Divided Interests

by Kelly Elliott

  “What are you doing here? Planning a date?” Lucas asked, focusing back on Milo, who shot me a smile that said he wanted to have some fun with Lucas. I was down for that. Milo and Lucas had stayed pretty close, according to Jen.

  “Just helping a friend out. I’ll give you a call later, Paige,” Milo said.

  With a wink, I replied, “Thanks, Milo. I appreciate it. Remember, any free night you want to hang out, I’m here.”

  Lucas and I watched as Milo walked down the old gravel sidewalk to his truck. Behind his truck was a Lexus. Of course; a Lexus to go with the khaki pants and dress shoes.

  Once he drove off, awkwardness settled in. I realized I was alone with Lucas. I looked back at the car like a coward, too afraid of my reaction to him. “Where’s your girlfriend?”

  “Bianca is at the bed and breakfast.”

  Milo’s words about her being a screamer came back, and I hated my jealousy. The idea that she got to be with Lucas was maddening. And that pissed me off. I needed to find a guy to help release some of this built-up sexual energy. It had been a long time and being in Lucas’s presence wasn’t helping the situation out at all.

  Moving my gaze back to Lucas, I found that he was staring at me.

  “How much to buy you out?” I finally asked.

  Lucas laughed as he walked up the steps. I tried not to let my eyes linger on how his muscular body moved. His stupid khaki pants showcased his thighs. And then there was his chest. Lord, it was as broad and muscular as when he was younger. No, scratch that. He had more muscles. It was official. I truly disliked Bianca.

  He walked past me and into the house. His cologne infiltrated my nose. I was pretty sure I moaned a little. It was the same stuff he wore in high school. Damn him. I didn’t know why, but it made me happy to know Bianca hadn’t changed that about him.

  “What makes you think I’m selling my half to you?” he asked.

  I shut the door and followed him in, my eyes landing on his perfect ass.

  Jesus, Paige. Stop checking him out.

  It was definitely time for me to get laid.

  “You don’t want this place, Lucas. When was the last time you were even here?”

  He turned and looked at me, a fire in his eyes. “So, you came and helped Granddad decorate a tree, and called him, and that makes you worthy of this house?”

  My brows rose in shock. Was that a hint of something in his voice? Jealousy or anger that I made time for his grandfather when he didn’t?

  “I was here a few months ago,” he said. “Granddad happened to mention you visiting last Christmas. Trying to make sure you kept a hand in things, Paige, for the big payout one day?”

  His words cut deep, and I knew he didn’t truly mean them. Nonetheless, it hurt. “Lucas, I want to be angry with you right now, but you’ve always known how much I loved this house, and more importantly, William.”

  He actually looked guilty for a moment, then it was gone in a flash.

  “I tried to buy this house from William a few years back, but maybe you don’t know that since you rarely came to visit,” I stated, wanting to hurt him like he’d hurt me.

  He laughed. “Yeah, I remember that. For next to nothing.”

  My mouth dropped open. “Excuse me, I offered him fair market value, which I’ll do the same for you. Dickwad.”

  That last part I mumbled under my breath.

  “What did you just call me?” Lucas asked, taking a few steps toward me. I didn’t move back. If he thought he was going to intimidate me, he had another thing coming.

  “Obviously you heard it, so why repeat it? Unless you enjoy being called names.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I’m here to buy you out.”

  A strangled chuckle came from my throat. “Ha. No. I’m not selling. Especially after the letter I got from William.”

  That piqued his interest. “What did your letter say?”

  I put on my best pout. “What’s wrong? Are you afraid my letter is better than yours?”

  Lucas smirked. “I got a letter. I haven’t read it yet.”

  “What?” I said, positive my shock was clear on my face. “Lucas, when did you get it?”

  “Earlier today. Lou gave it to me when I went to his office. I wanted to read it here, in his study.”

  A small part of my cold heart melted because I totally got it. I had done the same thing. After Lou had given me the key, I came to the house and into the study where I sat at William’s desk and read his letter, knowing that he’d written it while sitting at this very desk.

  I allowed the corners of my mouth to lift slightly. “I did the same thing.”

  His eyes snapped to meet mine. We stared at one another for longer than we should have before Lucas turned and walked down the hall and turned into his grandfather’s study. I jumped when I heard the door slam. What the hell was that about?

  I made my way to the kitchen and poured two glasses of tea. I wondered if Lucas still drank tea. I placed them on a tray with a few cookies I had bought at the grocery store in town, and after a few minutes, I walked to the study. I figured it had been enough time for him to read through his letter. Ever the proper hostess, something my mother had taught me to be, I went to the door and knocked lightly before opening it.

  When I walked into the study, I stopped. Lucas had his face buried in his hands, elbows rested on the desk. I went to leave, but his voice stopped me.

  “Wait. Don’t go.”

  I swallowed hard and readied myself. If Lucas was crying, I couldn’t play hardball. No matter how angry or hurt I still was. The sight of him crying would make me crumble.

  When I moved closer, he looked up at me, and I frowned. He wasn’t crying. Hell, he didn’t even look upset. He looked…terrible. He had dark circles around his bloodshot eyes. Maybe he had been crying before I got in here.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “I’m tired.”

  I set the tray down and handed him one of the teas. A part of me wanted to be sympathetic, but the girl who was still reeling over my broken heart wanted to be a bitch. It was an internal battle, and I wasn’t honestly sure who would win. Oh hell, I knew who would win so I let her come out to play.

  Bitch, it was.

  “Right, I heard something about your travel problems from your momma. Something about a lost passport or some nonsense. For as much as y’all travel, I was surprised that you’d misplace a passport.” That’s right. I had put stress on those words, to get my point across.

  Lucas shot me a dirty look, and I smiled politely in reply. Okay, it was a cheap shot with a bit of jealous on the side, but what the hell.

  “So. What do we do? How do we resolve this problem?” I asked, taking a seat, then picking up my tea.

  Lucas sat back in the chair and rubbed his neck. “What did your letter say?”

  “What did your letter say?” I asked with a smug grin.

  “I asked you first.”

  “Well, I’m the one who showed up to the house first, so I win.”

  He leaned forward, a pinched expression on his face. “You win?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I win.”

  “What the fuck is the game we’re playing, Paige? Where someone wins and someone loses?”

  “The who-got-to-the-house-first game, Lucas. That counts for something. I care more about this house than you do.”

  He scoffed. “What makes you think that?”

  “If I sell my portion to you, are you moving in?”

  “No, don’t be ridiculous. I’m selling it.”

  I nearly choked on my own tongue. “Selling it?”

  “Yes. Selling it. I’ve already got an idea of what to do with it.”

  My voice was gone. Lost. I couldn’t have made a sound if I had wanted to, and believe me, I wanted to.

  After a few moments, my mouth moved, and words finally came out. “Lucas, why in the world would you want to sell this house to anyone other than me? To someone who wouldn’t cherish this pl
ace and would only see it as a moneymaker?”

  I saw the conflict in his eyes. There was no way he would sell, or would he?

  “Because, Paige. There is nothing here for me.”

  “The memories. All the amazing times we had in this house. You had in this house. This house meant something to your grandfather, Lucas.”

  For a moment, he looked like he was going to smile. “None of that matters anymore. Granddad isn’t here, and the dreams I once had for this house died a long time ago, so I have nothing of interest here anymore.”

  I looked down at my tea. Once upon a time, Lucas had said we would get married here. Raise a family in this house. Make it our home. Then Lucas changed his mind about how he felt about me—and used my choice of college as an excuse to break up. It still made me feel sick to my stomach.

  Before I could stop the words, I whispered, “I didn’t want to lose that dream either, Lucas. I was simply asking you to put it on hold. You walked away from it.”

  He stared at me for the longest time. Both of us realizing we shared the same loss. His eyes looked as if he wanted to say something, but when he opened his mouth, the moment was gone.

  “Bianca doesn’t like the country. Even if I kept my half of this place, I’d never be here.”

  “Thank, God,” I mumbled. Okay, the inner bitch was back. The idea of that woman sharing a house with me made me want to gag.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  I shrugged. “Rumor has it she’s a screamer. And sound carries in the country. Might be awkward with me living here. Don’t you think?”

  “You can’t live here, Paige. You live in Austin. You work in Austin. Are you really going to make that drive every day?”

  I took a slow, deep breath and exhaled just as slowly. I could tell he was waiting for my response.

  “First off, Lucas. I can do whatever the fuck I want to do.”

  “Nice language.”

  “Thanks. Second, dickhead, if it’s any of your business. I quit my job and moved into the house this morning.”

  He coughed and hit his chest. “Wait, you did what?”

  “Which part of that are you asking me about? The job or the house?”

  He grunted. “You quit your job and moved into the house already?”

  “Yes. And yes.” I took another sip of tea and watched as his face grew redder by the second.

  “You moved in. To the house. This is still my house.”

  “Half of it is, and half is mine. I left you the main master downstairs that was William’s room. I took the guest room with the bathroom upstairs. I always did like being on top.”

  He stared in disbelief as I snapped my mouth shut. I wanted to punch myself for making that sound so sexual. What in the hell is the matter with me?

  “I mean, I always liked the bedroom upstairs. That bedroom. That particular bedroom. Not that I want to be upstairs all the time, of course. The kitchen and everything is down here, so that would be ridiculous.”

  The corners of his mouth twitched ever so slightly. “Are you done yet?”

  I pressed my mouth into a tight line. Lucas looked at his tea, and I could tell he was fighting a smile.

  Then he let out a long sigh. “You need to just sell me your half, Paige.”

  “No, you need to sell me yours.”

  “I’m not selling you mine,” he stated.

  “I’m not selling you mine.”

  With a frustrated groan, he stood. “Then what the fuck are we going to do because I can’t own a house with you.”

  “Then let me buy you out.”

  “No!”

  I gave him a half shrug as I remained seated. “Then it looks like you own half a house and twenty-five acres of land. Oh wait, I know what we can do!”

  His eyes lit up. “What, do you have an idea?”

  “Yes! I’ll take the house and ten acres of the land and you can keep the rest and sell it to whoever the hell you want.”

  I could practically see the steam coming from his ears. “I want it all.”

  I lifted a brow and smirked. “I see some things never change.”

  I stood and took the tray. Turning away, I made my way to the door.

  “Still walking away from me. You certainly have that down, don’t you?”

  Stopping, I slowly turned back. “I wasn’t the one who walked away, or did you forget that, Lucas?”

  He looked as if he might be sorry for his decision all those years ago, then a cold expression moved over his face. “And look how well we’ve done for ourselves, all the places we’ve seen?”

  I didn’t want that jab to make me feel the way it did. A part of me wasn’t even sure how I felt. Sad, angry, jealous? It all mixed together in one flash.

  “Fuck you, Lucas.”

  He smirked. “You wish you could.”

  I forced a smile. “Why would I wish that when I’ve got Milo?”

  Lucas’s smug expression instantly faded, and I walked out of the room without another glance.

  Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

  What had I done? Milo was going to kill me for dragging him into this. Maybe, if I was lucky, he’d be in the mood for a bit of fun.

  Who was I kidding? He’d add this inconvenience onto the bill for painting the house, and I had a feeling the price of that upgrade was going to be a steep one.

  Lucas

  I DIDN’T WANT to admit how hard her words hit me, sending pain through my chest. Even though I had thrown out hurtful words at her, I hadn’t expected her to toss them back. I sat down at the desk and scrubbed my hands over my face. Seeing Paige had thrown me into a swarm of emotions. She was so goddamn beautiful, even more so now, and it took everything I had not to show any sort of reaction. When she was about to hug Milo, I nearly bolted up the steps to beat the shit out of him. I had no right, none whatsoever.

  I groaned—I couldn’t get that moment out of my head. I pulled out my phone and hit Milo’s phone number to type a text.

  Me: Are you sleeping with Paige?

  His reply was instant.

  Milo: Are you high or something?

  Then another text came through.

  Milo: Dude, why do you care? You’re with Bianca.

  That response bothered me more than I wanted to admit.

  Me: I don’t care.

  Milo: Good, then it’s none of your business. When are you leaving? Bunch of us guys are going out for beer tonight. Guys’ night out. You in?

  Staring at his text, I got even more pissed off. What did he mean it was none of my business? Paige was mine; that made her my business.

  I scrubbed my hands down my face as I realized what I had just thought. Paige wasn’t mine. She hadn’t been since we were almost nineteen years old. When I had made the biggest freaking mistake of my life. After I had broken up with her, I spent nearly two years alone, only hooking up a few times for meaningless sex. By the time Bianca came into my life I was so fucking numb I wondered if my heart could feel anything for anyone other than the woman I now owned half a damn house with.

  “Fuck.”

  This woman was going to drive me mad. Moving around the desk, I made my way through the house until I found Paige. She was looking at her phone, probably telling Milo to play along with her bullshit game.

  “What are you doing?”

  She jumped and screamed. I didn’t bother to hide my smile.

  “For fuck’s sake, you jerk! You scared the piss out of me.”

  “Wow, your mouth has gotten colorful these last few years. Who are you texting?”

  Paige looked at me like I was insane. I was pretty sure I was on my way there where she was concerned.

  “I’m not texting anyone, if it’s any of your business. I’m looking at fabric samples for curtains.”

  When she flipped the phone over to show off the fabric, I instantly smelled my grandmother’s oatmeal cookies.

  “Those look like the curtains grandma had in here.”

  She
smiled. “Yeah, I know. I’ve been looking everywhere for this fabric. I’m going to order it and make some curtains.”

  “You’re making the curtains?” I asked with a laugh.

  Paige almost looked hurt, and I hated myself for it. Like I hadn’t already hurt her enough and had to keep taking jabs.

  “Why? Do you think I’m incapable of making curtains?”

  With a shrug, I answered honestly. “I don’t know what you’re capable of anymore.”

  She swallowed hard and looked back at her phone. I was an asshole. Yep. Grade-A fucking asshole.

  I shrugged off my dickhead behavior and went for brute honesty. “Are you dating Milo?”

  Her eyes met mine. “No.”

  “So you’re just randomly going to hook up with him for sex?”

  Something in her eyes changed. “Maybe,” she said evenly.

  “You can’t. He’s my best friend, and you’re not that type of girl, Paige.”

  Her eyes widened, not from shock but anger. I took a step back as she moved closer to me.

  “You don’t know what kind of woman I am, and by your own admission only moments ago, you don’t know what I’m capable of, Lucas.”

  My eyes roamed openly down her body. Yeah, Paige wasn’t a girl anymore. Fuck me, she still had a body that would make any guy’s cock come to attention, and I remembered feeling that way many times when we were dating. She had an incredible body in high school, but now she was all womanly curves. Curves that would bring a man to his knees. Paige had the kind of body guys broke their necks to get a second look at. In a word, perfect.

  And I was a total bastard.

  You have a girlfriend, you asshole.

  I looked back at her eyes, my face still neutral so she couldn’t see how my body reacted to hers. “You’re right, Paige. I don’t.”

  For moment, she looked like she might tear up. The urge to pull her into my arms was so strong that it instantly freaked me the hell out.

  She cleared her throat. “I’m going to put up new curtains on all the windows. I’m going to head to the storage unit to see what’s in there. I’m assuming you would want to sell all of the contents of that, but lucky me, that one is all mine.”

  “What storage unit?” I asked, drawing in my brows.