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He ran his hand down the wood softly, wishing it was her skin beneath his fingertips. “Yes, she is.”
“Come back in here, dear. There are a few things we need to discuss.”
He retraced his steps, slumping down on Nicole’s stool. “It’s late, Mum. I’m feeling awfully low right now.”
His mother slid the envelope in front of him. “Nicole gave you the deed to the cottage. She must care for you a great deal.”
“She used to, but I’m not certain of that anymore.”
She tapped the envelope with her fingernail. “Open this. Have a look at it, Colin. We need to make certain everything is legal.”
He shook his head. “I don’t care about the damn cottage, Mum,” he shouted, instantly contrite at the pained expression on her face. “I’m sorry. You don’t deserve to be yelled at when you’re only trying to help.”
Clarissa squeezed his arm. “Would you like me to tell you a story?” He cut his eyes to her, but she ignored him. “A year ago, your Nicole called my office, introducing herself to me. She wanted to apologize for any embarrassment those horrid pictures had caused your father and me. I assured her no one knew of our connection with you. She seemed satisfied.”
Reece was sitting up straight, staring at her.
“She then told me she couldn’t accept our money for keeping silent about the affair.”
“Did you try to blackmail her?”
“Of course not, dear. I had no idea what she was alluding to, but I did a bit of checking. I discovered your father and brother sent that check to her.” Her eyes blazed. “I was livid with them both for meddling in your life that way and decided a little payback was in order. I phoned Nicole straightaway, explaining my plan. I arranged the sale of the cottage to her as the buyer. She endorsed the check, cashed it, and wired the money back to me.”
His brow was furrowed as he glanced down at the envelope. “I’m not following you at all, Mum.”
“I gave the cottage to Nicole, dear. I told her to do with it what she wanted.” She picked up the envelope, pressing it to his chest. “Now break that official looking seal. See what’s inside.”
Reece was hesitant to know, but slit the seal, pulling the documents out, his eyes widening the longer he read. “She signed it over to me.”
“Keep reading, Colin.”
His gaze continued down the page. “It’s dated nearly a year ago. His mouth fell open. “The cottage has been mine for a year. She signed these . . . over . . . a . . . oh Mum, I’ve made a royal cock up of this, haven’t I?”
She shivered in distaste. “Language, dear, really.”
“Sorry, Mum.”
“And yes, you’ve made a complete arse of yourself. Nicole told me how much the cottage meant to you. She never tried to dupe you or steal from you.”
“And I accused her . . . she’s never lied to me about anything. I should’ve let her explain when she tried.”
Clarissa tilted her head. “Love isn’t always rational, darling.”
“What am I going to do?”
“I’ve scheduled a meeting tomorrow with everyone involved in this muddle. I’m positive we can work out a solution beneficial for all.”
“What am I going to do about Marcus?”
She patted his knee. “Leave that to me, darling.” She smiled. “I can’t believe she called him a freakin’ wanker. That girl has quite a vocabulary on her.”
Reece leaned his elbow against the bar, relaxing for the first time since this debacle began. When his mother got that look in her eyes, he knew to run and hide because she was about to do some damage. “Believe me, Mum, you haven’t heard anything yet.”
~ ~ ~
The rain was pouring down from the sky, but Nicole didn’t seem to care as she wended her way through the streets of London, flipping off drivers as they honked their horns at her for crossing the road at the wrong time. The downpour was hiding the tears in her eyes—tears of rage, desolation, and heartbreak.
What was she going to do? Was there anything she could do? Was there any way to fight against what had been done to her and her story?
