rolling over in her grave to think Nate played me to get his hands on her studio, and I fell right into those hands.
“You’re the CEO of Hooked, boss man, and all this time I thought you were a fisherman.” Shock turns to anger and prowls through my blood, and I shoot back with, “I said you weren’t a good liar. Wow, was I ever wrong. Here you told me your last name was Montgomery, and I believed every lie out of your mouth.” A hysterical laugh that holds no humor crawls out of my throat.
“What is going on here?” Bill asks.
“Kira, my last name is Montgomery. It’s Montgomery-Lancaster, and I dropped the Lancaster. I kept Montgomery, because of some weird, fucked-up reason that has to do with my mother. And you never wanted to know what I did. I tried to explain a few times, and then it no longer seemed to matter. Why does it matter now?”
“Because it matters,” I say. I glance at William. “Ask Linda Andrews.” I use my mother’s maiden name and glare at William, waiting for recognition to flicker in his eyes. His gaze narrows in on me. “Believe me, it matters,” I huff out.
“Who are you?” William demands.
I stand a little straighter and square my shoulders as I work to portray calm and collected, despite the storm going on inside of me. “I’m Linda’s daughter.”
Nate rakes his hands through his hair. “What’s going on?”
“What’s going on is your dad dated my mother,” I say. “She worked part-time at the plant, and he used her to get insider information, so he could streamline, cut jobs, and increase his profit.” Just like the new processing plant will do. Incredulous, I take a quick breath, unable to believe that all this time Nate has been using me to get Gram’s studio. I thought he was different. I thought he was one of the good guys.
“Then, when he got what he wanted, he moved on without so much as a backward glance.” I give a very unladylike snort. “I guess you really are a chip off the old block, Nate, and that you thought you had me under control. I was stupid to think what was between us was special, not that you were getting close to get your hands on the studio, and to think I almost told you I lo—” The word sits on the tip of my tongue, but I bite it down. He doesn’t deserve to hear how I feel.
“Ah, I get it,” William says. “You’ve been fucking her to get what you want. Maybe you are a Lancaster after all.”
“Kira, wait. Is that what you think? After everything we’ve done and shared, you think this is something I would do. You think that little of me?” Anger flares in his eyes as he rakes a restless hand through his hair. “Jesus Christ, I thought you were different from the other women in my life, too. I thought you believed in me, in us. I guess I was wrong about you.”
“What’s it going to take for you to sign this crumbling piece of shit over to us?” William asks.
I shake my head. “Don’t come near me. Ever again. And tell your lawyers to stop messaging me. I will never, ever sell Gram’s studio for any price. Especially not to you.” Nate’s eyes go wide, and he falters backward like I’d punched him in the face. Good. “Don’t come back to the B&B. I’ll have your stuff boxed and shipped to your office.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Nate
Even though my place is still under construction, I spent last night sleeping on a cot in one of the empty bedrooms—no way could I go back to the B&B—but I never got a wink of sleep. I laid in bed all night, trying to wrap my brain around the fact that Gram’s studio and the cottage we’d been trying to buy, are one and the same.
Apparently, Delroy Becker was Kira’s great grandfather, and it was only after Gram’s passing the title changed and it became Kira’s. I also tried to wrap my brain around the things Kira said to me. I can’t believe she thinks so little of me, would accuse me