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Cat goes to interrupt, and Tessa holds up her hand. “Can you please just let me get through this?”
Cat finally relents with a nod and Tessa exhales. “She was going on about how she was going to destroy your brother. The press would know what a player he was. Cat, she was acting crazy.” With a roll of her eyes, Tessa tries to rein in her thoughts. “IthoughtI was helping. I thought she wasyourfriend.”
Cat seems to straighten at the accusation and then shrinks down again. “Yeah, me too.”
“I thought if I told herwhyGrace stayed away from Cash for so long, she would understand. I explained that your brothers were all screwed up over your father’s actions. I told her how Grace wanted to protect him from any bad press or any attention at all because he had enough on his plate. I never thought she would use what I told her to destroy your family or Grace. You have to believe me; if I thought for even a second that she would have done what she did…” Tessa stops and stares at her hands. “If I had a clue this would be the outcome, I never would have opened my mouth.” She raises her eyes to Cat. “I am so very sorry that your family has suffered because Carter trusted me. And I am so sorry that Grace has been the one to pay for my big mouth.”
I lean over and put my head on Tessa’s shoulder, and she leans her head down against mine in solidarity.
Our drinks arrive and Cat twirls the olives silently.
It appears I need my drink more than she needs to wear it, so I bite down on an olive and take a sip.
Shockingly, Cat says nothing. I’m not really sure what I expect her to say, but her claws always seem to be out, so this quieter version is a surprise.
“Listen,” I say, trying to redirect the conversation, “you and I obviously got off on the wrong foot.”
She tilts her head as if she’s listening but also kind of in a sarcastic manner, her forehead wrinkling as her eyebrows quirk up.
“I would really like to keep my word to Jonathan and help you. Or maybe we are just both helping Jonathan—I have no idea. But either way, if you can move on from the past now that you know there is no chance of your brother and I dating, we can work together. What do you say?”
She breathes in and sets her glass down. Shockingly, she puts out her hand. “Hello, Grace, my name is Cat James. It’s nice to meet you.”
Biting the side of my mouth, I hide a smile and take her hand. “It’s nice to meet you too. Now, if you were looking for a man, what exactly would you be looking for?”
