by Parker, Ali
Matt dropped down in the sand next to her and wadded up his towel. "Yeah. He said later this fall. I want to get excited about all the great stuff happening, but I can't seem to move past this lump in my chest." He rubbed his chest and glanced down at her.
"And that lump represents what?" She put on her sunglasses and cupped her hands behind her head.
"I don't know. I messed things up with Erica, and my indecision to call her has probably pissed her off something horrible. She's hostile like Damon when she's pissed, and I hate confrontation more than anything else." He turned to face the ocean. "I could fall in love with her so easily, Bethany. She's perfect in a million ways, and she has this artist inside of her that's starving for air. I want so badly to help her find an outlet for all of that."
"So stop being scared and call her." She reached over and rubbed his side with the back of her fingers. "She's totally into you."
"I asked her if I could paint a picture of her." He lifted his chin toward the sky. "She's nude in it."
"Oh. Wow." Bethany stifled the smile that rose on her face. Matt wasn't being silly or cheeky. He was hurting.
"Yeah. She's fucking magnificent too. I can still see her standing there with her back to me. It leaves my heart racing and chill bumps all over my skin."
"So tell her that. What the heck are you waiting for?" Bethany groaned and sat up next to him. It would seem a quiet afternoon of sunbathing was a pipe dream, not that she minded. Helping Matt get his life on track would be something to delight in when looking back ten years from the future.
"I don't know." He glanced over at her as a group of girls jogged by in front of them, kicking up sand and having far too much fun.
"I think you're being stubborn and trying to protect yourself from something that doesn't even exist. It's like being afraid of the monster under your bed." She pushed her shoulder against his. "You totally miss out on the comfort of slowly getting into your cold sheets and enjoying the peace that most people find there because you're full of fear and catapulting from the door into the bed like an action hero. The monster doesn't exist. Stop letting him steal your joy and your peace."
"Wow. That was deep. You come up with that on your own?" He chuckled.
"I did." She beamed. "You need to call her, Matt. You can't spend the weekend with someone and not follow up with them. She's not just the woman you're falling for, but she's an integral part of McKenzie and Bryant. What if she decided she'd had all she could handle of you jumping in and out of her life and left the firm?"
"Like you did?" He pressed his shoulder against hers, almost knocking her over.
"That is true." She pursed her lips. Had she left too quickly? It was almost childish now thinking back on it. So she had a problem with Delilah. So what? She loved working with Patrick, Ben, and Philip when she got the opportunity. Being down the hall from Damon was a dream come true when he wasn't acting like a dick, and the job itself was the type of job she'd always wanted. She'd gone to college to be an accountant in hopes of working for a prestigious firm like M&B one day.
Why had she been so quick to give that up? Was Damon being truthful in his hopes to have her come back and work beside him? It was the family business. Her family.
"Are you going to go back?" Matt asked before standing up.
"Are you going to call Erica?" She stood up beside him, smiling as a look of challenge moved across his handsome features.
"You join the firm, and I'll try and get up the nerve to call Erica and at least apologize for not calling. She knows I'm a flake and a half."
"That's no excuse. Did you guys sleep together?"
"Are you always this nosy?"
"Yes. I'm the little sister, remember?"
He snorted. "We did sleep together. It was honestly one of the best nights of my life. She's so good at-"
"Hey." Bethany held up her hand. "I'm good with no details."
He laughed deep in his chest. "I wasn't going to give them. I just thought it would be fun to watch you squirm a little, and I was right. It was fun."
"Why are we standing up?" She glanced around, enjoying the coolness of the Florida beach and the warmth of the sun on her skin.
"I'm going in the water. Last one there is a rotten egg?"
"What are you fifteen?" She smirked.
"In here, I am." He tapped the side of his head. "Come on. It'll be fun."
"It's freezing out there." She glanced toward the water, trying to calculate the perfect moment to bolt toward the water so she could get a head start. Matt had been running in the mornings with his best friend Sophie, which meant he probably had a better chance of winning between the two of them.
"So? You don't have nuts that crawl back up in your body when it's too cold. You don't-"
"All right." She bolted, running toward the water and kicking up sand as she did. Why there was something so freeing about acting like a child with Matt was beyond her, but there was. She might have been the sister he was hoping would show up someday, but she had no doubt that he would fulfill two roles in her life.
Brother and friend. There wasn't much more she could ask for.
* * *
"It's fine, baby." Bethany pressed the phone to her ear as she stood in the hotel room and watched the world outside of her window. The ocean was beautiful at sunset, so romantic and calming.
"I thought I would come in and sign a few things and go over the documentation with the team, but we have one more glitch that's looking more like a control issue. I have to help fix it. James is flying out and should be here any minute. You and Matt grab dinner?" Damon sighed, and she could tell that he was less than thrilled with the fact that he wouldn't be joining her for dinner or bed.
"We will. Just do what you need to do and come snuggle up to me when you get in. That work?" She moved back and let the curtains fall into place.
"Yeah. I love you, baby."
Warmth filled every part of her as she closed her eyes and smiled. "Me more. See you in a little while."
She wanted to ask about Delilah but figured it wasn't the right time. Hanging up, she tossed the phone onto the bed and changed into something more casual that she planned to wear for the evening. There was no reason for her and Matt to go to dinner at a fancy place. They'd be much more comfortable hanging out at the edge of the beach, drinking beer and eating fish tacos.
She turned to walk into the bathroom as her phone started to ring. A smile lifted her lips as she bounded across the bed and dropped down on her stomach to answer it. It had to be Damon.
No. It was Jake.
"Hey. You okay?" Fear rushed through her heart as she pressed the phone to her ear. Where she and Jake had been close all throughout their undergrad degrees, they hadn't talked too much since the situation with Krista happened.
"Yeah, I'm doing great. I got out of my wheelchair over and over today during therapy and the best part? I did it on my own."
"That's great news." Bethany rolled onto her back and let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. "You were so brave during the trial yesterday too."
Was it just yesterday? It seemed like a week ago. Was the funeral for Amanda just that morning?
"Thanks, Bethany. It sucked to high heaven. I know I should be angry at Krista, and part of me is, but there's a much bigger part that feels sorry for her. She's not the monster she believes herself to be." He took a shaky breath. "That's why I'm calling."
She sat up. "You want to bust her out of jail?"
He snorted. "No, silly. I want us to take turns going to visit her. She needs to know that we care about her."
"Have you lost your mind? Where I agree totally about her not being a monster, I still don't think it's a good idea to have you go up there. I'll go if you want me to, but you're just going to give her a false sense of hope."
"I don't think so." He paused.
"I do. She's in love with you, and even if she attacked you because of not being on her meds, she still has that desire insid
e of her. Seeing you isn't going to help anything. It's going to hurt. Believe me when I say this, I know what it's like to have to come face to face with someone you're in love with but can't have. It feels like a form of death. We're not doing that to her."
"Interesting. I didn't think about it like that."
"I'll go." She moved to the edge of the bed, not sure she was comfortable going to visit her old friend or not. "She's not in love with me, and maybe if she and I grow close again, it would help her to heal."
“She's going to be in the mental hospital forever." He let out a soft sigh. "I hate that so much. I feel like part of it is my fault."
"It's not your fault, and the hospital is better than jail, right?"
"I guess so."
"I'll go see her soon."
"Come see me too?" There was hope in his voice, but she couldn't tell if it was a friend needing a friend, or a man still in love with a ghost from his past.
"Yeah, absolutely, and call anytime, okay? I'm here for you."
"I know you are. Thank you for that."
Someone knocked at the door, and she got off the bed and wrapped her free arm around herself. "I have to run, but we'll figure this out together, okay?"
"Thanks, Bethany. I knew I could count on you."
She dropped the call and walked to the door to find Matt in a nice shirt and slacks. A chuckle bubbled up inside of her as he handed her a white rose.
"My brother called and said I was your date for the night. What do you fancy, my lady?"
She snorted and took the rose. "Beer and fish tacos at the bar down the street."
"Oh thank God. I'll be back in five. I'm going to change." He winked, turned around and walked back to his room.
She couldn't help but stand there and watch him go. Life was good, but it was about to turn the corner toward great.
Chapter 96
Damon
"Do you have a minute?"
Damon glanced up at the sound of Delilah's voice. The innocence on her face caused him to stiffen. She was up to something. What the fuck happened to the girl he grew up with? Bridget was always the one getting into shit and causing problems for everyone around her. She'd come between him and Delilah so many times over their teenage years that Damon finally relented and asked the bitch out. It had been a wild ride, and his profession of love was more from not understand at all what love looked like. His mother and father being the guide left a little to be desired.
"Only a minute." He stood from the makeshift desk the client had set up for him.
She walked in and sat down in the chair across the desk from him, leaning back and crossing her legs as a seductive look moved across her face.
"I honestly think if we worked on the report a little more that we could sell more services to Mr. Talling. We have that new adviser group opening up soon. Why not utilize it?" She brushed her hands down her thighs, but Damon made sure to keep his eyes locked onto her pretty face.
"What services are you referring to specifically?" He sat back down and leaned back, clasping his hands over his stomach.
"If we offer them a just-in-time inventory system from Pollock in Dallas, I could get us a kickback from them, and we could offer to consult on the project. I know the system Pollock put together backward and forward. I helped to consult on the project when they built it a few years back." She smiled. "It's a great product. They'll benefit from it and we will too."
"You know as well as I do that we're not legally able to recommend a system that we're going to get a kickback from. There's no way I would put the firm in that position. I'm honestly wondering why you thought I would." He pressed his fingers to his lips, knowing that he had enough to fire her. Maybe she wanted to be released. No, that wasn't her end game. Not by the look on her face.
"You chose Bridget over me when we were kids, Damon. You'd probably still choose her again. Why?" Her expression tightened. Fuck if Matt wasn't right. "It has to be because she's ballsy because she lives on the edge."
"It was a mistake." He stood and walked to the window. "You've been making a lot of mistakes yourself lately. What happened to the sweet girl I grew up with?"
"Lots of things." She stood up and moved to stand beside him. "You being one of them."
He glanced down at her as she reached over to touch him. "Don't. I'm engaged and very much in love with the woman wearing my ring."
"What?" She jerked back like he'd slapped her. "Since when?"
"I don't share my private life at work much, Delilah." He turned to face her. "I'm not sure why my father thought this was a good idea. I know your resume is heavy in the areas we needed most, but this thing between you and me doesn't exist. It's a toxic memory for you, obviously. I can't let it continue. It's not fair to you, and I can't ignore the way you've behaved lately. This shit you just tried to pull was too much."
"Is this about Bethany? Your sister caused this, didn't she?"
"She's my fiancée, not my sister." He crossed his arms over his chest. "You caused this. Pack up and take an earlier flight back. We can meet next week to talk about your exit strategy for leaving the firm, and don't plan on using us as a reference."
"You can't be serious." She narrowed her eyes, making her as ugly on the outside as she was on the inside. How he hadn't noticed it before was beyond him.
"Close the door on your way out." He walked around her and sat down at his desk.
"Damon. It was just a suggestion."
He glanced up. "You're fired. Collect your things and get Linda to put you on an earlier flight. We'll talk next week."
"Your father isn't going to let you do that." She walked to the door and stopped before walking out. "He knows how valuable I can be. You just wait."
"I'll hold my breath." He smiled and turned toward his computer, ignoring her as she huffed and slammed the door. She'd no doubt say a few things to the team about it, but it was all part of the show she'd put on. He would correct everyone's thinking before heading back to the hotel that night.
Some part of him wanted to invite Beth back to give Delilah hell for how she'd treated her, but he knew Beth well enough to know that she wasn't the type of woman to take an eye for an eye. Her demeanor and testimony at Krista's hearing the day before made that more than obvious. Had she grown up in the last few months, or had she always been that mature? He wasn't sure, but it made him even more proud that she belonged to him.
He picked up the phone, needing to check on Kendal before getting lost in his work for the next few hours. By the time he packed up, it would be well past midnight.
"Hey, buddy." Kendal's voice was more solid than he expected it to be.
"Hey. How are you?"
"I'm as good as can be expected."
"You alone?" Damon leaned back in his chair, knowing that the answer wasn't really any of his business. Oddly enough, it would have been comforting to hear that Dana was over there with Kendal.
"Yeah. Dana wanted to come over, but I'm just not sure where I am with all of that."
"Really? Why does this have to be so damn difficult? Do you care about her?"
"Clearly, asshole."
"Good. Then make an adjustment. You don't want your gravestone to read that you were an incredible and ethical accounting professor from UT, right?"
"No, Damon, but this isn't that simple. The school has strict rules. I'm not allowed to date a student. Period."
"Then wait until she's not a student. Just be friends with her until she's graduated. She's doing work at the hospital, so she has to be a resident, right?"
"Yeah. She's in her senior year."
"Good. Then be a close friend this year and when she graduates in May, take it to another level. If you care about her, you need to make sure you don't let her slip through your fingers. I'd never in a million years expected you to let someone hold you like you did today. All I'm saying is that she obviously means something."
"She does." He let out a soft sigh. "I'll think about it. I don't want h
er changing the path that she's on to suit me, which is what she wants to do. That's not fair to her."
"If she's falling in love with you, then she's being quite sensible in her thoughts. I'd do anything to be with Beth. That's what love does. You know this. Look at what you did for Ana, what you almost gave up."
"And that's the distinguishing factor right now. I care about Dana, and I like her a lot, but I'm not in love."
"And you shouldn't be. You've known her a few weeks?"
"Something like that." He cleared his throat. "My career is my passion. It's my identity. I almost died six years ago when that shit went down with Ana and the school threatened to let me go. You know how hard and how long I worked for this position. It's everything to me."
"Right, and until a woman means more than your job, you'll never be fulfilled. You're too much like me. Having a relationship with a good woman that loves a frequent romp in the sheets is what makes life worth living."
"I'll agree with that. I'm just not there yet, man. Until I get there, I have to follow what my heart's telling me to do, and right now, that's to keep my distance. I'll maintain a friendship with her as long as I can. I figure that won't last long though."
"Why is that?"
"Because I'm attracted to her. She's beautiful, and I've already slept with her. She's passionate and giving in the bedroom. I'm also totally into her because of the way she took care of my sister. She wasn't just that way with Mandy. She is that way with everyone on the floor. She's a great woman. Someone that deserves a great man."
"A man like you." Damon stood up and pressed his free hand to the desk.
"You're a little bias." Kendal snorted.
"Yeah, but it's truth."
"Thanks, man. Have a safe trip home, and thanks again for being here for me. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you. You know that, right?"
"I do. I'll check in on you this week, but call if you need me."
"Will do."
Damon dropped the call and set the phone on his desk before lifting his arms toward the ceiling and stretching. A knock at the door caused him to drop his hands.