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But in amongst all the heartache and recriminations she’d been heaping on herself over the past week—as she wound up her workshop in San Francisco, said goodbye to Rachel and Lanisha, her brilliant seamstresses, and worked out the logistics of her relocation back to East London—she’d realised she owed her brother an apology.
According to the reports of Landry Construction’s historic takeover of Helberg Holdings—which had been all over the business news for two days—Cade had won the bet. Which meant he now owned Montague’s, the jewellery company Adam had been so desperate to buy back.
She had arranged a twelve-hour stop-over in New York en route to the UK to say she was sorry to her brother.
As she introduced herself to the receptionist in the extravagant lobby area—where a towering wall of glass separated the refined elegance of the interior from the manic energy of Madison Avenue during the lunch hour—it occurred to her that her brother might not even be here.
Her hopes were dashed, though, when the perfectly made-up receptionist contacted his PA and directed her to a bank of lifts, stating Adam would see her straight away.
Her heart plummeted along with her stomach as the lift climbed up the building. The scrape of tears which she refused to shed—because she’d shed more than enough of them already—made her throat feel raw.
Her mind started to wander to yet more devastating what-ifs as she was directed into the private penthouse office’s double-height space by a friendly woman called Maggie who had met her at the lift on the floor below. Here too, the glass added so much light her eyes stung. She’d spent a good twenty minutes doing her make up on the flight from San Francisco, though, so hopefully Adam wouldn’t notice the results of her week-long crying jag.
But what if she owed him more than an apology? Would he expect an explanation for why she’d dated Cade Landry for over a month—and then been dropped like a stone?
She covered her belly.
Should she tell him about the baby? She wasn’t really showing yet, but they were siblings after all. And he was going to become an uncle...of the son of the man who had robbed him of Montague’s.
She was swallowing rapidly, trying to get a handle on the latest wave of panic and misery—when her brother appeared on the mezzanine level and jogged down the steps to meet her.
‘Charley? This is a surprise?’ he said, but he didn’t sound angry with her, weirdly. ‘I certainly hope you didn’t bring that bastard Landry with you.’
She jolted slightly before she noticed he was smiling, his expression relaxed. The joke only made her feel smaller and more insignificant, though. And hopeless.
She blinked rapidly, trying to hold back more self-indulgent tears. But as he got closer, his eyes narrowed, and he frowned.
‘Charley, what’s wrong?’ he said with a perceptiveness which threw her back in time, to a memory from long ago. A memory she realised she’d forgotten until this moment. Of standing and staring hopelessly at the broken earth of her mother’s grave while shivering uncontrollably in the cold March wind. UntilAdam had taken her hand and squeezed her chilled fingers. And made the shuddering stop.
He was looking at her now the same way—with concern, with understanding, with support.
The choking weight rose up her chest, and a sob lurched out of her mouth. The stinging tears scoured her throat, and the mask of competence and capability she’d been faking desperately for days collapsed...
She started shaking, not aware of what he was saying as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He held her close as the misery poured out of her and onto his clean white shirt. The flood of pain, of humiliation, was nothing though compared to the deep sense of loss.
But how can you lose something you never had?
His soothing words were gruff, but gentle and surprisingly not at all judgemental. At last, the raging storm of grief passed, and she became aware of the comforting scent of laundry detergent which clung to him. And the weight of his arm on her shoulder as he sat beside her.
How had they ended up on the couch? She didn’t even know.
He handed her a tissue from the dispenser on the coffee table. ‘Okay?’
She nodded, swiping her eyes. ‘I’m sorry...’ she managed, embarrassed. As well as heartsore. She’d spent the last year trying to persuade Adam she was a competent businesswoman, and now she’d trashed that, too.
‘Don’t apologise,’ he said, but then he surprised her even more when he asked, gently, ‘Can you tell me what the problem is?’
She nodded again. But she couldn’t look at him. ‘Cade left me.’
She heard him curse under his breath, a very un-Adam-like expletive.
‘And I’m going to have his baby.’
His hand tensed on her shoulder. ‘Wait a minute. Landry got you pregnant, then dumped you?’ He swore again, sounding furious.
She blinked. How odd. The show of emotion was so un-Adam-like, that and the fact he didn’t look exasperated with her.
‘To be fair, the getting pregnant bit was a joint enterprise,’ she replied.
