Troubled Waters (Oceans of Love Book 1)

by Nia Arthurs

  His phone rang again, the shrilling sound emphasizing the pain in his head. Trenton violently pulled the cell to his ear and yelled. “I told you. I’m busy!”

  “I’m sorry,” he heard a feminine voice squeak. “I’m just… kind of in a situation right now.”

  “Situation?” Trenton pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at the unfamiliar number. “Who is this?”

  “It’s Breana, your, uh, fiancé.”

  He straightened. “What is it?”

  “It may be better if you come here.”

  Worried, Trenton grabbed his car keys and tore it for the elevators.

  “Sir!” Jamison cried. “Are you leaving already?”

  “Let’s head home early, Jamison.”

  “But it’s only six o’clock. We’ve got so much to do—”

  “I’ll catch up tomorrow. Have a good night.” The doors closed and Trenton focused on breathing through his mouth as he waited for the elevator to reach the ground floor.

  Breana’s voice hadn’t sounded too good. His mind picked through the worst possibilities like a dump diver scouring a hill of garbage. Had Breana cracked under the pressure and confessed to their fake engagement? Had Mr. Barrington thrown her out of her job? Had Cady mauled her?

  Each scenario circulated in the realm of possibilities and by the time Trenton threw his car into Barrington and Co’s parking lot and flew into the main lobby, he was sweating so hard stains appeared on the chest of his work shirt.

  Ignoring his disheveled appearance, Trenton sped up the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator and burst through the doors to Cady’s office. His eyes scanned the abandoned front desk and the quiet hallway.

  “Hello?” he called, swiping the screen of his phone to call Breana. “Is anyone here?”

  “Whhhyyy?” A voice rang out, raking against his eardrums like claws on a chalkboard. He bent his head and quickly covered his ears with the palm of his hands, peering past the empty hallways to the back of the offices.

  “It’s okay, Cady. Don’t cry.”

  “I told you! Call me ‘Boss!” Cady snapped.

  Trenton winced and walked hesitantly toward the voices. He stopped in front of the female bathrooms and pressed his ear against the door.

  “I’m sorry. Boss, you need to calm down. Okay? I called Trenton. He’s on his way.”

  “Yes,” he heard the desperation in Cady’s voice, “bring him here and let him tell me it’s over.”

  “Just wait. He should be here any minute.”

  Taking that as his cue, Trenton knocked on the door. Silence filtered through the other side before the door was flung open. Cady stood in the doorway, her light brown eyes bulging and puffy. Mascara and tear stains coated her cheeks and her lips quivered at the sight of him.

  “Trenton!” she yelled and threw her arms around his chest. “Please, tell me this is some twisted joke!”

  Trenton looked over Cady’s head to the woman who stood in the middle of the bathroom. Breana offered him a wan smile and a slight shrug. ‘This is on you’ he read in the slope of her lips and the tilt of her eyebrows.

  For a split second, Trenton hesitated. If he insisted that he was engaged, he and Breana would have to do a lot more to convince everyone it was true. Such a plan was ripe with complications, but it held far more appeal than caving to Cady’s wishes.

  Gently pushing the sobbing woman so that she no longer leaned against him, he frowned. “I’m sorry, but—” he walked over to Breana and put his arm around her shoulders, “this is my woman now. I won’t change my mind.”

  Cady responded with a long, drawn-out wail.

  Chapter 5

  ₪₪₪₪₪₪

  Breana winced as Trenton took her hand and pulled her out to the hallway. Even though Cady was a pain in the butt, she felt a twinge of remorse for deceiving her. If she’d cared about Trenton this much, perhaps the decision to break her heart had been callous and ill conceived.

  “Wait,” Breana tried to resist when it seemed that Trenton was, indeed, going to leave Cady alone in the bathroom, “we can’t just leave her. What if she hurts herself?”

  “Trust me. She won’t.”

  “How do you know?” Breana dug her feet into the tiles, surprised by the strength of her insistence. Her boss was cruel and self-centered, but something in Breana’s heart resonated with the agony of a lost love.

  “Do you think this is the first time she’s tried to manipulate me with her tears? Trust me. It’s better if we leave her alone.”

  “I can’t,” Breana said. “Even if she is trying to manipulate you, we should at least make sure she gets home okay. Everyone’s signed off for the day and Mr. Barrington went out shortly after you left.”

  Trenton sighed, but Breana didn’t wait around to see if he was following her. She turned on her heels and stalked toward the bathroom. Cady hiccupped when she saw their figures in the doorway.

  “You came back?” she asked.

  “Come on,” Breana offered her hand so that the young woman could get on her feet, “we’ll take you home.”

  Cady sniffed and wiped her face. “Really? You’ll really do that for me Trenton?”

  “It wasn’t my idea,” the handsome businessman said gruffly, turning his profile away to stare into the mirror.

  “Oh, I knew you cared about me,” Cady said, once more diving into Trenton’s arms. Rummaging through her purse, she tossed her keys at Breana who caught them in the face.

  “Hey!”

  “I’m sorry,” Cady said, giggling. “I can’t leave my car in the parking lot. Could you drive behind us while Trenton takes me home?”

  Breana’s goodwill sputtered out like a balloon losing air. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “Drive your own car,” Trenton said, stepping back and putting his hands into his pockets in a clear ‘back-off’ gesture.

  “Do you really expect me to drive like this?” Cady asked, pointing to her puffy face. “If I get into an accident, can you live with the part that you played?”

  “Cady—”

  Breana sighed. “She has a point. I’ll just drive behind you.”

  Cady clapped her hands and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Make sure you drive her with love. That car costs more than you will ever make.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Breana said through gritted teeth.

  Cady leaned into Trenton’s chest. “Look at how it all worked out! I get to ride with you and Breana gets to ride in something proper for a change. Just let me get my purse and then we can go.” Cady scurried down the hallway and Breana leaned against the bathroom sink.

  Trenton shook his head and opened his mouth. Breana lifted her palm to cut him off. “Don’t even say I told you so.”

  “I wasn’t going to say that. Are you okay?”

  “Me? Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

  “Cady was pretty nasty to you.”

  “She’s right. I don’t make all that much.”

  “Still, that’s no way to talk to anyone.”

  Breana was bone-tired and unable to debate the moral merits of Cady Barrington’s snark. “Let’s just get her home and talk after.”

  “Okay,” the object of their conversation popped up with makeup redone and hair flawlessly brushed, “I’m ready. Breana, please lock up and don’t be afraid to take your time.”

  “Sure,” she nodded.

  Trenton caught her eye and she shooed him away with her hand. Instead, he stood stock still until even Cady noticed.

  “Trenton, why aren’t you coming?”

  “I’ll wait until Breana’s finished locking up.”

  Cady pouted. “I need to get back home right away. Dad asked me to cook dinner. Did I mention that, Trenton? That I can cook? Anything you like. From rice and beans and stewed chicken, to tamales, to chow mein.”

  “Sounds great,” Trenton said, folding his arms over his chest and planting himself in the doorway of the bathroom, “but I’m n
ot leaving without her.”

  Touched, but sensing that Cady was inching closer and closer to a meltdown bigger than the one that had trapped them in this bathroom for over an hour, Breana stepped in.

  “It’s alright. You go ahead. I have some things I need to finish up here anyway.”

  Trenton searched her face, ignoring Cady’s pull on his arm. At last, he stepped toward Breana with a determined look in his eyes.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, leaning back toward the wall in discomfort.

  To her surprise, Trenton reached out, pulled her forward and planted a soft kiss on her temple. Her eyes fell close as he lingered there a while before lifting his head and winking. She could only stare in response.

  “Don’t take too long,” he said. Breana stared at his back as he walked out of the bathroom, followed by a raving jealous Cady Barrington.

  Her knees weak, she stumbled against the sink for the second time in less than ten minutes. As much as she told herself that she was completely unaffected, Breana was not immune to Trenton Lorde’s charm. Being on the end of one of his sexy smiles was… an experience.

  She turned around and curled her fingers into fists. Staring at herself in the mirror, she allowed her eyes to pick apart the face and body she’d been born with—a head that was far too oval to be called normal, a forehead that threatened to greet people before she did, eyes that were too close together, and lips that were too small to notice.

  Breana was nothing special, especially in comparison to Cady’s Latin good looks.

  When she dropped off Cady’s car, Breana determined to sit Trenton down and find a way to get them both out of this engagement without sacrificing his objective of staying single. Hopefully, they could figure out a way to keep Cady’s wedding bells at bay.

  Not that their engagement seemed to have any effect on the woman. The way she’d thrown herself at Trenton a while ago…

  Breana shook her head. None of that mattered. If Trenton didn’t want Cady Barrington of all people, he definitely wouldn’t want her. He was just the kind of charming, handsome man that she could find herself falling for. To prevent herself from getting hurt, Breana wanted out.

  NOW.

  The car keys digging into her palm, Breana ran around the office locking up the windows and tidying her desk until a suitable amount of time had passed. At last, she hopped into Cady’s car, grudgingly admiring the leather seats and the auto-parking capabilities.

  “Someday, I’ll have a car like this,” Breana muttered to herself and then she laughed at her own foolishness. Even if she had the kind of cash to afford a fancy car, her frugal upbringing would prevent her from ever spending this much on a vehicle.

  Shaking her head, Breana stepped on the gas and drove up the highway to the Barrington’s sprawling mansion. Waving coconut trees leaves beckoned her past the metal gates, but the fence remained locked. Unsure of what to do, Breana hopped out of the car and pressed the buzzer.

  When someone appeared on the screen demanding her name and purpose, she jumped back and shakily gave the information. The gates opened slowly and she drove in, feeling as if she’d wandered onto the set of an American movie.

  A worker ushered her toward the circular driveway before an ornate front door bordered on either side by two Roman pillars. Breana barely dropped the keys into the worker’s hand as she stared, slack-jawed at the castle before her.

  “Um,” she glanced toward the door, “is Ms. Barrington around?”

  “No,” the worker said, winding down the window of the car, “she said to tell you that you’re welcome to, and I quote, walk home or whatever.”

  “Wow,” Breana frowned. “Thanks for that, Cady.”

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing.”

  Breana kicked at the tires before turning around and walking back toward the gate. She should have thought ahead and figured out a way home before agreeing to drop Cady’s car all the way up the highway. How much change did she have in her bag? Would a bus even pass by this way to take her home?

  Breana was rummaging around in her purse when she heard the patter of footsteps. She spun to find another worker in a T-shirt and khakis bearing down on her with a determined expression.

  Had Cady sent her employees to bother her about something else?

  “Miss,” the worker said, panting hard, “don’t go.”

  “Tell Cady it’s after six and she’s no longer my boss,” Breana snapped, hiking her purse up her shoulder and preparing to storm away.

  “It wasn’t Ms. Cady,” the worker said, pointing to a car that was fast approaching. The fancy SUV stopped directly beside Breana and the window slowly wound down. Her eyelashes bounced up and down as she recognized Trenton Lorde’s handsome face in the driver’s seat.

  “Hey,” he said, “need a ride?”

  Breana’s heart thumped out of time and she struggled to coolly slide into the seat and lock the door behind her. This meant nothing. Nothing at all!

  ***

  For more, look out for WHERE LOVE LIES in the Amazon store!