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Age had been good to Bass. The boyish charm he’d exhibited when she was little was still there, but he wasallman now. He was a man who’d certainly turn her head if she passed by him in the street. That didn’t matter though. She wasn’t interested in any relationship, and if she was, it wouldn’t be with a playboy like Bass. He was so far out of her league he might as well live in Africa . . . or on Mars.
“This is awkward,” Ella finally said, unable to stand the silence.
Bass shocked her when he chuckled. “It will get worse before it gets better. Rafe hates me.”
Ella dipped her head. She probably wasn’t supposed to know about Rafe and Bass, but Nana Bee had loved to talk, and there was no way she didn’t know about it. Besides, Nana Bee had made her promise to carry out one final wish in her last week of life that Ella wasn’t happy about having to carry out. Bass chuckled again, pulling Ella from her thoughts.
“I see you aren’t surprised.”
“No, Nana Bee told me what happened,” she admitted after only a moments hesitation. There was no use trying to hide the fact.
“What did shethinkhappened?” Bass asked. The humor was gone from his voice.
“She said Rafe believed you had an affair with his first wife. She was adamant you didn’t do that.”
He was silent for a few more heartbeats. “What doyouthink?” he finally asked.
She sighed. “I don’t know,” she told him honestly. Her opinion of him didn’t matter. She knew that, but she was curious. “Did you have an affair?”
He shook his head. “I’ve pieced together what really happened through the years, and I need to talk to Rafe about it. He won’t listen to me though. It might be one very tense year.”
“I don’t think there’s any way around a hard year,” Ella told him.
“I’m glad you spent time with Nana Bee. I didn’t come around much after the Sharron incident. Even though I didn’t sleep with her, I still felt guilty.”
“It doesn’t look good,” she told him.
“I know it doesn’t. Rafe might finally listen to me if we’re stuck together for a year though.”
“Maybe that’s what Nana Bee wanted. I don’t understand why she wanted me involved in the house project part of this though,” she said. She’d made her promise to Nana Bee, and maybe the meddling woman was ensuring she carried it out. She could’ve done that without helping with the property. Maybe not. Maybe she would’ve just run away. That sounded like a pretty great idea at the moment.
“I don’t think we’ll know until we’re finished. That was the way Nana Bee worked,” he replied. She loved seeing the adoration in his eyes. Ella didn’t think it was possible that anyone hadn’t loved Nana Bee. If they had, they were terrible people.
“Well, that helps a whole lot.” Her words were dripping with sarcasm. She couldn’t help herself. The entire situation sucked. There wasn’t a lot that could be done about it though, so it wasn’t going to do any of them any good to complain.
“I loved Nana Bee. She never gave up on me, and if this is her last wish, I’ll do it with a smile on my face. This isn’t about me; it’s about her,” Bass said.
That humbled Ella a lot. Her shoulders slumped.
“You’re a better person than I am. I’ll work on my attitude,” she told him.
He laughed. The two of them then sat quietly. After a little while he said goodbye, told her he’d be back the next day, and then quietly took his leave. Ella stayed right where she was. She didn’t want to leave yet. The house would be gone soon and that was a whole new tragedy in itself. She felt connected with Nana Bee while she was there, and she loved the quiet.
She wasn’t sure what would happen over the next year, but she knew she was where she was supposed to be for now. She couldn’t change what Rafe or Bass thought about the situation, but she could do her part. That was exactly what she was going to do. She was going to be a lot more positive about it as well. Nana Bee had faith in her. She needed to grant the same to the woman who’d never given up on her.
Chapter Five
Rafe Palazzo
If Rafe would’ve been asked a month earlier how his life was going, he would’ve said great. And he would’ve meant it. Sure, there was a hole there, but he couldn’t admit that to himself. He wasn’t a weak man and admitting he was missing someone would make him seem weak.
He slammed his foot down on the gas pedal and flew around the corners on the back road to his house he shared with his beautiful wife, Ari, and their three children. A man couldn’t be more blessed than what he was.
His father and mother were thriving, happy, and still very much in love. He had his wonderful wife and precious children. He loved his sisters and their husbands, even if he hadn’t thought any of them were good enough for his siblings in the beginning . . . not even a king . . . especially not a king. He reluctantly admitted now that King Adriane was a great man who loved his wife and kids.
Of course Rafe loved Shane, his best friend who’d also married Lia. Any man who could put up with his feisty sister was a saint. Plus, Shane and his sister had given him two more nieces. Still, one person was missing. He tried not to think about Bass, tried to purge him from his mind.
Rafe slammed his hand against the steering wheel as he drove up to the gate at his home and entered the code. It opened and he moved slowly down the mile-long driveway. Bass had done the unforgiveable. He had altered Rafe’s life more than any other person. The man he’d considered his best friend had slept with his first wife.
