Megan

“Sam, everything’s fine,” Megan repeated. “I just lost track of time, but I’m almost back to the house.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes!” Megan said adamantly. “Will you please stop worrying about me? I’m not a child.”

Megan could hear the relief in Sam’s sigh. “I think you and Devon spend too much time together,” Sam joked. “You’re starting to sound alike.”

Megan laughed. “Well you should listen to us. We’re bloody brilliant,” she added in her best Irish accent.

Sam sighed. “Fine. Come to the library when you get back. We’re playing Scrabble.”

“I’m in!” she said before disconnecting.

Megan felt bad for worrying her friends, but she really had lost track of time. Her shopping trip hadn’t gone exactly as she’d planned. She’d nearly died of sticker shock when she saw the prices of the dresses at the Brown Thomas department store Sam had recommended. Megan had access to Zander’s credit card, but she didn’t feel right spending such an obscene amount of money on a dress for one night.

A lover of all things vintage, Megan had always been a bargain shopper. Thrift stores were her haven. Shopping at second-hand stores had started as necessity for Megan and her mom, but it became somewhat of a magical thing. Even now, when money wasn’t so tight, Megan still preferred to shop there. She’d always found something indescribably wonderful about taking home an article of clothing that had its own stories to tell. Plus, she was all for the up-cycle movement of breathing new life into old things. She liked preserving the past and referred to her closet as a fashion time capsule.

So after kindly declining help from the posh staff at Brown Thomas, Megan made her way to a few adorable vintage boutiques she found in Dublin that were much more her style. Her favorite had been Lucy’s Lounge. The pink building had called to her like a beacon in the night, and it didn’t disappoint. Megan found the most amazing pair of white oxford shoes there. They weren’t at all practical, but they were her size and had tiny flowers stamped into the leather covering the front half of the shoe. They screamed Elton John, so of course she had to have them.

She’d also found her dress for the gala at Lucy’s Lounge. She couldn’t wait to wear it. It made her feel like a fairy princess. Megan loved any excuse to get dolled up, and the fact that she’d be on Zander’s arm made her giddy. She’d pinched herself so often that she worried she might actually end up with a bruise.

Megan looked at the sea of thrift store bags littering the back seat of the town car. She’d been in the process of tallying her damages when Sam called. Going back through the receipts, Megan began to sweat. She’d managed to spend almost three-hundred Euros! She’d gotten a lot for the money, but still, it was more than she’d ever spent in one outing.

She’d told herself she’d bought things she needed, like sweaters and scarves and a fabulous yellow umbrella covered in pink roses. Okay, so maybe the umbrella had been an impulse buy. But Megan would be getting a stipend for the film project she was working on for Cor-Tec so she told herself she would pay Zander back to alleviate her guilt.

The gates to the James’ Estate came into view and again Megan was swept away by the magnificence of it. “Hogwarts, eat your heart out,” she whispered.

“Ma’am?” the driver asked overhearing her.

“Oh, nothing,” she said hiding her flush. “Just happy to be home.”

Zander

Sam flounced back into the library, her sea-glass eyes a bit less stormy. “Megan’s heading back now.”

“Grand!” Devon exclaimed. “We can have a proper game of Scrabble with the four of us.”

“I can’t wait to see her dress for the gala,” Zander said, his lips looser than they should be thanks to the second glass of whiskey he was enjoying.

Sam’s eyes flickered to Zander’s. “Why would you care about Megan’s dress for the gala?”

“Because she’s my date.”

Sam frowned. “You asked her to be your date?”

“That’s right,” Zander replied, meeting Sam’s disapproving glare.

“Do you really think dating someone you’re employing is wise, Zander?”

“It’s certainly not the most foolish thing I’ve done,” he shot back.

Sam threw her hands up. “Well that’s encouraging.”

“Sam,” Devon warned, catching her hand when she neared his chair.

“Do ye have a problem with me, Sam?” Zander asked.

“I will if you hurt my best friend,” she replied.

“I don’t plan on hurting anyone,” Zander argued.

“Yeah, well the road to hell is paved with good intentions, isn’t it?” Sam said storming out of the library.

“Sorry about that,” Devon apologized sheepishly when Sam was out of the room. “She’s under a lot of stress with Uni. I’m sure she didn’t mean it.”

“I’m sure she did,” Zander replied. “She still hates me because of Sophie, doesn’t she?”

“Hate’s a strong word.”

“I’m not that guy anymore, Dev. And I think, maybe . . .” Zander sighed.

“What, mate?”

“I think maybe Megan’s good for me.”

“Meg’s a great girl.”

“She truly is. Today she helped me avoid a major crisis.”

“Did she?” Devon asked.

“Oh, right. I meant to tell ye. The gala’s been changed. We’re hosting it here.”

Devon’s eyes widened. “We are?”

“It was Megan’s idea and I think it’s brilliant.”

Devon laughed. “I’m not sure Cara will think it’s so brilliant.”

“Cara’d have to live here to weigh in on that,” Zander grumbled taking a large gulp of his whiskey.

Devon laughed, but when Zander didn’t correct him, Devon’s expression changed to confusion. “Yer serious?” he questioned. “Cara doesn’t live here?”

“Not since June.”

“But I thought she was managing Cor-Tec’s customer relations.”

“She is. And she liked managing one of our customers so much she moved in with him.”

“What?” Devon’s dark eyebrows had practically knitted themselves together with worry. “But she . . . she wouldn’t do that to my Da.”

Zander couldn’t take the hurt swimming in Devon’s eyes. He stood up and paced in front of the fireplace. He hadn’t wanted to be the one to break this news to Devon. But leave it to Cara to put Zander in an awkward spot.

When Cara married Devon’s father it had nearly ruined Devon and Zander’s friendship. Zander had said and done a lot of things he wasn’t proud of. His jealousy and competitive nature had gotten the better of him. But karma had certainly been returned.

He’d been a prick to everyone back then. Zander’s behavior caused him to become estranged from his sister Cara and lose his friendship with Devon. Zander had stupidly thought dating Devon’s ex was a way to get back at him, but dating Sophie only made things worse.

Zander found out Sophie was only dating him as a way to try to get Devon back.

Her scheme backfired, but not before ripping Zander’s heart out and almost ruining Devon’s relationship with Sam—something Sam had obviously not entirely forgiven him for.

But Zander had learned the error of his ways. He’d grown up a lot since high school. Sophie’s cruelty had woken him up. And when all was said and done, Zander realized he needed to patch things up with the few people he could trust in his life—Devon, Cara and Sam.

When Devon’s father passed away, Zander vowed to turn over a new leaf. Cara and Devon needed him, and for the first time Zander was realizing it was important to hold onto the little family he had left, no matter how dysfunctional it was.

Zander thought he was doing a good job of being the improved version of himself, but from the look of anguish on Devon’s face, he realized he’d easily fallen back into his routine of secrets and lies. Zander knew he should’ve told Devon about Cara’s new romance right away, but he hadn’t wanted to hurt his friend. How could he tell Devon that while he was still mourning his father, Cara had already moved on? It was too cruel.

“I’m sorry,” Zander muttered, at a loss for anything else to say.

“Who is it?” Devon asked, color creeping up his neck. “Who’s the bloke who thinks he can replace my Da?”

“No one ye know.”

“Well he must be someone bloody important for Cara to move in with him.” Devon was standing now. “Is it serious?”

Zander exhaled. “They’re engaged.”

“Engaged!”

“I don’t know what to tell ye, Devon. Ye should talk to Cara.”

“Ye can bet yer arse I’ll be having words with her!” Devon shouted.

“What’s going on?” Sam asked.

Zander turned to see Sam and Megan staring at them from the doorway. Bloody perfect.

Devon’s face was nearly the color of the red library drapery when he responded. “Zander’s just told me that Cara has moved out and she’s engaged!”

Sam’s mouth fell open. “What? When did this happen?”

“June!” Devon exclaimed.

Sam turned her gaze on Megan. “Did you know about this?”

Megan shook her head quickly. “No.”

“And you’re just telling us now?” Sam asked Zander.

He didn’t have a good answer for her. Instead he poured himself another drink from the bar cart next to the fireplace.

“The children?” Devon asked, shock washing the color from his face. “They’ve moved with her?”

“Of course they have,” Zander replied. “She’s their mother.” Cara might be a lot of things, but Zander knew his sister would never abandon her children the way their own parents had abandoned them.

“They’re my father’s children too,” Devon hissed. “And they’re the only real family I have left.”

Zander didn’t miss Devon’s dig. His sister’s children with Henry James were Devon’s blood relatives—something Zander would never be. And apparently being a relative by marriage didn’t grant Zander protection from Devon’s simmering disappointment.

“Ye should’ve told me,” Devon muttered before storming from the library, Sam and Eggsy following in his wake.