Bad Boy (An Indecent Proposal) - J.C. Reed Page 0,62

me?” His tone was still friendly, but underneath I could hear the anger, the accusation. “I raised you as the good daughter you are and how are you repaying me? You steal the contract we had and go behind my back to file a court order. Now, don’t deny it. I know you’re behind it. It’s okay. You can admit it, and I promise I’ll forgive you. But right now, I need you to stop those childish antics and withdraw—”

“It wasn’t me,” I cut him off.

“What?”

“I didn’t steal the contract.”

“But you know what’s going on,” he said matter-of-factly. “You’re a clever girl. I don’t have to tell you that going against me won’t bring your mother back.”

My grip on my phone tightened. “How come you never say her name? In all the years since she’s been dead, you never once said her name.”

I let out a wry laugh as the realization dawned on me.

“Of course I know Eleanor’s name. You know how much I loved her. I think of her every day.”

“You’re lying,” I said. “You never told me what happened the day she died. You never told me what happened to her. It’s like she never existed. All the years, I spent at Waterfront Shore, it was like I never had a mother.”

“It’s because her memory’s too painful.”

“You knew her for only two years, Clint,” I said dryly.

“In spite of her mental illness, she was still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”

His words touched me. They made me incredibly sad. But there was something calculating about the way he said them. Like he had practiced them.

“Is it true, did you destroy other people’s lives?” I asked. “Did you convince people to invest their money in their business before you took everything away from them?”

The silence lasted for a second. “What does that have to do with my estate?”

Not your estate or the estate.

My estate.

“You mean my mother’s estate?” I asked. “The estate that had been in my family for generations before you came along?”

“You know it’s mine. It’s what your mother wanted.”

“Did she?” I asked.

The silence was short, the reply hateful. “What are you talking about? Your mother was mentally ill, but she wanted me to have the estate.”

“Exactly.” I nodded, for the first time really seeing Chase’s point. “Was she even able to make a rational decision?”

“I don’t know what you’re getting at, but I swear, I’ll crush you.”

The threat was there, not veiled. Plain and simple.

“We’ll see,” I said.

“You greedy bitch,” Clint said. “I agreed to give you one quarter of the inheritance, and that’s how you repay me? You don’t deserve it. You hear me? If you don’t drop the case, I’m going to make you pay.”

I hung up, my fingers trembling at his harsh words.

It didn’t take long before the phone began to ring.

I counted the calls as I put on clean clothes. By the third time Clint called, I was long gone.

Chapter 21

I found him on the beach. It was a beautiful place, I had to give him that. Much less crowded than I had expected, and so close to the hotel. He was sitting on the white sand, his eyes fixed on the horizon. He didn’t turn his face to me as I dropped down next to him, stretching out my legs as far as I could. The water was sparkling blue, beckoning to me to take a swim, if only this vacation hadn’t turned out quite so unexpected. If only I didn’t know Chase was about to leave.

For a while, we sat there, the hot Mexican sun warming my skin, but not quite reaching my heart.

Chase spoke first. “I didn’t think you’d come.”

“Surprised me, too.”

He nodded, his eyes absent. “You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”

My eyebrows rose. “About what?”

“About us living together. You know, going back to NY together.”

I shook my head, then sighed. “No, Chase.”

“Laurie,” he whispered. “I don’t want to lie—”

“Then don’t.” I looked away because his eyes were too beautiful. Too damn convincing.

“You’d never understand.”

I smiled bitterly. “Trust me, I do. You and Kade need revenge, and I so happen to be the collateral damage. But here’s what I don’t get. What’s in it for you when all is said and done? I really hope it’ll be worth it.”

“It’s not just revenge, Laurie,” Chase said. “Clint destroys people. He needs to be stopped. I think I’ve made myself clear on that part.”

I sighed again and watched the waves roll in, but the serenity of the setting didn’t