Chapter 47 Cole #2
“Lucas told me you all had a sweepstake about how long my marriage would last. You were the only one who thought we’d go the distance. Why did you think that?”
He lifted his neon baseball cap and arranged his floppy hair. “That’s an easy one. I see the way you look at each other. You’re meant to be together.”
“You think so?”
He gave an earnest nod. “I know so. You’re soulmates. It’s obvious.”
Opening up to Reuben was weird, but I needed someone to hear me. Sure, he was annoyingly cheerful, and his nose was too straight, but he wasn’t the villain I’d thought he was.
“She’s adamant that it’s over. I can’t keep trying to fix it because it’s making it worse.
She doesn’t want any of the gifts I send.
Charlotte is a kind and decent person, the best kind of person, and I hurt her because my focus has been all wrong.
I wanted her to know that I’m ready to change.
But it’s too late. She wants me to leave her alone, and I’m trying to respect that, but the worst part is that she’s alone.
I don’t want her to feel alone. She needs friends around her. ”
Reuben nodded, thoughtfully. “You could still be friends.”
“I love her. Deeply. I can’t just be her friend.”
“But loving someone means putting their needs first. Maybe that’s all it can be right now as far as she’s concerned.”
Friends wasn’t enough. Still, it was better than nothing.
Why couldn’t it be easy? Wouldn’t it be lovely if I could just show up at her house with an orchestra or something and ask her to love me?
I supposed that was marriage for you. The point of all that admin.
The only way to show her that I’d changed was consistency.
Time and effort. Marriage wasn’t for the faint-hearted.
But I’d never been more determined to make mine work.
I’d do whatever it took. I’d find a way to show her that I’d changed. Clearly, my words were meaningless. I’d show up even if I was just a friend, cheering her on from the sidelines. At least I’d be in her life. At least I could be in the same room with her.
“How mad is she? Too mad to speak to me yet?”
“It wouldn’t hurt to see if she’s open to a chat about being friends. If she says no, then you have to respect it. You’ll also have to accept that it might never be more.”
My heart ached. How could I accept the unacceptable? But if that was Charlotte’s choice, then I would always respect her boundaries. I could still be there for her, in whatever capacity she’d have me.
I took a breath, mulling it over. “That feels like pretty solid advice from you, Reuben.”
He flashed a proud smile. “You think?”
“Yes.”
I held still and lowered my voice so my words wouldn’t reach the prying ears of the caddies. “I’ll help you, you know. If you ever need it.”
His eyebrows lifted in confusion. “Help me?”
With a solid swing, I sent my ball into the air. I watched the ball land, and turned to see Reuben looking at me with an uneasy expression.
“I know what Philip’s like. I know how he manipulates people and controls the purse strings. Whatever he has on you, I can get you out. Whatever you need. A job. Money. A place to stay. All of it . . .”
Fear flashed in his eyes. He chewed his lip. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s OK to be scared. I was scared of him for a long time.”
“You were scared?”
“Yes. He told me he’d destroy everything I loved. I didn’t doubt it.”
“But you’re not scared anymore?”
“No. Not anymore. He’s a weak old man. I won’t give him any power over me. I won’t be investing a scrap of my energy in him.”
Maybe it was too soon. Philip ground people down. He’d probably destroyed Reuben’s confidence and made him feel like he wouldn’t be able to stand on his own two feet. I could plant the seeds until he was ready.
We set off walking together. “You won’t be alone. Just come to me. I’ll get you sorted.”
His voice filled with disbelief. “He wouldn’t like it.”
“We’ll handle it. Together.”
He swallowed. “Thanks, but I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”
Right. I’d been fine once too, until I wasn’t. “I am worried, because I used to be you. He blackmailed me into falling in line. If you do want to get out from under his thumb, just know, you have us.”
“Us?”
“Me, Lucas, and Theo. We don’t always see eye to eye, but we’re brothers. You’re one of us.”
His cheeks pinked and he sniffed as though he was about to burst into tears. “Thanks, Bro.”
“No problem.” I’d better stop, or he’d try and hug me or ask me to pose for another selfie.
We continued to the hole. Reuben’s ball had landed neatly ahead of mine on the grass. This fucker. Was he some fucking golf prodigy?
He flashed me a curious glance. “What kind of job?”
“I’m sorry?”
“You said you could help me with a job.”
I shrugged. “Whatever you like. If you want to keep racing, I’ll help find you a new team, or I could bring you on board at Vexo. Get you trained up with a mentor.”
A smile touched his lips. “Yeah? You can see me behind a desk?”
Nope. I kept my face neutral. “We’ll figure something out.”
He slammed his cap back on his head. “I’ll think about it.”
“You do that.”
He stopped suddenly, and opened his arms wide. “This is some heavy stuff, Bro. Hug it out?”
I sighed. “Always just assume that I never want to hug it out.”
He snorted and dropped his hands to his sides. Then he putted his ball and flashed a shit-eating grin. “Is it still beginner’s luck if I beat you twice?”
Very funny. I raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “I’m starting to rethink this job offer.”
He unleashed a beaming smile and threw his arm around my shoulder. “Don’t. I’m up for it. If I get to keep thrashing the boss-man at golf, I’m coming round to the idea.”