Page 9 of Phillip

They hadn’t. Brock had been right. That hadn’t stopped Phillip from falling in love.

Brockgestured to Ashley, his hand glancing off her elbow. A sudden irritation crawled across Phillip as though ants swarmed under his skin. He studied their interactions, the friendly way the conversation flowed. Nothing inappropriate occurred.They were consummate professionals. Yet there was an unmistakable friendly familiarity.

Phillip inched closer and searched his memory, unable to recall Brock mentioning Ashley. If they’d stayed in touch beyond Harvard, no one had told him. Phillip crossed his arms and stepped closer as a resentful heaviness settled in his gut.

Again, Brock gestured to Ashley. “Our family will make this right, and I’ll ensure Ms. Cartwright has whatever resources are needed.”

The friendly touches. The flawless banter. A tightness bubbled in his chest. The temperature inside the damaged tent rose another hundred degrees, and his polo shirt cinched like a straitjacket.“I’ll do it.” Phillip joined the on-air conversation before his mind understood what the hell his mouth had done.

Ashley’s mouth fell open, but she recovered. Brock’s expression was unreadable.

The reporter and camerawoman adjusted to fit Phillip in their frame. Phillip didn’t care what Brock would say, and he faced Ashley. “We will work this out.”

He wasn’t sure what he’d meant by his offer, but by God, Phillip was the Blackthorne that Ashley would spend time with if there was work to be done with their family.

Her eyes questioned his sanity, and her thinned lips yelled for him to go away, but to the rest of the world, she remained unemotional and composed, a talent she likely could thank her mother for.

“We’ll worktogether.” Brock clapped a hand on Phillip’s back. The visual seemed brotherly, but the message between brothers was crystal clear.Stand down.“Our family works together as a team, and we’ll do more than raise money. We’ll raise awareness. It’s time for Maine to have an honest conversation about the resources dedicated to—”

“Consider me leading the conversation.” In that unscripted moment, Phillip understood he was a jealous man. “You can work with me.”

Brock cleared his throat. “Exactly. As a team.”

Phillip didn’t care how Brock cleaned up this mess. He had things to tell Ashley. “I fix my mistakes. It’s a thing I’ve done well since you’ve been gone.”

Her lips flattened, but an unmistakable flare burned in her eyes. “I never went anywhere.”

“But you sure disappeared.” He closed the distance between them, and their proximity hit him like a drug. “I screwed up, but this time, you’ll see that I will fix it.”

“Another screwup.” Her voice cracked as she whispered, “Something new for a change.”

Brock’s nostrils flared, and his teeth clenched. “Phillip.”

“And that brings us to the most important question.” The reporter thrust her microphone between Phillip and Ashley. “Will The Laumet Society meet their fund-raising goal?”

Ashley swung toward the reporter. “Absolutely.”

“Would it be possible without the assistance from the Blackthornes?”

Ashley gulped.

“They can when they partner with Project Sunshine,” Phillip interrupted, throwing his nonprofit into the mix. “Our annual charity car show is two weeks away. Together, we’ll surpass whatever The Laumet Society intended to raise today.”

Ashley’s lips parted. Brock’s jaw ticked, the only sign of his annoyance at being unable to wrangle the spiraling situation. The reporter’s eyes glittered at the soap-opera-like show. But Phillip wouldn’t walk away until he got what he wanted—Ashley’s agreement.

“It would work if…” Her wheels were turning, calculating the hope and aggravation that would be required to work together and reach an enormous goal. “Both charities could meet their goals if you donated your 330 GT.”

HisFerrari 330 GT?

She might’ve saidyour baby. Her request landed like a sucker punch. Damn, Phillip loved to hate that car. If she knew its history, Ashley wouldn’t have asked. She might hate him, but she wasn’t cruel. Its value clocked in at nearly five hundred thousand dollars, but its worth was priceless.

His heart hammered. Losing the car but spending time with her? A deep breath pained his chest as he agreed. “Deal. I’ll auction off my Ferrari.”

CHAPTER FIVE

Trinity finished packing her camera bag as Lori made her way to Ashley feverishly working on her phone from an untouched table. There wasn’t anything on her phone that commanded her full attention, including her mother’s incessant phone calls, but Ashley wasn’t ready to continue the conversation with Brock and Phillip.

Lori pulled up a chair. “If this doesn’t pull the highest ratings we’ve ever had, then I don’t know what more Mainers want.”

---