by Linda Kage
I hugged myself, thinking of Ezra. Why did he suddenly feel like the enemy? The them? This was so crazy, and bizarre, and messed up. It was just totally and completely wrong.
Seeing the pain on my face, Brick hissed a curse under his breath and ran a hand through his hair. “And how the hell is Lana supposed to pay it back to Kaitlynn from jail?”
Hayden shook his head. “They’ll probably liquidate all her assets and give a lion’s portion of the share to Kaitlynn, as she deserves. They’re hers anyway, despite how much she’s owed from the Nash transaction. All the money Lana’s spent or hoarded since Arthur’s death was his. It rightfully belongs to Kaitlynn.”
That news made my head spin. It was too much to deal with right now. Pressing a hand to my head, I muttered, “I don’t want it.” It had lost my dad his life. “I just want my family’s company. That’s it.”
Brick patted my back. “Well, you got it, kid. Er… At least, half of it.”
I glanced at my two stepbrothers. My family. They’d both just gone through exactly what I’d gone through, but they seemed worried about me. A flare of love and belonging swept through me. It was both wonderful and frightening to know I could rely on them for any kind of support. Needing exactly that right now, I tested the waters by clutching my face between two hands and asking, “What do we do now?”
Hayden blew out a long breath, looking drained, so Brick answered, “Well, you’re going home. You’re going to take a day just to process and let everything soak in. Then, after a long hot bath, maybe some alcohol, and a good night’s sleep, you can figure out all the answers to life’s mysteries in the morning.”
“But—”
“Don’t worry about it today,” Hayden reiterated. “Brick’s right. I think we all need a break for the time being. We can start dealing with the fallout tomorrow.”
And so, I went home.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
At home, the first thing I saw when I stepped into my apartment was the big box window that looked so much like the one in Ezra’s bedroom, and I burst into tears.
To escape painful reminders, I fled to my room, only to remember everything we’d done on my bed together. I already knew I’d only summon a memory of him cooking grilled cheese sandwiches in my kitchen if I went there, and basically, there was nowhere else in my apartment to go after that, so I shut myself in my bathroom and curled into a ball on the closed lid of the toilet seat.
It felt as if my dad had just died, all over again. But this time, he’d been murdered.
By Lana.
How had she done it to make it look like a heart attack? I’d read this true crime book once about some doctor lady who’d fed her husband some kind of exotic beans or something that wouldn’t reveal anything unusual in a toxicology report as she’d made him sicker and sicker over time. Was that how Lana had done it? Had she poisoned my dad slowly over time? Or had she given him one big dose to kill him quickly?
The questions made me feel sick to my stomach. I clutched my abdomen and wiped at my wet cheeks, trying to calm myself.
But it felt as if I’d failed him. I should’ve known. I mean, I’d never liked her. I hadn’t trusted her, but I hadn’t really seen much of her darker side until after his death when she’d immediately kicked me out on the streets and told me I was responsible for burying him. I guess she’d put on a pretty face for his benefit while he’d been alive. And I’d bought into it too, just as he had.
I felt like such a fool.
It hurt too much to keep thinking about that, though. Besides, justice was being served. She was in jail, the truth was exposed, my company had been returned to me. What else was there to do about it? I couldn’t change the past or get my dad back.
So my mind wandered to Ezra, except thinking about him hurt too. I wasn’t sure what to do about him. It felt as if we’d just been shoved onto opposite sides of a boxing ring and were expected to punch our way out of our situation. But could I ever truly oppose him?
I did know I’d never sell Nash Corporation my half of my company. My dream had finally come true. JFI was mine, which started a whole new panic.
Holy shit, JFI was mine. I had no idea how to run a company. Okay, so I had ideas, but I’d never actually employed my theories before. Nearly eighty people’s work lives were now in my hands. How the hell was I supposed to handle such a huge responsibility?
I’d always thought I’d have more time, learn the ropes as I climbed my way into the spot of authority. Wade in gently. Being thrust in the deep end like this was overwhelming.
And so I continued to sit, trembling and alone in my bathroom, trying to ignore the fact that my entire life had just changed.
When I heard muffled knocking on my front door, my eyes flew open.
Ezra.
He’d finally come to help me deal. Relieved out of my mind that I wouldn’t have to process everything alone, I jumped off the toilet and raced from the bathroom.
Except, when I reached the front door, I paused, wondering if he was only here to try to buy me out again. What if he tried to use my feelings for him against me in order to coax my company from me?
My stomach swirled with worry. Please, I silently begged, please be here to support me, not to betray me.
Holding my breath, I cracked the door open and peered uneasily into the hall.
I found Gabby from the first floor, of all people, not Ezra, sending me a sympathetic wince.
She clasped her hands together and said, “Hey, sweetie. How’re you doing?”
I opened the door a little more and blinked at her. “Uh… I’m pretty miserable, actually. How did you know?”
She opened her mouth, but when no words came, she flushed, cleared her throat, and answered, “Long story. Suffice it to say, when I heard about what you’d been through this morning, I thought I’d come see if… I don’t know. Honestly, I suck at comfort. But if you need any company or just someone to talk to and vent with, I could probably swing that. And hey.” She grabbed the arm of someone I hadn’t even realized had been standing next to her, only to tug Mabel’s granddaughter, Camille, into my line of sight. “I ran into this one coming up to visit her grandma and thought she might be a good hugger if you need—I don’t know—a hug or some shit. So I told her about your day and dragged her along with me.”
I blurted out a watery laugh. Though her thoughtfulness charmed me, it was the way she said it that sealed the deal. I liked Gabriella Salazar.
Camille rolled her eyes at Gabby’s attempt at sympathy. “Why can I totally picture you standing five feet away from someone and patting them on the back with a broom while muttering there, there?”
Gabby blinked at her. “What? Is that not how you’re supposed to do it?”
I laughed again and pulled the door open wider. “Come in,” I offered. “Both of you. Please.”
Both women stepped inside, only to ooh and aww as they glanced around my apartment.
“Whoa.” Gabby peered around her. “This place is like double the size of my place.”
“Yeah,” Camille agreed, gawking in amazement. “It’s way bigger than Gran’s apartment too.”
I shifted uncomfortably, not realizing until they looked so shocked that, huh, it was a lot bigger than Mabel’s and Gabby’s apartments. Strange. Why had I never processed that before?
“What kind of rent do you pay?” Gabby started to ask, only for Camille to poke her threateningly in the arm and turn to me.
“Don’t answer that, sweetie. It’s not important right now.” And then she opened her arms. “You poor thing,” she cooed, sounding so much like her grandmother. “Come here.”
Gabby had been right; Camille was a total hugger. But a good one.
Grateful for the contact, I rested my cheek on her shoulder as she hugged me close, and I let her comb my hair with her fingers, while Gabby found her way into the kitchen area and started opening cabinets and snooping.
I watched her mutely for a while, wondering
what she was doing, until Camille finally stopped hugging me so she could set her hands on her hips and demand, “What the heck are you doing?”
Gabby opened another door. “I’m looking for comfort food. Ahh. Potato chips. Perfect.”
She pulled out a bag of Doritos before moving to the refrigerator and checking out what was inside. When she found what she wanted, she reached in, grabbed a half-finished bottle of wine and held it up, grinning at us.
“So you own a fashion company now?” she asked, strolling past us and plopping down onto the sofa, only to dig her hand into the Doritos bag. After getting herself a handful, she shook the bag at me, offering me some.
Not sure what else to do, I sat next to her and retrieved my own Doritos. “Yeah,” I answered. “I guess. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around that fact.”
Gabby snorted as she pulled the loose cork from the already-half-finished wine and took a swig straight from the bottle. After wiping the back of her hand across her mouth, she passed the wine to me.
“Well first, I say you should find yourself a better car, because… Hello. I swear that junker you drive is my alarm clock. Every morning, it wakes me up at seven forty-five sharp by backfiring right outside my window. And then, maybe shop for a new place to live, because, uh, yeah… This may be the nicest apartment in the building, but it still ain’t exactly CEO, room-and-board material, if you know what I mean.”
“Yeah,” Camille agreed with a nod. “Those would probably be my top two immediate-buy things as well, if I found myself unexpectedly rich someday.” She took the bag of chips from me because my hands were full. Then she sat on the coffee table facing us and retrieved her own handful.
I took a long gulp of the wine as I realized, holy shit, I was unexpectedly rich again, wasn’t I? I could buy a bouquet of fresh, new flowers every day. New socks. Underwear. Shoes… Ooh, new shoes.
All because someone had murdered my dad.
My eyes stung when I lowered the bottle. I blamed it on taking too big of a gulp.
“I hadn’t even thought of that yet,” I admitted. Shaking my head, I let out a sad laugh. “I haven’t thought of a lot of things yet. There’s just so much—”
“I bet.” Gabby stole the chips from Camille to restock her supply, so I gave Camille the wine. “I’d probably be flipping the fuck out right now if I were you.”
I nodded. “That’s actually the perfect description of how I’m handling this.”
With a laugh, Gabby passed the chips to me. Camille gave her the wine.
“If it makes you feel any better, you look absolutely flawless in freak mode,” Camille offered. When Gabby and I glanced at her, she shrugged. “What? My nose gets all red and eyes puffy and sometimes I break out in a rash when I’m all emotional.” With a roll of her eyes, she muttered, “I hate my skin.”
Passing the chips to her after taking my fair share, I argued, “Your skin is awesome. I wish I had freckles like yours.”
“Ha.” She rolled her eyes, burying her hand in the bag. “I will gladly share.”
“Want to know something pathetic?” I said, my brain switching gears back to my day.
“Absolutely,” Gabby answered, handing me the wine.
I gulped, dribbled some down my chin and wiped it away with my fingers. “Despite everything that happened, the one thing my mind keeps returning to is Ezra.”
“Ooh, the hottie business suit from the flower shop?” Camille asked, her eyebrows raised with interest.
I nodded. “Yeah. We’ve kinda been… No, actually, there’s no kinda to it. We’ve totally been seeing each other since that day, and…” I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
I proceeded to tell them how he’d been involved in this whole mess. “…And now it just feels all weird. I can’t say he definitely did anything wrong, and yet… Yet I feel so betrayed by him right now. Am I totally off point here, or is this… Is this emotion justified?”
“Feelings don’t have to be justifiable to be felt,” Camille said, smiling sadly. “You can convince yourself all you want that it was a totally selfish desire you had, wishing he’d jumped from his chair in that conference room, ran around to your side of the table and swept you into his arms, supporting you through all of it with no concern for himself, but the fact of the matter remains, that was what you wanted, and when he didn’t fulfill your needs, it hurt.”
“But—”
“Maybe you should talk to him before figuring anything out there,” Gabby said. “I mean, maybe you were high on emotions and reading things into him that weren’t there. Or maybe you were spot on, and he just became enemy number one. But it’s probably something you should figure out from him.”
I nodded. That was a good idea. When I told her so, she preened a little and admitted, “I guess I have some workable brain cells occasionally.”
Camille took a gulp of the wine and weaved a little unsteadily. “I gotta admit, I’m stuck over here, all kinds of curious about what kind of magic wand your Ezra must be carrying around in his pants.”
I choked on the chip I was trying to swallow. Eyes watering, I pounded on my chest and cried, “Excuse me?”
“What?” She shrugged innocently. “I mean, in all honesty, it didn’t take him long to bibbity bobbity boo his way right into your heart. So now, of course, I gotta know what he wooed you so thoroughly with.”
“His eyes,” I said immediately. “His chest and abs and arms. And his wit and charm and complete consideration for me and my feelings. That’s what he wooed me with.”
Camille lifted her eyebrows as if she knew better. “Mmm hmm. And?” she coaxed. “Come on, you can tell us. We won’t spread gossip. It’s just us girls here. He’s hung like a stallion, isn’t he?”
I blushed and cleared my throat. “The fact that he has a totally impressive, uh…”
“Dick?” Gabby offered with a teasing grin.
I scowled at her and muttered, “Dick. Yes. All that is just… It’s frosting on an already perfect cake.”
Gabby and Camille threw back their heads and laughed.
“Yes!” Camille fisted the air in delight. “Now, that’s what I’m talking about. You go, girl. Lick that frosting.” She lifted her palm for a high five, and added, “I am so going to live vicariously through you until I find my own Prince Charming with an impressive ten-inches-or-more magic wand.”
I shook my head, torn between giggling and groaning, not sure how to respond to her even as I smacked my hand against hers. So I turned to Gabby, beyond ready to shove the focus off me. “Hey, speaking of guys, did you ever resolve anything with that guy who kept giving you the flowers?”
“Oh, yeah,” Camille said, turning—thankfully away from me—as she waved a chip at Gabby before stuffing it into her mouth. “Whatever happened there?”
Gabby glanced discreetly toward me before clearing her throat. “Yeah, uh… That’s all taken care of. Actually, I had a little help with that. All part of the long story… Which I’ll tell you both when Kaitlynn isn’t the center of attention.”
“Oh, don’t make me the center of attention,” I said, waving my hands and glancing worriedly at Camille, hoping she didn’t coax anymore private details about Ezra’s anatomy from me. “Please God,” I flat out begged. “I’d actually prefer all attention off me, so yeah, tell us your story.”
“And don’t leave out any details,” Camille said. “Especially if there are any awesome magic wands involved.”
Wiggling in her seat, Gabby straightened her back as if actually eager to spill all. “Well…” she started. “There is one pretty awesome—”
A knock fell on my door, interrupting her.
“Wait. Hold that thought,” I said, springing a bit too eagerly to my feet. “It’s probably just one of my stepbrothers or something checking in on me. I’ll be right back.”
But honestly, I hoped it was Ezra. And I’m sure both Gabby and Camille could read that wish on my face. They each lifted their eyebrows that s
eemed to say, we know who you really want it to be.
But as I stood from the sofa and hurried toward the door, I realized, wow, it really could be either Brick, or Hayden, or Ezra. And here, both Gabby and Camille had already stopped by to check on me.
Suddenly, I felt so loved it was overwhelming. A couple weeks ago, I’d been sure I had no one to rely on, and now… Now, I didn’t know what to do with all the support and concern. It was humbling and beautiful. I kind of wanted to group hug everyone close to me.
Pausing at the door, I rose onto my toes to check the peephole this time, only to instantly fall back onto the balls of my feet and suck in an exhilarated breath.
But, oh Lord. How was I going to deal with this?
“Ezra?” Gabby asked from behind me.
I turned and nodded mutely, too nervous to speak.
“Ooh, I got this.” Camille sprang to her feet.
She hurried forward and nudged me aside so she could reach for the doorknob herself. I have no idea why I let her, but I was actually grateful that she stepped in to take over, because I had no idea what I would’ve said to him when I opened the door.
Camille caught my eye and winked before she whispered, “Time for a little bibbity bobbity boo,” and swung the door open.
I slapped my hand over my mouth to capture the laugh that wanted to escape, only to immediately swallow the sound when I heard. “Kait—oh! Sorry. I thought I had… No, wait. I do have the right apartment.”
“Yes, you do,” Camille crooned, smiling charmingly as she reached into the hall only to come back, dragging Ezra inside with her. “You have exactly the right place. Gabs and I were just keeping Kaitlynn company until you arrived.”
“Uh… What?” Ezra met my gaze, his face full of question before he glanced between Gabby and Camille and then turned back to me.
He opened his mouth to say something, but Camille smoothly broke in, saying, “You obviously don’t remember us, but we met you at your sister’s flower shop last—”