Page 26 of One Billion Reasons

Henry makes a disgusted noise in his throat. “It’s costing me way too much money. At least if she were marrying Becker, he would have paid for it.”

Lovely.

Before anyone can respond, another man joins us.

“Miles, buddy, nice to see you.” The man’s voice is hale and hearty, like his appearance, but his eyes are calculating.

“Mark.” Miles says the word through clenched teeth. “This is my girlfriend, Lane Overton. Lane, this is Mark Taylor. He’s in my industry.” Ah. So this is the man competing with him for that dumb property.

I give Mark a polite smile, but he’s not even paying attention.

“Miles, come on, it’s more than that. I’ve known you for years. I’ve considered myself a second father to you.” The way he says it makes my skin crawl. “Especially when your mother needed me.”

Miles is frozen next to me, with rage, perhaps? I guess it’s up to me to salvage this. And not because I give a shit about Miles’s stupid deal or his revenge or whatever it is he needs, but because I can’t stand by while this man has his way. He’s awful, and so is his friend Henry.

“Miles is great like that.” I give a winning smile and sip my wine. Miles does the same. “I’m an artist, and he regularly buys my work and gives it out as a presents. Don’t you, sweetheart?” I’m fairly certain Miles hasn’t seen any of my photos in years. Maybe ever.

Miles looks down at me, stunned, mouth full of wine. Is he going to choke on his drink?

He swallows hard. “That’s, uh, absolutely right.”

Mark narrows his eyes at us and exchanges a look with Henry. Do they sense something is amiss? I sidle closer to Miles, until the heat of his body and the scent of his skin and cologne invade every sense. I dig my hand into his side. Help me out here.

“Lane’s a fantastic artist. She’s actually a great wedding photographer,” he adds. I have no idea how he makes his words sound convincing, but the admiration in his voice nearly convinces me.

“A photographer? How quaint.” Mark makes it sound like an insult. “What does your mother think of that? She’s a woman of taste. Or she is now, I suppose. She lost her way there for a few years.” He chuckles, and the hairs on the back of my neck go up. This man is a snake.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Miles’s voice is low and angry like I haven’t heard it in years. “You don’t know anything about my mother.”

Mark laughs humorlessly. “I know more than you think. And you might hate me, but your mother doesn’t.”

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from her.” Miles cocks his head like he’s examining his prey.

I look between them. What is happening here? This is not how tonight was supposed to go. Miles is supposed to be making nice with Amanda’s father, not antagonizing his friend, even though he deserves a good punch to the face. I drain my wine, and before Mark can respond, I dig my hand into Miles’s hard side. He finally glances down. His eyes are stormy, his soft mouth pressed in a thin line.

“Can we grab another drink?”

He turns on his heel and weaves through the crowd. Before I can follow, he’s gone, and I’m alone.

Mark snorts. “Nice guy you’ve got there.”

Henry chortles into his drink.

I’m frozen for a second. I don’t handle confrontation well. I’m more of a let’s all get along type of girl, not an I’ll make you pay for that kind of girl. Liam is the one who fought our battles as kids, not me. Katie is the one who dealt with irate clients, not me. But I sense that if I don’t figure out how to navigate these waters, and quickly, I might drown. My gaze darts. I’m already getting curious looks. Thanks, Miles. So much for not deserting me. Storming off has drawn attention to me, and the sharks are circling.

I give Mark and Henry a polite nod and turn for the bar. I’m suddenly desperate for something to do with my hands, a purpose. Why didn’t I realize being at this event would be so uncomfortable? I wait at the gleaming bar set up near the back of the hotel. The ocean is behind us, spray shooting up dramatically, occasionally clearing the cliff face. Guests are mingling, shiny hair swinging, diamonds glinting, and a hard stab of loneliness hits me, one like I haven’t felt in years. I order a second glass of wine and make my way to the railing overlooking the ocean, where guests are gathered in tight little groups. There’s a corner I can stand in, away from the others. I take sips of the wine, savoring the cool rush and the tart flavor.

I wish Liam were here. He’s the more outgoing one of the two of us. He can schmooze with anyone. And he always looked out for me. Lane, where did you leave your lunch today? And inevitably, Liam snagged it before we left, remembering even when Mom and Dad forgot. My heart pinches. When they died, Liam stepped up, like an older brother would, instead of a twin. I was drowning in grief, and Liam somehow managed better than I did. He cleared out the estate, he handled the lawyers. I was a shell for years. Until Miles helped bring me out of it. I hate remembering those days. I was a freshman, and Liam had his jock friends, and I had no one who was mine and mine alone.

I met Miles Becker first, and a little part of me resented Liam for stealing him away. I remember that day in class with perfect clarity. How Miles swung in the door, all glinting smile and shiny hair and expensive clothes. He had friends, but no one close, and he latched on to me and Liam like we were a lifeline. I never understood it, especially not with the life he led and the friends he could have had.

“Can’t believe he came to this.” A woman’s voice floats over to me from the nearest group.

“I know. After how he treated Amanda? He’s got balls, I’ll give him that.”

“He’s totally heartless. All he cares about is money. Amanda told me he never paid attention to her. It’s like he’s sworn off love or something.” A tinkling laugh, and my stomach knots. They’re talking about Miles. Should I walk away? Sick fascination keeps me rooted to the spot.

“Well, he’s here with another woman, and he looks like he’s in love.”

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