by M. Malone
"Do you think he meant any of that? About being sorry or whatever?"
Eli glanced over at him. "It's hard to say. Liars tend to be convincing. And it's hard to believe any guy when he says the woman living in his house is 'just a friend'. If I had a sister, I wouldn't be thrilled about her dating this dude either."
"I want you to keep digging. There’s so little about him before the age of eighteen."
"Maybe he was a quiet kid," Eli suggested.
Matt considered the idea. But it just didn't wash with the Trent he'd come to know over the years. People could lie about their backgrounds but it was harder to fake a certain personality for years. Trent hadn't exactly been a choirboy throughout college. His personality type tended to have the kind of teenage years that parents feared.
"He's never been quiet. I'm thinking he wouldn't be this clean unless he'd intentionally buried something. And we know from experience that he has no problem hiding things when he wants to."
"Is any of that really necessary though? Your sister seemed really mad."
Matt scoffed. He wished it was that simple but when it came to Mara and her emotions, nothing was straightforward.
"Mara is a softie underneath it all. I knew the first day they met. Shit, I knew it was going to be a problem. After I got to know Trent, I was okay with it. But I shouldn’t have ignored that gut feeling I had in the beginning that he wasn’t right for her."
"Right? Like you didn't think he was a good guy?" Eli asked.
"Nah. It wasn't that. I can't really explain what it was. He just seemed, remote. Like he didn't really give a shit about anything. Freshman year we were all partying pretty hard but I never really saw him with any girls. There was just something weird about it. I actually thought he was gay for a while but then I saw the way he looked at Mara, so…"
Eli chuckled. “It takes a lot to surprise me but I have to admit this one got me. Finding out that dude was some kind of bazillionaire was not what I was expecting to find when Mara asked me to check into him.”
Matt grunted. “I can’t believe she went behind my back like that.” It made him feel soft that he was so upset that she hadn't told him about her suspicions. Yes, he was friends with Trent first but she was his sister. His twin. He would do anything for her so it had rankled to find out that she'd approached Eli when she needed help.
“You know why she did that. She’s worried about you. And probably a little embarrassed.”
"Well, she has nothing to be embarrassed about. He lied to her. She didn’t do anything wrong."
Eli shook his head. "I know that. You know that. But in her shoes, I would feel strange that I was going to marry someone only to find out that they weren’t who I thought they were."
Matt parked the car in his driveway. A minute later, the front curtains twitched. He glanced over at Eli. “Do you mind coming in so you can assure Penny that I didn’t kill anybody?”
The curtains fell into place but Matt knew if he didn't come in within the next few minutes, Penny would come out to the car and drag him out. He thought back to his state of mind that evening. For the first time, Penny had witnessed his overprotective big brother tendencies in full effect. After he'd driven Mara to their place, he'd had the unhappy task of showing her the things they'd found. He'd been on the razor's edge of violence as Mara had cried quietly over the file. Especially the pictures of the brunette currently living in Trent's other place. His blood pressure started to rise again just thinking about it.
Another rare smile covered Eli’s face. “She was a little worried, huh?”
“Yeah. That would be an understatement.”
Chapter Six
THE NEXT MORNING, Mara rolled over and stared at the empty pillow on the other side of the bed. After their long exhausting conversation the night before, Trent had gone to a hotel. Her brother and Eli had stayed after he left to make sure he didn’t come back.
Even though she knew that Matt was just worried about her, it truly pained her to see the animosity between him and his former best friend. Especially watching him treat Trent like a criminal. Then she mentally kicked herself for feeling sympathy. Trent had lied to her. To all of them really. She wasn’t the one who should be feeling sorry.
That didn’t stop her from missing him so much it physically hurt.
It was a chore to get herself ready for work. The tasks that usually brought her so much pleasure, looking through her closet and choosing which pair of heels made her feel the most fierce, left her completely cold today. In an uncharacteristic move, she grabbed a ruffly white blouse¸ black slacks and plain gray cardigan and spread them out on the bed. Then she wrinkled her nose. She was depressed but this outfit was only going to make it worse. So she went back into her closet and pulled out her brightest pair of red high heels that she usually only wore clubbing. When paired next to the simplicity of her clothes, the shoes really made a statement. She hoped that statement was something along the lines of I’m not as gullible as everyone seems to think.
She carried the thought with her as she hurried through a quick shower and then pulled her damp hair back. The entire drive to work she thought about how she was going to approach Mr. Westbrooke.
It was simple. She would have to arrange for some time off. Her personal life was a mess and she needed time to figure things out. But Ethan was such a workaholic and had never taken a vacation in the entire time that she'd worked for him. She honestly wasn't sure how he was going to react to her sudden request for a week off. Her thoughts drifted to their strange conversation in his office. It would be the ultimate in flattery to think that he liked her but she was too smart for that. Mara knew she was beautiful. It was impossible to grow up with a beauty queen for a mother and not be aware of the effect her face had on men. But beauty didn't count for much with men like Ethan simply because he was surrounded by beautiful women all the time. She'd seen him at company functions and he'd always had a woman who looked like a supermodel on his arm. It wasn't that there was anything special about her.
Except for the fact that she wasn't afraid to yell back at him.
But for whatever the reason, he'd told her to ask for help if she needed it. Well, it was time to test whether he'd been serious about that.
She pulled into the employee parking lot and marched into the building. Then stopped short when she saw Lanie hovering by her desk.
"Mara! Thank god, the rumors aren't true."
"What rumors?" She set her things down on her desk and booted up her computer. The entire time she kept her eye on Ethan's door. He must be in a meeting but as soon as whoever was in there came out, she would go in and state her case. Originally she'd thought to wait until the end of the day and then make her request so she could escape home if he didn't take it well. But she couldn't stand the uncertainty of worrying about it all day.
"I heard that you got fired yesterday," Lanie whispered.
"What?" Mara forgot to keep her voice down and Ada looked up in alarm.
Mara smiled sheepishly and then pulled Lanie around the corner and into the employee break room. Aaron, one of the mailroom guys, stood at the sink stirring a cup of coffee. With only a cursory glance in his direction, she whirled around to face Lanie. "Spill it."
"Well, yesterday afternoon someone said they saw Mr. Westbrooke yelling at you and then he called you into his office. They said they heard more yelling and then you ran out and got your stuff and left."
Mara ran her hands over the low ponytail she'd pulled her hair into that morning. “The rumor mill around here is ridiculous. That’s not at all what happened. Ethan was yelling but that’s just how he communicates. I was having a bad day and left a little early. I wasn't fired.”
"So, why were you in his office so long?" Lanie asked innocently.
Mara glanced over her shoulder again. Aaron still stood at the sink sipping his coffee. When he noticed both of their glares, he lowered his eyes and shuffled past them and out the door.
As soon as
he was gone, Lanie turned back and raised an eyebrow. "You two aren't–"
"No! Lanie, I'm not sleeping with my boss."
"Oh don't act like it's so unheard of. He's gorgeous. And rich."
"Another rich man is the last thing I need right now."
Lanie's expression instantly brightened. “Now it's your turn to spill. What do you mean by that?"
Mara bit her lip. It probably wasn’t a good idea to talk about the situation but how was she supposed to figure things out if she couldn't tell anyone? It was impossible to get an unbiased opinion from her usual group of friends because they all knew Trent as well. It wasn't fair to put them in the middle and ask them to choose sides. And she needed to talk to someone about this strange situation.
"Have you ever heard of a guy pretending to be poor? Like instead of flashing his wealth around, he lives like a normal person, driving a normal car even though he has a lot of money?"
"Um, no. Most guys do the opposite. They buy a car they can't afford and dress flashy so they can make women think they have more money than they actually do."
"Right. I didn't think so. But it turns out Trent comes from a wealthy background but he never told me."
"Oh. Well, maybe his last girlfriend was a gold-digger," Lanie suggested.
"Maybe."
"Is that why you've looked so sad lately?" At Mara's nod, Lanie put an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sure he had a good reason. He probably thought he was just being cautious."
"You're right. That's what I've been telling myself." Even though she didn't really feel it, Mara forced herself to smile.
It worked because Lanie instantly looked relieved. "It'll all work out in the end. I've seen the way he looks at you. He's crazy about you." She glanced at her watch. "I'd better get to my desk. I'll treat you to lunch today. You look like you could use a break."
* * * * *
TRENT CLIMBED THE stairs to Matt’s house and rubbed his hands. There were really only two ways this could go and he was trying to ignore the gut feeling that it was going to end painfully.
Or with blood.
He pressed the doorbell and then leaned against the stair railing. His friend had purchased the one story ranch house in a quiet, middle class neighborhood. He’d been so proud when he’d bought it. Trent had several properties around the world but he’d been more excited to help his best friend move into this modest home than about anything he’d ever purchased for investment.
After a few more minutes, he shifted restlessly. He didn’t hear anything but figured someone was home because both Matt’s truck and Penny’s sedan were in the driveway. Whether they’d open the door when they saw it was him, that wasn’t certain. Finally the door swung open and Matt stood in the doorframe, a scowl on his face as he looked at Trent.
“All bets are off now, huh?”
Trent must have looked as confused as he felt because Matt looked at his outfit with disdain and clarified, “Nice monkey suit. No more pretending to be normal?”
Trent looked down at the suit he’d forgotten he was wearing and sighed. He knew Matt was angry but he’d never been on the receiving end of his friend’s volatile temper before.
“I was never pretending with you. Any of you. I guess it might seem that way but I wasn’t.”
“Yeah? I’ve never seen you look like an insurance salesman before.” Matt snickered but he moved aside so Trent could enter the house. He had to count that as progress. The television was set to a news station and there was a beer on the coffee table. Matt ignored him and sat back down in front of the television.
“I’m only wearing this because I need to go into the city. This is what I wear when I do that. Mara can tell you that.”
Matt shrugged and kept his eyes on the screen. “So why are you here?”
“I have to go back to New York. I want to take Mara with me.”
“You're asking permission now?” Matt didn’t move but Trent could feel the frustration coming off him in waves.
Knowing his friend as well as he did, Trent figured it had to be killing him not to say any more. Matt had always been crazy over-protective of his sister especially when it came to the guys she’d dated. Hell, he’d helped Matt intimidate more than a few of them. Which was why Matt’s tacit approval of his relationship with Mara had meant so much to him. There was no greater vote of confidence than for Matt to think that he was good enough for his sister.
Even though he knew he wasn't.
“No, I'm not asking for permission. I’m just asking you not to shoot me in the back when I do.”
Penny appeared in the doorway and gave Trent a soft smile. “Hey Trent.”
He returned her smile. It was a small ray of sunshine not to feel like everyone hated him.
She crossed the room to Matt and hugged him. “I have to go to work. Your sister loves him so be nice.” She whispered the last part before shooting Trent another hesitant smile.
As soon as the door shut behind her, Trent turned back to his friend. Matt had his attention fixed on the television with the kind of marked determination only achieved when you were ignoring someone.
"I'm not going away."
Matt slammed his beer bottle back on the table and stood. "Yes, you are. You spent years lying to her and Mara isn't just going to take you back because you're Mr. Moneybags now. You fucked up and there's no taking that back. We're talking about years, Trent."
His friend had a point and he knew it. It was going to take a hell of a lot more than an apology before Mara could forgive him. That was why he needed her to agree to go to the city with him. There was no way to explain what he'd been running from. She had to experience it to understand.
"I know that. That's why this trip is so important. I want her to understand why I left. And over time I hope you'll understand, too. Our friendship is important to me. I’ve admired you for years. We played beer pong together. You’ve had my back in more than one bar fight. I mean, shit, you taught me how to do laundry.”
Matt laughed and for a moment things were the way they’d always been. Then his expression got grave. “Look. I still don’t understand everything that’s going on but I have to look out for Mara. I can’t let you hurt my sister."
“I would never do that. I love her.”
“You won't mean to but that doesn't mean it won't happen anyway. You thought you were protecting her before and look how that turned out.” Matt looked almost as frustrated as he felt.
Trent couldn’t really argue against the point since he knew that he’d shattered her trust once already.
“I want to take Mara to New York and introduce her to my parents.”
“Well, she's not going anywhere without me.”
“You’re more than welcome to come along.”
Matt stared at him, then seemed to come to a conclusion. He pulled out his cell phone and hit a button. “Tank? I know you’re out on leave right now but I need a favor. I need you to cover my shifts.”
* * * * *
MARA SHUT THE last filing cabinet and stood, massaging the ache in her lower back. If Ethan wasn’t so anal she could have one of the file clerks help her but he insisted that no one else touch his stuff. She rolled her eyes and hit the button for the elevator to take her back to her floor.
Lanie had insisted that they go out of the office for lunch today. Originally, she hadn’t been too enthusiastic about it but after an hour of handling files, she needed a break. A little sunshine and fresh air would probably do wonders for her mood after being stuck in that dark storage room.
The elevator doors opened and she narrowed her eyes. Trent stood next to her desk talking with Lanie. Her friend’s high-pitched giggle was audible even from across the room. It sounded tinny and fake. Then she leaned forward and playfully batted at Trent’s arm. He stiffened and took a step back but Lanie moved closer, keeping the contact.
“Trent, what are you doing here?”
At the sound of her voice, Lanie stood up straight and has
tily pulled her hand back from where it had been resting on Trent’s arm.
Mara walked forward slowly, the ache in her back completely forgotten. Trent had only come by her office a few times but Lanie had met him before. She hadn’t been nearly this friendly then. Or this giggly.
“I came to take you to lunch.” Trent moved away from Lanie and stood next to her. She got the sense that he was happy to get away from her friend and into “safe” territory.
“Actually I already made plans with Lanie.” She glanced over at her friend, annoyed to see Lanie staring at Trent like he was covered in chocolate.
Lanie brushed away a nonexistent wrinkle in her skirt and giggled again. “Oh well, I’ll take a rain check.” When she met Mara’s eyes finally, she blushed slightly. “It’s no big deal. I’ll see you later, Mara.”
Mara watched in disbelief as her friend trotted away. When she got on the elevator, she sent Trent one last smile before the doors closed.
“If you’d rather not have lunch, I understand.” Trent watched her from beneath lowered lashes.
“No, it’s not that.” And it really wasn’t a problem. As angry as she’d been, over the past few hours she’d had nothing to do but think. And question. The only way she’d get the answers to her questions was by talking to him.
She grabbed her purse and then motioned for him to follow her. They rode the elevator down to the main level and then she led him to the bridge.
“Uh, did you tell her about us? Your friend, I mean?” He motioned with his head back at her building.
Guiltily, Mara looked away. “Yeah. I shouldn’t have. I mean, I can’t believe Lanie was hanging all over you like that. Was that what you meant about people changing?”
Trent stopped at a hot dog stand and raised an eyebrow. She nodded and smiled at the vendor. “Sure, this is fine.”
The vendor looked between them eagerly. “Two with the works?”