Chapter 9
CASSANDRA
My brother was being an ass. I still wasn’t sure about Blake.
“I’m so sorry about this,” Lila said as we strode from L’Aubergine. She seemed truly embarrassed at how the dinner had turned out.
“This is par for the course for our family,” I assured her.
“Nah.” Jude yawned. “There was no yelling or Griff breaking up a fight. So, you know, totally civilized.”
“We didn’t even really get to talk about the ghost, though,” Chelsea said, her phone in her hand. It was buzzing with texts once more. Clearly, my sister wouldn’t be going home to watch a sad-sack movie on her own like I planned to do. “Anyway, I’m going to head out.”
“Do you need a ride back to your place?” I asked Lila.
“Thanks, but I’ll take our car,” Lila said.
We exchanged a grin then. I respected a woman who’d leave her husband behind if he was being an idiot. Even if he wasn’t actually her husband.
The envelope in my pocket burned suddenly, and I swallowed, smiling as naturally as I could as I walked her to the front of the hotel.
“Blake’s not normally like this,” Lila said, low enough so only I could hear. “But he’s also not normally so grim.”
“Honestly, our family is never really appropriate about anything,” I said. “If one of us can do something awkward, we absolutely will.”
Lila seemed relieved. Not for the first time, I found myself keener than I should be to know the story between them.
Did she care about Blake? Did she want to be married to him?
He’d made it very clear he didn’t have romantic feelings for her.
I recalled the server who’d come in to look after us when Reese left.
Trish was pretty, her ample cleavage on full display.
Reese and I had talked about her before, and decided that although she was flirtatious, given there were no complaints about her, there was nothing particularly egregious going on and no action needed to be taken.
But tonight, knowing it was Trish bringing Blake and Eli their food, I’d questioned that decision.
Then I was run through with shame. What was I, jealous?
When she left with their dishes though, I’d glanced toward Lila, who I saw watching the server like me.
But her expression didn’t reflect anything like the unwelcome tightness in my stomach.
It seemed more like exasperation. But maybe I’d been misreading things.
“Well, I’m glad this wasn’t out of the ordinary for you,” Lila said, knocking me out of my thoughts. “This is probably the worst client dinner we’ve ever had. Absolutely no fault of the client, of course.”
“Oh, it’s definitely the client’s fault,” I said. “But I meant it when I said it was a good thing Blake kept him occupied.”
This seemed to give Lila some relief.
“Is he going to be okay?”
“Absolutely. It’s just a quick stumble home.”
I should have headed home myself. Instead, after saying our goodbyes, I headed to my office, shutting the door before pulling the envelope from my purse.
Blake had stuck a yellow sticky note on the front page. Hope this is to your satisfaction.
His writing was smooth; confident, with long, almost lazy strokes. If writing could be sexy, his was.
“What a stupid thing to think, Cass,” I said out loud. Yet I still ran my finger over the lines his pen had made.
I curled my finger back into my fist. I hated how Blake made me feel. Hated the way I kept reliving the feel of his hand back on my cheek; his thumb on my lip. Hated the way he’d looked physically pained when I’d accused him of lying when he’d first come after me.
When he handed me this envelope, he’d been so close I’d felt like I was breathing him in.
But I hadn’t wanted anyone seeing the envelope, so I hadn’t moved away.
I’d still been reeling from our earlier handshake—our handshake—how his skin had lit up like fire against mine.
I brought my hand to my lips now, as if he was still there somehow.
Fuck you, Blake Harrington.
Was he still where I’d left him in my hotel, sitting at the bar next to Eli? Or was he in a dark corner with that server who’d been fawning over him?
An angry heat twisted in my stomach.
I took a breath. It was fine. It was only thoughts. I was allowed thoughts. I wasn’t breaking my promise to myself not to trust again. I couldn’t get hurt by thoughts, could I?
I forced myself to focus on the contract.
I was sure I’d have to read it several times due to my problem focusing right now, but I found myself reading clearly, with growing surprise.
The terms of our arrangement were deeply favorable for me.
If I’d been thinking Blake had some other angle; that he’d show his shark self by slipping in ways for him to get out of his work if things weren’t looking like they’d turn around, I was wrong.
I wasn’t a lawyer, but everything I saw before me painted a picture where I was getting the best package Harrington Consulting offered for nothing.
Even when it was time to pay—and only when we were in a positive cash flow—it wasn’t the rate we’d talked about over email.
Not even close. It was basically pennies.
He cared that much about keeping his secret.
I wanted desperately to know why it was so important to him.
Did he honestly think I would tell everyone the truth?
The risk of damage to their business and reputation could be catastrophic if they were turning the kinds of profits I thought they were, sure.
But I felt like there was something more. There had to be.
Still, I was no fool. I pulled a pen out of my blazer and signed on all the required lines.
My lawyer hadn’t seen this latest iteration of the contract, but I didn’t want to wait.
Blake might change his mind. After signing, I stood up.
If I could hand it back to Blake right now, there would be no going back at all.
The lobby was relatively quiet when I came back down. The spas were closed at this hour, so the regular stream of people coming from that area downstairs was gone. The only other people here were a rain-soaked couple at the check-in desk and a small group leaving L’Aubergine, laughing.
I strode back into the dim light and soft music of the restaurant. Then I stopped short. Eli was alone at the bar, stirring the ice cubes in his glass.
“Where’s Blake?” I demanded.
Eli scowled, not even looking up at me. “He left.”
“Where’d he go?”
“I dunno.” Eli waved a hand vaguely. “Terri… Trish… whatever her name is, she was coming onto him.”
A sick heat washed over me. “What happened?” I asked, even though it was none of my business.
“He gave her a hard no.”
I shouldn’t have enjoyed the relief that spread over me at that. I didn’t care. But I still didn’t know where the hell he’d gone. A cab, maybe.
I’d just resigned myself to that and was turning to leave when Eli crunched an ice cube and said, “Why are you so obsessed with him, Cassandra?”
My stomach did a full roll. “I’m not obsessed.”
“You have a thing for him. You know he’s married.”
Heat flooded my cheeks.
Eli swaying slightly on his stool.
“You’re drunk,” I said, “So I’ll consider forgiving your assholery tonight.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’d never go for a married man.” He crunched another piece of ice. “Except Blake.”
I gritted my teeth. “You know, I was going to offer to walk you home. But you can find your own damn way.”
Eli managed to focus well enough to glare at me. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
How bad would it be to strangle my brother in our restaurant in front of all our staff? I walked over to the end of the bar. Manuel, the bartender tonight, was a good guy. Had a baby at home. “He’s cut off,” I said, pointing at my brother.
Manuel grinned. It wasn’t the first time this had happened. “Yes ma’am.”
“Can you make sure he at least gets pointed in the direction of the staff apartments?” I slid a couple of bills across the bar.
Even though our meals were comped here, I didn’t want our staff to have dealt with our nonsense for nothing.
We tipped them well. They deserved all the tips in the world for dealing with our shit.
“I have a break in a minute,” he said. “I can walk him there myself.”
Relief ran over me. I knew Eli would have made it back home, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t worry about him. “Thank you,” I said. “I’ll tell Reese to add an extra half hour to your timesheet for your trouble.”
I strode out of the bar, telling myself I was going home.
But I didn’t head in the direction of the staff entrance.
Instead, I went to the front. I stepped out onto the wide walkway, which was flanked by beautifully landscaped foliage.
Right now, they were only shadows, but I didn’t notice that.
I didn’t take in the rain dampening my skin or the parking lot spotted with puddles.
The only thing I saw was Blake Harrington, sitting on a bench, rain plastering his hair to his forehead.
I was soaked too by the time I reached him. “You look worse than the first time I saw you,” I called.
He turned, his face pained. When he saw it was me, he stood up fast, wobbling a little on his feet. “Cassandra,” he said.
I wasn’t sure if it was a greeting or surprise.
“Lila took the car.”
“I know.”
“I was going to get an Uber.” He swayed slightly. He was drunk, of course. Very drunk if he’d been keeping up with Eli.
“We don’t have those here,” I said.
Blake nodded, clearly having figured this out. He looked out to where the road leading from the parking lot twisted into the trees.
“It’s not that far. I can walk.”
“Do you remember where your place is?”
“Marple Street.”
“We don’t have one of those here.”
Blake grimaced.
There was no way he was walking home. Even if we figured out where he lived, he’d get lost on the way there. In the rain. There were no sidewalks on this side of the bridge. It could actually be dangerous.
“Come on,” I said. “I’ll call you a cab.”
Blake didn’t move. “We’re not in the same house.”
“What?”
“Me and Lila. Lila and I? Ila and Lie?” He screwed up his face, then shook his head. “It’s a different house. I’m in the back.”
“Okay,” I said.
“Cassandra—” Blake took a step toward me, then seemed to reconsider. He hung his head. “I don’t get drunk very much, but I’m really dunk.”
Dunk.
“I know,” I said softly. I moved toward him, intending to push him in the direction of the door, but he spoke again.
“The last time I got drunk like this, I told Lila I’d marry her. I didn’t remember the next day. That’s my problem. I don’t remember when I’m in this much alcohol.”
I would have sighed and ushered him inside, if it was anyone else. It was raining, after all. Instead, I hooked on to what he was saying. “It’s normal to get kind of fuzzy when you’re this drunk.”
“No, it’s gone.” He waved his hand like a bird flying away. “It’s a big problem. It’s why I never do this much.”
He was repeating himself. But my stomach did a little flip. “So you won’t remember any of this tomorrow?” I asked tentatively.
“Nothing. Blank slate.” He grinned. “Blake slate.”
I would have laughed at that. But something ran through me instead. A bad, daring kind of thought. Something I should have ignored but didn’t.
“Blake, why did you marry Lila?” There it was, out there in the rain.
He narrowed her eyes. “Her parents… don’t want her to like other women.
Her parents are like her best friends. She was a unicorn…
no, a rainbow baby. Funny, rainbow.” He laughed softly, then grew serious.
“Now we have a consulting together and it’s too much, so complicated. ” His drunken shoulders slumped.
A rush of understanding hit me, like two puzzle pieces snapping together. If I should have left it earlier, I really should have left it now. This was a private matter between Blake and Lila. But I had to know.
“You mean Lila’s gay, right?” I asked softly.
“You knew that?” Blake was incredulous.
“You just told me,” I whispered.
He didn’t hear me, and I didn’t repeat myself. I was too busy trying to sort out the twist of emotions running through me. Guilt, wrapped up in relief, wrapped up in something sadder. All of it drenched me as thoroughly as the rain.
“We can never tell,” he said, blinking slowly.
Lila wasn’t pining for Blake. There was nothing unrequited.
The the gravity of what this meant landed on me hard—Blake definitely wasn’t married—that had been the absolute truth.
But more than that—he’d been posing as Lila’s husband to help her.
Her parents didn’t approve and didn’t know. Maybe nobody knew.
The selflessness of what he’d done made my chest squeeze.
Blake was stuck now; I could see that. Unable to extricate himself from the entanglement he’d created.
Somewhere there was a remnant of that thought I knew still existed.
Remember what happened with Ned? Remember how you said you’d never put your faith in a man again?
But I wasn’t putting faith in Blake. I was only deciding he wasn’t quite the asshole I thought he was.
Still, I let the rain running down my face wash my old promise away for the moment as I stared at this sad man with the handsome face and slumped shoulders. “Blake,” I said. “You can stay here.”
The words had come out before I articulated the decision to myself.
“It’s okay,” he said, swinging his gaze to the trees. “Walk. I can walk.”
He was looking in the opposite direction of town.
“No, really,” I said. “Let me rescue you this time. Just for tonight.”