“Perfect.”
“Tell me what happened.”
She turned forward, slumping down in her seat. “Hayden slept with Lea.”
Karen’s gasp was gratifying.
“Are you sure? Did he say anything?”
“Lea answered his door, half dressed, with tousled hair. He was in a bathrobe.”
“Dammit.”
Avery let out a watery laugh. “Yeah.”
“I’ll be on the next flight after you,” Karen said, her voice hard. “Do you want me to say anything to him?”
“No. If you could just wrap things up with the staff, I’ll give you double your fee.”
“Screw that. I’m not profiting from your heartbreak.”
A sob caught in her throat, and she pressed her shaking hand to her mouth. The adrenaline was draining away, leaving her cold and shaking.
“I can sure pick ’em, can’t I?” she said. Two men, same ending. This was exactly what she’d feared would happen. This was why she’d avoided Hayden after the gala. But she’d ended up here anyway.
Not again. Never again. Love is not worth this heartache.
It was better to be alone than to face this agony a third time.
“This isn’t your fault,” Karen said. “If anything, it’s mine for pushing you toward him so hard. I thought he was a better man than this.”
Tears trickled down her cheeks. That was the thing. He was a better man. She’d seen that for herself, and yet he’d still been able to do this to her. Jon hadn’t started out a bastard, either. The only common denominator was her.
What was it about her that made the men she loved cheat? Why was she so hard to love?
“No more Wexton contracts, okay?” she said.
“Hell, no,” Karen agreed. “We’ve got enough clients we can lose this one. We’ll make it work somehow.”
She nodded, trying to hold herself together. She wasn’t going to break down. Not in public, at least. She’d finish the damn report and give it to Wyatt to protect her professional reputation. After that, she’d sever all contact with Wexton Hotels.
Then cry her heart out alone in her apartment.
“I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you delay Hayden if he tries to follow me?” she asked. “I wouldn’t put it past him to buy a ticket just so he can get through the gates.”
“Already on it,” Karen said. “I’ve got you covered. I’ll meet you at your place tomorrow. With ice cream.”
She closed her eyes, knowing there was no amount of comfort food in the world that would heal the hole inside her.
She’d finally learned her lesson. Jon hadn’t finished the job, but Hayden had. He’d been right all along. Love was dangerous. It wasn’t worth the pain. It was far better to wall off her heart and focus on what she could control—her business. Hayden had made billions off his heartbreak; she’d try to follow in his footsteps. Maybe she even needed to adopt his views on pleasure. She would never allow herself to be misled again. Superficial relationships and temporary flings sounded like exactly the attitude she needed to embrace. Perhaps someday she’d be able to look back on this and see that Hayden had done her a favor, showing her the truth about love.
Right now, though, all she wanted to do was curl up and bleed in peace. She’d known better and been burned anyway.
It’s my fault. I have no one to blame but myself.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said into the phone. “Thanks for the support.”
“Have a safe flight.”
Avery disconnected the call and stared, unblinking, out the window. The same stunning mountain vista stretched out toward the horizon, sugar cane fields blowing gently in the breeze. Her little slice of paradise.
It seemed uniquely unfair that she should be in the midst of such breathtaking beauty while her heart burned to ash in her chest.
Finally she understood why Hayden had hated to come here. She never wanted to see this island ever again.
Chapter Eighteen
“Did I or did I not predict you would screw this up for us?” Wyatt asked, walking into Hayden’s office.
“To be fair, it wasn’t just me who ruined everything this time,” Hayden said, pushing away from his desk to lean back in his chair.
“What the hell happened? Karen dropped the report off on my desk and informed me Clarke Associates would no longer be available for hire. The look she gave me made it pretty clear she was tarring me with the same brush as you. How did you manage to piss them off so badly?”
Hayden ran a hand over his jaw. “It’s a gift.”
Wyatt dropped into the chair opposite him. “What do I need to be filled in on?”