“Your sister?” I raised my eyebrows.
“Yeah, I guess she invited a few friends over, and they didn’t bother to clean up after themselves—I’ll have to have a talk with her.” Damien grabbed a few fast food bags and tried to stuff them into the trashcan.
“Does your sister smoke cigars?” I motioned to an ashtray that was sitting behind a couple of the fast-food bags—it definitely hadn’t been emptied recently.
“No…” Damien narrowed his eyes and growled under his breath. “Damn it this must be where he’s been staying…”
“Should we leave?” I felt a twinge of concern.
“That’s probably a good idea.” He nodded. “I’m really sorry—I had no idea.”
“It’s fine.” I shrugged. “Maybe we can come back another time?”
“Yeah.” Damien walked back towards the door.
“Hey…” I followed Damien to the door but paused when I saw a picture of Damien with another woman—a woman that was proudly holding up an engagement ring.
“What is it?” He looked back at me, followed my gaze, and then I saw his entire demeanor change.
“Are you engaged to someone?” I picked up the picture and stared at it.
“No.” He took the picture from me and carefully put it back where it was. “Not anymore…”
I could tell that whoever was in the picture with Damien was important to him because he appeared to be fairly upset when we made it back to the car. It was obvious that if he was no longer with the woman in the photograph, then it wasn’t a relationship that ended on good terms.
For the second time, I started to feel like I had turned our date into a disaster—but my question was valid—and if he was still hung up on an ex, then I wasn’t sure if our relationship was going to work. I didn’t want to be someone’s rebound—that never worked out in the long run. If his heart belonged to someone else, then it wasn’t mine for the taking—even if I did like him. Damien drove straight back to Cafe Russe without saying much, and when he parked beside my car, I was trying to come to terms with the fact that it could be the last time I saw him.
“Thank you for the swimsuit and for dinner.” I reached for the door handle.
“Her name was Caroline.” Damien exhaled sharply. “She died five years ago…”
“What?” I felt my heart sinking into my stomach.
“We were supposed to go to our engagement party at my business associate’s house. We were getting ready to leave and help set up when I got called into work, so I was going to meet her there later.” I turned toward him, and I saw his expression twist into one that reflected nothing but pain. “It was raining. The roads were slick. Caroline never made it…”
“Oh my god.” My head snapped back in surprise. “Damien, I’m so sorry…”
I felt horrible for bringing up Caroline after I realized what happened to her. He wasn’t hung up on an ex—she was taken from him long before her time. I wanted to hug him, so I did the best I could in the confines of his car. He pulled me into a tight embrace, and I felt tears forming in the corners of my eyes. I didn’t know Caroline, but the way he talked about her—the pain it caused him—it was obvious that he loved her.
I might have had pause if she was an ex-fiancé that he hadn’t gotten over but finding out that she died shortly after they were engaged gave me a different perspective. There was a reason that Damien was broken in some ways—why talking about his family hurt so much—his life had been filled with tragedy and a cruel twist of fate that was outside of his control. The fact he was still standing—the fact he could still smile—the fact that he could ever laugh—that was a testament to his inner resolve.
“I’ve tried to cling to those memories for far too long.” Damien sighed as I retreated back to my side of the car. “I haven’t really dated anyone—so I apologize for reacting the way that I did.”
“There’s nothing for you to apologize for.” I shook my head back and forth. “Seriously, I understand that it’s painful. I wouldn’t have said anything if I realized what happened…”
“I was going to have to tell you about her eventually.” He looked down at the steering wheel. “I like you, Leigh—I really do. I will understand if this is too complicated.”
“It’s not too complicated.” I put my hand on his arm. “I really do appreciate your honesty.”
“You really are incredible.” Damien shook his head and exhaled sharply. “I’m pretty sure most women would have been halfway home by now…”
“Why don’t you tell me about her? If it’s not too painful…” I reached over and hit the button to turn on the air conditioner.
Damien was hesitant, but I got the feeling that he needed to talk about it—I had already opened the door—stepping through it wasn’t that much of a stretch. Once he finally started talking, it seemed like his entire demeanor changed. It wasn’t a weight that was on his shoulders—it was intertwined with his soul. The man he became was a direct result of his relationship with Caroline and the pain that was left behind when he lost her.
Damien told me how they met, how they fell in love, and the plans they had for the future before she was taken from him. It wasn’t difficult to hear him talk about her—the way he described her—the things they shared—it was quite beautiful. I had never known love like that, but I could understand how difficult it was to have it taken away. Damien didn’t deserve to lose touch with the man he was because of the tragedy.
“Thank you.” Damien squeezed my hand in his. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to talk about that with anyone.”
“Those memories are a part of who you are.” I looked up at him. “If you ever need to talk about it, I understand.”
The date was over, but the time we spent together was important. It allowed me to fully understand what I was getting into if our relationship continued to move forward—and I had no intention of putting a stop to it. Damien walked me to my car, which was literally a few feet away, and we shared a gentle kiss before I drove away. It didn’t have the same passion as our first one, but it was tender and sweet. We made plans to meet again the following night, which meant I had to spend the rest of my evening taking care of a few school assignments. I worked until my eyes were burning, and the coffee sitting beside my laptop was no longer effective.
It doesn’t look like Mom is coming home tonight. I guess it’s time for bed.
Chapter Eight
Damien
“How is she doing?” I walked into Sinn Manor and found Jenny sitting in the living room—staring at her laptop.
“She got up for a little while and ate dinner. I took that as a good sign.” She looked up at me. “Did you have fun on your date?”
“Date?” I blinked in surprise and walked over to make a drink.
“You got a text message and suddenly you had plans for the evening. It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out…” She leaned back against the couch.
“It didn’t go as planned…” I sat down across from her and took a sip of my whiskey. “I found out where Dad has been staying.”
“Oh?” She blinked in surprise. “Where?”
“He’s turned our grandfather’s beachfront villa into his love nest—or something like that.” I exhaled sharply.
“We should go there.” She leaned forward. “We need to tell him what a bastard he is—he needs to know what this has done to Mom.”
“Do you really think he cares?” I took a sip of my whiskey.
“No…” Jenny’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sure he doesn’t give a damn that Mom spent most of the day crying.”
“We need to start packing things up tomorrow.” I looked up and sighed. “I really don’t want to end up in a situation where Mom is literally evicted from her home…”
“All I need is my toothbrush.” Jenny shrugged. “Screw the rest of it…”
“Really? I was thinking that we should strip this place down to bricks, boards, and drywall.” I chuckled under my
breath. “We can dump what we don’t want in Carson Bay.”
“Tempting…” A hint of a smile formed on Jenny’s lips. “I’m sure that would just antagonize him. It’s not worth it…”
“You’re probably right.” I nodded.
I really need to confront him, but I need to do it alone. My little sister doesn’t need to hear what I’m going to say…
The next morning mom came downstairs early and started making breakfast just like she always did. She ate a couple of bites and drank some coffee while I tried to explain how important it was for us to get started with the packing. She was still in shock—my therapist would have probably prescribed her a few pills and told her to get lots of rest. I took the day off work and decided to hire a moving company to help since it would be easier than trying to convince my mother that it was important not to waste any time. At some point, she was going to recover from the shock—she was going to realize that her husband was an asshole—and regret leaving anything in Sinn Manor that mattered to her.
“We should probably make sure we get all of the photo albums…” Jenny looked towards the albums that were lined up under the television in the living room. “She’ll want those.”
“Yeah.” I nodded and walked over to one of the movers.
I’m sure there are plenty of photos of our father in there, but we can sort that out later…
Over the course of several hours, we filled the moving truck with boxes. My mom came downstairs a few times and pointed out the things she wanted. I took that as a good sign and indication that she understood what we were doing. In the late afternoon, after school was over, some of Jenny’s friends showed up to help with her room. We didn’t need them since we had a team of movers, but she seemed to like having them around. A couple of them remarked that it was the first time they had ever been to Sinn Manor. That didn’t surprise me much. I never invited my friends to hang out at my house either—I had no interest in letting them see how much of an asshole my father was if he went on one of his tirades.
“Do you need any help in here?” One of Jenny’s friends walked into the downstairs office while I was packing things up. “We’re all done with your sister’s room.”
“You can carry some boxes if you want.” I motioned to them. “What was your name again? Gavin?”
“All of my friends call me Bolt.” He chuckled under his breath and reached for a box.
“That’s right.” I nodded. “You’re the guy who’s breaking all of the records at Carson Cove High.”
“The ones that matter.” He grinned. “Did you play football?”
“Nah.” I shook my head back and forth. “I was too busy working.”
“Ah, I can understand that.” He nodded.
“Have you started looking at colleges yet?” I picked up a few things and started placing them in one of the boxes. “I assume you won’t be staying in Carson Cove after you graduate next year, right? Carson Cove University isn’t exactly known for its football program.”
“I don’t know.” He looked over his shoulder at one of Jenny’s best friends, a girl who had introduced herself as Anna. “I might have a reason to stay…”
It was clear that Bolt and Anna were a couple after I saw them interact a little more. I didn’t know many of Jenny’s friends—but I was glad to see that she had some who were willing to drop everything and come help her move. I lost touch with most of my friends after I graduated from high school. I had a few from college that I still saw every now and then, but their lives had moved forward while mine stood still—they got married, had kids, and were doing all of the things I planned to do with Caroline. I didn’t expect to turn thirty with a bleak outlook on life, but despite everything that was happening around me, I felt like things might be headed in a positive direction by the time I turned thirty-one.
Leigh has already started to give me hope—it’s been a long time since I’ve had that.
I didn’t even think about the fact that there would be pictures of Caroline at my grandfather’s beach villa when I suggested going there with Leigh. I planned to tell her about Caroline at some point. It wouldn’t have been fair to keep something like that from Leigh because those memories were going to come back at some point—even if they gave me a temporary reprieve when I saw Leigh at the bar. Talking about Caroline with Leigh had been extremely therapeutic. She listened, and she didn’t judge. She also didn’t recommend medication to deal with the emotional turmoil like the person I actually paid to help me move past the most traumatic event of my life. Leigh wasn’t just special—she was amazing.
“Excuse me, Mr. Sinn?” A light knock echoed behind me.
“Please…” I turned around a chuckled when I saw Anna. “You can call me Damien.”
“We just finished Jenny’s room. Is there anything else we can do?” She looked around the room I was working in.
“You’re welcome to finish up in here if you want.” I pointed to the bookcase. “All of this stuff is breakable, so just wrap it before you put it in the box.”
“Sure thing.” She nodded and smiled.
I had been working most of the day without taking a break, and I needed to assess where we were with the whole process. Jenny and a couple of her other friends had already started working in the study—but it sounded like they were laughing about the books instead of packing. My mother had started to help out some, but she was mostly just slowly packing things in her bedroom. Bolt was helping the moving company carry boxes. We had made good progress, and it was almost time to take the truck to my house so we could start unloading—otherwise, I would miss my date with Leigh. I gave instructions to the moving company, let Jenny and my mother know that we needed to wrap things up soon, and sent a message to Leigh to confirm our plans.
I should check in with Jon too. It’s a terrible time to miss work, but it’s necessary…
“Okay, this is the last box.” I put the one in my hands down in the living room and turned to the group. “Thank you for your help…”
“No problem, Mr.—Damien.” Anna smiled and nodded.
“Jenny, are you coming out with us tonight?” Bolt tilted his head inquisitively.
“Uh…” Jenny wiped the sweat off her brow. “I don’t know. I probably should stay with my mother tonight—I don’t want to leave her alone.”
“Okay.” Bolt took Anna’s hand and looked at her. “Ready to go?”
“Hold on…” She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and stared at it for a moment. “Actually, I think I may have to go home.”
“What? Why?” Bolt raised his eyebrows.
“Family stuff…” She put her phone in her pocket. “I’ll text you later.”
“Okay.” Bolt shrugged and turned to the rest of their friends. “Guess it’s just us…”
Jenny’s friends left, and I went upstairs to shower. I wasn’t sure if Jenny and my mom would stay at my house or go back to Sinn Manor. We needed one more day of moving to get everything, which included any furniture that my mother wanted to keep. I had some space to store it at my house—and if it wouldn’t fit there, then I had a storage unit we could use. Luckily, the moving company could handle all of that. After I got showered and ready for my date with Leigh, I walked back downstairs. Jenny was sitting at the kitchen table with my mother.
“I think we’re going to stay at Sinn Manor one more night.” Jenny looked up at me.
“Are you sure?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah.” My mom nodded. “I want to go through the house a little bit more before I leave for the last time—I can do that tonight.”
“Okay.” I felt my phone buzz and pulled it out to see a text from Leigh—she was already at the restaurant. “Lock up when you leave?”
“Will do.” Jenny smiled.
I wasn’t sure if returning to Sinn Manor was the best option, but I didn’t want to argue with my mother if she felt like it was necessary—I sort of understood the pain she was going through, but our situations wer
e quite different. She loved my father, even if he was a despicable bastard—I wanted to believe that his black heart had been capable of loving her too, at some point in his miserable life. I couldn’t even think of one good quality he had that would have been worthy of the pure, innocent love she had for him, but there had to be something. Jenny and I wouldn’t have existed otherwise.
Alright, I really do need to get to the restaurant.
Earlier in the day, I made some arrangements for my evening with Leigh. I felt bad about leaving Jenny to take care of our mom for the second night in a row, but she encouraged me to go when I brought it up that morning. Jenny saw the pain that I went through when the woman I was supposed to marry was taken from me. Jenny was just a kid then, but she treated Caroline like the sister she never had—and she cried in my arms when I told her what happened.
I think watching me unravel after the accident was part of the reason Jenny had been so cautious of falling in love—every guy that showed interest was quickly rejected—and I actually liked a few of them. She needed to see me move on just as badly as I needed to do it. There was finally a chance of that happening for me—all because of a beautiful young woman with auburn hair and gorgeous aquamarine eyes. Leigh was compassionate, understanding, and she had a way of pulling me out of the darkness when I was with her.
“I’m sorry…” I looked at my watch when I walked up to the table. “Have you been waiting long?”
“No.” She shook her head back and forth. “I got here right before you sent your text message.”
“Good.” I smiled. “You brought your swimsuit, right?”
“I did.” She nodded. “I don’t know why—obviously, we’re not going to your grandfather’s villa again.”
“You’ll find out soon enough.” I chuckled under my breath and reached for the menu.
Leigh tried to get me to tell her what I had planned for the date after we placed our order, but I wanted to keep it a surprise until we got there. I hated that our previous date came to an abrupt end because we found out that my father was staying at my grandfather’s villa. I debated going there earlier that morning and personally evicting him, but that wasn’t the confrontation we needed to have. I was biding my time for a reason, and he would return to Sinn Manor soon enough. He had no idea what I was planning, and it was best to keep it that way until the time was right—the bastard might not have taught me much, but he did teach me how to play my cards close to the chest until I had a winning hand.
Devious Intentions (Carson Cove Sandals Book 3) Page 7
