“No.” I shook my head back and forth. “Definitely not…”
“I don’t think your sister’s case will be that difficult. Your sister is seventeen, so the judge will just ask her where she wants to live. Your father would have to prove that your mother is unfit.” She leaned back in her chair. “I can easily stall it out until she’s eighteen. Your father’s attorney might request an emergency hearing to determine temporary custody, but if your sister says she wants to live with your mother, then it shouldn’t be an issue.”
“Okay, that sounds good.” I nodded.
“I’ll get back to you in a few days after I do a little research. Call me if you need anything in the meantime or if the situation changes.” Addison pushed her chair back and started to stand.
“Thank you.” I stood and shook her hand again.
I decided to go and talk to my grandfather after my meeting with Addison. I hadn’t spoken to the man since he named my father as his successor at Sinn Technology, but I wanted to see if his situation was as bad as my sister described. I was grasping at straws—mainly because I didn’t have anything else to grab onto. My grandfather had a way of talking something that resembled sense into my old man when things got really bad, like when he was looking at a much longer sentence if he was convicted instead of taking the plea deal that the District Attorney offered.
Too bad he didn’t just let him go to prison and rot—it would have made things a whole fucking lot better.
The visit didn’t last long. Jenny was right. My grandfather’s mental state had started to deteriorate, and the man he used to be was no longer there. He was rail-thin. His eyes were dim. The nurse said that he was on a lot of medication that helped him stay calm because there was enough of him left to understand that something was wrong, but he couldn’t fully comprehend it. Seeing him like that twisted my stomach in a knot. I had some guilt for the way I handled his decision to make my father the next CEO of Sinn Technology. We were always close before that happened. I never did get an answer that fully explained why he did it—and it didn’t seem like he was ever going to be able to tell me.
I need to swing by my place and pick up some clothes before I go back to Sinn Manor…
“How is she?” I walked into the living room of my family estate with a duffel bag in my hand.
“About the same as she was when you left…” Jenny looked up at me, and I could see that she had been crying. “How did things go with the lawyer?”
“Promising, but she needs to do some research.” I dropped my duffel bag on the floor and sat down.
I went over everything with Jenny, and then I walked upstairs to check on my mother. She was lying in bed facing the wall—but she definitely wasn’t asleep. I wished I could get inside her head and fully understand why she had so much love for someone as awful as my father. I tried to talk to her, but I didn’t get much of a response. There was a half-eaten sandwich on the table by the bed, so I considered that a small blessing—she wasn’t starving. I started walking back downstairs and realized that in the chaos of everything that had transpired since the previous night, I didn’t call Leigh like I planned. I walked into the kitchen and pulled out my phone, but I decided to send a text message instead of calling.
This is the worst possible time to try and start a new relationship, but I really like her—I can’t ignore that.
Damien: I’m sorry I didn’t call earlier. Things got a little busy… I had a lot of fun last night…
Leigh: I was starting to think I wasn’t going to hear from you. I had fun too…
Damien: When can I take you out again?
Leigh: Tonight?
“Damn…” I exhaled sharply.
“Who are you cursing at?” Jenny walked into the kitchen behind me.
“Nobody.” I pushed my phone into my pocket. “Do you think you’ll be okay to take care of Mom tonight? I may need to leave for a little bit…”
“You’re coming back, right?” She blinked a couple of times, and I saw concern on her face.
“Of course.” I nodded quickly.
I was hesitant to leave, but I didn’t want to turn Leigh down if she wanted to see me again so soon after our first date. I typed out a response, and we agreed to meet at Cafe Russe for a late lunch or early dinner, depending on your perspective—it was going to be a late lunch for me since I hadn’t eaten anything all day except for a few bites of my breakfast. Cafe Russe wasn’t as fancy as Moretti’s and was the kind of place most people went for lunch instead of dinner, but I wasn’t in the mood for a heavy meal, even though I was hungry.
I’m more interested in spending more time with her than eating anyway…
Leigh made me smile and laugh—I really needed a dose of that after everything I had been dealing with since the previous night. Perhaps fate was trying to bring something positive to my life for a change, right when I needed it most—even if I didn’t realize how badly I would need it when I saw Leigh staring at me in the bar. Maybe I was making a mistake by rushing into any sort of new relationship with everything else crumbling around me, but something compelled me to try. It was the only thing that felt right.
It’s not like this can get any worse, and for once, I actually believe it…
Chapter Seven
Leigh
I didn’t have to work, so I spent most of the day taking care of the assignments for school that I had been neglecting. I decided to text my mother and make sure she was okay since it had been a couple of days since I had heard from her. She didn’t reply to my text message immediately, but when she finally did, she told me that she had big news to share when she got home—whenever that was. It wasn’t that unusual for my mother to disappear for days at a time when she was in a relationship with someone, but I usually got to meet the guy before it reached the point where they were taking trips together.
I can’t live my life and hers at the same time—so I’ll just focus on mine.
I assumed my mother would be home that evening or the next night at the latest. She did have a job and had mentioned at some point that she was running low on vacation days. Then again, my mother’s boss was her best friend from high school, so I doubted that she would get fired, even if she didn’t show up. She wouldn’t get paid, which could create a few problems, but my grandparents would bail her out like always—or she would ask me for money. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that because I was doing my best to save up so I could leave Carson Cove after graduation. It was two years way, but living in the city was expensive, and it was going to take a lot to move there on my own. I didn’t want to have to ask anyone else for help. It was important for me to earn my independence.
I’m not sure how Damien fits into that plan—I didn’t expect someone like him to come along…
Falling in love always seemed like an impossible thing that only happened in the movies—real life didn’t have a happy ending unless you found a way to create one that you could live with. I saw how my mother approached dating and never wanted to have my life revolve around a string of relationships that never went anywhere. My mother never seemed to be searching for love—although she did tell me once that she loved my father when they were together. I had never seen any evidence of it, but I didn’t think she was lying—she was too open about everything else to feed me a fantasy.
I found myself staring at my laptop screen, daydreaming about the date—the way I felt when Damien kissed me—and wondering when he was going to call. He mentioned that he would after we shared our final kiss of the evening next to my car, but the hours were ticking away. Worry kicked in about two minutes before my phone lit up, and I felt my heart do a somersault in my chest when I realized it was from him. We made plans for our second date, and I closed my laptop—whatever I needed to work on for school would have to wait. I needed to shower and get ready quickly if I was going to meet him at Cafe Russe in two hours.
At least it’s not as fancy as Moretti’s. I only have one dress that would be appropriate
for a place like that…
I flipped through the outfits in my closet for several minutes before settling on a yellow sundress that was a gift from my grandparents. Once that was settled, I opened my underwear drawer and grabbed a pair of panties—aimlessly, like always—but I hesitated before I tossed them on the bed. I never put much thought into what pair of panties I wore when I left the house—there was no reason to worry about it—nobody was going to see them. It felt like that was dangerously close to changing on my first date with Damien. If he had slid his hand further down my dress—or underneath it—I don’t know how I would have reacted.
I don’t really have anything that I would consider—sexy.
Sex, much like the panties I wore when I left the house, was something that I never really had to think about. I certainly didn’t expect to still be a virgin at twenty-one when I was trying to figure out which guy I was crushing on in high school would be my first, but it never happened. After high school, I settled into a routine that didn’t involve dating. It wasn’t like I was going to meet a guy at Carson City Inn, and my college classes were online, so there were no college mistakes for me to stumble into.
I guess a pair of black panties is the best I can do—at least they don’t look like something that a teenage girl would wear. I really need to go shopping…
Damien was so incredibly hot and the way my body reacted when he kissed me—that gave me a reason to think about sex and what kind of panties I was going to wear on our date. I didn’t know if I could actually go through with it if the evening took us in that direction, but it was impossible to ignore the desire that coursed through my veins when his lips found mine—when he touched me—I felt like a different person in his arms. I doubted that a guy like him got turned down very often when he craved more than a kiss at the end of a date.
I can’t even pretend that I wouldn’t be tempted…
I thought I was running late, but when I got to Cafe Russe, I found out that I was the first to arrive. There was no wait for a table, so I got one on the patio and looked over the menu as I waited for Damien. I could see the door from where I was sitting, and I made sure that the guy at the entrance knew I was expecting someone. I wasn’t seated for long before I saw him walk through the front door—and my heart did a somersault in my chest that felt like it did a few extra rotations than when I got a text message from him.
There was just something magnetic about Damien. The sight of him was enough to make my skin flush to the point it felt like it might start sizzling. None of the guys I crushed on in high school ever had that effect on me. He smiled when he stepped out onto the patio and spotted me—that smile could have melted an iceberg. I always felt like a nobody as I weaved my way through life, but Damien looked at me like I was the only person in the entire world that mattered—and damn if I didn’t believe it in that moment.
“Hello beautiful.” He walked up beside me, traced my arm from the inside of my elbow up to my shoulder, and kissed my cheek.
Well, now my skin is sizzling…
“Hi.” I sort of squeaked out my response because my reply got trapped in my throat.
“Did you already order a drink?” He sat down across from me and reached for the menu.
“No.” I shook my head back and forth. “I just got here.”
The waiter showed up while we were looking at our menu. Damien ordered a beer, and I didn’t see any options for wine, so I ordered a soda. I really don’t like the taste of beer. Cafe Russe specialized in sandwiches, but they had a few other options like burgers, hot dogs, and grilled chicken. One of the sandwiches caught my eye and sounded intriguing—it was called the Chicken Caesar Sandwich, and it was served on crouton bread. That sounded like a really unhealthy version of what I normally enjoyed during my lunch breaks at the Pembroke Hotel, but I wanted to try it. Damien flipped through the menu a few times before settling on a ham and cheese sandwich on white bread with extra Dijon mayonnaise—or dijonnaise according to the menu.
“Did you get all of your schoolwork done?” Damien leaned back in his chair once our orders were placed, and our drinks were served.
“As much as I could.” I nodded. “I’m caught up for a couple of days at least.”
“That’s good.” He took a sip of his beer. “So, you’re all mine tonight?”
“I mean, I still have to work tomorrow.” I looked down and smiled. “What did you have in mind?”
“My grandfather has a villa at Carson Bay—with a private beach and a nice selection of wine.” Damien raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know if it will be as entertaining as the merry-go-round, but it’s a nice place to relax—we could even go swimming if you want.”
“Um, I didn’t exactly pack a swimsuit…” I laughed under my breath.
“What?” Damien feigned shock. “You live in Carson Cove, and you don’t have a swimsuit in your car?”
“Do you?” I raised my eyebrows inquisitively.
“No, but I keep a few at the beach house.” He chuckled. “We can pick something up for you on the way—unless you just want to swing by your place.”
“I need a new one anyway.” I shrugged. “Sure, I haven’t even made it to the beach this year…”
The beach was another place my grandparents took me—another place that I hadn’t been able to go much as I got older. Between work and school, it was hard to find time for anything except for what was important. I usually spent a couple of weeks with my grandparents during the summer, but they didn’t get out as much as they did when I was a kid. It also didn’t help that most of my friends were either actually at Carson Cove University or had left Carson Cove to go to college. Losing touch with them happened faster than I expected, even though we still had social media to keep in touch with each other periodically.
The sandwich I ordered was a lot better than I expected. I ranked it higher than the salad I loved so much at the Pembroke Hotel. I could tell that there was something bothering Damien after we started talking. I tried to dance around it without pressing for any real details—especially after nearly turning our previous date into a disaster—but surprisingly, he opened up a little bit. The source of his problems seemed to be his father, which was a common theme based on what he had told me about him. He told me that his father had gotten remarried, which was a bit of a shock because he didn’t realize that his parents were divorced in the first place.
“That’s horrible…” I blinked in surprise.
“Yeah.” He sighed. “Leave it to my father to pull something like this.”
“Your poor mother.” I shook my head in disbelief.
“She’s been through a lot, but she’s made a lot of wrong choices too…” He exhaled sharply. “All I can do is be there for her.”
“Are you sure we should be taking a trip to your grandfather’s beach house?” I tilted my head inquisitively. “If she needs you, I totally understand.”
“Right now.” He reached across the table and took my hand. “I just want to be with you.”
I could understand the need to get away for a little while—I often wished that was an option for me when things got a little overwhelming at home. We finished our meal, and I left my car at Cafe Russe. It wasn’t always glaringly obvious that Damien came from a wealthy family, but when we walked outside, and he led me to a Maserati, it was pretty clear that he was doing pretty well for himself—even if he didn’t work for his family’s company anymore. We drove towards Carson Bay, and on the way there, Damien stopped at one of the shops that sold swimsuits. Carson Cove had an ordinance against shops like that within the vicinity of the bay as another safeguard against having our town turn into a tourist destination, but that didn’t stop people from opening shops as close as possible.
“Are you going to model some for me?” Damien raised his eyebrow and looked over at me. “I can help you choose one.”
“Uh…” I looked down and smiled. “No, I’ll pick something out on my own.”
I wasn’t even brav
e enough to wear a two-piece, much less model swimsuits for someone. I found an inexpensive one that was black and covered more skin than most of the others that were available. I had no idea how the late afternoon or evening would go, but I wasn’t going to hurry things in that direction by dressing like I belonged in a Girls Gone Wild video. I tried to pay, but Damien wouldn’t let me. It didn’t seem like a battle worth fighting, so I allowed him to buy it. A short while later, we were driving down a path that was mostly hidden from view by a line of trees—but then it opened up to an amazing villa—and a clear view of the ocean from the driveway.
“Wow…” I felt my eyes getting big as I stared at the sight.
“I know you’ve seen the ocean before.” He chuckled under his breath.
“I’m used to seeing a beach full of people.” I looked over at him. “This is a little different.”
“Well, my grandfather doesn’t use his villa anymore, so we can come anytime you want.” He put the car in park.
It sounds like our second date isn’t going to be our last…
“If I had a place like this, I think I would live in it.” I laughed and shook my head as we stepped out of the car.
“I’ve thought about getting a place on the beach…” He led me to the front door and pushed a key into the lock. “I don’t think it would be that special if I woke up to this view every morning though.”
“It would take a long time for the allure to wear off.” I followed him into the house.
“Oh—hmm…” He stopped in his tracks.
“What’s wrong?” I looked past him and saw that the villa was quite messy with fast food bags on the table, beer bottles on the kitchen counter, and a trash can that was overflowing.
“Jenny.” He shook his head angrily.
Devious Intentions (Carson Cove Sandals Book 3) Page 6