Page 38 of Sail Away
Her mental illness.
Those were things he couldn’t tolerate. They needed to be hidden. Brushed under the rug, never to be seen by anyone.
He wanted to pretend that it didn’t exist.
It was part of the reason he’d never wanted Reid to become romantically involved with Erin in the first place, but Preston couldn’t ever voice it out loud.
“Of course I do, but why are you bringing it up now?” Reid asked.
“You loved my sister.”
“I absolutely did,” Reid said. Tears burned the corners of his eyes. A day didn’t pass where he didn’t have at least one thought of Erin. Their relationship hadn’t been very long, only about a year, but it had been passionate, and she’d taught him what love was all about.
She also showed him that loving someone sometimes meant letting them go, and that’s what her last words had been to him. He hadn’t known at the time that she planned on taking her life, making it look like an accident, in a bid to spare his.
To this day, that concept gave him goosebumps.
“I’ve never understood why. I mean, I get why she fell for you, but never got what you saw in her,” Preston said.
“You’re an asshole.”
“I know,” Preston said. “But I’m not sure I believe you.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“If you loved my sister as much as you say you did, you’d be doing what you promised her when you helped spread her ashes over East Buffalo Peak.” Preston stood and hovered over Reid. “Do you remember what that was?”
Reid nodded. His insides trembled, and his chest hurt when he tried to take in a deep breath.
“The fire-retardant line is something my sister would want us to press hard with, and not just with the fire departments. That’s the no-brainer. Of course she’d want that. But you know how she felt about safety for the masses.”
“I think you’re missing the point in what your sister wanted,” Reid said behind a clenched jaw.
“If she could save the life of a man running from a burning building, she’d do it.” Preston wiped his upper lip and let out a short breath. “Hans wants to partner with us. He knows we have a fire suit that withstands temperatures hotter than anything else on the market. He also knows we’ve been working on technology to reduce the weight and weave it into the fabric.”
“Why on earth would you tell him that?” Reid jumped to his feet, knocking over the table that held his drink. The glass shattered on the fiberglass floor. “That technology hasn’t been tested for that use, much less even brought down to that level. We have no idea how it will work or if it will be approved. You promised me we’d do this right.”
One of the girls on the interior crew made a comment and came running, but Reid ignored her and kept his focus on Preston.
“I promised after the fact. And frankly, I lied,” Preston said. “Hans would be a good partner. He can do things we can’t.”
“What have you done?” Reid asked. “Have you already cut a deal with Hans?”
“Excuse me,” Milia said quietly as she cleaned up the broken glass and scurried off inside the main cabin.
“I’m in negotiations with Hans,” Preston said.
“Cancel the fucking meeting.”
“Not on your life. I’m doing what is necessary,” Preston said, giving Reid a little poke in the chest. “And you need to get your fucking head in the game and start honoring my sister and what you promised her. This would have been the project she got on board with, and you know it.”
“You’re really going to use your dead sister to manipulate me to do what you want?” Reid swallowed the bile rising in the back of his throat. Preston could be shallow and self-absorbed. In business, everyone would describe him as ruthless but brilliant.
However, Reid never expected that Preston would blatantly stoop so low.
But he should have known.
“I’m simply reminding you of a promise you made to the person you once told was the only woman in the world, at least for you.” Preston ran his hand through his blond hair. “Or did you forget you professed such a profound love, and said that you’d always honor her wish, no matter what happened?”
