My Best Friend's Stepfather #3(9)
“Know what?”
“You shouldn’t trust him.” Helen’s hand tightened so hard around her glass, her knuckles turning white, that Ashley was surprised the glass didn’t shatter. “He’ll hurt you.”
Ashley sucked in a breath. “Helen, I don’t know why you walked away from our friendship years ago, or why you seem to want to strike out at me, but—”
Helen grasped her arm and leaned close. “No. You don’t understand.”
The intensity in Helen’s eyes caught Ashley off guard.
“You need to listen. Adam … He…” Helen bit her lip, then let go of her tight hold on Ashley. “He was the cause of my mom and Dare’s divorce.”
Ashley didn’t know what story she expected Helen to spin, but this certainly wasn’t it.
“Adam? How could he possibly have anything to do with that?”
Helen took a deep sip of her drink, then leaned back against the padded bench.
“He and Dare were involved.”
“What are you talking about?” Ashley demanded.
“He and my dad were lovers. When my mom found out, she left him.”
* * *
Adam glanced up from his computer to see Ashley standing in the doorway to his office. The sight of her, looking so lovely in a slim-fitting blue dress that showcased her lovely figure sent his heart pumping.
“What can I do for you?” he asked.
“Do you have a minute? You look busy.”
“Always for you.” He gestured to his chair.
Ashley stepped into his office and then closed the door behind her. He couldn’t read her expression as she walked across the office and sat down.
“What’s up?”
“I had a conversation with Helen yesterday.”
“Really? I’m surprised. I didn’t think you’d even agree to be in the same room with her.”
“Yeah, she’s not my favorite person right now, but Jessica convinced me to talk to her.”
Adam closed his laptop and leaned back in his chair. “And what did she have to say?”
“Well…” Ashley fiddled with her hands.
He waited, giving her time to get it out.
Ashley’s gaze locked on his. “She said that you were the cause of the divorce between her mother and Dare.”
He frowned. “And why would she say that?”
“She said that … well, that you and Dare had a relationship.”
“I worked for him as an intern.”
“Helen said it was more than that. She said the two of you were lovers.”
Crap. Would Ashley have the same closed-minded attitude that Ann had?
“I don’t doubt that she’s willing to lie to get what she wants,” Ashley continued. “But in this case … she knows I’m involved with you, and that helps her in her goal to push me and Dare apart … so her telling me something she thinks will push me away from you doesn’t seem to make sense.”
“So you believe her?”
“I don’t know what to believe. That’s why I came to talk to you.”
“So what bothers you more? The idea that I had a sexual relationship with Dare, or that I broke up a marriage?”
“The idea of you and Dare being involved is … well, surprising. I never thought of you as being attracted to men. And I know you’ve always wanted to get married one day and have kids. Though I guess two men can do that with adoption and all—”
“Ash, you’re babbling.”
She sighed. “I know. I’m sorry. Okay, I think the idea of you loving who you love because of who they are, not based on what gender they are … not being afraid of what people think … that’s a wonderful thing.” She gazed at him. “But the thought of you cheating with someone who’s married…” She shook her head. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Good, because that part’s not true.”
“But the other part … about you and Dare … is true?”
He watched her. “Yes, it is.”
She nodded. “Why would Helen tell me that you broke up their marriage?”
“Unfortunately, because she actually believes it.”
“Why would she believe that?”
He stood up and started to pace. This was going to be tricky.
“You’ve got to understand that Helen took the divorce really badly. She never knew her real father because he abandoned her mother when she got pregnant. They were never married.”
“I know that. She told me when we were younger.”
“Her mother married two times before meeting Dare. Dare provided the only stability Helen had ever known and when she saw that marriage crumbling…” He stopped pacing and leaned against his desk, facing her. “I really can’t say any more because Dare told me things in confidence … just that Helen was a mess.”