Teagan
As we traveled home from visiting with Kane’s mom, his head remained turned away from me, a sign he was processing and wasn’t ready to talk. I used the time to reflect on the visit. There was no denying his mom’s joy at seeing her son, nor could she hide her pain when she’d learned what Kane had been through. Watching her, I could see so much of Kane: the same eyes and black hair, even some of their mannerisms. And it was also clear that she loved her son and truly believed she had acted in his best interest. I wondered why Mrs. Marks had never told her of the accident. Was she trying to spare her the pain?
Thinking about Mrs. Marks’s son, I think I understood now why she went by Mrs. Marks. She had been a single, unwed mother in the sixties; my guess is that she used “Mrs.” for her son’s benefit. After she’d lost him, being called Mrs. Marks kept him with her.
Before we’d left, his mom had asked Kane if she could see his scars. The sight was etched into my brain, and Kane’s blindness had been a blessing, sparing him from seeing her completely collapse. She didn’t crumble so much in words or tears, being mindful of Kane, I was sure, but the devastation and despair clouding her expression was very hard to watch. She was probably even now playing the what-if game: What if she hadn’t left, what if she had stayed or come to visit. Would Kane still have found himself in that burning building?
And Mrs. Marks losing her son . . . I had noticed two other angels on the tree in the years that followed the ones Kane had suggested I hang for my parents. I now knew one was for her son and one was for Kane’s mom. It seemed kind of fitting that we had all lost our families and had found a new one in each other.
“Thank you for coming with me.”
Glancing over, my gaze collided with his blue one. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I am.” His hand moved from his lap, searching for mine. Slipping my hand into his, he linked our fingers and lifted our hands to kiss my knuckles, his lips lingering for a few seconds.
“I suppose an argument for nature over nurture could be made from this,” he said.
“How so?”
“She left to protect me, and I did the same to you, even though I hadn’t been in her company for over a decade when I left you.”
“I think the need to protect the ones you love is universal. Instinctual, like breathing. There was love in her face when she saw you.”
“I could sense it in the way she moved, how she breathed.”
“What will happen now?”
“We’ll probably take this slowly, but I’d like to have her in my life again. I hadn’t realized just how much I really missed her until she came back into my life.”
“I think she’d like that very much. Maybe you could even bring her to Raven’s Peak when Mrs. Marks is up for visitors.”
“Good idea.”
“Why do you think Mrs. Marks didn’t tell her about the fire?”
“I guess since my mom never tried to see me again, why mention it? The news would only bring her pain.”
“That’s my thinking too. Did Mrs. Marks ever mention her son to you?” I asked.
“No, never. And I never saw any pictures of him either, unless they’re in her rooms. I’ve never been in her rooms.”
“No, me neither. It’s sad but happy because we all found each other.”
He squeezed my hand. “Really glad you were with me today.”
“Me too.”
Sitting in the library, Kane filled Simon in on our visit with his mom.
“That had to be a sobering moment for her, seeing you at the bottom of the stairs and knowing she was the one who put you there. At least it sounds like the reunion went well, so maybe you’ll have a chance to be a part of each other’s lives.”
“What did you do while we were away?” I asked, since I could tell Kane was done sharing.
“Mrs. T made me a killer lunch—filet mignon sandwich. I’ll never eat anyone else’s steak sandwich again.”
“With horseradish sauce?” Kane asked.
“Yep.”
“Yeah, there’s no going back after one of those.”
“I’ve never had one of those. Why haven’t I had one of those?”
“It’s a recent addition to her repertoire,” Kane said.
“Oh, Teagan, you are missing out.” Simon wiggled his brows at me. “If you’re nice to me, maybe I can sweet-talk her into making them tomorrow for lunch. Oh, I almost forgot. I can’t believe I almost forgot—I’ve been waiting for you to get back to tell you. The sandwich is just that good.”
He had a one-track mind. “Simon, focus,” I said.
“Right. Mr. Sleazy was here to finish up the inventory. It’s shopping day. No one was supposed to be home, and I suspect he knew that. Shocked the hell out of him when I answered the door. I followed him—didn’t even bother being subtle about it. He really does not like me, but I think you’re right in that he’s looking to finance his next big purchase from pieces he lifts from here. He had a nice big satchel with him, and yet there wasn’t a thing in it when he opened it, no laptop, not files, no inventory sheet.”
“I knew it. So he must have a buyer,” I deduced.
“That would be my guess.”
“What are the chances his buyer is Camille?” Kane said from his spot near the fireplace. “Think about it—she stops in for visits all the time. How much do you want to bet she’s really been scoping out the pieces she wants Sleazy to steal?”
“I thought the same thing,” I said, “but how can she afford to pay him on a waitress’s salary, since Daddy seems to have taken a step back?”
“Good question. And why did Daddy take a step back? It’d be interesting to talk to the man,” Simon said.
“I wonder if he would talk to us.” I was speaking mostly to myself.
“Maybe not to us, but he’ll talk to Kevin O’Malley. It wasn’t just Kathy and Camille who were friends—their families are as well,” Kane said.
I couldn’t deny I liked the idea, but . . . “What would you say to Mr. O’Malley?”
“The truth. Camille’s been coming around, Mr. Sleazy is always around, I know about his checkered past, and do I need to be concerned.”
“And you’re okay with asking him that?”
“Why not? If something shady is going on, the three seniors who live here and I are vulnerable.”
There was an edge to that last comment, and I knew it stemmed from frustration—that he couldn’t defend his home as well as he’d like. There wasn’t a thing I could say to ease those feelings. I knew he’d only get mad if I tried.
“I’ll call him,” he said before he started from the room. “I’ll see you both at dinner.”
He was gone before we could respond.
“He okay?” Simon asked.
“I’m guessing he’s just frustrated, and I get it, but it’s hard watching him be his own worst critic.”
“Considering the circumstances, I think he’s coping rather well.”
“Agreed. So if it is Camille who Sleazy wants to sell to, where do you think the money is coming from?” I asked.
“Don’t know. The woman we saw at the diner didn’t look like she had two pennies to rub together, so I don’t have a clue where tens of thousands of dollars is going to come from. Not to mention: What does she plan on doing with the stolen items? She couldn’t possibly think to display them in her home, because items like Mrs. Marks’s would stand out,” Simon speculated.
“Like I’ve said, she isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, so she may not have thought all of this out.”
Simon was rubbing his chin. He did that when he was thinking something through. “The whole situation just seems off. Sleazy, I think, is pretty transparent, but as for Camille, I don’t know. I have the sense there’s more to her involvement. Maybe her affection for Kane is sincere, and she really is coming here to see him, and because she’s cold and callous, her attentions seem forced.”
I didn’t like thinking about it, but I remembered her coming right out and saying she wanted Kane when we were younger; she hadn’t hedged at all. And the tires. “She slashed his tires when we were kids.”
“What?”
“Right after he told her it was never going happen with them.”
“What the fuck?”
“Maybe you’re right, maybe she’s got a warped attraction thing going on for Kane. That’s unnerving. I’d rather it be that she was only looking to steal from us.”
“Agreed, a thief is far easier to deal with than a loon. Anyway, after I saw Sleazy off and the others came home, I walked into town. I think this could be a great place to open a second store.”
“I think so too.”
“The Boston shop is firmly established—speaking of which, don’t forget the party is approaching. I think we need to branch out, and here seems just as good as anywhere.”
The party. I wondered if Kane remembered and was still willing to travel to Boston with me. I’d have to remind him. Moving past that, I focused on Simon’s suggestion. It was true, Blue Hill had seen significant growth during the years I’d been away, many high-end boutiques now had storefronts along Main Street. Antiques would do very well. “I like the idea of opening a shop here. We should call a realtor and see what’s available.”
Kane never did join us for dinner, so I found my way to the island. Zeus greeted me as soon as I stepped off the little boat. Walking around back with him, I found Kane, but he wasn’t working out with his bar. Instead he was sitting on one of the Adirondack chairs, a beer in his hand, seemingly lost in thought. Not wishing to disturb him, I stopped walking, debating if I should stay or go.
“You don’t have to leave.”
Uncanny how he did that. He answered my unasked question. “Your scent, not just your perfume but your natural scent, is unique and it drives me crazy. I can always tell when you’re near.”
Moving around to face him, I saw that his eyes were closed, his head resting back. He looked really comfortable. I had feared he was brooding again.
“You missed dinner,” I said.
“More for Simon. That guy eats.”
“I know. You okay?”
“Yeah, just thinking.”
“About?”
He placed his bottle on the table next to him and reached for me. Climbing into his lap, he wrapped me in his arms. I sighed. I couldn’t help it, since this was my very favorite way to sit.
“I was thinking about you,” he said.
Tingles moved down my body, like fans in the stands doing the wave. “Me?”
“Seeing my mom, knowing it was because of her illness that I found a permanent home at Raven’s Peak and met you . . . how one small change can have such drastic effects. I don’t know if things would have been different if my mom hadn’t left. Would I have volunteered for the fire department and ended up in that burning building? Would I have stayed here after graduating high school? I honestly don’t know, but what I do know, even with everything that’s happened to me, is that I’d go through it all again if it meant I could be with you.”
An involuntary sob ripped from my throat; as horrible a thought as that was—him going through it all again—the sentiment was the most beautiful thing I’d ever heard.
“I mean it, Tea. Being with you these past few weeks has made me realize how wrong I was to push you away. How life, my life, is so sweet with you, and so empty without you.” He reached into his pocket, my ring appearing. “Marry me, Tea.”
Tears were falling now; there was just no stopping them. “Yes.”
Reaching for my hand, he slipped his ring on and, like he had done before, he kissed it. “I won’t fuck it up this time.”
Crying, I buried my face in his neck, but the tears were happy ones.
I woke up in the middle of the night, Kane over me, his mouth trailing kisses down my neck and collarbone, down the valley between my breasts to my stomach. My hands moved over him, up his arms, over his shoulders, and down his back. He tensed when I reached his scars but only for a second; he was getting used to my touch. I still felt the sting of tears when my fingertips moved over his scarred skin, thinking of the pain he had endured, and hearing that he’d endure it again to be with me, there just weren’t words.
His tongue dipped into my navel, licking down my stomach to the apex of my thighs. His fingers curled at my waist a second before he pulled the silk of my panties down my legs. His hands found my legs, moved up to my calves, and draped my legs over his shoulders. Spread for him, I watched as his head lowered and he kissed me right where I was aching. His fingers tightened on my ass as he lifted me higher, his tongue running down along my wet heat, tracing me and dipping in only slightly. Returning to the nub, he sucked on it, and I felt the start of the orgasm tightening in my belly, and then he was pushing into me, hard with his tongue, as he rubbed and squeezed the pleasure point with his fingers. Stealing my breath, the orgasm seemed to just keep coming as he continued to feast, working me until another orgasm followed the first. As I came down from the second one, he moved up my body and slid into me. He moved slowly, in and out, almost leisurely. His mouth found mine, and I tasted him and myself. He rolled so I was astride him, my hips taking up the motion, riding him as I slowly brought him to climax. Sitting up, he held me close, his body flexing with his orgasm, his seed pumping into me. Neither of us were willing to break the beauty of the moment, so we stayed like that for a good long time.
Kane
Tea had fallen back asleep after we’d made love, but I couldn’t sleep. My thoughts were on our lovemaking. It had been different, more profound. We hadn’t used protection since she returned, and I hoped that I had planted my baby in her. I wanted that, wanted to have a family with her. Even though we had taken the long way to get where we were, she was in my bed and wearing my ring. She had told me once that all of her happiest memories were with me, and I understood the sentiment completely, since I felt the same way. We had a lifetime to make more memories. I wasn’t going to let her go, wasn’t going to lose the best thing in my life again.
I wished I could see her, really see her. In my head, she was still that eighteen-year-old, her thick copper hair falling past her shoulders, her eyes the color of summer grass, with a smile that took my breath away. Her body was different, her breasts larger, her hips rounder, and her waist thinner. There was muscle under her soft skin, defined from working out. She had been gorgeous at eighteen, at twenty-seven, she was stunning.
The party in Boston was next month. I was nervous. It was a big city. I didn’t know it at all, but it meant everything to Tea that I come. I could hear that so clearly when I’d agreed to join her. I’d go and do my damnedest to not embarrass her.
She had accomplished so much in the years we were apart. Even knowing how much I had hurt her, she hadn’t let it get the better of her. She’d pushed on and made something of herself. I had yet to do that. I needed to set up and run the inn—needed to know I could. The librarian, the same woman who’d worked at the library when Tea and I were younger, gave me my own room so I could listen to my classes and take notes on my recorder and not disturb anyone. I was churning through the online classes and even had a few interviews with owners of inns in neighboring towns that Mr. O’Malley offered to drive me to. There was much to learn, but I found I was thirsty to learn more. For the first time since the accident, I felt anticipation, a real belief that not all of my dreams were lost.
We would visit Mrs. Marks in the morning. She was awake and speaking more clearly. Luckily the stroke had been mild, so mild that the effects were all but gone. It was scary how close she had come. Mrs. T was already working up a new menu that was lower in fat, but she wasn’t going to forgo taste. Simon, as her taster, was very honest. So there was no doubt the end result was going to be a winner.
Mrs. Marks was scheduled to come home at the end of the week. I wanted to tell her about the visit with my mom. Needed to thank her for taking me in, for giving me a family, for giving me Tea. Sometimes I wondered if she hadn’t planned it, if she had figured out just what we would come to mean to each other, and that was why she had allowed us so much freedom growing up. It would explain why she had taken our breakup almost as hard as we had. I’d never be able to pay her back for that gift, but I could start by taking the pressure of running Raven’s Peak off her shoulders.
Mr. O’Malley hadn’t been home when I’d called, but his wife had promised she’d have him call me in the morning. I believed Camille was working with Sleazy. She always had been a schemer, even with something as simple as going to the movies. She would try to get in without paying. Never did she just do something the right way; there was always an angle. I wasn’t surprised she hadn’t changed, but I’d be damned if I let her steal things from Mrs. Marks.
Tea stirred, and I pulled her closer. Zeus, rolling in his sleep, settled against my other side. For the first time in a really long time, I was happy.
“Mrs. Marks, you look wonderful.” Tea sounded relieved; I knew she’d feared that Mrs. Marks was worse than the doctors were saying.
“I feel wonderful. Simon, I’m sorry I wasn’t up for a visit the last time you were here.”
“Nonsense. It’s wonderful seeing you looking so well.”
I sensed when Simon moved. I heard Mrs. Marks’s breathing speed up.
“Lovely to officially meet you,” Simon said. I wasn’t surprised to hear a giggle from Mrs. Marks.
Tea chuckled. “We need to bottle that, Simon, and sell it. We’d make a fortune.”
“Bottle what?”
“Your charm.”
I grinned. I couldn’t help it. Tea was right. Simon could charm the panties off a nun, I’d bet. Not that he’d want to.
Tea’s hand squeezed mine. “Would you like a few minutes with Mrs. Marks?”
My chest felt tight, but not in a bad way. I hadn’t mentioned my wish to talk with Mrs. Marks alone, and yet my Tea knew me, knew without me having to say anything. Bringing her hand to my lips, I brushed my lips over her fingertips. She moved into me, just slightly, seeking a closer connection. I could feel her pulse pounding in her wrist, felt her breath coming out faster: excitement, lust, desire. Her eyes would be a darker green and her full lips slightly open. Beautiful, even in my head, she was fucking beautiful.
“Just a few minutes.”
It took her a minute to respond. She was still lost in the moment and, I couldn’t lie, I liked that her desire for me left her off-balance, aroused. “Ah, okay. Simon and I will get some coffee.”
Her breasts pressed into my chest when her soft lips brushed lightly over mine. My dick stirred to life. I could tell when she’d left, and not just because her scent wasn’t as strong—my body just knew. Another connection.
“I’m so happy you two have found your way back to each other.” Mrs. Marks pulled me from my thoughts of Tea.
“There’s a chair here, about three feet in front of you,” Mrs. Marks directed.
Zeus moved and I followed, until my toe touched the leg. Reaching out, I felt the back of the chair, then felt the seat on the back of my legs before I sat down.
“What did you want to talk with me about?” she asked.
“I saw my mom.”
“I hate that I kept that from you. A pattern seems to be forming in my behavior.”
Mrs. Marks meant it as a joke, but I could hear disgust for herself in her tone.
“She asked you to keep the secret and so did I. We shouldn’t have. That’s on us, not you.”
She didn’t reply, but I suspected there was a part of her that agreed with me. I continued. “Thank you for taking me in as a kid, for giving me a home and family, for indirectly giving me Tea.”
Tension stilled the air, and I could feel her stiffening. After a moment of silence, her words were soft, tormented. “I lost my son—having your child die before you is the hardest thing there is for a parent. It isn’t right. I was there when that beautiful soul was brought into the world, and yet when he died, he did so alone. I had thought we were managing his illness, thought he was finally happy and getting some control. For years, I blamed myself. Had I done something differently, taken him to different doctors, watched him more closely, would he still have taken his own life? Later, I realized he wouldn’t have wanted that. Playing his nurse and not his mom would have put his illness between us.
“Seeing the parallel of my own life and your mom’s, seeing the similar patterns of my son in her, knowing she had you to care for, I couldn’t not get involved. I wished it could have turned out differently, wished you didn’t lose all that time with your mom, but I was glad that I could be there to help both her and you.”
My throat hurt, and unshed tears burned the back of my eyes. I could hear the pain in her voice, the regret. “You saved both of us.”
She was crying softly. I could hear the tears in her voice. “Thank you for saying that.”
“I’d offer you a tissue, but I don’t see any,” I said in an attempt to lighten the mood. Hearing her chuckle eased the knot in my stomach.
“Making light of your blindness is a good sign.”
“I’m coming to terms with it, but I wish I could see Tea now that she’s older.”
“She looks the same, her hair is the same, her face, her smile. And she still looks at you like you hung the moon. From the very beginning, you and she . . . ‘two peas in a pod’ is how Mrs. T and I described you. You’re stronger together.”
I grinned at Mrs. Marks’s description.
“She’s wearing your ring.”
“It never should have been off her finger. Fuc—Messed that up. Won’t again.”
“Good catch.” Mrs. Marks didn’t like swearing. “Makes an old woman’s heart light to see the righting of a wrong. Kane,” she said almost urgently. “You hurt her. I know why. I understand, but for a long time I wasn’t sure we would get her back. You can’t do that to her again. You can’t yank yourself from her life. Teagan’s a strong woman, but I don’t think she’d survive that again.”
Pain stabbed through me. I didn’t like thinking about what I had put Tea through. I knew she had lived in her own hell during the years we were apart. I really believed she was over it now, had dealt with it and put it all in the past. I liked to think we both had. But doubt nagged at me.
Tea entered then, and my body jerked, and then I smelled her, sweet and spicy. Her voice was deeper, a little hoarse, so I knew she had heard the tail end of our conversation.
“We brought coffee.” Her hip brushed my shoulder, her soft hand reached for mine to wrap my fingers around the cup. Her lips pressed against my ear, and her breath fanned out over my skin. “Miss me?”
“Hell yeah.” I wanted to pull her into my lap, wanted my mouth on her and my hands all over her, but now wasn’t the time. She moved. I felt her behind me, her hand on my shoulder almost absently, like she needed the connection. Since I, too, sought that connection to her, I understood her reciprocal need.
“Simon, tell me about this skill of yours in finding treasures,” Mrs. Marks asked.
“I can sense them or almost smell them out. It’s like they call to me,” said Simon.
“Oh God, here we go,” Tea said. Clearly she’d been through this conversation before.
“She’s jealous, since she doesn’t have my gift.”
“Tell me about this rolltop desk. I might have a need for one.”
I knew Simon had settled on the edge of the bed. I heard the springs give. “So glad you asked.”
Tea leaned over me. “This could be a while.”
I wanted to pull her from the room, to find a closet so we could use the time in a far more enjoyable pursuit. If I could see, we’d already be halfway down the hall.
“Maybe we should find a closet,” she whispered in my ear. My dick pressed into my jeans.
“I was just thinking that.”
“I know you were.”
“Later, Tea.”
Goose bumps rose on her skin as her arms wrapped around my shoulders. “Can’t wait.”
Tea straightened, because Simon and Mrs. Marks were done with their powwow. “Let’s talk about your lawyer,” Tea said. She never was one to pull a punch.
“You want to know why I asked him to inventory the house.”
“You were hoping to catch him trying to steal from you.”
I heard surprise in Mrs. Marks voice. “Yes, how did you know that?”
“Just made sense based on what we’ve learned about him. But if you suspected he was up to no good, why didn’t you just fire him?”
“I was going to, but I was asked not to.”
It was Tea who sounded surprised now. “By who?”
“Richard Bowen.”
Now I was surprised. “Camille’s dad asked you not to fire him?”
“He was the one who suggested I tell him I wanted to sell, that I needed him to catalog the contents of the house.”
“He’s looking for his own leverage.” It was Simon’s voice this time, full of admiration.
“What do you mean by that?” Mrs. Marks asked.
Tea leaned into me, probably cocking her hip. She did that when she ranted. “We believe that Mr. Sleazy, your lawyer—”
Mrs. Marks interrupted Tea. “You call him Sleazy?”
“Mr. Sleazy. I’m respectful,” Tea said. There was silence for a beat, which was followed by a genuine belly laugh from Mrs. Marks.
“Well thank goodness you’re being respectful.”
A touch of humor laced Tea’s voice when she continued. “We think Mr. Sleazy has something on Bowen, which is why he hired the man despite his shady past. Mr. Sleazy and Camille went to Yale together. We think she told him about Raven’s Peak. He has a penchant for stealing. He used whatever he has on Bowen to get into his firm, so he could represent you and get into Raven’s Peak. He’s never allowed in the house unaccompanied, and he doesn’t like that.”
“Interesting. So my lawyer is trying to steal from me.”
“You don’t sound all that surprised,” I said.
“I’m not. Lawson’s been looking into Falco, because he thought the situation odd, and Richard’s a friend. We decided to dangle the carrot, so to speak, and see how Dimitri reacted.”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked.
“He’s supposed to be inventorying, but Lawson hasn’t gotten one thing from the man, and he’s been at it since I’ve been in here. He isn’t even trying to be surreptitious. So if he’s not inventorying, what’s he doing in my house?”
“Isn’t it a risk to have him there at all? I mean, we’ve been watching him, but he could come when we’re not around.” Tea was still angry.
“The house is covered. Lawson’s made sure of that.”
“You’re loving every second of this detective stuff,” Tea said with admiration.
“Oh, I absolutely am.” Mrs. Marks’s voice softened. “You all got involved because of worry for me, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, we aren’t going to let them steal from you.” Tea sounded a bit incredulous.
“Them?”
“Oh, we think Camille may be selecting the items she wants whenever she visits Kane,” Tea said, but there was a note of skepticism in her tone.
“You don’t sound so convinced of that, Tea. What’s up?” I asked.
“Remembering Camille from when we were younger, I don’t know, she really may be coming to see you.”
“I always had the sense she liked the house more than me.”
“Or maybe she just wants you to think that so you don’t object to her friendly visits.”
“To what end?” Mrs. Marks asked.
“Kane and I weren’t together; maybe she was hoping to wear him down, get him used to her company, so he’d actually want her company.” Silence reigned for a beat before Tea continued. “We’ve kept you too long, Mrs. Marks. Sorry. We’ll let you get some sleep.”
“I enjoyed the visit, but I am tired. It was nice to meet you, Simon.”
“Likewise.”
Standing, I felt Zeus follow. Tea’s hand found mine. She moved us forward to the bed, placing my hand just above Mrs. Marks’s head. Leaning over, I pressed my lips on her forehead. “Sleep well.”
I didn’t need to see to know she smiled.
“Tea, I forgot there’s a thing tonight at the O’Malleys’. I’m going to talk to Kevin there. Will you come with me?” I asked.
“Yep.” We were in the library, and Tea was looking for a book. We had just made love on our sofa, my body still sated, and yet her scent was turning me hard again. Amazing how one could improvise, making love without shedding clothes. When there was a will . . .
I heard the footfalls first, Mr. Clancy’s even, determined stride, and another, shorter pace, heels on the wood. A woman.
“Kane, Teagan, you have a visitor.” I rose from the sofa, glad Mr. Clancy hadn’t arrive five minutes sooner; he would have gotten an eyeful, namely Tea riding my dick. Tea joined me, pressing herself to my side.
“Sorry to just drop by, but I just visited with Mrs. Marks and wanted to see how you were doing.”
Mrs. T’s grandniece, the woman I’d claimed I had left Tea for. Doreen. Shit.
“Hi, I’m Doreen. You must be Teagan. I’ve heard so much about you.”
Tea went still, every muscle in her body rigid, and her voice was cold. “Nice to meet you.”
I felt the air stir around me, the tip of Doreen’s shoe touching my foot, her body leaning into me, her lips brushing over my cheek. “You look good, Kane.”
Tea was gone, the warmth of her body no longer close. She was still in the room, but she wasn’t at my side anymore.
“How are you, Doreen?”
“Good, I’m really good. How about you? I heard you were doing it, turning this place into an inn. That’s wonderful.”
“I’ll leave you two,” Tea, but not my Tea, said. Her voice was dead. What the hell was she thinking? Fear clawed at me. I didn’t like hearing her sound that way.
“Sorry, you’ve caught us at a bad time, Doreen,” I said hastily.
“I understand, I should have called first. I’ll be around for a few days. If you have the time, I’d love to catch up. I’m so glad to see you doing well.” I could hear disappointment in Doreen’s voice, but she needed to leave. I needed to talk to Tea.
She was gone, her footsteps hurried. I had hurt her feelings. I felt bad about that, but Tea was my priority.
“Tea?”
I knew she was in the room, I felt her, and yet she stayed quiet. “Talk to me.”
“I hate her.”
I wasn’t expecting that, or maybe I was. “Doreen?”
“I hate her.” Her voice was barely a whisper, but it was full of conviction—it had an edge. “I fucking hate her.” She was louder now, and there was anger laced through her words. But under the anger there was pain, so much fucking pain.
“I never dated her, that was a lie. There’s no need to hate her.”
I never heard Tea sound the way she did when she spoke again. Broken. “It doesn’t matter. She took my life, you made me believe that. I hate her. I’ll always hate her. That’s on you—you set the stage and placed the players. My whole world’s happiness was taken away by Doreen. Hearing her name brings it all back. The hours, months, that I contemplated ending it because I couldn’t bear the thought of life without you, that I hadn’t been good enough for you, that you had moved on, that you had left me. She will always be all of those horrible, nightmarish feelings rolled into one. I moved on, I picked up the pieces, but I never got over it. I hate her, Kane. And there’s a part of me that hates you too for making me have to live through the lie.”
I knew she was gone. I felt her leave and my heart bled. Sinking back onto the sofa, my head in my hands, tears fell from my sightless eyes. In trying to protect my Tea, I’d broken her.