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??At least think about it? Don’t dismiss it out of hand.”
He’d just told her he’d make her life a living hell, and she was okay with that? Well, if that’s what she wanted, and she was okay with hating him, then what the hell ever. It didn’t matter anymore because the only woman he’d ever loved walked out of his life the second he lost his cash.
“Want a drink?” he asked, wiggling the bottle.
“With you?” She nodded and pressed against him. “Yes.”
He poured a glass, handing it off. Saluting her, he said, “To a world without love and pain.”
And then he took another shot.
Chapter Sixteen
After telling the cab driver to wait outside the office building, Maggie made her way back up to Benjamin’s office. He’d been on edge before she’d even told him her news, and it had freaked her out. He’d been harsh. Angry. Different. Scary, even.
So she hadn’t really felt like opening up to him and telling him about her parent’s financial issues. But now that she’d had time to think rationally, maybe she should have been a little bit more open. If nothing else, she should have demanded he tell her what he’d meant when he mentioned his mother.
His mother had been in there with him. She’d obviously upset him, and then Maggie leaving without explaining why had probably put him over the edge. It didn’t give him a reason to be such a jerk, but he didn’t handle that kind of stress well. And had trouble with his emotions.
She needed to find out what had really gone on back in his office.
Give him a chance to explain.
Over the time they’d spent together, he had come to mean a lot to her, and she needed to tell him that her leaving had nothing to do with him. Her family was actually losing their farm. The one constant in her life was going away, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She couldn’t help them. But she had to go home and try anyway.
There was already an investor interested in purchasing the land for development, and her parents had been urged to accept. So they were. Already. Everything was happening so fast, and she needed to pack up her old room, say good-bye to her childhood home and look for a new one, and—
It hurt. It hurt so much.
But despite all that, he deserved an explanation on why she’d cut out on him like that. The elevator doors opened, and she stepped into the office, pressing her thumb against the back of the ring he had given her. She would have to take it off and return it. No matter what he’d said on that first date, she couldn’t keep it.
It wouldn’t be right.
Everyone else was gone, but he’d still be there working, like usual. She walked up to his door, reached out for the knob—and froze, because he wasn’t alone.
Elizabeth, his ex, was with him.
An empty bottle of scotch lay on the table, tipped over on its side, and Benjamin sat in the same chair he had when they’d had their first “date.” He’d taken his suit jacket off and loosened his collar, while Elizabeth paced in front of him, talking animatedly.
He watched her through hooded lids.
The other woman stopped in front of him and knelt between his legs, resting her greedy little hands on his thighs. He didn’t move away. Elizabeth said a few more words, he nodded, and she rose on her knees, pressing her mouth to his.
“No.” Pain pierced through Maggie, and she swallowed back a cry, pressing a hand over her mouth. He’d obviously moved on. “No.”
“Charming, isn’t it?” someone said behind her. She recognized that voice. And hated it. “They found one another again.”
Maggie stiffened. “Let me guess. You gave him a little push after I left?”
“That’s what mothers do, isn’t it?” Mrs. Gale asked, smirking. “Guide our children into making the right choices. We’ll stop at nothing to ensure they reach their full potential, and I assure you, I’m more determined than most mothers.”
She turned her back on whatever was going on inside Benjamin’s office, refusing to look again. She’d seen enough. “I’m glad you got what you wanted, Helen. I just hope he does, too.”
“Don’t worry, he’ll be just fine. He’s missed her ever since she left him. He loved her,” she added, pouring salt on the wounds she’d ripped into Maggie. “Always has, ever since they were children. You can’t compete with something like that.”
“I thought he left her,” she said.
“Is that what he told you?” The older woman laughed. “And you believed him? Have you seen her?”
