Page 60 of The Billionaire's Second Chance

I can’t help but laugh. This woman looks so sweet and grandmotherly, but she’s not a prude.

“Because it’s been quiet for so long now,” she adds with another knowing yet amused look.

I slant my brows at her, not quite scowling. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She purses her lips but gives up her effort to stay quiet. “Well, Lauren’s been talking with Aubrey. And she mentioned that you and her…” Again, she makes that smirk.

I nod. This woman knows everything that goes on around here. “Ah. The secret is out.”

“But why keep it a secret at all? You two are cute together.”

“It wasn’t a secret. It just wasn’t defined between us.”

She pauses with the fruit, gazing at me closely. “How so?”

“I told her it was just for fun, and at first, it was. We sort of came together and it happened. But then…”

“Then it became something more.” She resumes rinsing.

I’m obligated to continue, and doing so doesn’t bother me. It’s almost freeing. I never had a chance to speak with my mom about women. She never met Johanna. Claire is like my little sister, so she’s never been my go-to to talk with either.

“I’m not sure how I feel about something more. Not yet.”

“Because of your ex?”

I strain to remember what I told her about Johanna. When I first arrived, I fell into a trance in this very same room and blurted out about my ex cheating on me. Marian hasn’t forgotten anything. “Yes. She hurt me badly, and I’m not certain I’m ready to love again. Or risk being loved.”

“And potentially hurt,” she finishes for me. “That’s a valid concern. You’ve been burned badly and want to skip a repeat of it. That’s natural. But I think you’re not recognizing how you’re not alone in that. I sense that Aubrey is someone so trained in ignoring or resisting her feelings that falling in love is overwhelming. Grief is her driving force, whereas your hesitation is borne of rejection and betrayal. Still, a loss is a loss, and Aubrey might be scared to lose again too.”

I haven’t considered it like this. I’ve been hooked on my fears and why I’m gun-shy to jump into a future with Aubrey, but I’ve overlooked her past. We haven’t talked about our parents much, just the basics. I’ve been oblivious to the fact that Aubrey has been alone for most of her adult life. It shouldn’t surprise me. She’s stubbornly independent, not wanting to tell Lauren or Caleb about her problems from Jeremy. She’s also firmly assertive and able to say no. Because she’s guarded herself as a result of being alone for so long.

I hate that I’ve neglected this detail about her, and I wonder how I can broach it in a conversation, to open up to her. And to get her to open up to me, too. If I’m flirting with the possibility of staying here and changing my life to be with her, we’ve got to cover these basic facts between us if they’re responsible for making us impose distance.

“Hey.” Caleb pops around the corner, knocking on the doorframe as he steps into the kitchen. “Dalt, you got a minute?”

I’m not sure why he can’t just talk to me in front of Marian. She’s an open book, and we all trust her. And she always finds out what’s happening on her property anyway.

I stand, though, alarmed by my friend’s serious demeanor. Something’s wrong. I can tell. “Sure. I’ll be right back, Marian.”

“Oh, no worries. No worries,” she replies with a cheerful wave. “Think about what I said though, Dalton.”

I nod. I will. Just as soon as I hear whatever bad news Caleb seems ready to give me.

Chapter 26

Dalton

I follow Caleb onto the back porch and close the door behind me. Lauren and Aubrey aren’t around, and I’m glad for it. Whatever he’s going to tell me can’t be good. He already looked too-serious, and with him pacing on the weathered floorboards out here, he’s clearly antsy with the things on his mind.

“Spit it out,” I request. I hope he doesn’t hear the worry in my voice.

“My publicist just called.” He pauses his pacing and faces me.

“What did that asshole do now?” I’m aware of my friend’s legal team working on bringing Jeremy down. He’s also got his hands busy with trying to punish Lauren’s father. If I were to tell Caleb about what Jeremy’s done to Aubrey, he’d be even more livid. Caleb looks after his own. That has always included me and Claire. Now it extends to Lauren. And Marian. And because of Lauren, Aubrey as well.

“Huh?”

If he spoke with his publicist or lawyer, it has to be an update about Jeremy. Maybe now is the time to speak up about how he ended Aubrey’s career. Since we’re on the topic of that jerk.

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