Twisted Love (Modern Romance #3) - Piper Lawson Page 0,85
way you smile with her.”
“Wow! You look…different,” a junior associate declares as I get off the elevator.
Maybe it’s the week’s worth of facial hair, or the fact that I’ve lost five pounds despite failing to work out in days.
I lean in Tris's door, and my brother's face creases in surprise. “Where’s Holt?”
“Think he’s with Xavier. Why?” Tris comes out the door as I head down the hall. “Shaving hasn’t gone out of style, you know.”
“I’ve had other priorities.”
“There’s pizza in your beard. Got you,” he goes on as I rub a hand over my coarse face. “Lying on the couch consuming carbs like normal mortals once they’ve had a breakup is a fascinating development.”
“I haven’t been lying on the couch.” I turn, grabbing Tris’s shoulder. “We’re taking Mom for lunch tomorrow. You're coming.”
His brows draw together. “What? Why?”
“Because I treat her like a burden, and I shouldn’t.”
I continue to the conference room without waiting for him to respond. I walk in without knocking, and Xavier and Holt look up in surprise.
“Benjamin. What are you doing here?” Xavier asks.
“I spoke with Yves. The CEO of the healthcare venture we passed on,” I go on at Xavier’s blank look.
Holt rises from his seat, his face a thundercloud. “You can’t do that. I’ve been dealing with him on behalf of the firm.”
“Including telling him we couldn’t fund him right now because of the tech deal I put in front of us.”
I drop the folder with my notes, and Holt opens it, thumbs through.
“He agreed to revise their strategy to include mental health—links to existing programming as well as complementary services. Not only will it integrate more fully with the medical system, but he—and therefore we—would make twice the return we would’ve before.”
“Why would you do that now if you knew all along?” Holt demands.
“I didn’t know all along.” I stare at him. “And I didn’t bother looking closely because it was your idea, and what mattered was beating you in the race to become Xavier’s successor. It mattered even more than the firm.”
Xavier’s gaze is different than Holt’s—studying, assessing.
“I was wrong,” I tell Holt. “And I’m fixing it.”
Xavier nods at Holt, who slides him the folder.
“I’ll give you the time you need to review this. If you both agree, then Holt, you should be the one to do the deal.” I head down the hall without a backward glance.
“I should leave more often. My condo is better than when I left it,” Mom declares over her salad at Cara’s. “Your cleaner took good care of it while I was away.”
"Glad to hear it." I reach for my coffee, wishing it was something stronger.
We’re sitting at a beautiful table outside, and Mom was delighted when I invited her and picked her up myself.
“You know,” I start, clearing my throat, “Entertainment Weekly had an article rumoring there could be a reboot of your show.”
Mom beams in delight. “I didn’t know you read that, Benjamin.” She leans in. “Between us, there may have been a couple of conversations this week.”
“Seriously?” Tris asks, looking between us.
“Mhmm. Daisy helped me read through the script. She made a very dashing Salvatore.”
Tris shakes his head ruefully. “She’s one in a million.”
My brother rises, making the excuse of needing to go to the bathroom.
“Wait a week before telling her.”
My best friend's suggestion comes back full force.
The words stick in my throat but I force them out. Each one feels like a blade, slicing at my tongue and lips.
“Mom, Daisy and I aren't dating anymore.”
I wait for her to demand to know what I did wrong. To my surprise, she pats my hand. “I’m sorry, Benjamin. You’re proud and suspicious and think conversation is a full-contact sport. But you love her.”
“I don’t want to.” I set down the mug and rub a hand through my hair, tugging on the ends. Even that reminds me of her. “I’ve seen what love does to people. It never ends well.”
“Never? There are plenty of couples who don't end up like your father and me. And even if I could go back, I wouldn’t change it.”
“That sounds terrible.”
“Some of life is pain. You can’t have the beauty without the awfulness. Your father didn’t want the same things I did. I’ve made my peace with that. What’s a shame is when two people want the same things but are too afraid to take them.”
I think of my best friend, the times she’s had my back, how it felt to have her by my side and in my