Gravity
. . .
Cade
Well, that could’ve gone better.
I tracked Ellie’s blue braid and where my shirt’s hem fell distractingly high on her thighs until she disappeared down the stairs, before turning to my head of security. “Go with her.”
Mac stopped midslurp of his tropical drink, eyes going comically wide. He let go of the straw. “Are you insane?”
“Drive her home. Make sure she gets back okay. And find her some damn pants.”
Instead of following orders, he rubbed his temple like I’d caused him physical pain. “… You are insane. This is the perfect opportunity to wash your hands of her and be done. She’s gone. Let her stay gone.”
“Just go, Mac,” I bit out.
He made a show of huffing and setting down his fruity drink, then followed the path Ellie had taken.
I waited by the railing until the tender boat pulled away from the yacht.
Watched it peel away with Ellie sitting at the back and Whiskey in her lap.
Kept my eyes on it until it docked—until she and Mac disappeared into the marina.
I didn’t tear my gaze away until my grandfather cleared his throat, but the pit forming in my gut widened.
That made facing the others easier. Their shocked expressions were a welcome distraction from the tears that’d pooled in Ellie’s eyes.
I’d never made a woman cry before.
Grandfather was the only one who didn’t seem surprised by the turn of events, but he had the same disappointed frown he’d worn when Harrison crashed his new Aston Martin as a teenager.
Being on the receiving end of it felt like shit.
As usual, Harrison was the one to break the silence.
“I must be dreaming, because it sounds like my golden-child older brother actually hired a woman to be his fiancée?” He barked a laugh. “This is hilarious.”
“Don’t tease him, Harry,” Madison scolded.
“Nah, I knew it!” Harrison smirked at me. “I knew you couldn’t actually lock down someone like Ellie.”
That was enough to crack the ice flooding my veins, and I shot him a glare. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Boys,” Grandfather snapped, making us both clamp our mouths shut just like when we were kids.
“Why, Caden?” my mother asked beside him. Disappointment weighed down her words. “Why would you lie about something like this? Why the big production?”
“I can answer that.” Grandfather undid the button on his jacket before tucking both hands in his pockets. “He knew it would get him the UK branch of Westbrook Capital.”
My shoulders slumped. There went any chance of a cover story.
Whispers broke out on deck, and my mother was at my side in an instant.
“Caden. A word in the lounge, please?” she asked, smile strained as she gripped my arm.
She pushed me toward the glass doors without waiting for an answer, and Harrison followed hot on our heels.
“There’s no way I’m missing this,” he said gleefully.
Grandfather slipped into the lounge behind us.
As soon as the door slid shut behind him, my mother rounded on me. “You’re saying you did all this for a promotion?”
My jaw worked. “It doesn’t matter now.”
Harrison gave a low whistle. “Damn, you’re more committed than I thought.”
Our mother crossed her arms with a frown, far less impressed. “Well, why haven’t you gone after Ellie yet? What are you waiting for?”
My brows rose. “You heard her. She wants nothing to do with me. It was all pretend.”
And I was the idiot who just now realized I wanted everything to do with her. Not the stupid promotion.
A warm chuckle rumbled from my grandfather, snapping me out of my quickly spiraling thoughts. “It wasn’t pretend.”
His knowing smile rubbed me the wrong way. I glanced at my mother, and my suspicions only grew.
“Why are you all smiling?” I scowled. “I just lied to you for a week straight. Aren’t you angry?”
Harrison shrugged. “We like Ellie.”
I fought to keep my face straight. He couldn’t be serious.
But when he didn’t laugh, I flicked my gaze to my mother and grandfather. “… You do?”
“She’s good for you,” was all the old man said.
“I admit I had my initial reservations, but it’s easy to see you two complement each other,” my mother added with a sniff. “Although she’s not who I’d expect you to hire for something like this.”
“You and me both,” I muttered.
Funny how I couldn’t imagine having hired anyone else, though.
Her mouth curved up, eyes softening. “But before yesterday, I can’t remember the last time I saw you smile—really smile. I’ve also never seen someone outside the family stand up to you like that. Never.”
“And we were competing again!” Harrison’s laugh boomed through the room. He knocked his shoulder into mine with a grin. “It was just like old times. Your little lie got me my brother back. How can I be mad about that?”
He was right. It’d been too long since we’d gone head-to-head like that, but this still didn’t add up.
“If you like her so much, then why’d you make her return the ring?” I asked my mother.
She looked out the windows toward the exact railing Whiskey had dropped the ring from. She rested her fingers on the strand of pearls at her collarbone. “I was giving you more time to stop her from leaving. Little did I know her feline would drop it in the ocean. It was such a beautiful ring, too.”
I stared. She’d been helping me?
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Harrison shoved me toward the door, making me stagger a step before I could stop myself. “Go after her.”
I flexed my fingers. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m the last person she wants to see right now.”
“That’s not true—”
A light tapping against the door to the deck drew our attention to Dr. Lovejoy waving cheerfully at us. She slid the door open, popping her curly mane of hair through the gap. “So sorry to interrupt, but do you have a moment, Cade?”
My family left without making a fuss, but Harrison stopped to nudge my shoulder with his again. “Don’t wait too long to fix things with Ellie, or Maddie’s gonna hold it against me for no reason. I don’t need that right now.”
I shoved him away. “Appreciate the support.”
Lovejoy ushered the others out before turning to me, her eyes filled with an all too knowing sadness I’d already grown tired of. “… Do you want to talk about it?”
“No,” I answered flatly.
“That’s understandable.” She cleared her throat and held up a small black pull-string bag. “Well, on to the good news, then! You survived the week and earned your phone back.”
“Lucky me.”
Her brow cocked at my dry tone as she handed my phone back, and she pulled out Ellie’s before hesitating. “Um…”
I couldn’t stop myself from holding my hand out, palm up. “Hand it over. I’ll return it to her.”
The pity in her smile made everything worse, but she handed the phone over.
“Why don’t you come back out to the party?” she suggested, hiking a thumb over her shoulder toward the deck. “It’ll be good to surround yourself with loved ones. We already took down the banner. It’s just an end-of-trip celebration now.”
I couldn’t think of anything I wanted to do less.
“Not really in the mood to celebrate,” I murmured, “but thanks for an unforgettable week, Bliss.”
She blinked before her smile widened. “It’s been a real pleasure to lead. I gave Madison a few business cards with all my info, if you’d like to follow my socials. My channels focus on love and companionship, but I also make some content to help with heartbreak.”
A dry laugh crawled up my throat, ringing hollow.
“Heartbreak. Right.” Looking down at Ellie’s garish, glittery phone case, I ran a thumb over one of the many cat paw charms with a frown. Slipping her phone into my pocket, I gave a parting nod to Bliss. “Enjoy the party.”
I turned my back to her and headed to the cabin to pack—and stay far away from any pitying gazes.