Page 29 of Someday You Learn

I rise from the booth as well, reaching out and catching his arm before he can walk away. “I told my dad we would have dinner with him soon so he can drill us about our relationship.”

“Fuck,” he grumbles, but nods. “We can talk about that tomorrow too. I need to get home, Cashlynn. It’s been a hell of a day and I’m beat. I think I’ve handled all I can for now.”

Releasing his arm, I flash him a tight-lipped smile. “Thank you again, Parker. I’ll be in touch.”

With a curt nod, he leaves, slipping out of the restaurant’s back room as I stand there, watching him go. I slowly let out the breath I feel like I’ve been holding since I arrived in Carrington Cove.

Tonight could have gone much worse. Parker could have told me to kick rocks and come clean to my father right this instant. But instead, he showed me compassion, which is one of the most vulnerable things you can do for another human.

Now that I know we’re on the same page, tomorrow we can come up with a story to convince my father we’re the real deal.

And as for Parker’s rule about no more lies, that’s a promise I plan to keep.

But my father? Well, he doesn’t get the entire truth yet. Not until I can make sure that I’m moving my life and career in the directionIwant.

I just hope he can see past the hurt in the end—because if there’s one thing my father has never gotten over, it’s losing my mother, and what I want to do with my life involves every part of her she gave to me—talents and all.

Chapter five

Parker

“Eight,” I grunt as I push the bar up off my chest. “Nine.” I blow out a harsh breath. “Ten!” The sound of metal hitting metal rings out in my garage as I hang the bar back up on the bench and roll out from underneath it, standing up to walk around while trying to catch my breath.

It’s the day after Cashlynn crashed back into my life, and last night I slept like shit. I’ve been in my garage for the past hour trying to burn off some of the adrenaline coursing through me before I go to work, but I only feel marginally better than I did when I woke up.

Memories assaulted me all night, each one dragging up pieces of the past I’d like to leave buried—pictures of the future I envisioned with Sasha, flashbacks to the day I met Cashlynn on the plane and the night that followed.

She fucking knew who I was. It all clicks now… Her evasive answers and how she kept steering the conversation away from herself. Now I can’t help but question if it was actually a coincidence.

If she hadn’t been panicking, would we have even spoken? If I had just watchedBridgertonlike I intended, how different wouldmy life be right now? I’d probably be sleeping better and wouldn’t be staring down the barrel of this fake engagement. Funny how life works.

My phone vibrates on the ground, snapping me out of my head, and I’m grateful for the distraction when I see Dallas’s name on the screen.

“Hello?”

“Good morning, groom-to-be. How are you feeling today?” The teasing lilt of his voice instantly annoys me.

“Say one more thing like that and I’m hanging up.”

He chuckles. “Calm your tits. I’m just messing with you.”

“My tits are calm.” I stare down and flex my pecs, just to make sure.

“Good. Seriously though, how’d it go last night?” I rushed out of the restaurant so fast that I didn’t even say goodbye to my brother, too eager to get home and process the chaos that is Cashlynn O’Neil.

Blowing out a breath, I say, “Looks like I have a fiancée for the next four months.”

“No shit. You agreed to it?”

“I don’t have much of a choice. There’s too much at stake.”

“Okay, but what happens at the end of four months?”

I push a hand through my sweat-soaked hair as I take a seat back on the bench. “Cashlynn figures she can get her life together in that timeline, and once she does, she promised she’d come clean to her dad about everything. Hopefully by then Robert either makes a decision about retiring, or he’ll appreciate me helping his daughter get back on her feet and still consider leaving the practice to me.”

“So, what is she trying to put together exactly?”

“Hell if I know. We haven’t exactly covered that part yet. All I know is that she quit her job as a lawyer in Philadelphia and came down here to figure out what she wants.”

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