by Lila Kane
Kyle swallows and glances at the ground, clear indication he’s hiding something. I’ve known him long enough to recognize his tells. If I’d looked into them any closer, I’d have known he was lying to me about the business and Denise a long time ago.
“Something wrong with the other project?” I ask, trying to keep my voice even when really all I want to do is rub it in. Maybe he’s screwed on his end. Not enough workers, not enough time. Too big of promises to follow through. Maybe he lost the project altogether.
“I’m balancing my time,” Kyle nearly spits. “I’d like to talk with Libby.”
“She isn’t here. And she doesn’t want your help on this project anymore.”
“What? You speak for her now? You two a thing?” Kyle’s eyes widen. “Shit—that’s what it is, isn’t it? You get into her pants to convince her to take you on this project. You little—”
“Shut the fuck up!” I grab his collar and have him stepping back across the porch until he’s almost to the stairs. “You don’t know anything about her or about what’s going on here. I suggest you leave.”
Kyle shakes his head slowly, his lips curving. “She’s going to hate you when she realizes what you’ve done.”
“Leave,” I spit out.
This is already way out of control. I’m going to have to do some major damage control. But there’s no way I’m letting Kyle stand here and talk to me—or about Libby—like that.
He starts laughing as he walks down the steps. “You’re so screwed.”
I almost lunge after him. Getting in a few punches is sure to make me feel better.
But only temporarily.
Then what?
Instead of following him, I step back inside and slam the door. Damn Kyle. How many times does he plan on fucking me over before he just leaves me alone?
Of course, he probably thinks I fucked him over since I supposedly snatched this property out from under his nose. And even if he hadn’t given up on the place, I might have. Just to spite him. Just to prove that I could take on the challenge of this house.
But it had nothing to do with Libby. Or getting into her pants.
And it doesn’t matter anyway. Kyle didn’t want the project. I did. I still do.
That’s all I have to do. I have to explain this to Libby and tell her how much I wanted the project. Knowing Kyle—working for him in the past—is just a coincidence. Nothing more.
My phone dings with a text message. I pull it out and my gut clenches when I see Libby’s name and message.
I’m just about there. Hopefully I won’t be too long. Dinner tonight?
I swallow and my finger hovers over the keyboard. Dinner? Like everything is normal?
Sure. Have a nice visit. I send the message and nod.
Yes. Just like normal—because everything is normal. I got this project fair and square, and Libby and I have something together. Something real. She knows that as much as I do so there’s no problem
But even as I get back to work, my stomach is in knots. I can’t stop worrying about what Libby will think, or what Kyle will do to make sure he ruins what I have here.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
LIBBY
My father and brother have an ostentatious office in the tallest building downtown. I mean, sure, they need an office. They have dozens of employees and have to coordinate teams of people. They need a headquarters. But in the middle of downtown? Several stories up?
I sigh as I step out of the elevator. It’s just like them to flaunt their money.
But they’re still family, and I still love them. Even when I’m sure they’re about to tell me about fiancée number six or girlfriend number twelve.
Inside the office, my dad, Dave, and my brother, Dustin, sit at the oval table in front of the window. They have drinks and sandwiches set up like they’re about to have a lunch meeting. Okay, maybe this isn’t about fiancées and girlfriends. Maybe it’s just lunch.
My shoulders relax some.
“Libby,” Dad says, standing and giving me a hug. “I’m glad you made it.”
“Hey,” Dustin says, giving me a smile. He gestures to the chair across from him. “Have a seat. And a sandwich. We have good news.”
“Good work news?” I ask, sitting down and setting my purse aside.
I hear a chime from my phone, indicating I have a voicemail, but I ignore it. If this really is work, I’m going to give it my full attention. Besides that, despite our different outlooks on life and business, I miss my family. When we’re not arguing with each other, we actually get along really well.
“Of course work news,” Dustin says, grabbing a sandwich. “If it was personal news, we would have gone out to lunch.”
Of course. I should have known better.
“So what’s the good news?”
“We landed the Riverfront project,” Dad says.
“Riverfront? That whole stretch of condos that’s only about ten years old?”
Dustin nods. “Yeah, but they already look like shit. And with the city growing, they want to put something nicer on the edge of town. Rip out the condos and put in luxury lofts. River view on one side, city view on the other.”
I pull over a sandwich of my own. “I didn’t know you guys were looking for a project like this.”
“We weren’t looking exactly,” Dad says. “But it was on our radar—and when their contractor fell through, they approached us.”
“This is like…a corporate project. This is big.”
Dustin nods. “Yeah, it is. And to think—that other guy they hired was going to do it with a couple of guys.”
“What other guy?” I ask.
“Kyle something or other.”
I freeze. “Kyle Shreveport?”
“That’s him,” Dave says. “Why? You know him? Don’t tell me it’s the same ass who you signed to do your place with? He’ll screw you over, too.”
He already did. But I don’t want to tell my dad that. Besides, I’m not working with Kyle anymore. I’ve got Carson and things are going fine. In fact, I was planning on inviting my dad and Dustin over to see the progress on the house so far. I have an image of their surprised expressions stored up in my head.
They’re going to be shocked at how good the place looks.
“I’m working with someone else,” I say.
“Of course you are,” Dave says. “You’re smart—you probably checked this guy out beforehand, too.”
Dustin nods. “Right? Like, his whole business is a mess. I mean, supposedly he walked off with all the money and screwed his partner, and then screwed his partner’s girlfriend, too.”
My stomach twists at the familiar words. So similar to what Carson told me happened. But that can’t be. I’ve mentioned Kyle around Carson more than once and he never said anything about knowing him. Being friends.
He never said anything about working together.
He wouldn’t lie to me about that, wouldn’t he? I mean, maybe at first if he was embarrassed, but then he took a job with me. That would have been the perfect time to say something.
“Hey,” Dustin says, nudging my sandwich. “You going to eat?”
“I’m…I’m not hungry.”
“Come on,” Dad says. “We’re celebrating. We want you to be part of the team. This is a big project and we need you, Libby.”
They need me. Since when? And I can’t think about this project right now. I have my own business. Professional and personal.
“Do you know who Kyle’s partner was? This guy he screwed over?” I ask, then force a smile so they don’t get suspicious. “I’m making a mental note of all the contractors to stay away from while I’m working out here.”
“Good idea,” Dad says. “It was something with a C, right? Conner?”
Dustin shakes his head. “No, more like Carter. Or Cartwright.” He laughs and shrugs. “Whatever. I’m sure you can do a search.”
Carter sounds exactly like Carson. I press my hand to my head. No, this can
’t be. I trust Carson. It has to be a mistake. Somebody’s confused. Carson is working on my place and doing a great job. I’m…falling in love with him.
Secrets like that just aren’t in relationships like ours.
I stand slowly, feeling like everything is in slow motion. I’m not sure what to do right now, only that I need to get out of here. I want to get out of here. If my family finds out who’s been helping me, who my choices are with my investment, they’ll let me have it for sure. They’re not going to be sympathetic. They’re going to say I told you so.
“I really should be getting back,” I say.
“But you didn’t eat,” Dustin says. “And what about the project?”
“We need to know if you’re in. We have teams to put together and we need your help.”
“Can I…” I clear my throat, trying to focus. “Can I get back to you? I’m busy on my current project. For at least another month.”
“A month?” Dad asks, standing. “Surely you can take a break from that.”
“I’ll let you know,” I promise, giving him a hug. “Soon.”
Dave nods, but glances at Dustin like he thinks I’ve lost my mind. I don’t care. I have to get out of here.
I ride the elevator down to the lobby and walk to the parking garage. I check my phone and see the message from the unknown caller. No, not unknown. I remember that phone number. I remember because I had to call it over and over again when I was trying to get him to commit to our project.
Kyle Shreveport. Why would he be calling me? Just to touch base on a project that isn’t his anymore? Or is it something else? Something I don’t want to hear?
I ignore the message for now and get into my car. I start it up and connect to Bluetooth to call Cheyenne.
She answers right away. “Hey, girl.”
“Hi,” I answer weakly, pulling out of the parking garage. “Can you do me a favor?”
“Yeah. Of course. Everything okay?”
“It’s…” I swallow hard, trying to tamp down emotions that want to rise. Worry that wants to eat away at my stomach lining. I don’t know anything for sure yet, so there’s no point in being upset. “You know that guy who’s working with me? Carson? You said he looked familiar?”
“Yeah, sure. The contractor hottie.”
“Right.” The hottie. And maybe liar. “Do you know who he worked with before?”
“Uh…I can check.” She pauses a minute. “No wait, Henry’s here. He knows all the contractors out there. I’ll ask him. Hang on.”
I have nothing to do but wait. I need to know the truth. I just can’t believe Carson would work for me and not tell me the truth. Unless…he’s hiding something. But why?
I squeeze the steering wheel tight to stop my hands from shaking.
Cheyenne comes back on the phone, sounding out of breath. “Henry says he worked with Kyle. Shreveport.”
My stomach sinks. No, no way…the partner who screwed him over. So what did Carson do? Decide to screw him right back?
“Isn’t that the guy who was supposed to work on your house in the first place?” she asks.
“Yes,” I whisper.
“And now Carson is?” Her voice turns hard. “He lied to you, didn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“Probably to get back at his asshole friend.”
“Yes, probably.”
Which means he’s just using me. He was then and he is now.
“I’m coming right over there,” Cheyenne says. “Right now. I’m going to kick his ass—and then I’m going to kick him out. Just—”
“No, Cheyenne. I’m not there.”
“Well, when you get there, then. I’m going to kick—”
“His ass. Yes, I heard.” I exhale a shaky breath. “Just…don’t. Not yet.”
“Why? What are you going to do? Talk to him?”
I nod, more to myself than anything. “Yes. I’m going to talk to him. And then I’m going to kick his ass.”
“Right on.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CARSON
She’s here. Way earlier than I expected her. Which means either something happened with her dad and brother, or she knows.
Either way, this is going to hurt.
I walk downstairs when I hear her footsteps in the living room. She crosses the space and walks to the kitchen. By the time I catch up with her, she has a glass of water, and she’s standing at the window, staring out to the backyard to the gazebo we’re putting up.
“Libby?” I say.
She doesn’t turn around. Shit.
“Everything okay?”
“Not so much,” she answers.
I walk to her when she still doesn’t turn around. But when I reach her side, it isn’t hard to see the anger on her face. And when she glances over, to see the hurt underneath all that.
“Are you okay?” I ask, trying to gauge the situation. Trying to figure out how to approach this.
“You lied to me.”
Fuck. I nod. “I did.”
“I thought…” She blows out a breath. “The whole thing, this whole time—it was a lie.”
“No, not the whole thing.”
“You didn’t tell me about Kyle. That you worked with him.”
“I didn’t, but—”
“You had the chance to. Not just at the beginning, but when he called me again. Or…I don’t know.” She laughs painfully. “The weeks and weeks after that when we worked together. You didn’t just lie once, you lied the whole time.”
“Not the whole time. Libby—”
“I trusted you! I believed you. I thought…” She swallows again. “I thought you cared about me.”
“I do. Libby—look at me.” When she doesn’t, I grip her shoulders and turn her to face me. “I do care about you—that has nothing to do with this.”
“No? So you lie to everyone you care about? What would your mom think about that?”
I wince. She might as well have slapped me. My mom would think I’m an ass. That’s why I didn’t tell her either. But Kyle is the only thing I lied about.
“I shouldn’t have lied to you. I know that. But I didn’t want you to think I was just like him and I was going to screw you over, too.”
“You did,” she whispers. “You screwed me over.”
“Libby…”
“What?” Her eyes flash. “You can’t deny it. You came here and pretended to break in so you’d have an excuse to be here. To convince me to hire you. Did you fake that faulty wire, too?”
“Hell, no. And I didn’t come here looking for a job either.”
“Oh, no? Just coincidence then?”
“Yes. I mean—”
“Why would I believe you? You were just here for revenge.”
“What?” I mean sure, I wanted Kyle to get what was coming to him, and yeah, I knew this would hurt him. But that’s not why I did this.
“He even left me a message,” she says, reaching into her pocket.
I release her arms, staring at her phone. “Who? Kyle?”
“Yes.”
“He’s lying.”
She shakes her head. “If so, that makes two of you.”
She puts the phone on speaker and plays the message. Kyle’s voice fills the quiet space.
“I’m so sorry to be contacting you like this,” Kyle begins.
I roll my eyes at the fakeness of his voice. How can she believe this?
“I just came by to apologize for not getting back to you sooner and see if there’s anything I can do to help and I ran into Carson,” he says. “I don’t want to have to be the one to tell you this, but we used to work together. We split after a project didn’t work out—and he was mad I landed this one. Anyway, it looks like he got his perfect revenge because he convinced you to work with him.”
“Libby, that’s—”
“Quiet,” she says, her voice too calm. “He’s not finished.”
“I feel really bad, and I hope this doesn’t screw up yo
ur project. If you need someone to help finish it, I can be available ASAP. I’m really sorry again—I just…I hate to see someone being used, and I felt like I needed to tell you.”
When he finishes, the room plunges into silence. I don’t miss the tremor in Libby’s hand. Even though she’s healed well from the fall off the ladder, part of me just wants to take care of her again like I did before. To pull her into my arms and reassure her that she’s not wrong about me or the situation. That she can still trust me.
But her eyes say everything her mouth isn’t. That she hates me for what I did to her.
“I thought you were different,” she says quietly, still clutching her phone.
“I am different. It was a misunderstanding.”
“Doesn’t sound like it to me.”
I shake my head, not sure how to convince her. Maybe she just needs time to cool down. To work off her hurt.
“I don’t know what to say. I lied about knowing Kyle but that’s it.”
“And you lied about your feelings for me.”
“I didn’t. I swear.”
But it’s too late. Her face is already closed off, unwilling to believe what I’m telling her. It kills me when I see tears in her eyes, a shimmer of pain about to spill over.
“I can’t be around you right now. I can’t—”
Her breath hitches, and she turns, shoulders moving in a sob. Shit.
“Libby, please…”
“Leave me alone.”
Her voice trembles, but I can’t ignore the anger there. Or the warning. I’d better do what she says.
So I walk out of the kitchen and grab my car keys and wallet off the table by the door. I don’t know where to go or how long to be gone, but I know I need to respect what she wants right now.
Outside, the sky is clouded over. It looks like rain. Just perfect for the day I’m having. I hop in my truck and turn the key, but don’t go anywhere just yet.
I look back to the house, debating. I can’t just leave her like this. But if I go back in, she might kick me out of her life for good and I can’t risk that. Not with how I feel for her. Not with how much I’ve invested—not in the house, but in her.
