Page 98 of Silver-Tongued Devil
“I’m not interested.” She wasn’t getting a menace-vibe anymore. She was just mad.
“Aw, honey, come on. I meant it about the eagle, that I’d buy that off you. And if we did hook up, it wouldn’t just be about me. I meant that, about the menu thing.”
“Blake shouldn’t have shared my information with you.” It was as cold as she could possibly make it, and now, shewasfastening her overall straps. “I’m not interested either way. Any way.” Blake couldn’t have said anything to make this cretin think she’d do something like that. Hecouldn’t.Blake wouldn’t do that to her.
“Oh. I get it,” the guy said. “You and him are…” He made a motion with his hands that she’d like to think meant something other than what she knew it meant. “Hey, that’s no big deal either. He doesn’t mind sharing, if that’s what you’re thinking. Not unless it’s his girlfriend.”
The blood was leaving her head. “Well, maybeIdo,” she managed to say. “And that’s it. Get out.” It wasn’t her house, no. But she didn’t care.
“Man.” The giant was shaking his head. “See, now, at least I’m straight up. I’m real sorry. Blake’s… he’s on the marriage plan. I guess he didn’t tell you that, but hey, I like you. I mean, really, not just because you’ve got a good body. You’re feisty, and I like that. Kinda exotic, too. But Blake… nope. He’s looking for this certain woman, see. I mean, not just for fucking. For marrying. The conservative type, you know. Somebody with her own money and a big-time job, so he knows she’s not a gold-digger. I shouldn’t tell you, but like I said, I like you. Plus I need to get him back for setting me up like that.”
She wanted to put a hand onto the back of the sofa, but she didn’t. “And you know this how? The same way you knew I’d make your porno art?”
“Well, because he said. He’s been saying that for a while. Sorry. It’s not like it’s a secret. So—hey. I’m going. Sorry if I made you feel bad. If you want to have that drink, just have them buzz my room. I’m here two more days.”
It was almost six by the time Dakota got home. She parked the truck and opened the front door, and when Bella rushed to meet her, she gave the dog some extra love and had to force herself not to drop into a heap on the floor and bury her face in Bella’s fur. She’d kept it together on the whole drive home, but she wasn’t going to be able to do it much longer.
“Hey,” Russ said, coming from the hallway as fast as his hobbling gait would take him. “Where’ve you been? It’s almost time to leave.”
He was in a white button-down shirt, dark slacks, and the string tie she’d bought him last Christmas, with a sterling silver and turquoise clasp. His hair was flattened down and combed so neatly, and the lump was rising in her throat. Russell, dressing up, getting his hopes up that this was going to work.
Or maybe that wasn’t Russell.
“I’m…” She lifted her arm and let it fall. She’d thought going for a swim would help. It hadn’t. “I’m sorry, Dad. We’re not going.”
Russell’s blue eyes were too shrewd. “Why not? Don’t tell me you had a fight with Blake. How? He was on the boat until almost two, and then he took off to Spokane to get his folks. Which means if you had a fight, you did it on the phone, while the man was driving. You don’t fight on the phone where you can’t see the other person and they can’t see you, and you sure don’t do it in the car. All that does is mess you up. If you’re going to have a fight with him, do it face to face.”
“I didn’t… we didn’t have a fight. I just… I found out some things. And I can’t go.”
“Uh-huh. What things?”
She tightened her towel more securely around her middle. “Not now. I have to take a shower. I can’t tell you now. I can’t…” Her chin was wobbling, and in another minute, she was going to be crying. She needed to be alone when that happened.
“What, so you’re going to run away? Not even going to face it?”
“Dad, I…” She was too close. “If I tell you, I’m going to cry.”
“So cry. So what? Think I’ll care?”
She tried to breathe her way through it. “I heard some things. He… he doesn’t love me. He’s got a whole other… plan. It’s not me.”
“Bullshit.”
“He does. He wants to marry…” The sob ripped through her. “Somebody else. And he’s been… talking about me. I’m just… I’m just for… He told him I was…”
She couldn’t go on. The tears had come for real. Her chest was heaving, hurting in a way that was worse than drowning, and she couldn’t hide them. She had her hands over her face. “I can’t… It hurts toomuch.”
Russell’s arms were around her, and that was worse. All the tears she’d held back, the pain she’d kept at bay so she could finish Blake’s house, so she could be done and getout—there was no keeping it at a distance anymore. It was here, and it was swamping her. All her stupidity. All her foolish hope. All her exposed heart.
She was lurching into the corner of the room, because she couldn’t stand Russell to see. Pressing herself into the corner like it could hide her, like she could dissolve. Bella was right there, her muzzle pressed into Dakota’s knee, and all that did was make her cry harder.
Russell was still there, too. She wished he’d leave, and she wished he’d stay. He was patting her clumsily on the back, saying, “It’s OK. It’s going to be OK.”
“No,”she got out. “Itisn’t.I’m never going to… I’m never…”
“Yes,” Russell said. “Listen to me.” He turned her around, but she kept her hands over her face. She couldn’t stand him to see her like this.
Russell said, “You’re never what? You’re never going to shake it? Sure you are. You’ve shaken it all so far. So you broke up. So what?”
