The Restoration of Celia Fairchild - Marie Bostwick Page 0,124

way. The microphone arced through the air and hit the ground with an amplified thunk and an earsplitting screech of feedback. Lorne tumbled backward and hit the ground hard, then lay on the floor, cursing and holding his jaw.

“What the hell was that for?”

He sat up and opened his mouth wide a couple of times, testing his jaw, then planted a palm flat on the floor as if to get up. But when Trey took a step closer and clenched his fist again, Lorne seemed to think better of it and stayed put.

“You know what it’s for!” Trey shouted. “And if you think I’m going to defend you this time . . . You’d better find a lawyer, brother, and quick. After I call your probation officer and the police, you’re going back where you belong.”

Lorne lifted his hands. “Hey, I don’t know what you think I did, but—”

Trey glared down at his brother. “How did I talk myself into believing you could change? If you’d steal from your own father, you’d steal from anybody, including Celia.”

His father? That broken old man I’d seen shuffling next to Trey at St. Philip’s that day, the man who’d once owned his construction company, who’d taught his boys to build, and had a stroke, and lost his business . . . The crimes Lorne had committed had been against his own dad? And Trey had defended him anyway?

No wonder they hadn’t wanted to talk about it. I was far from understanding everything that had happened between these men, but the truth of what I did understand broke over me like an icy wave, especially when I heard Trey’s accusation that his brother was at it again. How was that possible?

I thought about everything Lorne and I had been through these last few weeks, the work, sweat, time, and dedication he’d put into the job—so much more than either of us had counted on—the battles we’d fought, the setbacks we’d suffered and overcome. I just couldn’t believe that Lorne would steal from me!

But then, when I looked at Lorne’s face, I knew I couldn’t believe it. Maybe I didn’t know who Lorne had been before prison, but I knew who he was now. That man would never steal from me. It simply wasn’t possible.

“Get up,” Trey commanded.

Lorne’s eyes sparked as he scrambled to his feet. Trey tore off his jacket and crouched down. The brothers started circling each other with locked gazes and clenched fists, looking for an opening. I pushed my way through the crush of bodies and thrust myself between them, a split second after Lorne threw a punch and Trey ducked.

“Stop it! Both of you!”

Trey tensed his arms and resumed his stance, eyes trained on his brother even as he talked to me. “Celia, get out of the way. He’s got this coming. I’ve seen the invoices. It’s just like last time.”

Invoices?

Then I remembered—the initial estimates, the materials that weren’t in stock, and blown budgets when we had to substitute or change course, the files I’d sent over to Trey with the invoices Lorne had asked me to hold back, not because he was trying to cheat me but because he knew Trey didn’t trust him.

“Trey, listen to me. You’ve got it all wrong. Lorne didn’t—”

“Doesn’t matter,” Lorne said, shaking his head and glaring at Trey. “This was always going to happen. Do what he says, Celia. Get out of the way.”

“No! This is my house, and my party! And I’m not—”

Lorne flinched and drew back his fist. Trey bobbed and then lunged for him. Before he could make contact, I did some lunging of my own, swinging my arm out and slapping Trey as hard as I could. The sharp crack of my hand against his face was so loud that it startled me. Trey looked surprised too. He unclenched his fists and dropped his arms limply to his sides.

“Get out!” I shouted. “If you two testosterone-crazed idiots want to beat each other’s brains out, then go right ahead. But do it someplace else!”

When neither brother budged, Teddy stepped forward, spreading his feet and planting his hands on his hips so he looked even bigger than he already was. “You heard her, Trey. This is our house. You need to leave.”

Polly came up from behind and placed her hand on my shoulder. “Lorne, that goes for you too.”

Lorne opened his mouth as if he was about to argue his innocence. But when Polly crossed her arms over her chest, he