Maybe We Will (Silver Harbor)

by Melissa Foster

  It was the look of love.

  He took a quick selfie and thumbed out a text message. Thank you for forcing this vacation on me. I think you’ll agree I’ve learned how to chill. Love you, sis. I’ll be in touch when I settle in overseas. He sent it off and composed another text. This is the face of the man who loves you. Xox, and sent it to Abby.

  He zipped his suitcase and headed into the other room. “Ready, Abs?”

  She was sitting on the edge of the bed with an open folder in her lap. When she lifted her face, there were tears in her eyes. “What is this, Aiden?” Her voice was filled with hurt and confusion. “Why do you have an entire folder on the Bistro? A copy of the original offer from DRA Capital?”

  Fuuck. “I can explai—”

  “I saw your signatures on some of the documents. It was you who tried to buy the Bistro, and then you tried to get me to put some other deal together to line your own pockets as an angel investor.” She pushed to her feet and threw the folder on the bed.

  “Abby, listen to me—”

  “You never said a word.” Her entire body was shaking, her eyes casting daggers. “You pushed for me to invest with you, the angel investor.” She said angel investor like a curse. “How could you do that to me?”

  “I didn’t want you to lose the restaurant or your house, and with a home equity line of credit, both are at risk.” He reached for her, but she twisted away. “Abby, come on. You know me better than that.”

  She crossed her arms, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Do I? Because I’m not sure I have any idea who you really are. You lied to me.”

  “I never lied to you.”

  “You said you were in finance.”

  “I am in finance,” he said through gritted teeth, trying to hold his shit together. “Jesus, Abby. Yes, before I met you, I saw the restaurant, checked it out, and put in an offer. But then I met you, Abs, and you turned it down. There was no need for me to say anything—”

  “Right, because who needs honesty? Obviously not the girl who said it was her number one priority.”

  “Damn it, Abby,” he snapped. “I liked you from the moment we met, and I didn’t want you to see me like every other woman sees me—as the guy who could buy them diamonds and yachts and whisk them away to exotic places.”

  She crossed her arms, the anger in her eyes slaying him. “So you were afraid I was a gold digger?”

  “No! Just the opposite. You were so different. You were—are—real and down to earth. You’re kind and funny, and I wanted to enjoy being with you without the pressure of everything else that goes along with being fucking Aiden Aldridge. I didn’t think I’d fall head-over-heels in love with you. And then I did, and you needed money, and I had it. It’s as simple as that. I tried to give you the money out of my own pocket, but you refused my offer, so I tried to do the only other thing I could to ensure that you wouldn’t risk losing the restaurant and the house.”

  “More like you wanted to be there to collect if I screwed up,” she said angrily.

  She tried to stalk past him, but he grabbed her hand, unwilling to let the only woman he’d ever loved walk out of his life. “That’s not it, Abby. If you’d taken me up on the investment, I would have had a separate legal document written up directing every goddamn penny you paid back go into an account for you in your name, not mine.”

  “It’s easy to say that now, isn’t it?” she seethed. “I asked you for one thing, Aiden. You knew what I went through with my mother and how many times she lied to me and hurt me. All I asked for was transparency, and you gave me lies.”

  “I never lied to you. Christ, Abby. Do you really think if I had something to hide, I would have been stupid enough to ask you to put away my files? Do you even hear what you’re accusing me of? I told you how I was raised to believe if I have, I should give; I should help others. Why, for fuck’s sake, would I not give to the woman who I was falling in love with?”

  “It’s not about giving. It’s about how you went about it,” she hollered. “It makes me feel like I don’t really know who you are. The guy who will do whatever he wants and say the hell with my feelings, or the guy who . . . who . . .”

  “Who loves you enough to do whatever it takes to make your dreams come true. This is me, Abby. The same guy you said you loved five minutes ago. I haven’t changed. I haven’t lied. If anything, I’ve told you more about myself, more truths, than I’ve ever told anyone else. I told you about my family and my famous sister. The person whose identity I have guarded with my life for years. I wanted you to know those things, Abby, because I knew, even then, that there was something special between us.”

  Her expression softened the slightest bit, giving him a shred of hope.

  “Did I screw up, Abs? Yes. Do I regret not telling you I was the original investor? You bet. But after you said you didn’t want to pitch an investment deal, I didn’t even think about it again except to say to myself that I would do everything within my power to make sure you didn’t lose your house or your business.”

  Her eyes narrowed, and her chin lifted in defiance. “I’m perfectly capable of doing that myself.”

  “I know you are, but it’s business. Anything can happen, and for as long as you use that line of credit, your house and your restaurant are at risk. And they are as big a part of you as you have become of me.”

  Her lower lip trembled, and her shoulders sagged.

  “Abby, sweetheart,” he said in a gentler tone. “I’m sorry that I hurt you, but if you know me at all, then you know I wasn’t trying to.”

  “Well, you did. How can I ever trust you again?” Tears slid down her cheeks.

  “Baby, please think about what you’re saying. What would I have to gain by tricking you?”

  “I don’t know,” she snapped. “But obviously something. The house. The restaurant. You said yourself it was worth millions.”

  He felt like he was climbing a sand dune in a windstorm, her fury whipping the sand out from under him, sending him tumbling backward with his every effort. She might be too angry and hurt to hear him, but he wasn’t about to let her obliterate everything they had over a fucking mistake. He clenched his teeth so hard he was afraid they’d crack and gritted out, “You know what? I’m done pussyfooting around who I am. Yes, your property is worth millions, but I could buy the whole damn island—twice—and still have enough money left to buy three more. You want to persecute me because I’m rich? You go right ahead, but you’re making a huge mistake, Abby. Think about it.” He stepped closer to her, but she stepped back, breaking his fucking heart. “Why can’t you believe that I was falling in love with you and I wanted to help?”

  She was shaking her head. “I can’t . . . I need to think, and you need to catch a plane.” She inhaled, loud and ragged, and pulled the door open.

  He stepped behind her, his heart shredding. “Please don’t do this. I love you, Abby. I’m not letting you go.”

  With her back to him, she said, “I don’t know if I’m asking you to. I just . . . I need space to think. Can you listen to me this once and give me that? Please.”

  Fighting against every action his mind and his heart told him to take, to go after her, to make her understand, he stood rooted in place, determined to listen even if it killed him—and as he watched his whole world walk out the door, he was pretty fucking sure it might.

  CHAPTER TWENTY–FOUR

  ABBY WALKED HOME in a fog, hoping to avoid running into anyone she knew by taking the long way, cutting through backyards and backstreets the way she’d done as a kid. Anger and hurt battled inside her, making her nauseous and teary and so damn confused she didn’t know which way was up. When she finally got home, the sight of the garden nearly brought her to her knees, and when a plane flew overhead from the island airport, her heart plummeted.

  She dragged herself into the house, her chest constricting at the sight of the spotless living room, ready for painting and for her furniture from New York to be moved in. She and A
iden had joked about keeping her mother’s couch since it was where they’d first made love. Memories of the start to that amazing day when Aiden bit her butt, then wooed her like she’d never been wooed before swamped her. His laughter rang in her ears as fresh as morning dew, turning all those confusing emotions to a throbbing ache of sadness and disappointment. That disappointment fueled a tornado of anger—at herself for letting her guard down and at him for not being one hundred percent transparent with her.

  She stormed into the kitchen and right past Cait and Deirdra, who were sitting at the table. She yanked the refrigerator door open, then immediately slammed it closed.

  “Hey,” Cait said. “You okay?”

  Abby paced, feeling like she was breathing fire. “Fine!” She grabbed a pot from the cabinet and banged it on the stove with a clank.

  “Looks like someone is ready for a mimosa.” Deirdra lifted the pitcher sitting in front of her and filled the three empty glasses before her. “I’m not leaving until later, so we’ve got plenty of time to drown your sorrows.”

  “And I’m here until Friday, so if you need to curl up in a ball and cry, I’ll take care of everything, including being there to meet the installer for the oven tomorrow. While I can’t cook for the judges, I did make you these.” Cait handed her a sketchbook. “I know they can’t replace Aiden, but hopefully they’ll help cheer you up a little.”

  Abby opened the sketchbook and trapped a sob in her chest at the drawing of her and Aiden at the Bistro the first day he’d shown up to help in his short-sleeve button-down, khaki pants, and those stupid loafers she loved. Her hands were on his chest, his arms wrapped possessively around her. Cait had captured the wolfish grin on his face just as Abby had remembered it seconds before they’d realized Cait had walked in. She flipped the page, finding a sketch of the first night she’d cooked him and Cait dinner. He was gazing adoringly at her, and she was smiling so big, it hurt to see it.

  She closed the pad and groaned as she slapped it on the table. “Thank you, but . . . Ugh!” She fisted her hands. “I’m so mad right now I can’t see straight.”

  “That’s what the mimosa is for.” Deirdra thrust a glass in her direction.

  “I don’t want a mimosa!” She stalked a path beside the stove. “Wait until you hear what he did!”

  “Bought you a Lamborghini?” Deirdra smirked.

  “This isn’t funny, Dee! He’s the investor who tried to buy the restaurant, and he’s the investor he was pushing me to use for that frigging angel deal. I found copies of the original offer when we were packing up his hotel room. Thank God I said no. He’s been lying to me this whole time.” She stopped pacing, staring angrily at Cait’s and Deirdra’s gaping jaws. “He told me he was in finance, and I bought it hook, line, and sinker. Frigging idiot. I let him get to me.” Tears spilled from her eyes, and she began pacing again.

  “That asshole,” Deirdra snapped. “He’s lucky he’s gone because I’d like to give him a piece of my mind. I thought he was after your inheritance at first, but now it all makes sense. He was after everything. Fucking greedy prick.”

  Despite her hurt and anger, Deirdra’s accusations stung. “He’s not a prick.”

  “I said greedy prick,” Deirdra seethed.

  “Wait,” Cait interrupted. “Can we slow down a minute? I know lots of manipulative, greedy pricks, and I’m sorry, but Aiden doesn’t strike me as one.”

  “He tried to force her to take an investment deal and never said he was the investor. If that’s not the very definition of a greedy prick, then I don’t know what is,” Deirdra snapped.

  “He didn’t try to force me,” Abby exclaimed. “He had offered to invest personally, and when I turned that down, he suggested that I put together a deal and present it to the investor. But he didn’t push hard when I said I wasn’t doing it. He just explained why it wasn’t the best idea, because I could lose the house and the restaurant.”

  “Did he tell you why he never said that he was the investor?” Cait asked.

  “Does that even matter?” Deirdra spat.

  “God, Deirdra. Yes, it matters. I saw them together way more than you did, and there is no way he could have faked the way he looked at Abby. I felt his love for her from across the room every time they were together, and if you don’t believe me, it’s all right here.” She shoved the sketchbook across the table. “Proof of two people falling in love, not a conniving asshole and a duped woman.”

  Cait flipped open the sketchbook, paging through one picture after another. Several depicted Aiden looking at Abby when she was unaware, with so much love in his eyes, it jumped off the page. Each image hit Abby like a knife to her chest.

  “If he’s a dick, then he totally had me fooled, because all I saw was a guy who believed in you, fell in love with you, and would move mountains to make good things happen for you,” Cait said. “And if that’s the case, you should run in the opposite direction, because I’m pretty damn good at judging people, and that would mean he’s a master manipulator.”

  “I know he loves me,” Abby said vehemently through tears. “I know he believes in me and wants good things for me. That’s why it hurts so bad.”

  Cait reached for her hand, her eyes pleading as she said, “You’re my sister, and I want to be wholly on your side with this, but I’d love to hear what he has to say, because it makes no sense to me.”

  “I don’t even know what my side is. I love him, and I know he loves me.” Sobs stole Abby’s voice.

  Cait embraced her.

  “Abby, you can love him and still believe he’d hurt you. Look at Mom,” Deirdra said.

  Abby gasped to fill her lungs, stepping out of Cait’s embrace. “He isn’t Mom! He said he never told me that he was the investor behind the original offer because he wanted me to see him as a regular person, not some rich guy who apparently could buy the whole island if he wanted to.”

  “If that’s true, then it makes even less sense as to why he would bother trying to take the house and the restaurant,” Cait pointed out. “They have sentimental value to you, but if he’s a cold-blooded investor with no attachment to you or the island, much less this house or the restaurant, then why waste three weeks acting like he’s falling in love with you?”

  “I don’t think he acted,” Abby fumed. “I said I know he loves me, and I believe he wanted me to think he was just a regular guy at first, because when he told me who his sister was, he said he usually made a point of not telling women about Remi. He said once women found out he had a famous sister, it changed everything, negating him as anything more than a means to an end. He didn’t say it in those words, but that’s how I took it. And I believe that, too.” She flopped into a chair, crossed her arms on the table, and plunked her forehead on them. “I hate this.”

  “I guess it makes sense why he didn’t tell you about the original offer,” Deirdra conceded. “But what about the other deal, the one you said he suggested?”

  Abby met Deirdra’s scrutinizing gaze. “He said if I had gone forward with an angel investor deal, he would have had a legal agreement written up indicating that the money I paid back would be set aside for me.”

  “Now, that sounds like Aiden,” Cait exclaimed.

  Deirdra gave her a deadpan look. “Or a really good manipulator.”

  “Don’t villainize him,” Abby warned.

  “Me? You’re in tears over him not telling you the truth.”

  “Yeah, but that’s my boyfriend, my choice. I’m hurt, and I’m mad, and I’m trying to figure out if I’m walking down a path with a guy who’s going to lead me to a lifetime of lies, or if his fucking heart is too big and he’s so used to making things happen, he doesn’t realize gray areas don’t work for me. I need crystal-clear lines.”

  Deirdra held her gaze and said, “The fact that you even have to say that worries me.”

  “Deirdra, this is the same guy who believed in Abby enough to enter her into the competition and help her every step of the way to g
et there,” Cait said angrily. “He even went to the bank with her to make sure she didn’t get screwed. And did you notice the gardens? Or that he power washed the house? Do you know that he’s the one who had your dad’s paintings framed for the Bistro? Or that he was filling those little shells on the porch with birdseed every day just so Abby could see the birds?”

  A sob burst from Abby’s throat. “I thought the birds weren’t eating it.”

  “He was like the flipping birdseed fairy,” Cait said. “I saw him doing it when you were cooking dinner one night, and he asked me not to say anything.”

  “You didn’t find that curious?” Deirdra accused.

  Cait crossed her arms, eyes narrowing. “No. I found it sweet and romantic that he wanted Abby to see the birds but not worry about maintaining the feeders.”

  “So you’re on his side?” Deirdra shook her head.

  “I’m not on either side. Abby has a right to be pissed that he didn’t tell her. But come on, you guys. This is Aiden. The guy who basically lived with Abby for three weeks, stuck by her side working his perfectly manicured fingernails to the bone for her. Abby said she turned his money down, so it’s not like he was hiding the fact that he wanted to help her. It sounds like he tried to help her in another way.”

  Deirdra snapped, “That’s called a lie of omission—”

  “No shit, Deirdra, but it’s not like he was lying about another woman or having a wife, for Pete’s sake!” Cait snapped. “He lied to try to help her, and in doing so, to help us, too. We’re all in this restaurant together, whether you’re a silent partner or not.”

  “Okay, I can see that,” Deirdra relented. “But I’m on Abby’s side, first and always, and right now I’m pretty pissed at him for hurting her.”