Forever in Love (24 page)

“Because I was in Cooter’s Bluff?” She shook her head. “I was only there to check you out for Salazar. He does genuinely want you to come into the family fold. But you’ve been saying no to him all this time, so don’t do it if you still feel wrong about it. And don’t worry about Ceinlys. She won’t get the money no matter what you decide.”

“She doesn’t strike me as the type to turn down a bunch of cash.”

Catherine laughed a little. “It’s not that she wouldn’t take the money; Salazar won’t give it to her.”

“But he said—”

“He has very little regard for his wife. He married her because she was beautiful and could resign herself to his cheating. There was no love between them. Ever.”

“You sure about that? She came to Cooter’s Bluff to confront my mother, you know.”

Catherine’s eyes widened. “She did?”

“Yeah. Told my mother to stay away from Salazar or else. Except her version was a lot more R-rated.”

“Are you sure? She’s never…” She put down her fork. “I’ve never heard of such a thing. She’s the least jealous wife ever.”

“I was there.”

“Oh.”

“And Salazar stayed away through the whole thing. I find it hard to believe he had no idea.”

“In his defense, he doesn’t much care what his wife does. So he probably didn’t know.”

Blaine scowled. He didn’t like the way Catherine defended Salazar. On the other hand, he hadn’t gotten the impression Salazar loved his wife in any way at the Pryce home. They treated each other like…business associates. “She came back another time, too.”

“Ceinlys?”

“Yeah. Just after my mom died.”

“I’m sorry.”

He shrugged. “It was seven or eight years ago.”

“What did she want?”

“She wanted to sleep with me.”

Catherine gasped. “Oh my god.”

Blaine had never told anybody what happened. If it hadn’t been for a heart-shaped locket Ceinlys had left behind, he might not have believed it himself. “She had no idea who I was. She was a little drunk too.”

“And she wanted you?”

“Yep. ’course the feeling wasn’t exactly mutual. I was pissed off at her for the way she treated Ma, so I took the chance to humiliate her.” He’d let her lead him into her room at the small bed and breakfast in Cooter’s Bluff, where she’d proceeded to take off her clothes until she stood stark naked in front of him. Only then had he revealed who he was. She’d turned beet red from breasts to hairline and fled into the bathroom, leaving the locket behind. He’d taken it to make sure he’d never forget how poisonous some women were.

“Oh my.” She opened and closed her mouth a few times before saying, “I don’t know what could’ve made her do that.”

“I think she mainly wanted to make sure my mother was really dead and gone. The sex would have just been a kind of…celebration for her.”

“Yes, but she signed the Pryce prenup.”

“I heard about that. So?”

“It’s notoriously one-sided. She not only gets nothing in case of divorce, but if she was caught cheating, a divorce could happen automatically. I’ve never read the document so I don’t know, but it has lots of nasty stipulations for people marrying into the family. You have to
really
want to marry a Pryce to sign that thing.”

“Would you ever sign something like that?”

“Oh no. Once was enough,” she said, finishing the last bite of pasta.

“I thought you were looking for a rich husband.”

Her lips tilted in a lopsided smile that looked strangely sad. “Well, there was a certain small-town bartender who said it was kind of like prostitution. And you know what? He was right. I deserve better.”

Blaine felt his face heat. “Catherine—”

“I’m not angry with you, not anymore. I was shatt—disappointed that you thought the worst possible thing instead of having some faith or giving me a chance to explain.” She frowned into her smoothie, then looked up at him. “I deserved better there, too, Blaine.”

“I know you did. Do. If I tell you I’m sorry, will it make any difference?”

She considered. “I don’t know. Guess it’s going to depend on why.”

“I want to say I’m sorry because I know I acted like a dick. I should’ve never jumped to conclusions. It wasn’t fair to you.”

Her regal eyebrow rose. “Well. That was…blunt.”

“And I’m normally such a delicate guy.”

That got a small smile from her. “Thank you, Blaine. I know it isn’t always easy to apologize.” When he reached for her hand, she retreated, putting it under the table. “No,” she said. “I’m…not ready for that. I’ve made some decisions since Cooter’s Bluff. I have to know I can be okay on my own before I can think about being with a man again.”

“Catherine…”

“Blaine, listen. All my life I felt like I had to be attached to a man. I was always careful to choose the right kind. I didn’t date the captain of the high school football team out of love, I dated him because he made sure I was popular and wouldn’t be bullied or harassed. Once I was out of school, I continued the pattern. I never once considered being on my own. It was like I was…just…
nothing
without a man.” She gave him a heartbreakingly earnest look. “I don’t know if I can make something of myself on my own. I don’t know if I’m brave enough or smart enough, but it’s important now that I try.”

“I’m sure you can,” Blaine said. “You’re good at a lot of things. You got me to see that maybe I was too hard on Sean—always telling him what to do without thinking about what he might want. And you helped me see that I’m too stubborn and prejudiced for my own good.”

“Well, I appreciate that, but it’s not enough. I need more.”

In some ways he understood where she was coming from. He’d had the same drive and determination when his mother passed away. Something to prove. As much as he respected her position on the issue, he wished she’d include him in the process. But most likely he’d ruined that by basically calling her a whore.

He wished he could rewrite history so she wouldn’t have suffered so much, but there was nothing he could do…except help her achieve her goal so she could see how perfect she was.

* * *

Catherine stood in front of the Lloyds’ vacation home watching Blaine drive away. What had possessed her to say so much about her situation? She’d thought he might apologize and they’d part as friends. Instead they’d ended up talking about things that were so private they were almost as intimate as sex.

She went inside then stopped short at the sight of four women in bathing suits lounging by the pool. Three of them she knew: Amandine, of course; Meredith Lloyd was her sister-in-law; and even though she’d only met Kerri Wilson once, she would never forget the face. The fourth woman, an Asian lady who was obviously not one of the locals, was a mystery.

Amandine saw her through the window and gestured. “There you are! Come join us!”

Catherine walked out on the deck. “Yeah, get a suit on and come grab a lounge chair,” said Kerri, who had her feet up on a table. Her copper hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and she was in a bright teal bikini. The combination made Catherine think of turquoise Indian beadwork.

The last time she and Kerri had met, harsh words had been said. Catherine cringed inwardly, thinking of the way she’d lashed out at Kerri for discovering the problems at The Lloyds Development. She’d been convinced the other woman was in it with Ethan to pin everything on her.

“Kerri, hi. I—”

Kerri raised a hand to cut Catherine off. “Don’t. We aren’t going there.”

“But I really wa—.

“Hey, come on.” Kerri flashed a warm grin. “It never happened.”

“Okay,” Catherine said, grateful for and touched by Kerri’s understanding. “Thank you. And congratulations on your wedding.”

“If I survive it,” Kerri said, and everyone laughed. “By the way,” she said, indicating the friendly looking Asian woman sitting next to her, “this is Natalie Damon, my best friend. Natalie, Catherine Fairchild.”

Then it clicked. She was the daughter of a former senator who was now married to some billionaire she’d met at work. “Hi,” Catherine said, taking an empty seat between Amandine and Natalie.

“Nice to meet you,” Natalie said with a smile. “Please help us take Kerri’s mind off the upcoming nuptials.”

“What’s the problem?” Catherine asked. Fern came out, handed her her favorite pineapple and mango smoothie and disappeared.

Kerri sighed. “I should’ve eloped. This wedding’s turning into a disaster.”

“No, it’s not,” Natalie said. “She’s just upset because she’s fighting Barron
and
Stella.”

“Isn’t that Ethan’s job?” Catherine asked.

“He’s too busy trying to convince me not to elope.”

“Where is he?”

“Out with the guys. I’m sure he needs to de-stress as much as I do.” Kerri took a big gulp of the bright red drink in front of her. “A Vegas wedding would’ve been so much simpler. I just want to marry him and live happily ever after. But did Barron listen to me when I told him that?
Noooo
. He’s trying to get me to have a wedding he approves of, which basically means the wedding of the century, which is why he’s doing everything himself rather than delegating. And yet somehow he has the time to fire a bunch of people at his headquarters for being incompetent, so I’m sure they’re sticking needles into either my voodoo doll or his, depending on who they blame for his mood.” Natalie patted Kerri’s hand, but she wasn’t finished. “He and Stella are still fighting over the placement of some ice sculptures. And they wanted me to pick a side! Seriously, this is so juvenile: Team Barron or Team Stella.” She put a hand over her eyes. “God, I need a drink.”

“You
are
drinking,” Amandine said.

“I mean the real stuff.” Kerri gestured with the glass. “This is a Shirley Temple.”

“Oh.”

“Stop moaning and think about something more intriguing,” Natalie suggested. “Like, I don’t know. Boinking your hottie husband-to-be.”

“Ahhh!” Meredith said, covering her ears. “Please, I’m going to need brain bleach!”

The rest of the women laughed. “Okay, change of subject,” Kerri said. “Man-candy’s fine, but no brothers allowed. So let’s see… Hey, I know! Who’s the hunk staying at Salazar’s place?” She leaned forward. “I saw him swimming in the ocean yesterday. Wow.”

Amandine shot a quick glance at Catherine, and she shrugged, forcing her muscles to remain loose.

“I thought you’d met everyone in his family,” Natalie said.

“I thought so too, but…”

“I don’t know exactly, but I heard a rumor that he’s Salazar’s, ah, accident,” Meredith said.

Catherine tensed. The term sounded so…sordid and crass, like somehow Blaine was never wanted. “Can’t be that much of an accident,” she said, unable to keep quiet. “Salazar’s apparently setting him up with fifty million bucks.”

“Really?” Kerri blinked. “That’s a lot of money. Wonder what his wife will say.”

“Nothing probably,” Amandine said. “Ceinlys never makes a fuss about her husband’s affairs.”

Except she had with Georgia Love. Why? Did she think that a simple small-town woman like Georgia Love could take Salazar from her? Nobody could make Salazar do anything he didn’t want to. He’d been born wealthy and well-connected, and lived a charmed life. As beautiful and polished as Ceinlys was, the only reason she’d been able to marry him was because it had been what he wanted.

Suddenly the wistful look he’d worn in Atlanta flashed in her mind, and her hand went numb around her drink. Why hadn’t she made the connection back then? He’d had a look of a man who longed for a woman.

Georgia Love must have been somebody very special to him.

That explained why he’d looked Blaine up when he didn’t have to. Why he’d set up the trust fund, and was trying to treat Blaine just like his legitimate children.

And it explained why Ceinlys had felt the need to confront Georgia Love. Losing Salazar would’ve been a devastating blow to the image-conscious woman.

“What is it?” Amandine said.

“Huh?” Catherine said.

“You just got a ‘holy cow’ look on your face. What?”

“Oh…nothing.” Catherine shook her head. “I was just thinking about what I’m going to wear to the wedding.”

“Something sexy and flashy,” Meredith said.

“And really outrageous,” Kerri added. “I so want somebody to rub Barron the wrong way. Actually…don’t do that. He’d probably put out a contract on you, and that would suck.”

“I thought he’d already done that over what I said to you at Ethan’s.”

Kerri’s expression softened. “No. He has no idea, and I don’t want you to bring that up or think about it again. You were in a bad place, and frankly, everyone else in the family was too, what with Jacob and the company situation coming out like that. Anyone would’ve acted the way you did, and I don’t blame you. Let’s not hang on to bad feelings over something like that when we can start fresh. I want my family to be close and happy. I never had that growing up, so maybe it looks like I’m trying to force it. But I don’t care. I want us to try at least.”

The sincerity in Kerri’s tone brought tears to Catherine’s eyes. She blinked them away. “That’s really nice of you.”

Kerri smiled. “Hey, if Barron can start fresh, anybody can. That man…” She shook her head. “He’s overcompensating. I can’t wait until it’s over. Two more days…”

Natalie held her hand. “You can do it. Just think: as soon as the ceremony’s over, you’re off to Europe!”

“Thank god.”

Fern came over. “Kerri, you have a phone call.”

“From who?”

“Your grandfather.”

Kerri made a face. “Speak of the devil. And speaking of devils, how the hell did he know where I am?”

“The man found you in Hong Kong,” Natalie pointed out. “This probably wasn’t much of a challenge.”

Catherine had heard the story. Because of family problems, Kerri had decided to disappear after graduating from college. It had taken Barron years to find her and bring her back into the fold.

Fern handed Kerri the phone. The younger woman answered it and said a few things in a hushed voice. Everyone else waited, holding their breath, wondering what Barron could want.

Kerri put down the phone and sighed long and loud. The other women all traded glances. Finally, Amandine broke the silence. “Well? What did he say?”