"Do you think you're like her?"
"I don't know, really. I was only a baby when she died."
"So you only have his word to go on."
"I know, but some of what he said is true. I am emotional."
"You're passionate."
"And fragile."
"You supported yourself for two years in Paris."
I sigh. "It's just so hard to keep fighting against him, you know? I've been doing it since I was thirteen. It just felt easier to finally give in. To be this train wreck he always thought I was. He was the one who really pushed me to go out with William."
"Are you going to keep going out with him?"
I smile. "Can I tell you something awful? I don't think I even like him."
Carter grins. "Thank god. Me neither."
"He did say something funny to me. He told me that my dad is working out a deal for Burke shipping in Mexico, but then I couldn't find anything online about it. And when I said you were my security, he said that was probably a good idea. I kept meaning to tell you, but it kind of got away from me."
Carter leans forward intently. "Did he tell you anything else?"
"Not that I remember," I tell him regretfully.
"I always thought this accident with Bree was odd," he muses. "She's not a clumsy person, but she landed in the hospital because she tripped while she was jogging. She still can't remember it."
"You know there are cameras in the electricity poles all around the neighborhood. Maybe they captured it."
"I know, but there's always someone else in the security office and I can't get to them."
I chew my lip. "Well, if you think it's important, maybe there's a way to draw them out."
"A diversionary tactic," Carter smiles.
"I can be quite diverting," I reply.
"Oh, I'm well aware of that," he laughs, letting his hand rest on my bare thigh. Suddenly I'm very aware of my near-nakedness and the way his damp shirt is clinging to his chest.
"Maybe we should wait," I whisper.
He pulls his hand back. "You're probably right."
I look up into his green eyes. "I'm not going to see William anymore. But I've had this habit of jumping from man to man, so I think I should just take some time to be by myself. But when I'm ready to not be by myself, there's only one person I want to be with," I promise him.
"And I'll be waiting."
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Now that I'm not constantly tipsy around William, I can see what a bore he really is, but I smile politely as he tells me about the best meals he's ever had. It's a long list, and about halfway through, he places his hand on mine. I glance over his shoulder at Carter, who is seated at another table. He frowns at me, and I glare back.
He's the one who thought it would be a good idea for me to see William again. At first I thought he was crazy, but William is the only person who seems to know anything about my father's secretive business deal and is willing to talk about it. If I could just steer the conversation there...
"Didn't you say you'd had an excellent meal in Puerto Vallarta?" I ask brightly.
"Did I? I don't think so," he replies.
"Huh. I thought you said something about being in Mexico with my father..."
"Oh, maybe I must have been talking about Francis. He's the one handling the banking details for the Mexican deal for your father. All that offshore stuff has been complicated, to say the least."
"That's right. It was Francis."
"I shouldn't have been telling you about it. And Francis really shouldn't have told me. We're supposed to keep it top secret."
"My father tells me everything," I lie. "He's finally realized he's not going to live forever, and he's been letting me in on some aspects of the business to see if I might be the one to take over someday."
"Really?" William asks. "When were you going to—"
"He swore me to secrecy," I say, trying to keep all the lies straight. "And I think business is so boring. But I'm just trying to keep him happy!" William smiles, satiated. I know he likes to think of himself as the smart professional in our relationship. "I'm glad the Mexican deal is going so well, though," I add.
"It's certainly making him a fortune. Or another fortune, I should say. I don't think I'd have the stomach for it."
"Right. It has been tough," I hazard.
"How are you all dealing with it?" I freeze, and take a sip of my water to buy myself some time. I'm not sure what he's talking about, but I'll have to take a guess.
"It's certainly been a lot of pressure," I say slowly.
"A lot of pressure?" he laughs. "You take it a lot better than I would. I mean, your father's risking your life, your family's lives, for a deal with the devil. I have to admit I've been looking over my shoulder a bit lately. I'm even grateful for G.I. Joe's presence back there," he says, gesturing back to Carter.