Chapter 12 Kairo
KAIRO
Bacon sizzles like soft music in the pan, the hum of the coffee pot rises faintly as it processes fresh coffee, and Devon sits on my stool still wearing my T-shirt from the night before.
It’s like a quiet fantasy has bloomed to life in my apartment, born out of a storm of which no trace exists anymore.
The dark, stormy skies have been replaced by a stunning blue sky and a crisp wind that chased all my tiredness away when I did my morning exercises on the balcony.
All of that pales in comparison to Devon, a woman who will never be mine and yet in such a short time, my heart yearns just to be close to her.
Bringing up the bakery will undoubtedly ruin this bubble I’ve created, but I can’t stay silent forever.
“It’s about the bakery. Believe it or not, I don’t actually want to destroy your family’s livelihood.”
Devon’s brows pull together and she sits up a little straighter while hugging the coffee cup with one hand.
“If you’re about to spin some kind of ‘it’s not me, it’s the company’ thing…”
“No.” Turning back to the bacon, I start flipping the strips over.
“Not… exactly. The deal for that entire block was secured by my father about five years ago. He passed away just over two years ago, and like the good son I’ve always been, I’ve spent these past two years doing everything I can to usher through his old deals.
It started as a way to honor him but it quickly turned into me just wanting it all over with.
I want to step out from the smothering memory he left behind and to do that, I have to clean up all the messes he left behind. ”
The bacon starts to crisp up and just as the edges curl like I enjoy, I remove it from the heat.
“Do you like it crispy?”
Devon nods, watching me with curiosity brimming in those caramel eyes.
“Toast or bread?”
“Toast, please.”
“No problem. Unfortunately, your bakery is the last deal I have to get through, and the board has been pushing at an insanely fast pace. I won’t bore you with what rides on this deal because none of it will compare to how this feels for you and your family.”
“You’re talking like you’ve changed your mind.” Devin slowly sips her coffee. “Have you?”
“To an extent.”
“Is this because we had sex at the bar? Because the implication that sex would—”
“Oh, God, no!”
My hands tremble faintly when placing the bread into the toaster.
She hasn’t mentioned that night until now and I’d presumed the topic was very much off the table.
Glancing at her for the briefest of moments, I see her in the same light I saw her at the bar.
Although I think I prefer this look. Devon seems relaxed and calm, and wearing my T-shirt just amplifies the urge to touch her soft chin and kiss her.
“I would never, ever use sex to… I mean, I didn’t even know who you were when we… No, Devon. It’s not because we slept together.”
My heart stutters like I’m a teenager again and I spin back to the toaster to hide the warmth creeping across my face.
“Is it because I got hit by the car?”
“No, it has nothing to do with anything like that. It doesn’t even have anything to do with you, per se.”
The lie sours on my tongue.
I would never consider these options if it were anyone else, and deep down, I know that basing business decisions on feelings leads to a mess, but I can’t help it.
She’s under my skin, and hurting her in any form is the very last thing I want to do.
Besides, admitting I’m seeking out ways to help her because I’m attracted to her just feels all kinds of shady after her accusation that I somehow orchestrated the car accident—an accusation thrown in the heat of the moment, but it sticks in my mind.
“So you just changed your mind?”
Devon looks disbelieving as I set the toast down on a plate in front of her and carefully add the strips of bacon.
“Yes. I won’t deny that visiting the bakery played a part in it, though.
Before all of this, that place was just a few lines on a really long document just like every other business we bought up in that block and the two next to it.
When you’re dealing with so many things like that on a daily basis, it’s painfully easy to become disconnected from the reality of other people’s lives. ”
“Oh, no,” Devon murmurs with gentle sarcasm. “The prince in his ivory tower is disconnected from the townsfolk.”
I smirk softly. “I know how it sounds. But it’s true. And I came to the quiet realization that destroying people’s lives trying to push through greedy deals like this to appease a man who isn’t here anymore isn’t something I have to lock myself into. But that realization came with a few truths.”
Devon sets her coffee aside in favor of the bacon sandwich and the warmth of her gaze follows me around the kitchen as I collect more bread for my own toast.
“Alone, there’s not a lot I can do. When I started to poke around, the board made it very clear that if I caused any trouble, a vote of no confidence would land on me before I could even blink and then I would be out and powerless to do anything.”
“Ouch,” Devon murmurs. “That’s kind of harsh.”
My shoulder lifts while spreading butter on my toast.
“That’s business. But I have an even better idea than blowing up my career trying to stop this deal.
If we were married for real, then your bakery would become a Sycamore family asset which would give me more leeway over what happens to it.
And your becoming my wife would give you access to more than enough money to protest and buy the land rights that were unfairly scooped from you by Silver Canopy.
And you’d win. With how long your family has owned the bakery and worked on that spot, I don’t see how you wouldn’t immediately win.
Of course, it would mean that getting married for real comes with its challenges, the greatest being my mother, but she already knows because of the insurance… ”
I trail off as I turn to Devon and the warmth in my chest as I babbled mindlessly quickly turns to stone.
The look on Devon’s face is far from what I hope.
The warmth has left her eyes.
Her half-eaten toast now rests on her plate and both her hands are in her lap below the counter.
It’s like a shadow has drifted in while my back was turned and swallowed up her light.
A chill steals across my skin.
“Devon?”
Things were going well, I thought.
She seemed relaxed and open to the conversation as much as I was, and while I was keeping everything light, I was doing my best to paint this in as beneficial a light as I could.
“I, uhm… no.” She slides from her stool and doesn’t meet my eyes. “It’s a kind offer, but no. I don’t want to marry you.”
“It wouldn’t be a real marriage, just a way to help you—”
“I said no!” she snaps and meets my eyes for a split second. Distress storms in hers and my heart rate spikes as she backs away. “I should get my things and go.”
Was it something I said?
Our warm breakfast turns as icy as a meal with my late father, and I follow her as she hurries toward the stairs, stopping just at the lounge so I’m not chasing her.
“Devon—”
“Please,” she says shortly. “I have to go.”
“Okay. I’ll organize a driver to take you home.”
Devon vanishes back up the stairs without a word and I’m left to the familiar, empty silence of my apartment.
She’s taken all the light with her.
Devon remains upstairs in the bathroom when I bring her laundered clothes, and she doesn’t come down until I call up to her about her driver being ready.
She leaves in a whirlwind, thanking me for breakfast and helping her last night, and then she’s gone.
It only took seven minutes for the best morning of my life to crumble.
I replay the conversation in my mind trying to pinpoint exactly what I said that caused her to clam up so quickly, but nothing sticks out.
Maybe it’s not what I said.
Maybe it’s who I am.