Chapter 29 Cole #3
“Yes. Cole bided his time until he could form his own company and make his own fortune. When Philip found out that his son was planning to betray him, he punished him. By the time Cole found out his mother had been kicked out of rehab, it was too late. She overdosed that night.”
Charlotte’s eyes shone with tears. Her hand moved to cover her mouth. “Oh my God. I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”
The pain I never allowed myself to feel gripped my chest. When Mum had died, the shock had been a chisel strike to my heart. It had cracked me like a rock in one swift stroke to the equator. I’d wrestled with the guilt for years.
I rubbed the spot in my chest where it ached. “It hit him hard. Cole loved his mother.”
Charlotte shook her head, processing. “Why didn’t you tell me? Or Dad? Dad would have helped you.”
I did. And no, he wouldn’t. “Because it was something he had to handle himself. This is life. It’s a lot of pain. A lot of mistakes and regrets. It’s all history.”
She peered at me intently, then laced her fingers with my hand on the bar.
It was a gentle touch, but the heat sent a shock through my body.
My stomach clenched tight. My pulse pounded.
The chatter in the bar faded away, and I couldn’t take my eyes from her beautiful eyelashes and the tiny freckle patch on her nose.
I ached for this woman. I always had. All I wanted was to take her up to our room and show her that she was mine.
That she’d always been mine. Charlotte had always seen the good in me.
But she was the type to see the good in anyone. Too good to drag into my dysfunction.
Her voice was soft and tentative. “Dad used to say that history was the most important thing a child can learn. We are the product of everything that has come before. A book would never make sense if you ripped out the first act. It sets the scene for everything to come.”
Disappointment ground in my gut. I knew that. There was no way around what had happened in the past.
She swallowed. “But sometimes I think it would be so nice to wipe the slate clean. To put it all down for a while and breathe. Do you ever feel like that?”
I looked down where our hands joined. “Put it down?”
“I don’t know. It’s all so heavy. You can’t rip out the first act or the ending, but imagine if you could just put the book to one side?
Or even just open it in the middle and find a blank page.
No past. No future. Two strangers meeting in a bar in the most beautiful city in the world. Just for a moment in time.”
“I don’t understand.”
She threw back the rest of her drink and drew a deep breath, as if gathering courage. “You said you’re a handyman. What’s your name?”
“My name?”
“Yes.” Her eyes were full of vulnerability and hope. Full of pleading with me to play along. “Mine is . . . Natalia. I came here with my husband, but he doesn’t pay me attention.”
My heart pounded at what she seemed to be offering.
A chance to put the book to one side? It had been so heavy, and I’d carried it for so long.
There were no blank pages, but I longed for one so desperately.
I’d never returned to Ecclesdale in order to keep the Ackroyds safe from my father and because I hadn’t wanted to infect her with my bitterness and anger, but one night? How could I refuse?
I forced my tone not to betray my eagerness and frighten her away. “My name is Sean.”
“That’s a good, honest name for a handyman.” Her voice held a hint of amusement.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Natalia.” I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed the back of it. Tingling lit my stomach. “Your husband is a fool for not paying attention to such a beautiful wife.”
“He doesn’t care about me at all. He works all the time. He went back to London and left me alone in his fancy suite for the night. I’ve been lonely for a while now.” She chewed on her bottom lip and glanced at me. “And I think there’s a problem with the walls in the suite.”
The air crackled between us. “What kind of problem?”
“A problem for a handyman. Something fell off the wall and now it needs to be . . . nailed.”
Her cheeks flushed bright red. The double meaning in her smile couldn’t have been more obvious. My heart pounded, but amusement made my lips curve. I’d always fantasized about getting this woman into bed, but I’d never reckoned on the foreplay being the opening to a bad porno.
“Nailed? I suppose you’re looking for a man with a large hammer?”
Her lips curved into a smile as she fought to suppress her laugh. “I do appreciate a man who is good with his hands.”
We both needed to go into this with our eyes open. I needed to know that she was sure. She needed to know it wasn’t too late to back out. “A blank page. For one night?”
Her gaze was tentative, and her voice barely above a whisper. “One night.”
“You’re sure?”
All traces of humor slipped from her face. She swallowed. “Yes.”
Shit. A rush of nerves went through me. We were doing this.
“Then I’d better have a look at this wall.” Gathering her in my arms, I guided her down from the stool. My lips found her ear to whisper low. “Sean is good with his hands, but even better with his tongue.”