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She took a step toward the door.
“Hold on.” He hadn’t been prepared for the heartfelt apology and needed a few minutes to process everything she’d told him. “Please sit.”
He pulled out the wooden chair at the small kitchen table, and her gaze darted to the door, like she’d rather leave.
“Please,” he said again.
She sat under a bright light on a hard chair, her back rigid. Might as well have been an interrogation room.
He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a half-full bottle of wine. “You want a glass? I keep this for my mother. Looks like you could use a drink, though.”
Crystal sighed. “Yeah, why not?”
He filled the only wine glass he owned and picked up his beer. “Let’s sit over there.” He gestured to the loveseat. “It’s more comfortable.”
She hesitated, but stood and followed him, taking the glass.
“Thank you.”
When they sat, her leg pressed against his, and warmth spread up his thigh. He shifted to make more space, when all he really wanted was to move closer. And that bothered him. “Helluva day.”
“Tell me about it.” She tipped the glass and took a swallow.
He glanced at her whistle. “It’s my turn to apologize.”
“For what?”
“Scaring you about bears. Isn’t that why you’ve been blowing a whistle and climbed the tree?”
“Well, yes. You told me that’s what people feared the most, and Angie said one had been spotted in South Carolina. I read the sound of a whistle scares them.”
Guilt clawed at his jugular, along with annoyance that the troubled teen had added fuel to the fire. Her parents were regulars, and he’d seen their interactions with Angie over thelast two years. She needed help, but that was beside the point right now.
He took another pull of beer and set the can on a tackle box that doubled as a side table. “That bear sighting was up in the mountains. It’s rare to see any in this area. I’m sorry for misleading you about them.”
Crystal sipped more wine and shook her head. “So you were trying to scare us off?”
“Yeah, and I thought it worked. I was shocked when you came back.”
“I didn’t really have much choice.” She traced a finger down the side of the wineglass.
“Why?”
He studied her face as she drew her mouth to one side like she was deciding whether to say anymore.
At last, she turned to him. “I’m out of money. Close to bankrupt.”
And just like that, she’d shared something embarrassing withhim.
He hadn’t seen that coming. Figured she had a ton of money andCelebrity Trialswas a publicity gig. It made more sense if she needed the show, because she sure as hell wasn’t enjoying camping. What had happened to all her money?
“It’s my fault.” She shrugged. “I trusted people. As a child star, I wasn’t legally allowed to make money decisions. I never paid attention to my finances. I’ve always had other people managing the funds.”
“Did they make bad investments for you?” he asked.
Crystal snorted. “If only. No, my mother blew all my earnings. I didn’t know it until my credit card was declined, and I started getting overdue notices. By then, it was too late. I should have taken her name off everything long ago, or at least checked my balances.”
Holy shit, her own mother? His heart wrenched at the betrayal Crystal must have felt. He pushed to his feet and paced the room, needing to burn off the fury he had for such a despicable parent. “Unbelievable.”
