by Claire Adams
“How very gentlemanly of you,” he said, and I could detect the extreme sarcasm under his dry tone.
I rolled my eyes. “What’s my schedule look like for the rest of the evening?”
“The evening is over,” he pointed out. “It’s almost eight o’clock.”
“Fuck,” I said. “Seriously?”
“Yes,” he nodded. “You’ve had back-to-back meetings since five.”
“No wonder I feel so drained.”
“There was no reason you needed to have all those meetings today,” Ben reminded me. “You chose to.”
“I like to get my work done.”
“Or you desperately needed a distraction.”
“If I need a fucking shrink, Ben, I’ll get one,” I said. “I don’t need you analyzing me. Emma’s already got that covered.”
He smirked. “Speaking of Emma, she’s going to get pissy if you’re late.”
“Fuck, am I having dinner with her tonight?”
“Yes,” he nodded. “And you canceled the last two times, so I’d suggest you get going.”
“Can’t I cancel this time, too?”
“Only if you want her storming in here and throwing a hissy fit.”
“Fuck,” I said, in defeat. “Fine…where did she want to have dinner?”
“Albero’s.”
“No,” I said firmly. “I’m not in the mood for Albero’s tonight.”
“You haven’t been since Molly left.”
I shot Ben a glare. “Change our reservation to Mosaic and inform Emma.”
“You’d better hurry,” he told me. “It’s nearly eight.”
“I’m going,” I said, getting up and heading out. “Inform Emma.”
I made my way to my suite. I’d been in the same clothes since morning, and I needed a shower and a change. I knew it would make me a few minutes late but I decided that Emma would give me shit anyway, so it wouldn’t matter either way.
When I arrived at Mosaic, she was sitting under the lights of the restaurant’s largest crystal chandelier. She was wearing a slinky dress in a bright red and her dark hair was draped over one shoulder. She was smiling at my bartender when I slipped into the seat opposite her.
“It’s against resort policy for staff to date the guests.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re late.”
“Stop flirting with my bartender.”
“What’s his name?”
“None of your business.”
“He’s cute.”
“Are you not listening?”
“I am listening,” she smiled sweetly at me. “I just don’t care about your stupid rules.”
“You’re too young for him.”
“I’m almost twenty-two.”
“Exactly my point.”
Emma sighed and picked up her wine glass. “I took the liberty of ordering some wine. Would you like some?”
“No.”
“I was certain you would cancel on me tonight, too.”
“I very nearly did,” I admitted.
“For a legitimate reason?”
“All my reasons are legitimate.”
“So, no?”
I smiled. “Can’t we just sit here and have a pleasant catch-up, brother to sister?”
“Sounds boring,” Emma noted.
“What would you rather do?” I asked. “Ride my ass some more about Molly?”
“What’s her number?”
“You’re not calling her.”
“Why not?”
“Because I forbid it.”
“You forbid it?” Emma repeated. She sounded incredulously amused.
I sighed. “I don’t want you stirring up trouble for me.”
“You wound me,” she said, feigning hurt. “I would never stir up trouble for my favorite brother.”
“Please,” I said. “Trouble was what you did best. You were the bane of Mom’s existence growing up.”
“I challenged her.”
“You aged her.”
Emma smiled at me. “You are good—that was deftly handled, the way you changed the subject.”
“Shall we order?”
“Sure,” Emma nodded, turning towards the waiter that materialized at her right shoulder. “Hello, doll… I’ll have the shrimp and mushroom crepes. And another glass of wine please.”
“I’ll have the steak,” I said.
The moment the waiter had disappeared, Emma turned to me as though our conversation had never been interrupted. “So, about Molly—”
“For fuck’s sake, Emma,” I sighed.
“What?” she asked innocently. “I just want to say hi.”
“Why?” I demanded. “You barely know Molly.”
“On the contrary, we were very good friends.”
“Really…very good friends?”
“Okay, so we could have been very good friends, but she was three years older and we lived in different states. My point is that had we had the opportunity we would have been the best of friends, like you and Jason.”
The mention of Jason sent me into a fresh wave of sweat. I hadn’t spoken to him for a while, but I knew that by now he would know about Molly and the fact that she was no longer working with me. I wondered what she had told him and if she had mentioned that we had been involved with one another these past few months.
“Where did you go?” Emma asked, looking at me pointedly.
“Nowhere,” I said quickly. “Nevermind.”
“Missing Molly?”
“No,” I said, a little too fast. “No… I just… I was thinking about Jason?”
“You never told him, did you?” she surmised. “About you and Molly?”
I sighed. “Maybe you’re right,” I said, feeling like a complete loser. “I am a coward.”
“Of course, I’m right,” Emma said, shaking her head at me. “There’s no question.”
“I just… What do I tell him?” I asked. “I have no idea what Molly’s told him.”
“Probably the truth,” she replied, with a shrug. “At least, the truth as she knows it.”
“In which case, Jason probably hates me,” I said. “Which is why I haven’t heard from him since Molly left.”
“Can you blame him?” Emma asked darkly.
I rolled my eyes. “Are you still mad at me about that?”
“About what exactly?” she asked pointedly. “The fact that you used me to get rid of Molly? The fact that you tried to pass me off as the other woman?”
“Okay, calm down… Molly made her assumptions.”
“Which you didn’t bother correcting.”
“It was for her—”
“If you say, ‘own good,’ I will throw what remains of my wine in your face,” she said. “I promise you that.”
I groaned, but I didn’t finish my sentence—mostly because Emma was extremely capable of following through and throwing the wine in my face. She was famous for her dramatic outbursts, and I wasn’t interested in causing a scene in the middle of one of my most crowded restaurants.
“I had my reasons,” I said, finishing safely.
Emma smiled. “I feel like I need to explain to Molly.”
“Fuck, Emma, she doesn’t know it was you,” I said. “There’s nothing to explain to her.”
Emma glared at me for a moment. Then she seemed to relax. “Whatever you say.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Emma?”
“Yes?” she said sweetly.
“What are you up to?”
“Me?” she asked, looking a little too innocent. “Nothing at all, big brother.”
“Emma...”
“The wine is fantastic,” she said, interrupting me. “You should have some.”
“I’m not drinking tonight.”
“Why?” she asked. “You’ve been hitting the bottle pretty hard the last few days.”
“Who told you that?”
“I have my sources.”
I rolled my eyes. “I need to fire the whole damn s
taff and rehire people who will keep their mouths shut.”
Emma laughed. “There won’t be anyone to wait on your tables and clean your suites if that is the case. Accept it, dear brother, this is the nature of man.”
“Are you seeing anyone back home?” I asked, trying to show an interest in her life so that she’d get off mine.
“A few people,” she nodded.
“A few?” I repeated.
“What?” she asked. “I’m too young and hot to settle for just one guy.”
I laughed. “I bet Mom loves hearing that.”
“You should call her more,” Emma said. “Then she wouldn’t focus on me so much.”
“How are things between her and—”
“My father?”
“Yes.”
Emma shrugged. “The same as always. I think they sleep in separate rooms now. It started right after I moved out.”
“That’s sad.”
“I agree,” she nodded. “But it is what it is. I don’t think Mom wants another failed marriage under her belt.”
“And Herman?”
“Dad’s busy with business,” Emma replied. “And golf, and he’s content enough to coast through his marriage.”
“No wonder we’re so cynical about love and relationships,” I observed. “We never had real examples growing up.”
“Meaning what?” Emma asked. “We’re doomed to repeat the same mistakes?”
“Unless we simply stay away from relationships altogether.”
“Ah is that it?” she asked. “That’s why you chose to let Molly believe you were cheating on her?”
“Does everything have to come back around to Molly?” I asked tiredly.
“You’re scared that at some point in the future, you will hurt her,” Emma continued. “And then you’ll lose Jason and Molly. Let’s face it, they’re your real family.”
“You’re my family, too,” I said.
“Sure, but I’m the family you got,” Emma said. “They’re the family you chose—you’ve always loved them more.”
“Come on—”
“Don’t bother denying it,” she said. “It’s okay, Tristan; it’s not like we had much opportunity to become very close over the years. You were much older and jumping between Mom’s place and your dad’s… Plus, there was your boarding school. I’ve always been curious as to why you were sent to boarding school in the first place?”
“I thought it might be fun,” I shrugged.
“Wait, it was your idea to go?”
“Yes.”
“You were six,” Emma said, in disbelief. “You voluntarily wanted to head off to boarding school?”
“Even at six I knew a bad divorce when I saw one,” I said. “And I knew I wanted to be as far away from it as I could.”
“Hmm…interesting,” she said, looking at me carefully.
“Oh boy,” I sighed. “What keen psychological evaluation have you made of me now?”
“I was just thinking that it’s interesting that you began creating distance between yourself and others from such a young age.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be off duty at the moment?”
Emma smiled. “The truth hurts, big bro,” she said. “If you don’t recognize and accept it, you’ll be doomed to repeat the same mistake over and over again.”
I flagged down a waiter instead of responding to Emma. “Get me a glass of bourbon,” I said.
“I thought you weren’t drinking tonight?”
“I am now,” I said. “Because if I’m going to make it through this dinner with you… I’m going to need it.”
Emma gave me a smile as she reached for her wine. “Denial can be comforting,” she said. “But trust me, it won’t comfort you forever.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Molly
It had been only five weeks since I’d last seen the resort, and yet it felt like a different lifetime ago. Perhaps it was because my whole perspective had changed and that made me see everything differently. Tristan was no longer the reason I was here. I was here for myself. I was here because I was taking control of my own life and refusing to be scared any longer.
I had booked a room for three nights. I was hoping in that time to speak to Ben and Tristan and tell them that if it was still an option, I would like to resume my job, at least until my contract was up. I hadn’t informed anyone of my arrival; the only person who knew was Alani because she was the one that had taken my reservation. I walked around my room.
It was much smaller than the grand suite, but it was cozier, too. There was no living room or dining area, just a massive bed surrounded by stunning views. I walked over to the bed and sunk down into it. It was just as comfortable, and I felt the need to lie down and take a nap, if only to soothe my frayed nerves. I was rehearsing my speech for Tristan when I heard a knock at the door.
Tensing slightly, I walked over and looked through the peephole to see who was there. I could see Alani’s profile through the unclear glass. With a sigh of relief, I pulled the door open.
“Hi,” I smiled.
She just walked straight up to me and gave me a big hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
“I know,” I said. “It’s so good to see you, too… I’ve missed you these past few weeks.”
“Me, too,” she nodded. “It hasn’t been the same around here without you.”
Alani walked in, and I closed the door behind her. She joined me on the edge of the bed and we both sat down together.
“How have you been?” she asked, cutting to the chase.
“I’ve been dealing,” I said.
“You never told me why you left.”
I sighed. “I’m sure you’ve heard things.”
“But I wasn’t sure whether to believe them or not,” she said. “The rumor is that you found out that Tristan had been cheating on you.”
I sighed and Alani’s eyes went wide. “It’s true?”
“I’m afraid so,” I nodded.
“That’s crazy...”
“Is it?” I asked. “This is Tristan we’re talking about. You yourself told me that he was famous around here for playing the field.”
“Playing the field, yes,” Alani nodded. “But he’s never been in a real relationship before you, so I figured he’d…changed.”
“I thought so, too,” I nodded. “Turns out I was just being naïve.”
“Come on,” Alani said, sounding unbelieving. “I’ve seen him with you. It makes sense for the two of you to be together. You have chemistry, there’s an obvious connection there.”
“Apparently to everyone else but Tristan.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“I didn’t,” I said. “Then I walked into his suite and found a naked woman in the shower. So yeah… I believe it now.”
“Fuck,” Alani said, shaking her head. “I was hoping it wasn’t true.”
“He confirmed it,” I said, in a soft voice.
“No!”
“I stormed into his office right after and basically confronted him with what I’d found out,” I said. “He gave me some bull crap about how we were better off apart, and that’s when I quit.”
Alani looked dumbfounded. “Okay,” she said, after a moment. “I understand why you left. But now I don’t understand why you’re back.”
“Because I realized I loved my job here,” I admitted with a smile. “And I loved the people I was working with and I shouldn’t have just left behind everything I’d built here just for a guy—even if that guy was Tristan.”
“Wait,” Alani said. “Does that mean you’re here for your job?”
I smiled nervously. “Well, that is the plan,” I admitted. “If Tristan will agree to take me back. I’m on contract, but I was the one who walked first. He has every right to say no to me now.”
“He won’t do that,” Alani said confidently.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because Tristan knows you were fantastic at your
job,” Alani said. “His work load has increased tenfold since you left. And he’s been dragging his heels about hiring someone to replace you.”
I clung to that piece of hope. “Which means he might really consider letting me come back.”
“I have no doubt,” Alani nodded. “But—”
“But what?” I pressed, when Alani stopped short.
“Can you really do this?” she asked. “Work for the guy who cheated on you, especially because you were in love with this guy for forever.”
I smiled sadly. “I still love him,” I said slowly. “But I’m going to do my best to move on and put my feelings for Tristan behind me.”
“While seeing him every day?” she asked pointedly.
“I haven’t made this easy on myself,” I said. “I realize that. But I don’t care. I’m sick of running. I’m sick of acting like a scared little girl. I’m taking control of my life, and I’m going to fight for this job because I love it.”
“Well, I’m glad,” she said. “It’ll be nice to have you back.”
I leaned in and hugged her. “I’m glad I have you here; it won’t be so lonely.”
“Please. In a few months when you’re up for it, I’m going to fix you up with a few guys—for real this time. That way you can find someone who deserves you.”
I thought of Tristan and instantly felt sad at the prospect of moving on. I reminded myself that Tristan didn’t want to be with me—that was the only reason he would have cheated on me so openly.
“You’re right,” I nodded. “I do deserve someone better.”
Alani put her hand over mine. “It’s going to be hard,” she said comfortingly. “But you will get over him, trust me.”
I sighed. “That’s what I’m hoping,” I said. Then I shook my head and snapped myself out of the haze of self-pity that currently surrounded me. “So… how have things been here since I left?”
“Things have been piling up, to be honest,” she said. “It’s been crazy around here. We’re always at capacity—which is a good thing, of course—but it also means that there are more problems with staff and breakages and a whole heap of other things besides. And since there’s no one in charge of the staff anymore, it’s fallen to Ben and Tristan, and neither one has the time to spend on fixing all of the issues that have been piling up.
“That’s my fault,” I said. “I just left without giving in my notice or giving them time to find a replacement.”