Chapter 19
Serenity
Sully and I plate our pancakes and place our platters on his breakfast table.
Summer is practically drooling as she watches us.
Victor sits in a chair beside Summer, our two judges.
I already know how this competition will go.
I’ve tasted Sully’s magnificent food. But it’s worth the humiliation with how big Summer is now smiling.
Sully leans forward and puts one pancake on their plates. Cutting up Summer’s, he pushes hers across the table before turning to Victor. Sully eyes my husband but says nothing as he slides the other plate toward Victor. Sully doesn’t bother with syrup. These don’t need the extra flavor.
My daughter immediately picks up her fork and gobbles down the entire pancake in less than two minutes. Victor’s eyes are as wide as saucers as he takes in her empty plate.
Summer bounces with excitement. “Mommy, can I try yours now?”
I shrug. Might as well let her eat them warm so Sully doesn’t completely blow me out of the water. I plop one of my pancakes onto her plate and cut it into small triangles. But with mine, I give her a little bit of syrup.
She takes her first bite and says, “I like Sully’s more!”
I slump forward and smack my face. “But you’ve always loved mine.”
“That was before Grandpa Sully made me some.”
Turning back to Victor, I ask, “What do you think?”
“Sully’s has great flavor and a good texture.” He points to my platter. “Can I try one of yours?”
I sigh and grab my spatula. Scooping one onto Victor’s plate, I sit down and watch as he cuts off a piece and takes a bite. He chews and chews without saying anything. Sully and I lean closer, waiting for an answer.
Once Victor finally swallows it, he says, “I say Serenity is the winner.”
Sully groans and says, “That’s not fair. He’s cheating to woo you.”
I laugh, unable to stop the noise from bubbling out. “Maybe he really likes mine more.”
“No, I’ve spent years perfecting mine,” Sully says, motioning to the batter-splattered counters. “I make mine from scratch, and yours is from a box.”
I throw my head back and laugh. My whole body shakes, and tears spring to my eyes. “Oh, calm down. You’re right. Victor said he’d say mine was better just to make me happy.”
Sully turns to me, relief flickering across his face. “Really?”
“Yes. So, stop fussing over your perfect recipe.”
He turns to Victor. “Is what she’s saying true?”
Victor holds his hands up in front of himself. “I’m not getting in the middle of this.”
“Oh, stop torturing the man,” I say, slapping Victor gently on the shoulder. I regret it immediately because wow, these muscles. When does he have the time to go to a gym when he’s running a multi-billion-dollar company?
“I’m serious, but maybe it’s because you made them and I’m partial to you.”
My cheeks heat, and I pull away. Grabbing my platter, I turn to place it on the counter. I need space from him. After last night, I really shouldn’t have invited him in, but he rushed all the way here to make sure everything was okay.
How did I ever think this man was horrible?
Maybe because I have trust issues after my husband.
“Summer, how about you help me clean up?” Sully asks from behind me.
“Yay!” Summer squeals. “Can I lick the spoon?”
He runs his fingers through his gray peppered hair. “No, no, I put eggs in my batter.”
Everything about this morning feels so natural, including having Victor, who seamlessly fits in with our crazy bunch.
“I’ll be right back,” I say without turning around and rush out into the living room. Sully’s spacious kitchen felt like it was closing in around us.
Gentle footsteps follow behind me. “What’s wrong?”
I pause when I reach the stairs. There’s no time for beating around the bush. I don’t look at him as I say, “Having you here feels like too much.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”
How do I tell him it’s not him that makes me uneasy but the fact that my brain has slowly started to accept that he’s not the horrible man I thought he was?
“There’s something I really want to talk to you about.
” A tentative hand touches my arm and gently turns me around.
Victor lifts my chin, and I look directly into his soft blue eyes.
There’s vulnerability in them that I’ll never be able to unsee.
“I know it has only been a couple of weeks, but can you give me a chance?”
I jolt backward, giving us much needed space. This is exactly why I said we should get each other out of our systems last night. If we gave in, he’d forget all about me and move on.
He steps in so that we’re touching again, and my heart pounds so hard I feel faint. “Give me a chance to truly win you. If I haven’t before our contract is up, I’ll stay in the city, and you can come back here. I’ll sign the divorce papers without a fight.”
My chest tightens. “I—”
“Don’t give me a response now,” he says before I can protest. “Please, just think on it. After your girls’ night with Lana, we can talk again.”
I find myself nodding. Victor wraps his arms around me before turning and heading for the front door. I don’t move a muscle, not even when the door opens and closes.
I can understand why he asked me to marry him for the sake of his father, but there are so many women he could date for real after we divorce.
“Do you want me to dig into him? I can find out if he has skeletons in his closet,” Sully says, and I jump.
I turn to face him. “Why do you always sneak up on me?”
He shrugs. “I’ve always been light on my feet. So, do you want me to have my men look into him?”
Should I take a chance and not have Sully do a background check? After everything Paul put me through? “Actually, that would be great.”
Sully nods seriously. “I’ll get it to you within the week.” Then he turns and goes back to the kitchen where I’m sure Summer has made even more of a mess.
***
Summer went to bed thirty minutes ago with a sleepy goodnight.
The doorbell rings, and Sully pushes off his sofa to open the front door before I can even think about getting up. I’d laugh if Victor’s request wasn’t running on repeat in my head. What’s with his sudden request for giving us a real shot?
We were only supposed to be temporary.
Sully swings the door open, and Lana stands on his porch with a duffel bag so big you’d think she was going away for the weekend.
“Hey, thanks for letting us do our girls’ night here,” Lana says as Sully motions her inside. A chilly gust of wind comes in with her, and she shrieks. “Why does it feel like it’s winter out there? I hate nighttime in the spring.”
I chuckle. “You were born and raised in New England, and you still aren’t used to it?”
“Hell, no. I’ll never get used to mother nature trying to kill me.”
Another knock sounds, and Lana looks over at me with a confused expression. Sully’s copper eyes narrow on the door, and I say, “It’s okay. It’s just Harmony.”
Lana crosses her arms over her chest and pouts. “Your little sister is crashing our girls’ night?”
I give her an apologetic smile before heading over to the door. “I invited her.”
Opening it, Harmony and Abigail rush inside.
Their cheeks are rosy. My sister brings me in for a hug, and her sweater is so cold I have to pull away.
I take in Abigail, Harmony’s best friend, and grind my molars.
Even though that girl is trouble, she came to Harmony’s aid when she needed it most. I guess I’ll give her a pass this one time.
“It’s so chilly,” Harmony says through chattering teeth. “Good thing I brought my warm sleeping bag.”
“I think I’ll be sleeping in my jacket,” Abigail says on a shiver.
“Why is everyone being so dramatic?” I ask, about to check outside to see if winter has reappeared.
I take Abigail’s light coat and hang it in the closet.
When I turn back around, I spot Sully off to the side, awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other. “I’m glad you girls can get together. I’ll head upstairs so you can have privacy.”
Harmony bites her lower lip. She and Sully still have a rocky relationship. Both of them want to be closer, but they don’t know how to tell each other. And I know that for a fact because I’m the one in the middle.
Sully grabs his Sprite from the coffee table and says, “Goodnight, ladies.”
“Wait,” Harmony says, and Sully halts. “Do you want to watch a movie with us?”
Sully’s mouth curves into the biggest smile I’ve ever seen from him. “I’d love to. What are we watching?”
“Mean Girls,” Lana and I say at the same time.
Abigail says, “That’s seriously one of my favorite movies ever.”
A look of horror overtakes Sully’s face. “I guess there’s a first time for everything.”
All three of us women fall into a fit of laughter. Sully takes his place on the couch and grunts but says nothing as I turn on the movie. Harmony takes out her sleeping bag and sets it up on the living room floor, and Abigail follows her lead.
Sully clears his throat. “Uh, I have an extra bed upstairs, so you don’t have to sleep on the floor.”
Harmony smiles up at him. “Where’s the fun in the sleepover then?”
I inch toward the kitchen and give Lana a look. “How about I go make the popcorn?”
“I’ll come help,” she says, rushing after me. Once we’re in the kitchen, she asks, “Why did you want me to come in here with you? OMG, are you going to tell me all the sexy details about your billionaire?”
I place my pointer finger between my lips and hush her. “I figured they could use some time alone.” I nod in their direction. “I mean Sully is watching Mean Girls just to spend time with Harmony.”
“So, there was no hot and heavy time with Victor?”
“Shhhh.” I go to the doorway that leads into the living room, but Sully and Harmony are locked in conversation. Turning back to Lana, I say, “This isn’t the time for this conversation.”
Her jaw drops. “So, there was sexy time.” She punches the air. “I knew it. I so totally won this bet. Now give me my prize. Please, please, please tell me that he’s larger than average.”
I bite my lip. Even though I didn’t get to touch him, I felt everything.
Lana fans herself. “Girl, if you saw yourself right now …” Her words fall off, and she puts a hand dramatically to her forehead. “You two fucked, didn’t you? That look on your face tells me everything.”
“No, we didn’t.” I swallow hard. “We were so close to kissing though.”
Lana’s eyes bulge out of her face. “What!”
I lunge forward and slap a hand across her mouth. “Shhhh!”
Sully pops his head in the kitchen and raises an eyebrow at us.
“I won’t even ask why you’re covering her mouth, but I’ll assume you’re okay.
” He looks around as if assessing the area to make sure it’s clear.
“With everything going on, I think I’m being a little extra paranoid, so please try to keep the yelling to a minimum. ”
“Yes, Dad,” we both say in unison.
With that, he rolls his eyes and leaves.
Lana pushes my hand off her mouth. “So, why didn’t you two kiss? I could’ve sworn you would’ve already jumped on that stallion.”
Rolling my eyes, I grab the popcorn and put it in the microwave. “Please don’t ever refer to him as a stallion again.”
“Fine, fine,” she says, heading out of the kitchen.
I heave out a breath. Thank God I didn’t have to tell her why we didn’t kiss. Because then it might have led into what Victor said before he left.
I don’t want to fake it anymore.
Crossing that line … it will hurt so much if he decides he’s bored with me and still gets rid of me once the contract ends. I can’t let him in. My already shattered heart can’t handle losing another shard.