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Eric’s hands rose from his sides before falling down again. “Tessa… Why?”
“I needed to do my part. For the family.”
“Your part? You do your part every day. We run this business together. You don’t just go off making your own plans and deals, Tessa!”
“You do.”
Eric’s head jerked back as if she’d slapped him. “You know that’s not fair. And it doesn’t change the fact that you’re still lying to me. Nothing changes that.”
Tessa couldn’t move, she couldn’t breathe; she just stared at Eric and wondered how she’d made such a mess of things. “I’m sorry,” she whispered so quietly even she could barely hear it. “I just wanted to make it better.”
A sharp knock drew everyone’s eyes to the door. Luke stood there, sunglasses on and face hard as granite. “Is everything okay here?”
“Everything’s fine,” Eric snapped. “Do you have news?”
“Not yet.”
“All right. I’m done here. Jamie, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Luke stepped inside so that Eric could leave, and Tessa just watched him go, her muscles too dull to work. Jamie moved for the door, too.
“I’ve got to get back to the bar, sis. We’ll talk more later, all right?”
She let him go, because what could she do? The harder she tried to hold, the weaker she got. She blinked and found herself staring up at Luke. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to talk. And to…” He gestured and Tessa realized for the first time that he was holding a bouquet of yellow tulips. “I’m sorry.”
“You should’ve warned me.”
“I’m sorry, but there was no way to hide the information from Eric, even if I’d warned you.”
Tessa’s mind buzzed with all the ways he was wrong. All the ways she could have prepared for this and made things better, but she didn’t have the heart to argue with him.
“I overheard part of your conversation,” Luke said. “You didn’t tell me that you were planning on footing the bill for part of the contract.” She shrugged.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.”
“Why not? You’re obviously upset. Talk to me.”
“Why would I? I don’t trust you.”
That seemed to end his conciliatory attitude, and Tessa was grateful. She didn’t want him apologizing and playing nice. She was hurt and angry and overwhelmed. She wanted to yell and scream.
“You don’t trust me?” he said.
“No, I don’t. You lied to me.”
He smiled, but the twist of his lips was bitter. “You have got to be kidding me.”
Tessa’s anger turned to self-righteous clarity. She could see now what Jamie had been trying to tell her. She’d been looking so hard at Luke she hadn’t been able to see the people around him. “You and Simone—”
“Oh, Jesus Christ, you’re bringing that up again?”
“Why does everyone think you must be the father? Why, Luke? It doesn’t make any sense!”
He was good at hiding his emotions. He had to be with what he did every day. But for one split second, Tessa saw guilt flash over his face. “You bastard,” she growled. “You did sleep with her.”
