Indigo Nights (Nights #3)(59)
“And Beth? She’s the one you’ve been looking for?”
I nodded, though I hadn’t been looking. Not even close. Beth had thrown me for a loop. She’d been entirely unexpected. But she was the best person I knew and the only woman I’d really truly loved.
“I need to tell you something about her.”
Raf’s eyes widened. “Does she have three boobs? Because I might have to arm wrestle you for her if she does.”
“You’re a sick f*ck.”
He stroked his jaw. “Hey, no kids and no animals, but anything other than that I’m willing to try once.”
I shook my head and took a deep breath. “I don’t want you to go off the deep end, but Beth is Beth Harrison, as in Bake with Beth on A Chicago Saturday.”
Raf didn’t say anything, he just stared out of the window.
“I should have mentioned it before now. They were in touch with her long before I met her and I’ve had nothing to do with her deal.” Raf sighed. “Beth doesn’t even know we own the company. I want to tell her but I wanted to tell you first.”
“Is she the reason we didn’t sell Raine Media?”
It was a fair question. “No. Well, maybe.”
“Jesus.” Raf stood abruptly and shoved his chair back. “We agreed not to ever let personal lives interfere with business.”
“Look, I wouldn’t have properly looked at the numbers if she’d not been there. I would have just gone along with whatever you wanted. But I swear, if I hadn’t seen potential, Beth’s presence would not have swayed me.”
Raf’s mouth was set in a thin, straight line. “This business partnership works because we don’t lie and we keep our word to each other.”
My gut twisted. I should have told Raf, but I also should have told Beth. I’d been trying to simplify things, but instead I’d made them much worse, made things a bigger deal than they had to be. When I got to London, it would be the first thing I did. Well, maybe not the first thing.
“You’re right, I’m sorry.” Raf had deserved to know the truth, and I should have told him before now. “It won’t happen again.”
“You’re a dick.”
“I’ll let you have that one.”
Marie raised her voice outside my door, something I’d never heard before. “He’s in a meeting,” she said, blocking the door to my office.
“He could never resist me in red.” Alicia’s southern twang pierced my ears.
Raf shot me a look and we both flew to Marie’s aid.
Alicia grinned at me as if we’d just seen each other yesterday. “Dylan, darling, you’re looking very handsome.”
“What are you doing here, Alicia?” I barked as I steadied Marie.
“I’m here for you to take me to lunch, of course.” She gently touched my arm, a small gesture that felt so alien. Beth was the girl who got to touch me.
“You need to leave, Alicia.” We were causing quite the scene and the office gossips would be all over our little drama in a heartbeat.
She grinned, but shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere without you.” She slumped down on the sofa. I was never getting her out of here.
I walked straight past her toward the elevators. If I had to leave my building to eject her, then that’s what I’d do.
Within seconds, the smell of her heavy perfume caught up with me. “I’ve booked Giovanni’s. This is going to be so fun, just like old times.”
“I didn’t say I’d have lunch with you.”
“But you’re going to. You forget, I know you, Dylan. You never could resist me.”
“You’re so wrong, Alicia. I just want you out of my building. Out of my life. If I agree to have lunch with you, will you stop this crazy stalker-ish behavior?”
“Absolutely.” The southern accent had gone; it always did when she was being sincere.
“If you call me again after today, I’m taking a restraining order out on you.”
“You have my word.”
“Like I did when you said you’d marry me?” I shouldn’t have said it. It made me sound like I was still bitter and I wasn’t. I thought she was a bitch, and I was grateful I hadn’t wasted more time on her than I already had, but I wasn’t bitter. Until today I’d thought I hated her, but seeing her desperate, her tired tricks looked just that—tired. I didn’t hate her. I felt nothing. It had just taken her showing up uninvited at my office for me to finally understand that.
“Marie, I’ll be at Giovanni’s, but I won’t be longer than forty-five minutes.”
Since our breakup there’d been a number of times Alicia and her husband had been scheduled to attend the same event as me—charity galas, business functions, that sort of thing. I’d always kept track of who was invited, and if I found Alicia’s name on the list, I’d always pull out. Now I wondered why. I should have been f*cking delighted she’d married some other sucker and left me to find Beth.
“See? I knew I could make you smile.” Alicia grabbed my arm as we strode out of the elevator. I didn’t make any pretense of trying to slow down for her. I needed this over with so I could get on with my life with Beth. I was pretty sure she’d be out of her meeting with WCIL anytime now and I wanted to know if she’d have more reason to be in Chicago from now on.