video game."
    "That's no surprise." Dean looked up from his papers. "He's had plenty of time to practice."
    Kirk fumbled his grin. He started to look confused.
    Immediately, Dean regretted his words. Bringing up Kirk's neglect of Robby would start a rancorous discussion. All he wanted was to get rid of Kirk. So Dean set aside the budget analysis he'd been working on and managed a smile. "Why don't you have a seat?"
    "Hmm." Kirk kept looking at Dean, then seemed to decide everything was copasetic, after all. "Don't mind if I do." Chuckling again, he took the chair opposite Dean's desk. With only a brief hesitation, he hooked an ankle over a knee and leaned back, comfortable. "Hey, you've made a few changes in here, haven't you?"
    "No." Dean's answer was automatic, an attempt to get the conversation back on track, but then he blinked and remembered the television Kelly had set up so she could spend time with Dean while he worked, and the cheap throw pillows she'd distributed around the room. "Well, perhaps a few changes."
    Kirk nodded sagely. "That's how it starts."
    Dean blinked some more but stopped himself from asking what Kirk meant. He wanted to keep to the matter at hand. "I must say, I'm more than a little surprised to see you."
    Kirk contrived to look noble. "I came as soon as I could."
    Dean swallowed a snort. It had been almost two months since he'd first advised Kirk of Robby's situation. It had been almost a week since Kirk, himself, had claimed he was coming. "It doesn't matter," he told his father. "I've decided what to do about Robby. Didn't you get my telegram?"
    Kirk gave Dean a strange look. "I got it."
    "But you came anyway." Dean tapped a thumb on his desk. "What do you need this time?"
    Kirk continued giving Dean the strange look. "Nothing."
    Dean's thumb stopped tapping. "I see. You don't need anything. In fact, you're actually here to deal with Robby."
    "Well, in a way."
    "In a way?" Dean raised his eyebrows. "It's a little late, don't you think?"
    "I sincerely hope not," Kirk claimed.
    Dean rolled his eyes. No, Kirk would hope it wasn't too late—to ask to raid Robby's trust fund or some such irresponsible act. "Why don't you tell me what you want?"
    "I told you." Kirk's brows drew down. "Robby."
    Dean stopped and frowned at Kirk. "You're serious."
    "Dead so." Kirk dropped his dangling foot to the ground. "I left Marisa on the boat off of Greece. Robby and I can be on the first plane out of Logan tomorrow and meet up with her in Crete."
    Drag Robby onto the first plane out of Logan—? And Dean could only guess who 'Marisa' was. The whole thing was ridiculous, another one of Kirk's half-baked plans. "You want to take Robby to Greece?" Dean hoped the mere enunciation of the idea would make his point.
    "It wasn't my first choice," Kirk told Dean. "But I'm determined to do what I can."
    Dean took a deep breath and folded his hands on his desk. He felt anger winding up like a spring inside of him, but he was determined to suppress it.