Chapter 62
62
Opal
My left foot nervously twitches as I sit in a café I’ve never been in. I would have gone to the coffee shop around the corner from Turquoise Crown, but that came with the risk of seeing Chelsie. It’s also a place William frequents, and seeing him this morning is not something I want to do.
After what he told me yesterday, I’m not convinced I’ll ever want to see him again, even though Aunt Hildy spent most of last night reciting every reason he deserves another chance.
Since she helped me facilitate this meeting that’s about to take place, I didn’t argue with her about William, and I didn’t refuse when she invited me to stay the night in one of her guest rooms.
A comfortable bed to cry myself to sleep in was exactly what I needed.
I also needed the change of clothes I’m wearing now. Aunt Hildy is an angel on earth. I dropped my tote on her couch before retreating to the bedroom she directed me to. She took the opportunity to borrow my apartment keys from it. A quick trip to my apartment early this morning meant I’d have new clothes to wear after my shower.
Her signature fashion flair is now a part of my outfit since she chose white jeans, a pink and yellow top, and a pair of red boots I haven’t worn in years. I never would have thrown this all together, but when I spun in a circle after getting ready, she clapped and told me I looked like sunshine.
I feel like a muddy puddle.
I’ve cried as many tears since last night as I did when I found out my best friend and my fiancé were fucking like rabbits for months before I was supposed to marry the bastard.
I thought I loved TJ, but I was wrong.
What I felt for William far surpassed that.
“Opal.”
I glance up when I hear my name and find Percy standing near the table where I’m sitting. He looks as beaten up as I feel. His suit isn’t pressed, and his button-down shirt has a small coffee stain right above the third button.
“Sit,” I say, not bothering to add any pleasantry to it.
I have questions, and although he may not hold all of the answers, he has some.
He glances briefly at the barista counter. “I need a coffee first. Can I get you a refill?”
I look at my almost empty mug. If I consume another drop of caffeine, I’ll be bouncing off the walls, so I shake my head. “I’ll take a tea.”
“What kind?” he asks.
I’ll never look at a cup of orange tea the same way again, so I pass on that. “Green is fine.”
He nods briskly before he turns to walk toward the counter. I’ll use the brief reprieve to gather my thoughts. I want to know what the hell has been going on the past few weeks between him and William, and I’m not leaving here until he tells me.
* * *
“I know about William,” I say as soon as Percy is seated across from me.
He’s mid-sip of his large coffee so when his mouth falls open, a drop dribbles over his chin and lands just below the second button of his shirt.
“What do you know?” he asks, eyeing me suspiciously.
If he questions me on everything, this will take all day. I shake my head. “I know you hired him to try and get me to fall in love with you.”
“Love wasn’t really what I was looking for.”
At least he’s being honest. I’ll give him that.
“You actually thought paying someone to trick me into marrying you was the right approach?” I snap.
Chuckling, he leans back in his chair. “I did think that, but the guy who sent me William’s way neglected to mention that William’s not into trickery. He made it clear very quickly that I had to earn your attention.”
I wrap both hands around the warm cup of tea to stop them from trembling. “What do you mean by that?”
“Dash, my friend, knows William. He told me William could help me land you.”
The phrasing could use some work, but I get the gist, so I encourage him to continue talking with a roll of my hand in the air.
“William worked with Dash to help him clean up his act so he could get his first girlfriend back,” he explains. “Dash was bitter and angry at the world. He had a failed business and two divorces under his belt, but his first girlfriend was the one who got away.”
“So William spent time with her to get her to see the real Dash?” My question is laced with sarcasm, but I don’t expect Percy to notice since he’s now trying to scrub away both coffee stains on his shirt with the pad of his thumb.
He shakes his head. “He worked exclusively with Dash since he already knew everything there was to know about Crystal. William helped him uncover the man he could be. He was by his side when Dash dealt with all the burdens he was carrying. By the time he asked Crystal out again he was a changed man.”
I assume Crystal is the first girlfriend, so I skip past that. “You sent William to find out about me, didn’t you?”
“He said something about checking to see if we were a good match.” He exhales audibly. “I told him that was a waste of his time because I saw you at a restaurant, felt that love at first sight thing, and knew you were supposed to be my wife.”
“So you lied to him?”
“Why I wanted to marry you was none of his fucking business.” He taps a fingertip on the table. “I paid the man to get you to marry me, and he failed. If he hadn’t canceled the contract, and given me a refund I would have demanded that he do both.”
“William canceled the contract?” I ask.
He nods. “Told me the hell off when he did as if he had a right to.”
I absorb every word, trying to process it all.
“I admit I wanted another shot because my granddad doesn’t have forever, so I tracked him down again after that, and he told me to leave you the fuck alone because you were involved with someone else.” He finally looks me dead in the eye. “William said it was someone who was crazy about you. He told me to work on bettering myself before I approached another woman.”
I take a sip of tea and glance at the doorway as the bell above it sounds.
“I’m not proud of what I’ve done,” Percy says in a low tone. “I did it for my granddad. I wanted him to be proud of me, so I thought getting Turquoise Crown back was the way to go. I seriously thought your aunt had fucked him over.”
“She didn’t,” I remind him because I’ll fight anyone who disrespects Hildy.
“I know.” He picks up his coffee cup but places it right back down. “William runs around this city as a savior. He stands up for women. He’s trying to get men like me to get their shit together. I don’t hate the guy, but the fact that he broke that NDA has me steaming mad. What did you pay him to tell you that?”
“Not a dime,” I say without hesitation.
“William was just being the hero again.” He chuckles. “Goddamn him.”
I push back to stand because I’ve heard enough.
“Leaving so soon?” he asks as he darts to his feet. “For what it’s worth, whoever the guy is you’re seeing, he’s lucky.”
I don’t think he genuinely means it, but I nod. “It’s William, or was William.”
Shaking his head, he rakes a hand through his short hair. “Why does that make perfect sense? I guess I’m the guy who brought you two together, so he owes me.”
I can’t tell if he’s joking. “He owes you what?”
“To start with a fee for helping him land the woman of his dreams. “He smirks. “There’s also the little matter of breaking our NDA. That’s worth something.”
“Is it worth your grandfather’s happiness?”
His brow furrows. “My granddad? What does that mean?”
“If you go anywhere near William again, I’ll make sure your grandfather knows the lengths you went to when you tried to steal Hildy’s legacy.” I step closer and lower my voice. “He’ll forgive you for what you told him yesterday, Percy. Don’t dig a deeper hole for yourself.”
I’d never reveal anything to Louie that would cause him undue pain. My great aunt would struggle to forgive me for that, but Percy doesn’t know that.
His gaze scans my face. “Understood.”
I turn to leave, but his hand brushes against mine to stop me. I glance back over my shoulder. “What?”
“You love him, don’t you? You love William.”
“I do,” I admit to him and to myself again. “I’m in love with him.”
“Maybe I’ll follow in his footsteps and start my own business helping men.” He smiles. “After all, I set up you two in a roundabout way.”
“Keep your day job,” I say, realizing I have no idea what it is. I have no interest in knowing either. “Goodbye, Percy.”
“Take care, Opal.” He points at me. “I thought a piece of the Turquoise Crown fortune would make my granddad happy. It turns out he’s the happiest he’s ever been because he’s got Hildy back. Life sure works in mysterious ways.”
“It sure does,” I whisper before walking away from him.