Page 29 of The House Guest
“Benjamin knew.” She frowned. “Marrying Christina didn’t change him.”
“Wow. Okay. I suspected that maybe he’d cheated on my aunt after what Dorian told me about when Remington was married to his mom. But this confirms it.”
Patsy sighed. “Every woman thinks she’s gonna be the one to change a man. But you can’t change who someone is. You’re either a cheater or you’re not.” She shook her head. “And I didn’t mean to imply that Dorian is automatically a cheater because of his dad. I’m just concerned for you. That’s all.”
If I were honest about my feelings and how fast I was falling for an unattainable man, I would’ve been concerned for me, too.
CHAPTER 9
A few days passed before I ran into Dorian again. It was especially unusual to see him home on a Saturday afternoon—with a guest.
When I entered the kitchen, I froze upon finding him standing with another man.
“Oh, hello.” I waved.
“Hi there.” The guy’s face spread into a smile.
“Primrose, this is my buddy Chandler.” Dorian looked over at him. “We grew up together.”
“Oh wow. Nice to meet you.” I smiled, offering my hand.
He took it and grinned. “The pleasure is all mine.”
Running a hand over my hair, I turned to Dorian. “What are you guys up to?”
“We were just gonna hang out by the pool,” Chandler answered.
My eyes widened. “Dorian is taking a day off to hang outby the pool?”
“I know, right?” Chandler laughed. “It’s only because I’ve been calling him every day, torturing him to get together until he finally gave in. It’s not easy getting this guy to give up a day of work.”
“Well, enjoy your time together. I’m just gonna grab a drink and take it up to my room.”
“Nonsense,” Chandler said. “You should hang out with us.”
No way was I going to join them unless Dorian invited me. I shook my head. “I wouldn’t want to interrupt your guys’ day.”
“It’s not a guys’ day, actually. My wife, Candace, will be here soon,” Chandler explained. “She’s coming straight from an appointment, so we took separate cars. I think she’d appreciate some female company.”
“Oh, I see.”
It surprised me to learn Dorian had married friends. He seemed to be the quintessential bachelor. I’d assumed most of his friends were the same.
“You should join us,” Dorian finally said.
In that case, sure.“Okay.” I nodded. “I’ll go get changed.”
I had stuff to get done today, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet Dorian’s friends, even if just to satisfy my curiosity.
My stomach felt a bit unsettled as I headed upstairs, and I could identify a variety of possible reasons. Getting into a bathing suit in front of Dorian was at the top of the list. Not to mention meeting his friend’s wife. Would we get along? Lord knows every other woman Dorian had brought around me had turned out to be a disaster. Whatif she was judgmental? I thought about my conversation with Patsy, how she was so sure men like Dorian went for a certain type of woman—one that wasn’t anything like me. Chandler seemed nice enough, but he might’ve had the same taste.
Once upstairs, I slipped into a basic black bikini and threw a light, beachy dress over the top. I would not be taking it off unless I felt fully comfortable around them. I’d have to play this whole thing by ear. After finding some black flip-flops, I headed downstairs.
Outside at the pool, I was surprised to find that Chandler’s wife had already arrived. She wore a scarf around her head. I thought maybe it was a style choice until she walked over to introduce herself.
“You must be Primrose.” She beamed.
“I am. So great to meet you. Candace, right?” I offered my hand.
