Page 109 of All Twerk, No Play

Why had Eric come home with me, knowing what my family had done?

Cooling down to a jog, I turned the corner onto their street, where Eric paced inside the iron fence of his mother’s house. My throat constricted until I was almost nauseous, and I wondered which hydrangea his mother would hate me the least for puking in.

Though she probably hated me enough, since my family destroyed her life.

I hesitated outside the gate, not ready to enter the courtyard where he stood, resenting my voice for cracking. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted to, but I …” he said, shifting his weight. He braced his hands behind his head, expression forlorn. “Would you still have invited me?”

My mouth opened, then I closed it as the city air stifled my lungs.

Could I have looked Richard in the eye with Eric at my side, knowing what Sinclair Larsson did to his family? Would I have told Dad, tried to get compensation for his mother?

Would Eric have felt like I was buying him off? Would I have been?

Or would I have pushed him away again, and stuck my head back in the sand?

When I didn’t respond, his hands dropped to his sides.

“You were long gone from Sinclair Larsson before Jim died,” he said, pacing the length of the small yard. “Hell, I wasn’t even here, I was stationed in Washington. I sent home whatever money I could, but it wasn’t enough. My mom lost the love of her life, then as the payments added up, she sold their condo.”

When Mom died I watched Dad lose himself, but we still had a home. Dad had enough money to send me to boarding school. How had she fought through her grief and raised two teenage girls when she lost her home?

And why had my family allowed it to happen?

My palms ached from gripping the iron, as if the fence could keep the tears at bay. I tried to lock down my emotions but my next words came out as a sob. “My family destroyed yours.”

Eric shook his head firmly. “Sinclair Larsson followed the terms of the lease Jim signed. It’s not like your grandfather showed up at his funeral to collect the rent.”

“My dad probably approved the policies,” I said. “I thought—I never …”

I bit my lip, trying to find a way to confess that when I worked there, I assumed they knew best … then once I knew about the corruption, I’d turned a blind eye. And my negligence meant that families and small businesses had suffered to line Richard’s pockets so Beverly could have another stupid dinner party.

I’d been so high in the skyscraper, I hadn’t seen the people on the street.

“I wanted to tell you, but I knew you’d feel responsible. I would just be one more person making you feel guilty for shit that was out of your control. One more person asking for a handout,” he met my eyes, expression plaintive. He stepped closer, holding out my car keys. “I’ll take the train back tomorrow.”

Eric stood tall, prepared to face the consequences for his lie of omission. He didn’t gaslight me that I should have figured it out or lecture me that billionaires are inherently greedy. He didn’t remind me that he was the injured party, even though he was, or say I was overreacting, even though I might be.

I leaned over the fence, fingertips brushing his calloused palm under the cool metal keys. I could take the car and leave him here. He’d fulfilled his offer to be my shield in the Hamptons.

But I didn’t want to run. Not anymore.

What did I want?

I wanted to punch his stupid handsome face for keeping this secret. He’d take the punch. He wouldn’t even block. Hell, he’d probably coach me on how to do more damage.

And I wanted to hug him for the reason why he hid it, to prevent me from hitting the self-destruct button on our … whatever we were to each other.

I closed his fingers around the keys. “What can I do?”

“I didn’t bring you here because I expect you to fix shit.”

But that was why people brought me in: to negotiate and troubleshoot. If he wasn’t looking for a solution … “So whydidyou bring me here?”

“Because I like you,” he muttered, eyes downcast as his foot kicked a stone. “I think they like you too.”

“Yeah, right.”

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