Cami pushes her empty plate in front of her. Usually I don’t let her have sweets this late, but tonight is a special occasion.
“Can I go play now?” she asks.
“Sure.”
She bolts from the table, her feet slapping against the wood as she escapes with her dolls.
“She’s so cute.” Iris shoots me a warm smile.
Zahra plucks the crown off Rowan’s head and places it on her own. “Seriously. I see a lot of kids every day, and yours makes the top five.”
I bite back a smile.
“You made this?” Rowan stabs his spoon through his second piece of the tres leches cake.
“Yup.” I swipe at some of the dulce de leche glaze.
“It’s good.” Declan shuts his eyes as he takes another bite.
To most people, good is a basic compliment, but from Declan, it’s considered high praise.
“So good.” Iris licks her fork clean.
My cheeks ache from how hard I smile.
“Told you my girl could bake.” Cal wraps his arm around the back of my chair.
I swear, every single time he calls me his girl, my heart skips a beat before returning to its normal programming.
“We could definitely have something like this in our shops.” Rowan assesses the cake on the stand from all angles.
My breath catches. “Really?”
“How much do you charge?” The change in him is instant as he switches from family man to business entrepreneur.
“Umm…nothing?”
“Hmm.” Declan’s gaze slides from me to his brother.
“What?” I blurt out.
“Name a price.” Rowan neatly places his spoon beside his plate.
“For a cake? Why?” I look over to Cal for help, but he remains aloof. If it weren’t for the way his fingers stopped twirling my hair, I wouldn’t think he was actively listening.
Rowan’s eyes connect with mine. “Because I’m interested in buying your recipe.”
“What for?”
“We’ve been considering expanding our Princess Marianna section in the park, and I want this to be a part of it.”
The room spins around me as I take in everything he is saying.
“So, name a price.” He folds his hands over his lap.
Cal pulls me closer and whispers in my ear, “Tell him you’ll think about it.”
My brows furrow. “But—”
“It will only make him want it more. Trust me.”
This calculating version of Cal isn’t one I’m used to, and it’s a major turn-on. Naturally, I listen to him. “I’ll need to get back to you.”
Rowan’s lips press together. “I’ll give you a million.”
My eyes widen. “For a recipe?”
Cal shakes his head ever so slightly.
Rowan glares at him. “Stop influencing her.”
“I will when you stop giving her bad offers. The park makes about twenty million in a single day, and a good chunk of that comes from food and beverages. With how many people come through the golden gates ready to open their wallets and their stomachs, Alana deserves more. And don’t think I forgot how much you spent on buying that secret Hawaiian frozen drink recipe.”
My mouth drops open.
Damn. Where has this business savvy Cal been hiding my whole life and how soon can I fuck him?
Rowan’s eyes sparkle with admiration. “I thought you weren’t paying attention in meetings.”
“The worst mistake you could have made was underestimating me.” Cal winks, making my stomach muscles tighten from the wave of pleasure swirling inside of me.
Iris raises her wineglass. “To the smartest Kane.”
Declan shoots her a glare, and Iris ignores him as she sips her drink.
I give Cal’s hand a squeeze before looking up at Rowan. “I need to think about it. That recipe has been in my family for years, and I’m not sure how I would feel about giving it up, especially when I wouldn’t have control over the final product.”
Sharing it with Chef Gabriel was one thing, but handing it over to the Kanes feels like a risk I’m not too sure about.
“What’s your number?” Rowan pulls out his phone.
“Why? So you can add her to the group chat too?” Declan’s eyes narrow.
Iris swats Declan on the back of his head, making his perfectly styled hair go everywhere.
Zahra snorts into her wineglass. “Serves you right.”
I recite my number so Rowan can save it.
“We’ll be in touch.”
Cal sighs. “Are we done talking business now? I hear Declan got some Cubans to celebrate my thirty-fourth trip around the sun and I’m dying to try them.”
And just like that, the conversation is tabled, although the excitement building in my chest at the idea of Rowan buying my recipe doesn’t go away.
The boys leave the house to go outside and smoke the cigars Declan bought, leaving us to bond over drinks. Well, Zahra and Iris each nurse a glass of wine while I stick to my water.
“So, how’s the house renovation going?” Zahra leans back against the couch and tucks her legs under her. She reminds me of Delilah, always trying to burrow herself deep into the cushions.
“Good. The contractor has been hard at work with his team while we’ve been enjoying the park.”
“When is it going to be finished?” Iris takes a sip of her wine.
“We actually already put it on the market.” My hands clutching my glass of water tighten.
“You did?” Iris perks up.
“Cal didn’t say anything,” Zahra says.
“Yeah. It’s time.” Yet no matter how many times I tell myself that, I feel like someone grabbed my heart and squeezed hard enough to make the organ pop.
“You’re not happy about it.” Iris frowns.
“No, but I’ll get over it.” I sigh.
“Are you sure?” The skin between Zahra’s eyebrows creases.
“If it means helping Cal, then so be it.”
“What do you mean?” Iris’s brows tug together.
“Cal told me he would go to rehab if we put the house up for sale this week, so it was an easy choice. I was already willing to sell it so I could send Cami to a private school, so Cal only sped up the timeline a bit.”
Iris’s eyes widen. “He promised to go to rehab?”
“He didn’t tell you?”
“No.” Her brows scrunch together. “When does he leave?”
“Next week.”
“Next week?” Zahra squeaks. She and Iris share a look.
The hairs on my arms raise from how strange they’re acting. “What?”
“Nothing. It just seems…” Zahra’s voice drifts off.
“Sudden,” Iris finishes for her.
“I’m not putting up with his drinking anymore. He can either get his life together or see himself out of mine.” I lift my water glass in the air.
Whatever nervous energy that was building in the air disappears with everyone breaking out into laughter.
“I like you already.” Iris’s eyes glitter.
“Same.” I grin.
Zahra raises her glass. “Let’s toast.”
“To what?” I ask.
Zahra taps her glass against mine. “To three strong women who refuse to put up with the Kane brothers’ usual bullshit.”
“I can cheers to that.” Iris does the same.
The three of us share stories about each of the brothers. Between Zahra and Iris, I spend the rest of the next hour laughing and crying until my belly hurts and my voice is hoarse. The two of them remind me of Violet and Delilah, and I just know that the five of us need to get together one day.
Once Cal gets sober, that is.
Iris and Zahra are splayed out on the couch, their wineglasses as empty as the bottle of expensive white wine on the coffee table. Neither one moves to go get another one, although they both expressed wanting another glass, so I volunteer to grab one from the wine fridge in the kitchen.
I use the bathroom before going to retrieve the bottle. As I’m grabbing the corkscrew, Declan’s voice catches my attention.
It takes me a moment to realize his voice is coming from outside rather than inside. The kitchen window is open with the faded scent of cigars lingering in the air, making my nose wrinkle.
“I saw you put the lake house on the market,” Declan says in that gruff, no-bullshit voice of his.
“Yup. I doubt it will last more than a few weeks before someone buys it.” Cal speaks with confidence.
Stop eavesdropping and go.
The corkscrew shakes in my hand. I’m about to start walking away and give them privacy, but something Declan says has my feet staying glued to the floor.
“I’m surprised you got Alana to go along with it.”
What. The. Fuck. Go along with what?
“She was the one who suggested we put the house up for sale sooner,” Cal says.
“Shouldn’t be long now before you receive your part of the inheritance, then.”
Inheritance? What inheritance?
“About that…” Cal’s voice drifts off.
“Here we go,” Rowan grumbles before ice rattles in a glass.
I take a step forward to get a better look at them. The three brothers sit on their respective lounge chairs, blowing smoke rings into the sky. While Declan and Rowan have drinks on a side table, Cal only clutches a cigar in his hand.
“Don’t tell me you’re backing out of your part of the will.” Agitation bleeds through Declan’s voice.
The food I ate for dinner sits like a lead block in my stomach and threatens to crawl up my throat.
Cal spares him a look. “I’m not backing out. I’m just… amending it.”
“Fuck.” Rowan sighs up to the sky.
“Amending what?” Declan’s jaw clenches so hard, I can make out the slight tic from here.
“I fly out to Arizona on Friday.”
“For what?”
My chest tightens. I’m proud of him for being open and honest about his struggles. It will only help him in the long run if he feels like he can count on those around him to support the process.
“Rehab? Right now? What happened to the plan?” Declan snaps.
What plan?
The one he obviously never told you about. The hairs on my arms rise, pointing straight up.
Alana, eres una tonta.
Rowan curses under his breath.
“I already spoke to Leo. So long as I sell the house by the end of the summer and commit to getting sober, then it won’t affect earning my part of the inheritance.”
My lungs feel like they might explode from how hard I suck in a breath. The corkscrew falls from my fingers, landing on the wood floor with a soft thud.
Piecing the puzzle together isn’t hard. In fact, it’s so simple, my eyes water from how stupid I was to not put everything together sooner.
Cal’s willingness to come back to Lake Wisteria when he could have left the house alone with me in it.
His insistence on selling the house despite my personal feelings, playing on my dreams and love for Cami to get his way.
The way he made me believe he wanted to go to rehab when, in reality, he was only getting sober for a stupid freaking inheritance.
Oh, Alana. When will you ever learn?
I might not have every single detail, but I have enough to understand just how easily I was taken advantage of. How desperate I was to believe he wanted to get help after he spent six years doing just fine without me and sobriety. How stupid I must have looked, willing to put the house on the market sooner solely because I wanted him to get help.
Just another person who lied in order to get something out of me.
A single tear slips out of my eye, but I’m quick to swipe away the evidence.
You will not cry over him.
My gut churns, and I cling to the sink, willing myself to keep my dinner down. Acid crawls up my throat regardless, and I breathe through my nose to stop myself from getting sick.
Declan breaks the silence. “What happened to the original plan?”
“It changed.”
“Then change it back. There’s too much at stake here for you to be betting twenty-five billion dollars and your shares of the company on your sobriety.” Declan’s voice comes out flat, as if the topic of getting sober is a chore rather than an accomplishment.
Cal’s eyes roll. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“Hey, is everything okay?”
I jump in place at the sound of Iris’s voice. She bends down to pick up the corkscrew I dropped, which gives me enough time to pull myself together and put on a happy face.
“Yup. I just couldn’t figure out how to properly uncork the bottle since I don’t drink.” My nervous laugh borders on hysterical, but Iris doesn’t seem to notice since she doesn’t know me.
“You should have just brought it to us. We could have done that.” She grabs the bottle.
I freeze as a breeze comes through the window, the scent of cigars permeating the air. I’m afraid the rapid beat of my heart will betray me with how hard it pounds against my chest.
Iris’s nose twitches. “What’s that smell?”
I look around the kitchen, doing my best to try to look confused.
Iris’s gaze lands on the curtain swaying in the breeze. “Ahh. Someone left the window open.” She reaches over the sink to shut it, only to pause before she drags the pane down.
“Everything okay?” I ask. The blood in my ears makes it impossible to hear much besides my own heartbeat.
Her back freezes. “Yeah. Just thought I overheard one of them trying to talk shit about us.”
This time, my fake laughter comes out more genuine. “Like Declan would dare talk bad about you. Safe to say he is obsessed.”
At least one Kane brother is loyal.
She turns around with a smile. “The same can be said about you. I don’t think I’ve seen Cal this happy in well…ever.”
I try to smile. I try so damn hard, my eye twitches and my cheeks ache.
Her head tilts. “Are you sure everything is okay?”
“Yup. Just fighting the early signs of a migraine.”
A small frown makes her forehead wrinkle. “Oh, no. Do you want any medicine?”
“I’ve got some in my purse. Hence the water.” I reach for the glass of water I left abandoned on the counter and lead the way out of the kitchen. I’m careful to keep my head held high despite the unbearable weight pressing down around me, threatening to drown me.
You will not let him break you.
Yet no matter how many times I repeat the phrase, bits and pieces of my heart break off and shatter against the floor, leaving an invisible trail of my despair.
As soon as I put Cami to sleep, I lock my bedroom door and pull out my phone.
SOS
Texts pop up instantly.
Delilah
Is everything okay?
Violet
What did he do?
I can always count on Violet to point fingers first and ask questions later. Tonight, I need to borrow some of her anger. At least that way I can feel something other than numbness.
Ever since I overheard the conversation outside, I’ve been on autopilot. Just going through the motions until I could crawl into a ball and process the last few months of my life.
My fingers shake as I type.
I overheard some things…
My phone vibrates in my hand from an incoming video call.
“I’m going to kill him,” Violet seethes.
“What did you overhear?” Delilah, the voice of reason, asks.
“Hold on.” I enter my bathroom and turn on the shower to drown out any noise. “I’m not entirely sure what I heard.”
Oh, you’re sure. You just don’t want to be.
I slide down the wall and cradle the phone against my chest. Panic builds, so I take a few deep breaths.
“Alana, talk to us.”
“I feel so stupid.” My voice quivers.
“You’re not stupid. He is,” Delilah says.
“You don’t even know what happened.” If Cal kept his secret about his inheritance from me, I doubt anyone else is supposed to know.
Why are you still being loyal to him?
Because I stupidly fell in love with him despite having every reason not to.
God. How did I put myself in this position again?
The skin surrounding Violet’s eyes softens. “We don’t need all the facts. If it makes you upset, then that’s all the information we need.”
I prop my head against the wall. “What am I supposed to do? I’m stuck here with him.”
“Come home.” Violet’s lips press together into a thin white line.
I sniffle, fighting the tears threatening to fall. “No. I can’t do that to Cami.”
“She would understand,” Delilah offers.
“No, she won’t. You know how much she wanted to go on this trip.” I don’t have the heart to take it away from her no matter how much I am hurting.
“How can we help?” Delilah’s soft voice soothes the throb in my chest.
“I’m not sure if you can. I’m the one who got myself into this mess.”
Not just yourself.
Fuck. Cami.
If I hadn’t been so naïve, she would have never gotten close to Cal. I could have kept my defenses up instead of letting my heart rule over my brain.
Did you seriously learn nothing from the past?
The realization makes me lose the battle against my tears. A few fall, sliding down my cheeks before landing on my dress.
You let them form a bond together.
“Alana,” Violet calls.
I look up at the ceiling. My vision blurs from the tears, dulling the fluorescent lighting.
“Look at me.” Violet speaks firmer this time.
My eyes slide to my phone. “What?”
“Whatever happened…none of it is your fault.”
My chest pricks. “It sure feels like it.”
“We will make him pay for what he did. That much I promise.”
My laugh comes out broken and hollow. “I don’t want revenge. I just want him gone. Forever.”
“Then that’s what we will do.”
Her use of we makes me emotional for a completely different reason.
You’re not alone in this.
Violet and Delilah remain on the phone while I cry it out. Come tomorrow, I will need to pretend none of this ever happened, so I allow myself to feel everything tonight. My anger. My sadness. My betrayal.
I might not have everything figured out by the time I stop crying, but I’m sure of one thing: Callahan Kane is going to regret ever thinking he could take advantage of my kindness and get away with it.
