Page 11 of Silent Partner (Pine Falls 3)

“Goodbye, love. Take care of yourself.” He hung up.

I flung my phone across my bed, grabbed a pillow, and clung to it for dear life while I shook from the shock and the cold air. I felt as if I were living my nightmare, rolling out of control, not knowing which way was up or down. The only thing I did know was that, once again, I was alone.

Chapter Two

I drove with the windows down, over to the stained glass shop owned by Grandma and run by Ariana, hoping the cold air would stave off the tears. It wasn’t working so well. I kept having to furiously wipe my eyes and cheeks. I would have canceled lunch with my sisters and Grandma, but they would learn the ugly truth soon enough—I was a loser. Or I had the worst taste in men in the history of the world. Which was odd, as I seemed to fall for highly admired and well-respected men. Maybe that was my problem. I should set my sights lower.

Tristan hadn’t even been in my sights. In fact, I had kind of given up on men after him. Because there seemed to be no getting over him, as hard as I had tried. Then Tristan had appeared—more like he had been strategically placed in my life by Ariana and Dani. They had set me up with him after he got engaged last year. No one knew what had gone on between him and me, but I was terrible at hiding my feelings, especially for him. Yet this past year I had begun to heal. Yes, my love for him still lived. It was the kind of love that didn’t go away, though I had gotten better at hiding it. And Tristan had given me a new love, a different love. He made me feel adored and pursued me in a way I had never known before. Or at least he had. What had I done wrong?

I wiped some more tears off my cheeks.

I thought back over this past year. We hadn’t seen each other as much as he would have liked. I didn’t have the kind of money that allowed me to fly overseas anytime I wanted. And I hadn’t wanted to take his money, though he had offered more trips to see him. Also, there was the restaurant to think about. I was constantly on the edge with Carter and Giselle. Jetting off to see Tristan whenever I’d wanted wasn’t viable. Carter and Giselle were always looking for leverage to push me out, and I refused to give it to them. I had tried to help Tristan understand this and had even worked to make it up to him. I had constantly sent him care packages and called whenever I could. I’d sent cute and sexy texts throughout the day so he’d know I was thinking of him. And when we were able to get together, he couldn’t seem to get enough of me. But obviously, I wasn’t enough. I wondered who the new woman was. What she had that I didn’t. It was always something: more money, more education, more time, more looks, more connections—more of everything I wasn’t.

Maybe I should give up on men altogether. That was probably the right thing to do. Because it didn’t matter how good or how right it ever felt—it was always wrong. Every. Single. Time.

With a puffy red face, I turned onto the street that led to the warehouse district in Pine Falls, lovingly known as The District—the same place our old loft was located. Several years ago, a group had come in and revitalized the area, making it a mecca for the arts and adding several new eateries. I wished I would have listened to my gut and convinced Giselle and Carter we needed to lease space in The District. It was much less expensive than the space where we were located in Carrington Cove, but they had been adamant that the money we would make in Carrington Cove would offset the costs.

While it was true Carrington Cove’s residents were among the richest in the state, they were also very particular. I kept telling Giselle and Carter we needed to revamp our brand. It was too cutesy for Carrington Cove. We had gone with the love triangle theme, hence the name Two Girls and a Guy. We even used triangle menus and had posters of movies that are about love triangles hanging on the walls. Our dining atmosphere needed to be less on the cute side and more on trend, incorporating communal dining and a relaxed but classy ambiance. And our dishes needed to have more flair and je ne sais quoi. Something that set us apart. I’d been expressing my concerns and even brainstorming different concepts and new menu ideas, only to be constantly shot down. They overruled me at every turn. In my heart, I knew we could turn it around if we tried. But what did they care if we went under? They both had wealthy parents willing to bail them out if the restaurant failed. I, on the other hand, was headed for bankruptcy if we couldn’t turn the corner and start bringing in a solid profit.

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