Page 70 of Trouble Me
Alan shook his head and made atsk-ing noise. “Don’t play coy with me, son. You know who I’m talking about.”
Shane looked down, picking at the nubby comforter covering his father’s legs. His smile was rueful. “I don’t know how you always seem to know things.”
“It’s a gift. Now spill.”
Shane shrugged and looked at Alan. “There’s nothing to tell. Not anymore.”
Alan gave his oldest son his trademark I’m-not-buying-it-try-again look that never failed to pull the truth from his boys. Shane sighed. “Okay, we were dating, I guess. Just casual. Having fun. We spent a lot of time together...”
“You got close.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact.
Shane nodded. “Yeah,” he replied, his voice rough. “I got too close. And it was a huge mistake, given that she’s an employee. And the owner of the property we’re trying to buy.”
Alan’s brows shot up to flirt with his hairline and he whistled low. “You were dating Emma. Damn, son.”
Shane dropped his chin to his chest. “Well, add to the fact that the only reason she took the job at KVN is because she needed money to keep the house out of foreclosure.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “She’s a recovering alcoholic, Dad. And yet she still came to work for us. All to save the house we are trying to buy her out of.”
“Son of a bitch.” Alan swore softly. His eyes wandered over Shane’s face. “Did you know about her recovery when you hired her?”
“No. She didn’t tell me. I found out about it later. I probably wouldn’t have hired her if I knew.”
“Why? Because of Marlene?” When Shane didn’t respond, Alan shook his head. “Shane, Marlene was a twisted, troubled soul. The drug use made her worse, but it was always there. And she never had any desire to get any help. But that wasn’t your fault. You tried. You can’t keep carrying that around forever. Or shutting out people who aren’t perfect. Emma had an addiction issue, but she handled it, right?”
“Yeah, she’s two years sober.”
Alan tilted his head. “Isn’t that proof she isn’t like Marlene?”
Shane moved his shoulders, trying to work the “oh shit” feeling that had settled there in the past few seconds. “It doesn’t matter anyway. I was only there for a little while. I’ve already lined up visits to the vineyards in Virginia to get started there.”
Alan frowned. “What about the rest of the renovations in Madison Ridge?”
“Noah, the contractor, will take care of everything. He’s the best I’ve ever worked with as far as staying on time and budget.”
“What about Emma?”
Thinking about Emma, Shane rubbed his chest, over his heart, which began to hurt. And how he had really and truly screwed up the best thing that happened to him. “What about her?”
“Are you going to talk to her?”
“About what, Dad? Between her not telling me about her addiction and me trying to use her circumstances as a way to buy her home? There’s a lot of shit there between us that I don’t think can be fixed. Besides,” Shane shrugged, even though his stomach was in slick knots and his throat had tightened. The pain moving through his body was too much to bear, so he needed to push it away. “I have too much going on right now with KVN. I can’t even think about being in a serious relationship.”
“Sounds like you already are.” Shane scoffed, making Alan’s frown deepen. “Tell me something. When she told you she was an addict, how did you react?”
“Not well, Dad, not well. I was cold, judgmental. Made her sound like a common criminal. Even though I saw for myself she didn’t drink, that she never acted weird around work even though the word ‘wine’ is used around her on the daily.” He rubbed his hands down his face. “And yet I was a complete ass. Made her cry. Then she cursed me and kicked me out of her house.” Even now, his heart twisted into a pretzel for causing her enough pain to bring on the tears. It hurt him to think about how he’d reacted and how Emma must have felt. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his thighs and pulled on his hair until his eyes stung.
Alan sighed. “Shane. Look at me.”
Shane lifted his head and looked at his dying father, emotions hitting him square in the chest. “Do you love Emma?”
Shane glanced away for a moment then nodded. “Yeah. God help me, but I love her.” The thought of not seeing her shattered his heart. Emma Reynolds had brought him the rest of the way out of his dark hole. He needed her and he’d never needed anyone in his life. “She’s strong, so strong. Smart, funny, and so beautiful it actually hurts to look at her sometimes.” His eyes met his father’s, a cold sadness weighing him down. “I really wish you could meet her.”
Alan smiled softly. “I will one day.”
“That’s not—”
Alan held up a hand, his eyes imploring. “I want you to listen to me, Shane. Okay?”
“Okay.”
