She had the gall to look stunned. Didn’t she realize how easily that could have happened?
“Or were you going to throw me over and go after their money? Or better yet, try to get me back and then keep Shaw or Cross on the side?”
“On the side?” she echoed.
“Did Garrett know?” he asked the question, but he refused to believe it was true.
She stared at him for several interminable moments with an incredulous expression, then her blue eyes flashed with fury.
“Let. Me. Get. This. Straight,” she said, enunciating every word.
He could see an explosion was imminent, and that was just fine with him. Everything would finally be out in the open.
Her blue eyes narrowed. “You think Rob and Aidan are both my boyfriends?”
“I don’t think. It’s obvious. Now.”
“You think I cooked up a scheme to sell you lots of trees and plants, so I could meet you and marry you and then cheat on you, with Rob or Aidan on the side. All so I could get my hands on your precious money.” Her voice had gone deadly soft. “And you think your best friend Garrett knew all about the scheme and said nothing?”
Why did it sound so stupid and idiotic when she said it?
What the hell is wrong with me?
Seeing her with Shaw and Cross is what’s wrong with me.
“Did he?” he forced out.
“The only way Garrett helped me was to give me an opportunity to explain things to you, which I no longer want. You are an arrogant, egotistical, pig-headed, gutter-minded imbecile, and I’m not explaining anything to you! It’s a wonder you made ten dollars let alone a billion dollars as boneheaded as you are.” By now, she was fairly shouting. “I don’t want anything to do with you!”
Without warning, she shoved him back a couple steps and marched right around him. He wheeled around to see her back disappearing through a bed of azaleas. Cross and Shaw stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the path from the terrace. Garrett was right behind them. Seeing the three glaring at him had Rhett’s hands curling back into fists.
“What do you want?” he snarled and made an effort to force his palms flat against his thighs.
“A swing at you, you miserable son of a bitch,” Cross growled back and curled his own hands into fists.
Please take a swing. Just one.
Garrett threw out a forearm to stop Cross. “No! You’re not going to mix it up like boys in a schoolyard. Too many guests here.” He glared at Rhett. “Too many of our clients.”
“I don’t give a damn about your clients,” Cross growled and took a step, but Garrett held him at bay.
“Then go after Lily. Get her out of here before a guest bothers her.”
Cross gave Rhett a narrow-eyed glare, then sprinted in the direction Lily had gone.
Rhett toyed with the idea of chasing him down. He should be the one to go after Lily, not Cross. He and Lily weren’t finished yet, not by a long shot. She hadn’t told him why she had deceived him. He had only been guessing, his stupid assumptions stoked by anger. She had made his guesses sound ridiculous. After all this, Lily owed him the why.
“How much did you hear?” Rhett demanded.
“All of it, I think,” Garrett said disgustedly.
“How dare you talk to Lily like that!” Shaw raged.
“Who are you to complain?” Rhett roared back. “Or are you just mad the little gold digger tossed you over for bigger money.”
Shaw surged forward, and Garrett used both arms to hold him.
“Let him go!” Rhett ordered.
“Dammit! Enough!” Garrett said furiously. “Lower your voices before everyone comes running, and this little skirmish ends up front page of the Palm Beach Post.”
“I don’t care!” Rhett and Shaw roared at him in unison and then exchanged glares.
“I should have kept her away from you,” Shaw said, his voice just under a shout. “You didn’t deserve her. You’re not good enough to wipe her shoes.”
“I sure don’t mind her going after your money instead of mine,” Rhett said derisively, though that was hardly the truth.
Just the thought of Lily in the arms of Cross or Shaw had Rhett wanting to hit one of them, but he refused to let any of them see him vulnerable.
Garrett just shook his head, and Shaw stared in ragged disbelief.
“You are everything she called you and more,” Shaw groused. “You deserve to lose her, and you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life. Lily’s innocent in all of this, you bastard!”
“The hell she is!” Rhett shouted, forgetting his guests again. “She lied to me.”
Shaw’s lip curled in a sneer. “Her only crime was believing in fairy tales. You know, the happily ever after? Unfortunately for Lily, she picked a bastard for a Prince Charming.”
Rhett surged forward, and Garrett stepped between them, stiff-arming both men.
“You’ll never find a woman better than Lily,” Shaw said. “Certainly not one with the decency and integrity and compassion you lack.”
Rhett let out a bark of laughter. “The queen of deception, you mean.”
Shaw’s eyes narrowed. “She didn’t know who you were when you walked into the nursery for your inspection that day. Unlike the rest of Palm Beach and Jupiter Island, Lily doesn’t even read the society page. And when she figured out who you were, she assumed you only asked her out because you thought she was a Jupiter Island socialite and thus good enough for you. She kept silent because she liked you before she knew who you were, and she only wanted one lousy date with you.” He threw up both hands. “Though God knows why!”
Something about the explanation rang true, but Rhett ignored the instinct to back off. “How do you know all of this if you weren’t part of her game?”
Shaw gave him a look of unbridled disgust. “You’re sick! You know that? Lily Foster is the closest thing to a sister I’ll ever have. Her father took me in and treated me like a son when my family practically disowned me.”
That took Rhett aback, a tidbit he hadn’t expected. Why hadn’t he known that? Because he’d fallen for Lily the moment he met her and hadn’t bothered to have her checked out thoroughly like he did other women he dated.
“Surprised you, didn’t I? You’re so jaded you can’t conceive of good in anybody. You think everyone’s after your stinking money.” He stabbed a finger at Rhett and almost broke free of Garrett. “She never wanted your stinking money, and she certainly doesn’t need it.”
“What are you talking about?” Rhett demanded.
“She’s a millionaire, you moron! That’s what I’m talking about! Her father left her five million dollars in trust when he died. He had been investing a percentage of his nursery profits every year since Lily was born to create a nest egg for her, and she’s good at investing. So you see, you miserable son of a bitch, she didn’t need you.”
Rhett could only gape at him in disbelief.
“She refuses to withdraw a dime from that trust fund because she wants to make the nursery succeed on her own merits. That’s more important to her than anything, and you’re not fit to wipe her shoes. You know what the sad part is? You probably ruined her for the next guy to come along, who just might be Lily’s Mr. Right.”
Shaw broke free of Garrett’s grasp. “Let me go. I’ve got to make sure Aidan found Lily.”
Dumbfounded, Rhett watched him sprint for the terrace.
Garrett stepped forward. “One question,” he said softly. “How does it feel to be the world’s biggest asshole?”
Twilight had settled over his gardens, and Rhett stared out over the dunes at the ocean waves roiling up on the beach sand at high tide. He had the raised deck put in at the southeast corner of his property right after he bought the house, so he co
uld watch the waves crashing on shore when the mood struck him. Normally, the routine swell and splash soothed him. Tonight his heart felt just like the waves crashing against the sand. Each beat pounded with despair against the back of his sternum and created a painful ache.
His gaze drifted toward the beach at Sea Turtle Park, and he grimaced. Who had been the deceiver that night? He hadn’t been willing to tell Lily he lived here, preferring to let her think they had trespassed as they scurried down the property-line under cover of darkness. He could still feel her delicate hand gripped trustingly in his. Who was he to have ever cast stones over deception when his was the far greater sin? He paid the painful price now as his mind tortured him with the memory of her innocent kisses down there on the beach and the way she had felt in his arms.
His barbecue guests had left hours earlier amid the disgruntled good-byes from their host. The caterers had left not long after, and Lily and her three protectors had all vanished from the scene. Only Delia had remained, but after a brazen and unsuccessful attempt to get him into bed, she too had made an early exit.
Lily had called him arrogant, egotistical, and gutter-minded, and she had been dead-on accurate. When had he changed? When had it become so difficult for him to trust in someone else or to believe in someone else? He had been so busy guarding his damned money, he’d let Lily slip through his fingers. More like tossed her away with both hands.
What a joke! He had always wanted to make a lot of money to prove to the world the poor Indiantown kid could be a success, was just as good as the rest of them. But he wasn’t good. He had treated Lily abominably, and still she came here today to try to explain. So what did he do? Made horrible unfounded accusations. And why? To protect his money? Right now, he would trade every penny for a second chance with Lily. His beautiful, innocent Lily.
What had Shaw’s ugly comment been? You probably ruined it for the next guy to come along who just might be Lily’s Mr. Right. The thought slugged Rhett right in the gut. Another Mr. Right for Lily? Another guy to taste those lips and hold her graceful body in his arms? Take her to bed? That last thought enraged him, and he felt his hands ball into fists without consciously thinking to move a muscle. Another man with his Lily? He felt nauseous.
Seeing Rob Shaw with Lily at the charity gala had caused Rhett enough grief, enough that he had grabbed Delia and fled. Enough that when they reached Delia’s house and she started her usual seduction routine, Rhett could only think about Lily. He had grabbed Delia and kissed her hard, started her motor running, and tried desperately to rid himself of the image of Lily with Rob Shaw. He had failed miserably, stepped back from a frustrated Delia, and under the shadow of her carping, retreated to his Navigator to make his escape.
Then today, seeing Aidan Cross slide an arm around Lily’s slender waist had made Rhett’s blood boil. Something inside him had snapped when he saw that hound dog’s arm slide around Lily, and he’d wanted to take a swing at Aidan. At Shaw. At Garrett, his best friend in the world. He didn’t deserve Garrett, who’d only been trying to help, and he damn sure didn’t deserve Lily.
Rhett had gone and let his anger ruin everything. His anger had turned him into the imbecile Lily accused him of being. How had he lost control? It wasn’t like him. He always kept a cool head and remained calm. Until he met a beautiful blond gardener. He knew what had caused the loss of control. An emotion he barely recognized. An emotion he had kept at arm’s length his whole life—since the night he’d lost the two people he loved with his whole young heart.
Now he had discovered love again for the first time in all these years—real love—and he’d lost everything in one blinding emotional crash.
Staring out at the ocean waves breaking against the beach, he cursed himself as ten times the fool. He dropped his head in his hands and absorbed the magnitude of his loss. Shaw had been right. Rhett would regret this loss for the rest of his life. He had tossed away the one woman who wanted him for himself.
The sound of footsteps on the deck stairs jerked his head up. Hope pounded at his heart until he realized the weight of the steps was too heavy for Lily. Why should she ever return? He swallowed hard and dropped his head back in his hands. Only one person would come to check on him tonight.
“If you’ve come to curse me or beat me up, I’m doing a fine job all on my own,” Rhett grumbled as Garrett took a seat opposite him on the deck.
“A few hours ago, I wanted to take a swing at you, but I got over it,” Garrett said softly. “Nothing I can say can top you knowing you finally lost her for good. That has to hurt. Bad.”
Rhett pulled his head up. He couldn’t see his friend’s face clearly with the moon at his back, but Rhett could feel his scowl just the same.
Rhett held up an empty glass. “I’m not drunk this time, if that’s what you’re worried about. I thought about it, you know, to dull the pain for a while, but I’d only feel worse tomorrow.”
Garrett nodded. “And for the record, I knew about Lily and her situation, and she swore me to secrecy.”
Rhett stared hard at his friend, wishing he could see his eyes.
“I know we’ve been friends for a lot longer, but I thought I was helping you. Now I think I should have said something. She wanted, badly, to explain everything to you herself.”
Rhett swallowed back the lump trying to form in his throat. “Is she all right?” he asked gruffly.
“She’s been better, I expect. She was pretty pissed at Rob for blurting everything to you, and I don’t think she’s speaking to him, but she’ll get over it pretty quick. They really are like brother and sister you know.”
Rhett flinched at the reproach in his tone. “At the charity gala, they looked like—” He sighed. “I jumped to conclusions.”
“Jealousy makes you see things differently.”
“Maybe.”
“Like a brother and sister,” Garrett repeated, “and she really was perfect for you. She and Aidan are just friends by the way. I think Aidan, in his own way, was trying to help, too.”
Rhett winced and lowered his head to his hands again. He resisted the urge to groan at the pounding pain in his chest where his heart used to be.
“So what are you going to do now?”
“Sit here and lick my wounds until I die. What else?”
Garrett snorted. “That’s not the Rhett Buchanan I know.”
“That Rhett is dead. This Rhett wants to be left alone, and he’s reconsidering the idea of going back to the house to retrieve his bottle of forty-year-old scotch and stay drunk for a month.”
“Bad idea.”
Rhett raised his head high enough to glance at Garrett. “You got a better one?”
“Damn straight.”
He waited several long moments. “And?” he growled.
“Fight for her!”
“Dumb idea. Waste of time." Rhett let his head sink back onto his hands. "I lost. Game over.”
“Wow. Those are words I never expected to hear coming out of your mouth.”
“Get used to it,” Rhett said, glumly. “I lost the only thing in my life that mattered.”
“So stop being a wuss! Quit feeling sorry for yourself and go do something about it,” Garrett snapped.
Rhett surged to his feet. “Do what, Einstein?” he roared. “What would you have me do? She hates me now!”
“Much better,” Garrett cajoled. “Mad is much better than self-pity, and I’ve heard all the self-pity I can take from you tonight.”
“Go away, Garrett.”
“My friend Rhett never passed on a fight in his life. The tougher the fight, the better he likes it. He never has a dumb idea either, and he never ever loses.”
“I told you she hates me. She won’t let me near her again.”
“Hate is next door to love, and she just might ha
te you right now, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If she was acting indifferent, I might agree you’re screwed, but the way she ranted and raved tonight back at the nursery, it didn’t sound like she had put you out of her mind. Just the opposite. You were all she was thinking, and yelling, about.”
Rhett felt a stab of hope. “Really?”
“You’ve successfully dazzled some of the world’s greatest beauties in your career, my friend. So, go do it again.”
“The other women didn’t count, not like Lily does.”
Garrett let out a disgusted sigh. “Then spend some of your money on yourself for a change.”
Rhett frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the fact that every other rich guy in the world is constantly buying himself toys. You don’t. You give all your money away. You’ve got more charities than United Way.”
“How do you know that?” Rhett asked warily.
“There’s not much about you I don’t know. You taught me that. Know the ones you trust the best. Now spend some of your money on yourself, Rhett. Go buy your heart back. Dazzle Lily. Send her presents so you’re always on her mind.”
Rhett shuddered out a long sigh. “You really think I have a chance?”
“You’re a fighter, and you’ll never know unless you try. Go after her. Game on, not over!”
Chapter 14
Tammy answered the phone Wednesday morning, and her gaze shot across the desk to Lily. “Um, hi, Rhett. Lily? Let me check.” She pressed the hold button. “Well?”
Cinderella Busted (The Cinderella Romances Book 1) Page 24