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Well. He wasn’t exactly supportive, was he?
“Gee, thanks. I appreciate that. Way to be a good friend, Ferg.”
“You’re the one who wants to get involved in things that aren’t yours to get involved in.”
I sighed. He was right, of course. It wasn’t my business, but it was already well-established that I was very good at being in other people’s business.
At least my nosiness hadn’t killed anyone yet.
“Stop making sense,” I said. “If you keep telling me all the ways I’m doing this wrong, then I’m going to not want to do it anymore.”
“I fail to see how that’s a bad thing. Nothing good will come of this, Dahlia. It’s one thing to fuck a Fox—it’s another thing to put your nose in their business.”
“Then maybe Mr. Fox should have kept his nose out of my business and kept his son out of my bar. When you think about it, it’s really all his fault.”
“Boy. You could justify a bath to a shelter full of cats, couldn’t you?”
“Yes. Yes, I could, and then I’d make someone else bathe them, because I’m not that much of an idiot.”
“Suddenly, the reason for me having to call Perrie once I’d located her makes sense.”
I smiled slowly and sweetly. He stared at me for a moment, but he couldn’t keep it up for a long, and after a few seconds, dropped the act. His frown was replaced with a grin.
We took the rest of the ride in silence. Thankfully, traffic worked in our favor for the most part, so we arrived a few minutes early. This pleased Fergus—it meant he could do the thing he wanted most.
Steer me into a booth in the back of the bar with a drink so he could wait for Perrie. And that’s exactly what he did, except my drink was water.
If alcohol went in my mouth, I knew I’d throw up.
I felt sick. The bile stung my throat, but the worst part was that it tasted like regret. This had all seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I was here, I had no idea what I would say to her.
Would she even speak to me? I wouldn’t speak to me. I’d think I was an idiot who needed to be slapped in the face.
I was making a horrible mistake.
Fergus was right. This wasn’t my business. I had it wrong. What if Perrie really didn’t want to have a relationship with her brother? I wouldn’t—I didn’t—blame her. But a part of me wonders if Damien ever meant it, or if he said it because he had to.
Because of their father.
There was one thing that linked all the shitty things together, and they all began and ended with Benedict Fox.
I pulled my phone from my purse and laid it on the table. Aimlessly scrolling a news app was the only way I would be able to get myself through the next few minutes until I came face to face with Perrie.
I was stuffed in the corner of the bar. There was no exit.
Sadly.
If there was, I’d have been out of here like my ass was on fire.
A few more minutes of mindless scrolling on my phone passed in silence. Hesitant laughter growing closer tightened my stomach with nerves. I didn’t dare look up—I would only be looking at a stupid idea, and if I wanted to do that, a mirror was the preferable option.
“Dahlia?” Fergus touched my shoulder.
Damn it.
With a smile, I turned to him.
“Dahlia, this is Perrie. Perrie, Dahlia.” He waved his hand awkwardly between us and stepped aside.
I stood to give the woman in front of me my full attention.
Thirty
Dahlia
She was Damien’s opposite in everything but the eyes. Her blonde hair was light and cut just beneath shoulder length. The cut flattered her gentle features, and the color was just warm enough that it didn’t look strange against her pale skin.
Her lips were lined with a matte pink, and they pursed as her dark, brown eyes danced over my face, examining me the way I was her.
“Dahlia. It’s lovely to meet you,” she said in a soft, lilting voice, offering me her hand.
I took it. “You, too.” My smile held more than a hint of tentativeness, but she didn’t smile at all.
Her lips stayed pursed, even as she sat down.
I didn’t miss the dark glare she shot at Fergus.
He stood at the side of the table awkwardly as I returned to my seat, and then, after a moment of us both looking at him, clapped his hands. “Bye, now.”
With those words, he disappeared. Quickly.
“You want to talk about my brother.” Perrie cut right to the chase, folding her hands on the table in front of him.
“I’m sorry for the deception.”
“Fergus already assured me it was all his doing.” Her lips finally budged into something that was almost a smile. “If he hasn’t changed in the past few years, I have no reason to doubt it.”
