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"I might come back to this if her parents kick her out and disinherit her." To be honest, I was surprised that it hadn't come to that yet. But that was another subject.
"Sounds like there's more interesting information there. Are you going to fill me in, or do I have to wait until it's actually the case?"
So I slumped back in my chair. "Audrey should marry the preferred heir to her father's companies because Matthew has no plans to appoint a woman to the board. To him, she's a pawn to be moved around the field as he pleases. It was a minor miracle that he finally allowed her to go to work instead of sitting around the mansion all day doing nothing. The wedding didn't happen, which means she disappointed him. And because it won't happen in the future, Matthew may doubt her value. In fact, depending on how things develop and what other information comes to light, I think it's very likely that he'll throw her out and never speak to her again."
Kaden stared at me. "That doesn't sound like a family you want to be a part of."
"On the contrary. It sounds like one I would have broken out of as soon as possible if I were her."
"Except we both know how difficult the family issue can be. Let's hope for the best. But if it should be necessary the hotel always has enough room."
* * *
There wereone or two bookstores on the island, but none of them looked as if they were from the century before last– along with the old-fashioned charm that one actually looks for in vain in a metropolis like Honolulu. It was not my first visit here, but certainly the first to see Audrey. My company purchased all of its books and other media from this store, and had done so from the moment I learned she worked here.
I had never openly communicated this because it seemed like an odd choice to the outside world, but someone had to signal some support to Audrey when the rest of her family didn't.
As I opened the door, a soft ringing sounded above my head. The smell of freshly printed paper and coffee hit me, mixed with the memory of times past, as the back of the store was used as an antiquarian bookstore.
My eyes slid to the counter, behind which stood a small woman with short hair who smiled kindly at me. Instead of asking her about Audrey, I disappeared between the shelves and looked around. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed her shimmering strawberry blonde head. She was kneeling on the floor, in the middle of a stack of books she was either sorting through or taking out to check something.
I crossed my arms and leaned against the shelf behind her before clearing my throat. As much as I liked the view of her back, I wanted to see her face– so I could decide if she was okay or hiding from me because she didn't want to admit that her life had turned into pure chaos within a few days.
A little startled, she whirled around and as soon as she saw me, some of the color drained from her face. "Lei," she groaned, leaning back on her heels instead of standing up and facing me.
"Is there a reason you fell off the face of the earth?" Straight to the reason for my appearance– I probably wouldn't have been able to stand anything else.
With a sigh, she straightened up and told me to follow her. Within a few steps we were in a separate area, the warehouse. Crates were stacked against the walls.
"If you want to know the truth... I don't know where my head is anymore. And I don't want to get you any deeper into this than I already have. I don't think that would be fair to you, because it's not your problem." Her posture betrayed that she very much believed she had to deal with the whole mess on her own. Without help.
Over her shoulder I looked at the wall. Until my eyes slid down. At the gym bag and the cardboard box labeledair mattress.
"When did he kick you out?" I asked, without addressing her actual statement.
So my instincts had not been completely wrong. Matthew just couldn't get over himself and had thrown his only child out. Over something he didn't even understand.
Audrey rolled her eyes. "It's not that bad. Honestly."
"When?"
"Right after I got back. After the talk. Because the wedding had been called off, because I had disappeared for a whole day and not returned his calls, and because I had told him that Alexander was not capable of giving me what I wanted and needed. He said that sometimes you have to make sacrifices and do without. And then he said I shouldn't live at home for a while because it would just upset him to see me." While Audrey was really excellent at hiding what was going on inside her, if she was going to credibly assure me that none of this bothered her, she was failing miserably.
"Why didn't you call? Do you think I'm going to let you sleep in this warehouse? That's not even an option."
"If I wanted to move to a hotel, I would, Lei."
I looked at her irritated. "We are friends. You might as well stay with me."
Audrey shook her head, which only raised more questions. She was able to call me when she was left at the altar, but not when her father kicked her out?
"You think this is a bad idea because of the one night we spent together? I can assure you that I won't put any conditions on your stay with me."
Snorting, she turned away. "I know you wouldn't. That's the point."
"I'm not sure I understand what you're getting at."
I would have liked to make her look my way again. To turn to me so I could see what was going on inside her.
