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Garreth shrugs. “So buy it.”
A disbelieving laugh skates up my throat. “Buy it? I don’t even know which fucking club she’s going to.”
Beckett runs his finger over the rim of his glass as he studies me. “So buy them all.”
God, we sound like a bunch of rich pricks. Which is exactly what we are. Beckett owns Boston’s baseball team. Gavin, hockey.
And my brother and me? Well, we aren’t exactly hurting for money.
I shake my head at the absurdity, and then I let Beckett’s words settle. Itisan option, I suppose. I have an inkling about which club she’ll go to—actually, I have a pretty fucking good idea—but on the off chance she chooses somewhere new, I’ve got to do my research about other clubs in the area. “Yeah, that could work.”
With one side of his mouth lifted slightly, almost like he’s smiling, Garreth leans back in his chair.
Moments like this—moments where I can all but see the wheels turning, feel him manipulating a situation—he reminds me of my father. But unlike my father, Garreth cares. He may not say it, but he shows it. He listens and he shows up. He’s British, so he’s not overly emotional. Hell, he’s damn near a robot. But his presence here tonight tells me all I need to know. I matter to him.
Beckett huffs out a laugh and forces his chin up. “Look who’s over there.”
I follow his gaze and spot Cash James sitting at a table with a beautiful woman. They’re deep in conversation. At first, I can only see her profile, but then she shifts, and her full face comes into view.
“Grace Kensington,” I mutter, almost as a curse.
“Didn’t you date her?” Garreth asks.
I laugh.Date.Whatever the fuck that means. Grace and I had a fling during undergrad that only lasted a few weeks. I bumped into her again when I was in my angry phase. I suppose I’m still in that phase almost thirteen years later, but at that time—maybe six months after I ghosted Cat—her grandfather told me that she was considering returning to Boston. She was going to give up her internship.
He and I both knew I had to keep Cat from coming back to the States. I had to give her a reason to avoid finding me. Because if she came anywhere near me, the men who’d put me into the coma would discover who she was to me. They’d use my one and only weakness against me. They’d use my love for her to force me to divulge information about where the funds went. Then they’d track it to Cat’s bank account, and she’d be their target.
So I did the only thing I could think of. I dated publicly. I made sure all the papers got wind of it. I made sure it looked like I was in love. Though it killed me, I flaunted it. So she’d think that if she came back to Boston, she’d be bombarded with news of my love life. That she’d risk running into me with another woman. I made sure to hurt her in a way that would keep her from looking for me again.
And Grace Kensington, formerly Grace Winters, was the woman I used to do that.
We’d ended things in college amicably, so when I asked her out again, she was open to it. I was up front with her about my state of mind. I was broken, and I had little to give. But she was kind and funny and a good friend at a time when I needed it the most.
Shortly after the magazine articles ran, I introduced her to the man she went on to marry. I’d always thought he was a good guy, but I’d recently heard he was having an affair.
And now it appears she’s on a date of her own—with Cat’s brother. Talk about a small world.
“I’m just going to say hi,” I say to the guys.
Before I can get too far, my brother grabs my arm. “Remember, Cassius James just sent over that bottle of whiskey. He’s made his point clear. He’s coming after our company. I know you want Cat, but that family—James Liquors—until Theo is healthy again and back on board with our deal, they’re the enemy, Jay. It’s us or them.”
I close my eyes in resignation and give a quick nod.
Just another role for me to play.
From: [email protected]
CC: All employees
July 1, 2022
Subject: New Procedure
Effective immediately, any charges for research purposes must be approved by me in advance. Please submit a formal request that includes the location of such research. I must sign off on the venue in advance.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Hanson
