When the rain clouds finally dissolved and the watery sun poked its head over the landscape, I briefly considered returning to the patch of garden Ryder and I had been working on over the weekend. He’d set a fork in my hand and courageously let me loose under his watchful eye, educating me in the finer points of weeding and pruning. He’d winced at my clumsiness and generously pretended it didn’t matter when I lopped the wrong branch off his cherry tree, leaving the poor thing with a very cheap haircut. He’d stared speechlessly at it for a long moment, then dissolved into fits of laughter.
In the end, I decided against risking any more weeding. My inevitable mistakes could tip the scales in Ryder’s opinion of my relative worth. Instead, I decided to take one of Ryder’s landscaping books to the swimming hole and while away some time there. If the evening didn’t go as well as I hoped, I wanted one last look at that special place. Maybe the ghost dog might also show its face again. I hadn’t seen it in a week. Then again, maybe I really was losing my mind. I grabbed a towel and a book and headed out with Ziggy tagging along at my heels.
By three thirty, I was back in the cottage with my nerves starting to ramp up. Ryder had indicated he’d be home around five thirty, so I decided to get dinner ready ahead of time... just in case it all went to shit. By five, I’d overcooked the chickencacciatore and was trying to salvage the green bean salad after boiling the poor things into an unappetising shade of grey. My nails were bitten to the quick. I’d put my T-shirt on back to front after my shower. And since I’d forgotten to put the beer in the fridge that morning, I’d been forced to throw four in the freezer.
I was carrying plates and cutlery to the table when I heard a vehicle pull in out front. Ziggy immediately woke from his slumber and careered down the hall, barking his tiny little head off. Since it was more of an alert than a welcome, I frowned at the clock. Ten past five. It was a little early for Ryder, but it wouldn’t have been the first time.
I grabbed a tea towel and dried my hands. If it were Naomi or Will, both would need subtle redirection to leave. My conversation with Ryder was happening come hell or high water. The whole thing was doing my fucking head in.
At the sound of the doorbell, Naomi and Will zoomed to the top of the most likely list, and I headed down the hall, practising excuses in my head. At the front door, I nudged Ziggy aside with my foot, paused for a moment to calm myself, then opened the door.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
THADDEUS
Phillip’sbright hazel eyes looked me up and down, then he grinned and opened his hands. “Surpriiise.”
Surprise? Jesus fucking Christ.
Phillip was the last person I’d expected to find on the doorstep of the cottage. In truth, I’d hoped to avoideverhaving to face him again. And knowing Phillip, he’d been counting on that. Counting on my complete shock and distress at seeing him there. Handing him the advantage from the start.
Well, fuck him.
Playing for much-needed time while I kick-started my brain and calmed the thundering in my chest, I wrangled an excited Ziggy back inside the cottage and shut the door. Then, schooling my expression so as not to let Phillip see just how truly horrified I really was, I turned and slowly met his gaze for the first time since I’d learned what he and Judd had done.
I’d dreaded this moment. Been terrified of what it might mean. Felt embarrassed, ashamed, and clueless what to say. I could barely look at Phillip’s texts and emails without wanting tocry about what he’d done to our friendship. I’d run away, both physically and emotionally, rather than face him.
But that was then. With Phillip standing right in front of me, there was nowhere to run. And for the first time, I didn’t want to.
I thought about that fucking bulldozer. I thought about that truck driver and the thrill of the moment when I’d pushed back.
In the blink of an eye, I thought about it all.
I straightened my spine and squared my shoulders. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
Phillip held up his phone. “You didn’t switch off your location sharing.”
Shit.It hadn’t even occurred to me. We’d shared each other’s location for years, partly for safety if we were looking for a hook-up, but also as a backup security measure when we became business partners. We’d been best friends, after all. When I started dating Judd and things got serious, I forgot all about the app. I hadn’t used it in years.
I pulled out my phone and made a point of shutting it off in front of him. My attention lingered on the screen for a second, then I looked up. “You turned yours off, I see.”
He shrugged, his cheeks colouring slightly. “Yeah. A while ago.”
I didn’t need to ask why. “What are you doing here, Phillip?”
He waved a set of papers clutched in his hand and snapped, “What the hell is all this? You haven’t even talked to me.”
I leaned against the doorjamb, aiming for nonchalant and likely missing by a mile. “I see you received the buyout offer from my lawyer.”
Phillip glared. “You know damn well I don’t have this kind of money.”
“Really?” I feigned surprise. Phillip had never been good with money. The flashy Porsche and the ridiculous way-too-big house with its heated pool and stunning view over Wellingtonharbour paid testament to that. “We’ve had an equal share of the company’s profits for three years, Phillip. I know exactly how much I’ve earned, so where did yours go?”
Like I didn’t know.
I continued, “You’ll need a loan, of course, just like I would if the situation were reversed. But it should be completely doable.” I paused for effect. “And you damn well know that the company is a steal at that price. On the open market, I could sell for a lot more.” I watched his jaw working as he fought to keep his temper. I had him over a barrel, and he knew it. My confidence rose, and for the first time, I allowed myself to truly feel how fucking angry I was.
“It’s an arsehole move, regardless,” Phillip finally ground out. “We built this company together, Thad.”
