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The words raced through her mind. Even after last night…
She spun away from him, clutching her stomach. “I’m going to be sick.”
Chapter Fourteen
They drove home in silence. Cal’s iron grip on the wheel the only thing keeping him from gesturing wildly, smacking the roof of the car and elbowing the seat. He was such an idiot. So blindly stupid, he didn’t even know where to begin in the tirade against himself.
He’d slept with Lara’s sister and his friend’s fiancé. He’d slept with Dette. What a fuck up.
And, damn it, what about Lara? In his heart, he knew she hadn’t tried to deceive him by luring him into bed. All of her resistance made sense now. But it didn’t change the fact that he felt like a horse’s ass. She’d betrayed him and willingly participated in betraying Adam. As reluctant as it might have been, it remained a fact. And he had no idea what that meant for them.
Pulling into the drive, he stopped the car. Neither moved. They sat in silence, until Lara turned to him, her eyes glistening. “Can I talk to Dette before you tell Adam?”
From what he could tell, Dette was a manipulator the likes of which he’d never seen before. After what he’d heard last night at the boathouse, he wasn’t giving her a chance to spin more bullshit. He owed it to Adam to tell him the truth. Maybe like the way Lara owed it to Dette to support her. Maybe.
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Lara. I can’t wait for you, I’ve got to do this.”
She nodded, despair filling her eyes. He wanted to pull her into his chest and hold her. Tell her everything was fine, that he didn’t want to see that sad look on her face ever again, but he had no idea what would happen after today. The fan was in position and he was standin
g by with a bucket of shit. It was a damn bad place to be.
The front door to the house opened and Dette sauntered out, hands on her hips. Cal looked over at Lara, she was as white as a sheet. “I’m going to talk to Adam. Dette is all yours.”
It was cruel to leave her like that, but Cal’s emotional reserves were tapped. He could barely see straight, everything had become so convoluted. He wished he’d never gotten on the plane to come out here.
Lara let out a slow steady breath. She opened the door and looked back at him, her eyes searching. All he could think about was that Paige had played him and now, he’d let Lara play him too. He had nothing to give her.
She reached out and touched his cheek, the heat of her hand so out of place in the midst of the cold conflict of his heart and mind. “That’s okay, Cal.” Her fingers slipped away and she stepped out of the car.
He watched as Dette began barking questions, then her face fell flat as Lara took her by the arm, leading her down the front stairs and around the back of the house.
“What’s wrong?” Dette asked, her expression bordering on victorious. “He threw you over just like I said he would, didn’t he?”
Typical Dette. Only now, Lara’s fantasies of wedding sabotage were the furthest thing from her mind. “No, not exactly. But I think it’s over anyway. Dette, I’m sorry. Cal knows about Vegas. We met Dale Edwards today and Cal figured it out from something he said.”
Lara waited for the reaction, wondering what her sister would do. But it was almost imperceptible. Only the smallest waver in her stance, a readjustment to her footing. “You met Dale?”
Lara’s brow furrowed. Nothing about Cal knowing? “Dale thought I was you. He got a little carried away.”
“He what?” she screeched, her eyes flashing fury, the flush of red beneath her skin permeating the layers of makeup.
This was jealousy pure and simple. Something not altogether uncommon coming from Dette. But in the context of an airport shuttle driver, and as compared to the information about Cal knowing the truth of their deception, Lara was confused. “Cal set him straight, but I think he’ll be fine.”
“Fine? Is…is he hurt?” The color drained from her face as quickly as it had gathered. Her words were barely more than a whisper as she fumbled with the phone she’d pulled from her slacks pocket, trying to dial. “Did Cal do something to him?”
“He’s got a shiner but he’s okay.” Lara shook her head. “Dette, Cal’s talking to Adam now.”
Dette stared at her, looked down at the phone as a man’s voice answered. Lara had never seen her sister so wracked with indecision.
Closing her eyes, Dette snapped the phone shut and straightened her shoulders. “Well, then I suppose we should go in and get this over with.”
Lara took a step back. “No, you need to talk to Adam yourself. He’s your fiancé.”
Dette grabbed her arm. “No, you’re in this with me. We are all going to sort it out together and get our stories straight.”
“You got a minute?” Cal stood in the doorway of the chart room, hands jammed into his pockets. Adam stood by the bar with two of his groomsmen, swirling a glass of amber liquid in his hand.
“Caleb, my best man. Dette is going to tan your hide for screwing with her schedule this morning. Have fun with Lara?”
