Page 35 of Passion and Privilege

“You know, in some perverse way, they probably believe they were doing us a favor by not telling us. Keeping us oblivious while they carried on behind our backs.”

“I don’t know about that,” I said. “At least not in my case. Regina was just covering her bases. She wanted to make sure she had a bed to jump into straight from mine. She didn’t want to risk being single and unsupported by a rich guy.”

“That’s probably true with Scott. Not that I’m rich, but he’s not a guy that likes to be alone. He’s always planning his next move. He couldn’t give a shit if I was collateral damage. The invitation is probably his way of trying to get me to beg him to come back to me. Like see, I’m a catch. You’re missing out.”

A bitter chuckle escaped me. “Yes, that’s exactly what it was meant to do. Are you going to go?”

Her laughter carried a tinge of disbelief. “Of course not. My friend Amber said I should go because they included a plus-one. She thinks I should find a date and try to make him jealous.”

“You should.”

She rolled her eyes. “Unlike him, I don’t have a bench of boyfriends that I can just call in to replace the one I lost.”

“You don’t have a guy friend you can take?”

She shook her head. “Scott was very jealous. He always accused me or my guy friends of being too friendly. I realize now he was insecure because he knew what he was doing.”

“I’ll go with you,” I said. “As your date.”

“No thank you.”

“Why not?” I asked, a little surprised she was shutting me down.

“Scott is going to see right through it,” she said. “He’s going to know it’s not real. That’ll just give him more ammunition against me. He’ll know I’m desperate and trying to make him jealous.”

“I’ll pretend to be your new, rich boyfriend,” I offered. “It won’t just be a plus-one.”

Catherine stared at me. “That’s overstepping several professional boundaries.”

She wasn’t wrong. “It’s just a few hours. Then everything goes back to normal, and you’ll have won. Is that not what you want? To get him back for what he did to you?”

A few hours with this remarkable woman didn’t seem like enough, but I pushed that thought aside.

“Fine, it’s a date,” she relented.

“It’s a date,” I repeated, turning away from her. “Wear something nice. Something that goes well with diamonds.”

I walked away, my heart beating faster than usual. What had possessed me to make such an audacious proposition? I practically begged her to let me be her date. I had never acted this way before, but somehow desperation had won over my usual composure. It almost felt like I was attempting to prove something to myself. I wanted the person that got cheated on to win. I didn’t know the guy, but I didn’t like him. I didn’t like what he did. It felt personal.

I went back downstairs to my office to get some work done. Unfortunately, my focus was lost. All I could think about was going on a date with Catherine. I had not dated since the divorce. It was true that I didn’t trust women. I didn’t trust anyone, but I especially didn’t trust women.

Catherine, however, wasn’t like the others. Her sincerity and natural beauty were disarming, her strength and resilience admirable. Maybe it was the common pain we shared that made me like her. We were kindred spirits. It was hard not to be drawn toward her.

Chapter Sixteen

Catherine

I HADN’T SEEN MUCH of Timothy all week. The bigger projects that have been hindering progress are now at the forefront of my attention. I needed to get my part done so I could get Amber in for the decorating phase. The restoration was only half the battle. The interior design element would be the final stage to blend old and new without either overpowering the other. That was where Amber would come in and tie it all together.

I glanced around at the room I had been working in. The crew we brought in to do the renovation were working well together. We were ahead of schedule, which never happened. The house had already been transformed. Yes, there was still some work to do, but it was coming along nicely. I looked at the walls that had been freshly painted. The floors had been polished to a high shine. I couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride. Look how far I’ve come since that embarrassing tumble over the garden wall. I’ve proven to myself and my crew that I am capable of this. More importantly, I’ve proven it to Timothy.

I knew I was damn lucky he took a chance on me after our initial meeting.

A tinge of sadness crept into my heart, knowing that all of this would come to an end at the close of summer. Sure, I still had another month or two left, but the thought of walking away from this tremendous project and all the hours of hard work was bittersweet. It had been a dream job. I didn’t know if there was ever going to be another job that challenged me quite like this.

But part of me had to wonder if it was the job I was going to miss or the man that was paying me? I pushed the thought aside, dismissing it as my mind playing tricks on me again. Timothy was a difficult man to figure out. He was very cold but there were moments of warmth that always left me confused. The majority of the time he was in the house, he hid in his office. He barely said anything to me or anyone else. I wasn’t sure if he was serious about going to Scott’s wedding with me. I had a feeling it was said as a joke. I wasn’t planning on going. And I definitely wasn’t going to ask him about it. I was good pretending the conversation never happened.

“I’ll see you guys Monday,” I said to the painters in the hall. “Good job. Make sure you guys clean up before you go. We don’t want to leave the family with a mess to walk around over the weekend.”