Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
DORIAN
“Why am I involved in a town meeting?” I grumbled as Isabella and Weston just chuckled beside me.
I zipped up my coat a bit tighter, that icy wind deciding to slide right down my Henley.
It was nearly February, and we had already gone through our false spring.
A three-hour period of warmth where people could take off their coats.
The tourists had been so confused.
And now we were dealing with a possible snowstorm, ice, most likely sun to melt that ice, and then more frigid air to create black ice. Because why not? It was Colorado after all.
For now though, even though there was a frigid chill seeping into my bones thanks to the weather, it was still sunny out. I hated it.
Or maybe I was just grumpy because I could not get the thought of Harper Wellesley out of my head. Or her taste. Or her feel. Or the fact that I nearly pushed her down on the couch and slid deep inside her. It didn’t matter that we had been nowhere close to that, it had sure felt damn close.
There was something wrong with me.
I was not allowed to have feelings for my best friend’s little sister.
My dead best friend’s little sister.
There were rules beyond rules for this. I knew this. My friends knew this. The world knew this.
And I was going to hell.
At least it might be warmer there.
“You damn Cages own this place, it’s about time you attend a town meeting,” Weston grumbled.
I flipped him off and winced as Ms. Patty walked by.
“Mr. Cage. I thought you were raised better than that.” She frowned and shook her head. “Okay, I thought the town raised you better than that. I won’t say anything ill about the dead, or your mother, but well, Mr. Cage.”
The mayor’s wife shook her head solemnly, and I tried not to laugh.
“Sorry for the gesture. However, are you calling me Mr. Cage because you can’t remember which one I am?” I teased. The smile on my face felt forced, and yet part of me felt as if maybe this was the old side of me. The joking one that made women around me smile and swoon.
If anything, her eyes brightened, and she waved me off.
“You’re a menace just like you always were, Dorian,” she emphasized.
“See? A menace,” Weston added.
“You say that as if you’re not a menace too,” Ms. Patty put in.
“Have I ever reiterated how much I love you, Ms. Patty?” Isabella said as she reached around me to squeeze the older woman’s hand.
“I do love hearing it. Just as much as I love the fact that you’re bringing these strapping men to this town hall meeting.”
Isabella gave me a look that I couldn’t read. “Are you saying that because you like looking at them, because one of those is my brother so I’m going to have to refrain from an opinion. And well, I get fighty when it comes to protecting Weston’s virtue.”
“Virtue?” I scoffed.
Weston reached around my sister and slapped me on the back of the head. I noticed Ms. Patty didn’t admonish him for that. Well at least we knew who her favorite was.
And frankly it wasn’t a Cage.
“There might be some manual labor later, though we wouldn’t make you do it, Dorian.
” She patted my arm, the sympathy in her tone grating.
I knew she meant well. Honestly, I’d been in a fucking plane crash and was lucky to be alive.
So yes, she was being kind. Only I didn’t want kindness in that moment.
I just wanted to forget. However, the pain in my thigh that was slowly getting better, as well as the burn scars on my sides didn’t feel as if I could truly forget.
“Anyway, I’m just grateful that you Cages are starting to show up again. I know Aston comes when he’s in town, just as I know trying to get Hudson anywhere near a function like this is probably like pulling teeth.”
“Why does Hudson get out of this then?” I grumbled, sounding petulant.
“Because it’s your turn,” a familiar yet unexpected voice said from behind me. I turned, ignoring the pain in my side, as Flynn walked forward.
I hadn’t seen him in a while, which was mostly on my shoulders.
While I had once been the brother who joked around and didn’t stay single for long, Flynn flirted like nobody’s business.
He was a people person, just like I had been.
We were probably the most alike out of the siblings I had grown up with.
Although from what I knew of Emily, she was like us as well.
I ignored the twinge that told me I should probably call her.
Or start a group chat with the Cages I hadn’t grown up with.
Getting to know them would probably be something that Harper would tell me to do.
Not that I would do something just because Harper told me.
Maybe.
“I didn’t know you were coming up here,” I said as I wrapped my arm around Flynn’s shoulder and squeezed.
My brother just grinned. “I’m here to annoy my twin, and make sure that Isabella and Hudson have everything they need from me.”
“You always did take care of us, Flynn,” Ms. Patty said as she went to pat his cheek. In turn he leaned down and kissed hers.
“I’m going to miss coming up here often. I know Aston took over for a little bit, as did Hudson, but you dealt with me for a lot longer.”
“There’s no dealing with you, Flynn.” Ms. Patty grinned.
I met Isabella’s gaze, and we both rolled our eyes.
Flynn could do no wrong.
He was also the vice president of Cage Enterprises, and I wasn’t sure when he slept.
He was the one who had handled most of the paperwork and went through Aston for certain Cage properties.
And had given over the face-to-face time to Hudson.
Isabella was taking over, and though I was here for a short time, I hoped to hell I wasn’t going to be given that responsibility.
After all, I had enough businesses to take care of outside of the main Cage enterprises.
Though my managers were doing a damn fine job without me.
I probably shouldn’t feel slighted at that. I trained them well.
Maybe it was time to open up another business, something to keep myself busy once I finished this house. The unending home.
Because if I didn’t keep my hands on my work, they would end up on Harper, and then Joshua’s ghost would haunt me.
And I would deserve it.
“I would love to know what’s going on in that head of yours,” Flynn muttered.
I resisted the urge to flip him off because Ms. Patty was close by, instead I followed her into the large barn that was town hall.
There were rows of seats on either side, and it looked like a wedding venue if anything.
Ms. Patty’s husband, the mayor, stood up front at the podium, though he hadn’t begun yet.
He spoke with a few of the town businessmen, including Scarlett.
Though she didn’t own anything in town, she was the manager of the highest grossing establishment.
“Well I’m glad Hudson isn’t here, because then I would have to deal with his whining,” Weston mumbled under his breath.
I smiled as Flynn barked out a laugh.
“I do not understand him. I would say he should just ask her out already, but she’s taken.” Isabella shook her head.
I choked on air, and I stared down at my sister as we took our seats. “He doesn’t have a crush on her. This isn’t kindergarten where you growl and pull the girl’s pigtails. They honestly just don’t get along.”
“If you say so. But I don’t know, maybe Hudson just needs a girlfriend.”
I shook my head, my shoulders dropping. “I don’t think that would help.”
Isabella paled and cursed. “I hate not knowing everyone’s family history. I’m going to step in it one day.”
“You won’t,” Flynn said softly as he reached across me to pat her hand.
“Because if you do accidentally, we know that you’re not being malicious.
And Hudson’s secrets are his own. To the fact that I don’t even know all of them and I’m his twin.
I don’t think he needs a girlfriend, but maybe just to get laid,” he added, trying to lighten the mood.
Isabella rolled her eyes, as I fist-bumped both Weston and Flynn.
“Oh Dorian, it’s so good to see you,” an older woman said as she came forward.
I couldn’t remember her name but I knew she worked at the restaurant.
I didn’t bother standing up because all she did was squeeze my shoulder and pat my hand and repeat that she was so glad that I was healthy and coming back to Cage Lake after so long.
Tension rode my shoulders as one of the bartenders of the local dive bar came over and said the same thing, as well as a woman I knew worked at a knitting store or something like that. A craft store? I didn’t know. The Cages didn’t own it, and it wasn’t like I knew how to knit.
However, by the time the seventh person came over to make sure that I was okay and didn’t need anything, and were so happy that I had survived, I was done. I could not take one more platitude, one more worry.
Because the problem was, they weren’t faking it. This wasn’t undue pity.
They were mourning Joshua. Maybe not like I was. Definitely not like Harper. But they were missing the town’s son. And they almost lost me too.
And I was done.
“Harper!” Isabella said, cutting through what I hoped to be the final person coming over to check on me.
My shoulders tensed again, and I glared at my sister, scooting over one seat so there was an empty space between us.
This woman was diabolical, and I wasn’t sure if she was aware she was doing it.
“Come and sit next to me. I need a familiar face between all this testosterone.”
I turned, throat tight as Harper walked over. She’d cut bangs into her hair since I had last seen her, and it hadn’t been a full twenty-four hours yet. They just framed her face even more, and dammit, she was so fucking sexy.
Why the hell was I even thinking that?
No, she was off limits. Definitely off limits.