Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Case
I wait for her to ask me the question I know is sitting on the tip of her tongue. My gaze drops to her pretty lips.
The fire that was in her when she decided to step up to the plate and go to bat for her brother caught me off guard.
I like that she didn’t back down when she thought I screwed Drake over.
“Thank you for explaining all of that to me.” Her shoulders push forward. “You’re doing a lot for Drake. I know he’ll appreciate it.”
I didn’t expect her to skip past my declaration about this apartment holding special meaning to someone I cared about. I thought she’d press for more details.
Opening up to her about that isn’t going to happen. I’ve been hanging on by the barest thread since I got to New York. I need to leave this place in my past.
“When will you tell him?” She tugs on the hem of the tank top, stretching it taut over her breasts.
I force my gaze to her face. “Tomorrow. On his birthday.”
“It’s his wedding day too,” she adds.
Drake’s life is changing at warp speed. I’m happy for him. I don’t know anyone who deserves this more than he does.
“So Pam and Rod were looking at the apartment?” Emma nudges her knee closer to mine. “Maya mentioned someone named Anton. Is that another prospective buyer?”
Since I let the cat out of the bag, there’s no reason not to share the details with Emma. “Several people have looked at this place. Maya feels confident that she’s found a buyer. She’ll know more tomorrow.”
“It’s a beautiful apartment.” She lowers her gaze to the coffee table. “The first time I came to visit Drake, I almost fell over out of shock when I walked through the door.”
I felt the same way seven years ago when I followed a real estate broker into the apartment.
It was more than I ever imagined I’d be able to afford, but I made an all cash offer that day. It was accepted immediately.
It took sixty days to close on the deal, but once it did, all three thousand square feet belonged to me.
“He told you the place was his?” I’ve been meaning to ask her about that since the night we met. “What exactly did he say?”
She lets out a laugh. “It’s more about what he didn’t say. He didn’t correct my assumption that he owned this place.”
That sounds like Drake. He’s always strived for the best of the best. I knew when I walked out of here seven years ago that he’d pass off the apartment as his own.
I don’t give a damn.
If it did something for him, I won’t cut him down for that.
“He’s taken good care of it.” I choose my next words carefully. “When I moved to California, I left everything here in his hands. I couldn’t have asked for a better friend.”
Her eyes scan my face. “You’re a good friend to him too. He’s told me as much since he talks about you non-stop.”
I doubt like hell she knows my full story. Drake once told me it wasn’t his to tell, and I’ve held him to that for years.
If she’s baiting me, I’m willing to bite. “What do you know about me?”
“You like surfing,” she sounds back.
I’d say it’s in my blood, but I didn’t pick up a board until a few years ago. I learned the basics and all my time on the water since has perfected my technique enough that I can hold my own.
I’m not in the running to win any competitions, but I can hit the ocean confident that I’ll ride a wave or two.
“What else has your brother told you about me?” I ask quietly, wondering whether Drake offered information or if she inquired.
For some reason, I want it to be the latter.
“You’ve never been married?”
“Is that a question?” I call her out on the way she phrased her words. “That sounded like a question.”
She settles back onto the couch, gripping her hands together in her lap. Her cheeks blush. “You’re single. You’ve never been married.”
True. I convey that to her with a silent nod.
“What about you, Emma? Married, divorced, engaged, dating someone?”
I don’t waste the opportunity to pry into her life. I’ve been curious since I first saw her.
Her gaze drops to her left hand. “I was engaged. I’m not anymore.”
Who the hell is the idiot who put a ring on her finger and didn’t seal the deal?
“You were engaged? To who?” I blurt out.
Her brows pop up. “Beauregard Garrington.”
He sounds like a pretentious son-of-bitch.
“Our dads are old friends. We work together. It seemed like it all fit …” Her voice trails.
“Until it didn’t?” I finish.
She nods. “I broke it off because I knew he wasn’t my forever.”
“How did Beau take that?”
A smile blooms on her lips. “He hated it whenever I called him that.”
Jesus. This guy is not only pretentious; he’s a goddamn idiot.
“He said he knew I’d bail.” She shakes her head. “He told me I was a disappointment to everyone.”
I’d pull her into my arms to comfort her, but she doesn’t look like she needs it. She seems content.
“When did this happen, Emma?”
Her mouth twitches. “I gave Beauregard the ring back a week ago. It was the same day he told me to find a new job.”