I needed a desk for my new office and a shelving system to organize all the cleaning supplies I’d bought wholesale and in bulk. I also had boxes of T-shirts that said Your House Sparkles on them. I hadn’t taken Philip’s advice to look up my competitors yet.
I was too angry at him to take his advice about anything.
The new lawyer I’d hired called on Tuesday and told me Mona withdrew her lawsuit. It was a relief, but it didn’t change how I felt. Apparently Philip’s lawyers countersued for defamation and made it clear to Mona that any claim on her part would involve a long and expensive legal battle.
The bully got bullied herself. Ironic.
At least it was over. Back to my regularly scheduled life that didn’t include hot, meddling billionaires.
“But Philip made your problem go away,” Theo said, putting down her glass of lemonade. “Why are you mad at him?”
We were at Leah’s house, where she and I were coloring each other’s hair. She painted bleach on mine while I put dark color over the streaks of silver she had in front. Theo’s gorgeous red hair was natural, so she didn’t need any color.
“It’s the way he interfered,” Leah told her matter-of-factly. Being a small business owner herself, she explained how Philip crossed the line. “Are you really going to stop seeing him though?” she asked, looking up at me. “I get why you’re angry, but don’t you think you’re overreacting?”
I took my gloves off and checked the time for Leah’s color. “He’s too much for me. I’m not ready for a relationship anyway.”
Theo reached over to pet one of Leah’s many cats. “It’s strange to admit this, but I liked him. Both of those guys were all right company for a couple of money-grubbing capitalists.”
“Maybe you should at least talk to him some more,” Leah said. “Philip seemed really into you.”
A memory surfaced of the two of us dancing. The way he’d gazed at me that night. It made my stomach flutter just thinking about it.
Later, after Leah helped me wash the bleach out of my hair, I realized I’d never paid her back for the pizzas and beer. “Sorry, I forgot. How much do I owe you?”
“Nothing.” She shrugged, handing me a towel. “Philip slipped me a hundred before I left.”
“He did what?” My mouth gaped. “But I told you I wanted to pay!”
“I know, but I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.”
I was mad all over again. What was his problem? I knew I was overreacting, but did he have to interfere with everything?
Despite telling myself I was done with Philip, the next day I found myself driving by the beach house in stealth mode. I couldn’t see any cars in the driveway, and I wondered if he’d finally gone home to Seattle. There was an ache at the thought of him leaving, that I might never see him again, but I forced myself to ignore it.
I’d been through much worse things than losing a fake boyfriend.
That night, as I sat outside in front of the carriage house with my Kit Kat bar, my gaze kept going to the patch of grass where Philip and I were on the blanket. I smiled, remembering the way he’d spoken in that silly pirate’s voice. And then I remembered the way his body had felt against mine, the way he’d started a bonfire in me. Philip was the first guy I’d had an orgasm with since Ethan.
“So what?” I said, feeling surly as I broke my Kit Kat into four pieces, nibbling the chocolate around the first one. “I don’t need a man for that.”
The next evening, I was busy in my new office when Daphne called, sounding excited. “Guess what? Something wonderful happened last night!”
“It did?” I was reorganizing my cleaning supplies for the third time as I tried not to think about you-know-who.
“Doug and I went out for our nightly walk after dinner last night. Our walks are usually quiet, but this time one of the neighborhood dogs followed us.”
I listened, still organizing. I really needed new shelves for this room.
“I told him how dogs make me nervous., “ she went on. “So he took it back to the neighbor’s yard, and you should have seen him, Claire. He was magnificent! The way he defended me. He told his neighbor in a stern voice how it wasn’t right to let it wander around without a leash, that some people were frightened by dogs.”
“What kind of dog was it?” I figured it was something large and vicious, because I’d never known Daphne to be afraid of dogs. “Was it a big dog?”
“No, I think it was a beagle.”
“A beagle made you nervous?”
“Guess what happened after that?” I could hear her breathing rapidly. “Doug held my hand for the rest of the walk!”
My brows went up as my confusion cleared. “Wow, that’s great.” Apparently Daphne was craftier than I ever gave her credit for.
“He told me not to worry, that he’d make sure none of the neighborhood dogs ever bothered me again. Isn’t that sweet? He’s such an amazing guy.” There was a note of triumph in her soft voice, but then she sighed. “Unfortunately, my mom is getting suspicious. She doesn’t understand why it’s taking so long and thinks I’m spending too much money here in the city.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I told her I’d moved out of the hotel and was staying with a friend of yours.”
I’d given up reorganizing and had gotten out the measuring tape, but I stopped as her words. “Wait, you told her a friend of mine?”
“I’m sorry, I hope that’s okay. I didn’t have any choice. My mom already knows all my friends in Seattle.”
How was I getting pulled into this? I hoped Violet didn’t start quizzing me about this supposed friend. “How much longer do you think you’ll be there?”
“I’m not sure.” She seemed to think it over. “Doug says he’s nearly finished fixing up his mom’s house, so not too much longer.”
Sure enough, the next morning Violet texted me and asked me to join her for breakfast. And I was using the word “asked” loosely. She basically ordered me to breakfast. I considered ignoring her but knew she’d only hunt me down.
It was Friday, so I took a quick shower, then put on a turquoise Your House Sparkles T-shirt to remind her I had to work that day.
It’d rained the night before, and the ground was damp as I walked up to the main house, slipping in through the back door.
To my dismay, Violet wasn’t alone at the dining room table. Ivy sat next to her, staring at her phone. There was a plate of uneaten fruit in front of her. I sighed to myself, wondering what this was all about.
Violet looked up at me over her glasses. “Good morning, Claire. I’m happy you could join us.”
Ivy glanced at me but didn’t say anything.
I considered turning around and walking right out of there, but to heck with that. I owned half this house, and I wasn’t going to let Ivy chase me away.
I nodded at Violet. “Good morning.” I went to the sideboard and got myself a plate of food and a cup of coffee, then sat down at the table across from Ivy.
Violet watched me as I added cream to my coffee, then doused my eggs with pepper. “How is Philip doing?” she asked. “I’m glad I could finally meet him last week.”
A pang of longing stabbed at me. “He’s fine.” I figured I’d keep the fake boyfriend thing going as long as possible.
Ivy shifted in her chair. She was still studying her phone, and I couldn’t stop myself from glaring at her. In a way, everything that happened with Philip was her fault. I was certain she was the one who’d convinced Mona to sue me in the first place.
Violet nodded. “I hope he’ll be coming to Pirate Days in a few weeks. I’m looking forward to getting to know him better.”
I couldn’t stand it any longer. “How can you just sit there like that?” I sniped at Ivy. “Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
Ivy glanced up from her phone with a haughty expression. “And what might that be?”
“An apology would be a good place to start.”
Violet’s gaze shifted between the two of us with concern. “What’s going on here? Did something happen that I’m unaware of?”
“Ask your daughter.” I motioned at Ivy. “She’s been trying to put me out of business.”
Ivy gave a forced laugh. “Delusional as always.”
But Violet wasn’t laughing. “What is Claire referring to?”
She shrugged. “How should I know?”
I studied Ivy as she pretended to have no idea what I was talking about. She wore a navy tank top with red straps from a pushup bra showing beneath it. Gold aviator sunglasses perched on top of her silky hair. I used to envy her easy sex appeal, the way she always drew attention wherever she went. Now I could barely stand the sight of her.
“I thought Ivy sent clients your way,” Violet said to me. “That she was helpful to your maid business.”
“Hardly.” I explained how all those clients Ivy recommended had canceled, how Mona sued me for twenty grand.
To her credit, Violet looked visibly shaken. “Is this true?” she asked, turning to her daughter.
“I have no control over what Mona or any of my friends do.” Ivy glanced up from her phone. She seemed bored with this conversation.
Violet slammed her newspaper down.
Ivy flinched in her chair. I did too.
“I’ve had just about enough of this!” Violet snapped. “We all know you’ve put poor Claire through enough misery, and I want this antagonism to end.”
I wasn’t crazy about Violet referring to me as “poor Claire,” but I agreed with the rest of it.
“I mean it,” Violet went on. “This mistreatment of Claire is going to stop. Do you hear me?”
“What have I ever done that would make you hate me so much?” I asked Ivy.
She glanced at her mother. “Nothing, of course. You’re always the innocent one.”
As far as I knew, I was innocent. “What are you talking about?”
Ivy grabbed her purse and pushed her chair out. “Never mind.” She stood up. “I didn’t come here to be lectured.”
Violet’s eyes were intense on her daughter. “I don’t care whether you want to be lectured or not.” Her expression eased a little. “This is no way to live. Can’t you see that?”
There was uncertainty in Ivy’s gaze, but then it hardened. “I’ll stop when she acknowledges what she did.”
“Me?” I was genuinely shocked. “What did I do?”
Ivy smiled without humor. “You may be fooling everybody else with your Little Miss Perfect act, but I’m not fooled.”
I gaped at her, completely mystified. “What act?
But she only shook her head. “Let’s just say I have a long memory.” And with that, she left the room.
“Do you have any idea what she’s referring to?” Violet asked me.
I shook my head. “None whatsoever.”
Violet sighed and leaned back in her chair. “I should tell you she and Ethan are seeing a marriage counselor. I’m not trying to excuse my daughter’s abhorrent behavior, but I do know she’s under quite a bit of strain.”
Obviously, I already knew about that. There was such great irony in Ethan and Ivy seeing a marriage counselor that I had to bite my lip to avoid smiling. Finally, I went back to eating my breakfast.
Violet seemed contemplative as she sipped her tea.
“I have to ask you something, Claire.” She studied me. “Do you know what’s going on with Daphne in Seattle?”
“Um… what do you mean?”
Her voice softened. “I think you know very well what I mean.”
I didn’t want to lie to Violet. She was obviously under strain herself. I knew she’d been working with the town council and some of the local businesses to try to get the downtown declared a historic district. And it couldn’t be easy planning a Pirate Days party without my dad.
“Daphne’s okay,” I told her. “In fact, I think she’ll be home soon.”
Violet nodded. “In other words you do know, but you don’t want to tell me.” She glanced around the room. “I don’t know where I’ve gone wrong with my children.”
“You haven’t gone wrong, at least not with Daphne.” Ivy was another story, but I didn’t blame Violet.
She studied me for a long moment, then reached out and put her hand over mine. “These last few years have been difficult for both of us.”
My throat went tight. She was talking about my dad. “They have,” I agreed.
“Your father would be proud of you. And I’m glad you’ve moved on from everything that happened with Ethan and my daughter.”
I nodded.
“Philip seems like a fine young man.”
“Sure.” I swallowed. “He is.”
“You’re still young, Claire. Still so much ahead of you. Don’t let anything stop you from enjoying your life.”
I let Violet’s words sink in. She was talking about Ivy and Ethan and what they’d done to me, but all I could think about was Philip. How that spark inside me was still there, how I didn’t want to go back to the way I’d felt before I met him. Frozen inside.
When I left to go out front and get my mail, I was still thinking about him. To my surprise, Ivy was there in her red BMW with the driver window rolled down, smoking a cigarette.
I walked past her to get the mail and felt her eyes on me. She was talking to someone on the phone. Probably her daily chat with Satan.
“How did you manage it?” she asked when I walked by her again.
“Manage what?”
“Mona just told me she’s been forced to withdraw her lawsuit.” Ivy blew out a stream of smoke. “And who the hell is NorthStone Capital?”
“It’s Philip’s company.” I couldn’t keep the smug note out of my voice.
Her brows rose at this news.
I stepped toward her, gripping the mail in my hand. “Look, I’m tired of all this animosity. You need to stop trying to destroy my life.”
She took a drag from her cigarette and studied me.
“You’ve got Ethan. What more do you want?”
“That’s right,” she said with satisfaction. “I’ve got Ethan.”
“We’ve all moved on. Can’t you just leave me alone?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Stop pretending you’re the victim, like you didn’t betray me first.”
“How? What did I do to betray you?” Part of me wondered why I even bothered talking to her, but the other part wanted to know where all this hatred came from.
She blew out more smoke. “You’re claiming you don’t remember?”
“No, I don’t. So why don’t you enlighten me.”
“You don’t remember the summer before senior year?”
I thought back. The only thing memorable about that summer was I caught Ivy having sex in the carriage house with her boyfriend. “Are you talking about when I walked in on you in the carriage house?”
She nodded. “So you do remember.”
“But I kept your secret. I never told anyone.”
Her gaze hardened as she took another drag of her cigarette. “Well, wasn’t that nice of you.”
“I’m telling the truth.”
“Sure you are.”
“You don’t believe me?”
Her eyes slitted like a serpent’s. “Everybody always thinks I’m the bitch, but we both know you took full advantage of that situation.” She flicked her cigarette on the ground. “I’m done here.”
She drove off. I watched her red taillights glow at the end of the driveway before her car peeled left onto the main road.
Sighing to myself, I walked over to step on her cigarette butt, then picked it up and threw it in the trash.
Later as I worked, scrubbing and dusting for my clients, I tried to make sense of our conversation. Am I missing something? She thinks I told someone about what I saw?
“Whatever,” I muttered. “Who cares?” Even if I’d done what Ivy accused me of, she was still crazy to be angry about it all these
years later. What she did to me was a million times worse.
I had to admit I enjoyed the look on her face when I told her it was Philip’s company that ended the lawsuit. It was satisfying to have someone on my side for a change. An outsider. Somebody who didn’t think of me as “poor Claire.”
That was when the yearning started again. I missed him. In only a short time, Philip had changed me, changed how I looked at things.
I tried to push down these feelings, but it wasn’t easy.
When I drove home from my last job that afternoon, a smattering of dark clouds moved overhead. A strong breeze blew past, rustling leaves as I unloaded my groceries. I stopped and gazed up at the sky. Gray with patches of blue, but those patches would soon change.
I could always tell when there was a storm coming.
Chapter Twenty-One
~ Philip ~
“Where the hell is everyone?”
After more than a decade, those were the first words my father said to me from his seat on the front porch.
He wore an arrogant expression and seemed put out that there was no one here to greet him, as if he’d expected a hero’s welcome.
“What do you want?” I was relieved my mom and sister weren’t home, and I could take care of this alone.
His dark eyes came to rest on me. “Philip? It’s good to see you, son.”
My jaw clenched at the word “son.” I ignored the impulse to bodily remove him and kept my temper in check. “As I said, what do you want?”
“I wanted to see how my kids are doing. How’s Eliza?”
I was surprised he remembered her name. He hadn’t seen her in a very long time, and believe me, I intended to keep it that way.
“Nice place.” He glanced around. “A bit small for my taste, but not bad.”
I studied him. His skin was too tan, his hair too black, a man in his sixties trying to look younger than his age. My father was in a midlife crisis that never ended.
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