22. Wily Investors
Chapter 22
Wily Investors
Ori
“O
ri, you have a visitor.”
I gaze up from my desk, noting the tense expression on Mina’s face.
Wonderful.
“Who is it?”
Lucille steps around Mina and into my office. “The unwelcome wagon.”
“Those books are due in tomorrow. I’ll run them over when they come in.”
I hope my disclosure ends our awkward chat, but Lucille has other ideas.
“That’s not why I’m here,” she states.
Like I said, wonderful.
I stiffen and nod toward a chair on the other side of my desk. “What can I do for you?”
Although Lucille and I have hashed it out, so to speak, I’m still wary of the woman. It was actually a pleasant reprieve, heading to Manhattan for the week and putting some distance between me and the drama of Sparkwood.
She sinks into the chair, her movements slower than usual, and I notice how much she’s popped since the last time I saw her. I hold myself back from saying as much. Yes, pregnant women are beautiful, but no one wants to be told they look like they’ve swallowed a beach ball.
I also realize that will be me one day.
Lucille breaks the silence. “Ash’s birthday is tomorrow.”
“I know,” I reply, turning my focus to the computer screen and typing nonsense just to look busy. Anything to act like this entire situation isn’t a giant cluster.
“I’m throwing a party for him.”
How fucking quaint.
I bite back the sarcasm and manage a curt nod. “That’s nice of you.”
She exhales, her gaze fixed on her hands. It’s the first time I’ve seen her look genuinely uncomfortable, which, frankly, throws me off. “Please come.”
“That’s not a good idea.”
“Ori, you mean so much to Ash. I know my arrival has turned your life upside down, and I’m sorry for that. Sorrier than you know. But it won’t be his birthday if you’re not there.”
I glance at my calendar, running my finger over the date. With a sigh, I lean back in my chair. “I don’t know, Lucille. The last thing any of us needs is more tension.”
“There won’t be. Just good food, good drinks, and good people. All celebrating a good man. What do you say?”
“Is he a good man, though?” I grimace as the words escape before my brain can pull them back.
Lucille bites back a laugh. “He most definitely is, even when he behaves like a horse’s ass.”
I giggle, realizing she’s got him pegged. “Spot-on description there.”
“But we can let him slide for one day, right? Come on, say yes. I bake a mean manicotti.”
I stare at the calendar again, weighing the pros and cons. Skipping this would be easier, but Lucille’s offer feels almost sincere.
Almost .
With a sigh, I relent and nod. “Sure. I’ll be there.”
I instantly regret accepting Lucille’s invitation and spend the next few hours ruminating over how to get out of it. As I place the new inventory on the shelves, I run through a range of excuses from car trouble to an emergency root canal.
Then it hits me.
A doctor’s appointment. I need a checkup, especially since I’ve been wrestling with this stupid dizziness for the last week.
“It’s a perfect and honest excuse.”
“What is?” Mina asks, scrunching her brows at me.
Crap. Didn’t mean to say that aloud.
I wave my hand, dismissing my words. “Nothing.”
“So, what did she want?” Mina doesn’t elaborate on the subject of her question. She doesn’t need to, though she has far more colorful names for the love of Ash’s life.
“Lucille invited us to Ash’s birthday party tomorrow.”
Her eyes widen. “She’s throwing him a party?”
I shrug. “Some might say it’s a nice thing to do.”
“Or calculated. Are you going?”
“I told her we were, but now I’m trying to figure a way out of it.”
Mina taps her finger against her chin. “Actually, it’s perfect.”
“As a torture venue?”
“Your opportunity to tell Ash.”
“Tell Ash what?” a familiar voice asks from over my shoulder.
My heart drops to my stomach as I turn around, wondering how much Ash overheard of our conversation. “Hi.”
“Hi, yourself.” He smiles, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth. “What did you need to talk about?”
Mina jabs me in the ribs, and I wince, earning a glare from her. “Tell him,” she mouths.
Sorry, Mina, you’re not winning this round. I need Ash seated and calm when I break the news.
Possibly comatose.
“Lucille told me about your birthday party.”
Ash rubs the back of his neck and shifts his weight. “Yeah. She insisted. You’re coming, right?”
“Probably not.”
The smile falls from his face, and his jaw tightens as he averts his gaze. “How come?”
Let me count the reasons. How much time do you have?
Instead, I hem and haw, all legitimate excuses flying from my mind. “I … well, see I’m …” I huff out a breath and force myself to meet Ash’s gaze. “It’s been a long week.”
“For all of us. All the more reason to spend some quality time together.”
Yeah, you, me, your baby mama, and your poor friends who have no idea who to root for in this situation.
A slight wave of dizziness hits, and I steady myself against the counter. Ash notices immediately, his protective instincts flaring as he steps closer and grips my elbow.
“Are you okay?”
This is another perfect entry point into the pregnancy conversation, which I’m also choosing to ignore.
Chicken shit extraordinaire, at your service.
“I’m fine. Just a bit tired.”
“Maybe because you’re running yourself into the ground?”
“Likely that’s the reason. It’s probably nothing.”
“You should get checked out. I’ll take you to the doctor,” Ash offers.
“Why would you want to spend an afternoon in a doctor’s waiting room just to hear I need a nap?”
He frowns slightly, his concern visible, before a grin softens his face. “Because I like you a whole hell of a lot.”
There’s that damn word again. Like. He likes me. He really likes me. A whole hell of a lot, even.
Too bad it’s the wrong L word.
The bells jangle above the shop door, and I seize my opportunity to escape the stilted silence. “That’s a sweet suggestion, but I have to go. There’s a customer waiting.”
But when I turn, I realize it’s not a customer. It’s that damn investor again, and even though I’m seriously considering throwing in the towel with the Dean Estate, I don’t appreciate the way the man keeps pushing me to decide.
I groan and mentally steel myself for another round of fending off McGwyer Holdings.
“No way,” Ash booms behind me, storming toward the well-dressed man. “Get out of here.”
The man doesn’t flinch, adjusting his tie as he pulls a stack of papers from his briefcase. “I have a new offer for Ms. Thorne, which I think she should seriously consider.”
Ash steps closer, anger radiating from his aura. “What part of no don’t you understand? Now, before I drag your fat ass out of this store, I suggest you leave and never come back. As for your boss, you let him know to stay away from Ori. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
The man barely spares Ash a glance, his smug expression unwavering. “I am under strict orders to speak to Oriana Thorne, and only Oriana Thorne.”
Ash clenches his fists at his sides, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl. “Well, as her future husband, I’m telling you to speak to me. Don’t you bother her again, or I will hunt you down. Now get out.”
The man’s composure finally cracks, his face reddening as he fumbles to close his briefcase. Without another word, he hurries out the door, no doubt leaving with an extra stain on his trousers.
I stand frozen, watching Ash take this investor down, peg by peg.
I don’t want to miss a second of my man defending my honor, even if it’s against a pasty, paunchy middle-aged man who’s likely never seen a fistfight in his life.
My man.
Seems my heart is still set on that idea.
Ash turns and huffs out a breath, shooting me a rueful smile. “That felt fantastic.”
Yeah, it sounded fantastic, too.
But it’s not the case. Ash and I aren’t getting married. Hell, we aren’t even together anymore.
And although I’m extremely turned on by his dominant alpha showing, he also just pushed away an investor who might have allowed me to unload the Dean Estate.
I bite back a smile and force myself to appear stern, shaking my head at his outburst. “What if I want to sell the house?”
“But you don’t.”
That’s not entirely true.
“Ash, I’m so out of my depth with that place. Eddie is busy on some secret project, I can’t find another contractor, and the repairs are endless. I never should have bought it.”
He takes a step closer, hesitating for a moment before framing my face in his hands, his touch warm and comforting. “We’ve got it, Ori. You and me.”
But there is no you and me.
I swipe at a stray tear. “I can’t ask that of you. It’s not fair.”
Ash nods, a strange smile crossing his face. “You’re right. It’s a lot to take on.”
“Exactly.”
“So, like I told you before. We’ll get married.”
Excuse me while the earth tilts on its axis.
“Wha-what?”
“You heard me. We get hitched. Then it’s something we handle together. Done and dusted.”
He shrugs and offers me that crooked grin I love so much, but all I can manage is a blank stare as his offer seeps into my brain.
“I have a client, but I’m right next door if you need me, okay?”
I nod, snapping back to reality just before he walks out the door. “Ash?”
“Yeah?”
“I’ll stop by your party.”
His grin widens. “You better. Have to have my wife there.”
Then he’s gone, disappearing into Black Lotus.
“Holy shit, Ori. Did I hear him correctly?”
“What?” I jerk my head toward Mina, her face awash in shock. “Um, yeah. Ash doesn’t want me to sell the house.”
“Not that part. The part where he referred to you as his wife.”
“Oh, that.” I wave a hand dismissively and focus on straightening a stack of flyers on the counter, my tone intentionally casual. “He just wants to make me feel better.”
Mina grabs my hand, squeezing it tightly, and starts bouncing on the balls of her feet. “I want to make you feel better, too, but I’m not proposing marriage.”
“He didn’t propose, Mina.” I yank my hand free and busy myself with the flyers again, shuffling them unnecessarily.
“Or did he? Either way, now you know how he feels.”
“Do I?”
“Ori, you are not that blind.” Mina leans in, forcing me to meet her wide-eyed gaze. “The man is in love with you. He offered to marry you.”
“To save the house,” I interject. “Not because he loves me.”
“Why does it have to be one or the other? Why can’t it be both?”
“Because Ash doesn’t believe in both.” I exhale sharply and cross my arms over my chest, desperate to shut down the conversation. “At least not with me.”
“What happened to the woman I knew a month ago? The one who knew Asher Hammond was her soulmate and was going to prove it to him? Where did that Oriana go?”
“She left when Lucille arrived.” My voice drops, and I shrug, avoiding Mina’s gaze. “She didn’t leave a forwarding address.”
Have I ruminated on Ash’s offbeat proposal? Only every spare moment. Okay, every moment.
For the past twenty-four hours, I’ve thought of little else. Ash, for his part, hasn’t mentioned it again, although he asked me to join him for dinner and drinks in the speakeasy.
I begged off, claiming I was buried in work after the conference.
But that’s only partially true.
A pall hangs over the speakeasy ever since Lucille walked in on us, making me feel like an intruder in my love life. Despite Lucille and me clearing the air, I’m still pretty gun-shy.
Am I horny? All the damn time, but that’s why I have a vibrator, remember? Let’s just say it’s getting its fair share of use.
I’ve also rolled through a billion different excuses for skipping the party tonight, although none sound plausible—especially not after I told Ash I’d be there.
Unless you count the fragile state of my heart and how distance is key to my survival.
“All closed up,” Mina announces, dropping the key into the drawer. “Are you almost ready?”
I fake a cough and shoot her a pitiful look. “I’m sick?”
“Nice try, Ori, but I’m dragging you there even if you test positive for the flu.”
“Damn. I thought we were friends.”
“We are. And I love you enough to push your stubborn ass into doing what’s right. I’m tired of carrying this secret around, worried I’ll slip up and say something and then I’m the bad guy. You’re pregnant. Deal with it.”
She’s none too happy that I’ve yet to tell Ash about our impending arrival and takes every opportunity to nudge me ever so gently in that direction.
So far, I’ve been a billy goat—stubborn and unrelenting.
It’s not that I don’t want to tell Ash. Okay, that’s not entirely true. I dread telling him for so many reasons, not least of which is the disappointment and shock I fear I’ll see when he learns he’s got not just one, but two baby mamas.
Some stories are too hot even for reality television. Sadly, ours is one of them.
Let’s not forget how Ash has been a bit of a horse’s ass lately, what with going postal over Eddie and not bothering to wait around to learn the truth.
Yes, he apologized. Several times. But I can’t help feeling irked that he seems to think his dimpled grin and remorseful expression will buy his way out of the doghouse.
Even when it works like a charm on every other woman in Sparkwood.
Sue me, I’m not every woman.
Throw in his random marriage proposal, and I’m so twisted, I don’t know which end is up.
“Well?” Mina is not letting up. Not this time. “It’s the perfect opportunity.”
“Is it, though? It’s his birthday. He’s going to want to kick back and have some drinks, not hash out custody agreements.”
She shoots me another glare, which raises my rancor.
“This isn’t easy, Mina. I have to walk into his home, the one he’s sharing with his pregnant ex, and announce he’s having another kid.”
“I know how hard it is, but I also know you. You’ve already got yourself convinced he’s going to tell you to leave and that you’re out of luck. He won’t do that, Ori. Enough is enough.”
I can continue arguing or cede defeat. Dropping my chin, I offer a nod. “I’ll tell him tonight.”
“Good woman.”
Mina pivots, and I roll my eyes behind her back, grumbling under my breath.
My friend snorts, catching my expression out of the corner of her eye. “Real mature.”
“Never claimed to be.” It’s the truth. When I feel cornered, I regress to sarcasm and biting wit.
Right now, I feel like a rabbit hemmed in by ravenous coyotes.
Mina slides a cup of tea to me before reaching across to give my arm an affectionate squeeze. “Give the man a chance.”
I shake my head as the steam wafts up to warm my face. “A chance to what? Break my heart again?”
“Maybe this time he’ll heal it instead. Ever think of that?”
Yes, Mina, all the time. At least until he introduced me to the love of his life. That encounter swayed things a bit.
Still, the man deserves to know. It’s only right, no matter his reaction.
“Promise me you’ll keep an open mind. Deal?”
I snort and nod, knowing full well Mina will not relent until I’ve completed my quest. “Deal. So long as you say nothing about me eating two pieces of pie.”
“You are eating for two.”
“And you’ll keep that info to yourself.”
“I think he’ll surprise you. Ash will be shouting it from the rooftops. Mark my words.”
Do I doubt that scenario? Entirely. Although the romantic in me still clings to the faintest of hope.
The issue is when I tell him, and he is disappointed instead of overjoyed, that hope disappears into the ether.
I need hope, no matter how pathetic it may seem to others.
Plus, I’ve got some time before I start showing.
I am the queen of excuses.
Lifting my cup in a mock salute, I motion toward the back of the store. “I’m heading to my office. We’ll drive out together?”
Suddenly, my stomach lurches, and the edges of my vision blur. I grip the counter, my tea sloshing over the rim as my knees threaten to give out.
“Not again,” Mina mutters, her voice sharp with concern as she rushes to steady me.
I squeeze my eyes shut and swallow hard, trying to ward off the faintness. “Just give me a second. I’ll be fine.”
“You’re not fine,” Mina says, easing me into a chair. Her hands stay firmly on my shoulders, keeping me steady. “When are you seeing the doctor?”
I take a few deep breaths, blinking away the dizziness. “I planned to go today, but now I have to attend a birthday party.”
That statement earns me another withering look. Lucky for me, I can blame hormones for my petulant behavior. It sounds better than blaming a broken heart.
“We’ll stop by Ash’s for an hour and then head to urgent care to have you looked at, okay?”
I understand my friend’s concern, and I’ll admit to having worries of my own. After all, mine is a geriatric pregnancy.
Boy, oh boy, but hearing that really chapped my ass. I damn near called the doctor out into the parking lot to hash it out and show her just how 'geriatric' I am—before she mentioned how much she despises the term, too.
So, yes, there’s a higher risk because apparently, thirty-nine is as old as dirt. But my doctor assured me everything looked fine.
Still, a part of me is scared.
But like everything else in my life, I put my head down and keep going. If I focus on it too long, I’ll just end up more terrified that something is wrong with the baby.
I pat her hand and offer a small smile. “The doctor said this can happen, Mina. Everything was fine at my last visit. But I think I can handle an hour with Ash and Lucille. Besides, it gives me an easy escape route when he loses his mind after learning I’m pregnant.”
Mina wraps an arm around my shoulder, her expression softening. “You can do this, Oriana Thorne. And you will. Today.”