Page 86 of Vow of Revenge
What a fucking nightmare!
My stomach ached. The idea of being in the same room as Kaleb made emotions spin out of control. The guy was a professional liar, and for some reason, I couldn’t get him out of my head. Even after all this time.
This afternoon, I had to conduct myself professionally. However, that would prove difficult for a woman who was in love with a man who would never truly love her, no matter what bullshit he declared. Every word that poured from his sinful mouth was a terrible lie.
My hands shook as I layered a nude gloss over my lips in the restroom. Wendy smoothed my white fitted shirt, gliding her loving fingers through my hair, fixing it into place. “I miss her every minute of the day.”
I gulped back the lump in my throat. “Me too.”
“You seem skittish, like that colt Calvin bought you. The one that got so boisterous it stomped on his foot.”
“I remember that birthday.” I laughed softly. “Syrah was so pleased we finally had matching ponies. She loved the palominos.”
Wendy’s defeated sigh shuddered. “She did. Don’t be nervous, my love. The charity will be a huge success.”
“It’s not that.”
She continued to fiddle with my clothes to keep her mind occupied.
“It’s, Kaleb. Why is he fronting a charity with my mother’s name? She killed his father.”
Her features seemed tired and worn out, and her pupils were constantly in a state of wide and startled. The poor woman was medicated to the eyeballs. It was her way of coping, and she wore it with every slow movement. “I think you should trust Calvin and your gut instinct. Come along, let’s not be late to our first meeting.”
I searched the busy restaurant, hoping to catch a glimpse of him before he saw me. Finally, my search was rewarded or punished. Whatever way I looked at it, he was there, looking so damn handsome in an obsidian three-piece suit. Golden rings adorned his fingers, and his hair was neatly swept back from his forehead.
Be still my rapidly beating heart. The room all but vanished with Kaleb De Courcy right there, full focus in the centre of my family and his. In what felt like slow motion, his head suddenly angled towards me, but he just nodded ceremoniously and looked away. His cool glance stabbed what was left of my heart, even though, in these circumstances I shouldn’t have expected anything else.
Calvin pulled out Wendy’s chair, at the same time as Sean pulled out my own when I arrived at the table. I was seated next to my father, sandwiched between him and Angie De Courcy. It was like a fucked-up family reunion.
“Brett has taken Tilly to the Maldives so she can swim with tropical fish. He’ll be at the next meeting,” Sean announced.
I couldn’t calm my breathing, never mind look in Kaleb’s direction. I dared not even open my mouth to speak in case the words came out disjointed. Sipping the fresh cool water, I tried so hard to refrain from looking up until Angie rested a dainty hand on my knee. “Are you alright, my dear?”
No, I’m not alright.
My head lifted, avoiding his presence completely. “Yes, thank you. I was up late last night.”
“Oh, were you out in Belfast?” she probed.
Sucking in a breath of stifled air, my eyes flicked up to meet his. Only they weren’t watching me, they were aimed at his uncle. The two were discussing business while I sat there like a petulant schoolgirl, lost in a whimsical crush. This was the cruellest game of all, and I was fucking done with it.
“Yes, I was at a club,” I lied. I spent the evening locked in my hovel reading. “I partied a little too hard.” My whisper increased from subtle to audible.
I knew the rest of the group could hear; I also knew that Calvin would jump all over it.
“Freya! Honestly, you can’t party your life away. Who were you with?”
The lies spilled out of my mouth like treacle. “Just some guy.” My gaze ignored the crystal blue eyes searing my flesh. If I looked up, he would know I was lying, he would know I missed him.
Calvin cleared his throat. “We’ll talk about this later, young lady.”
Turning my head, I leant into Calvin’s starched shirt and whispered, “I don’t feel well. I’m leaving. Please don’t make a scene. I’ll call you later.”
Calvin nodded reluctantly. His shoulders stiffened. I pushed back my chair, stood tall and walked away from the table.
No one followed.
The journey back home was swallowed in a pool of tears. Why the heck did I lie? It was a childish act to try and raise Kaleb’s hackles, spark jealousy – it failed. I couldn’t deal with the pretence, his ability to act like nothing had happened between us or how our past was intrinsically woven together. How could he sit at the same table, with our families united and carry on as if I meant nothing to him?
