Page 46 of Van Cort
“She doesn’t have to know which one of us is which sometimes. That might be fun,” West mused.
“Fun?”
“Yeah. Fun.”
Rhett rumbled a low laugh. “Sounds complicated.”
“Yeah, like I said, fun.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
RIVER
Home. Safe.
I text April as soon as I dump my case in the bedroom, but I guess it’s not going to help her concern, judging by the stream of messages that’ve come through since switching it back on.
My phone starts to vibrate before I’ve even made it to the other room, and it makes me grin at my friend.
“Well, that didn’t take you long,” I scoff.
“Be satisfied that I waited and haven’t called the police. You’ve been radio silent for far too long. Now…” Her tone changes, and I know she’s settling in to get the details. “Spill. I want to know what’s caused this change. Because I thoughthe was this monumental jerk, not the type to surprise you and whisk you away.”
“Oh, you got me. Because if I’m honest, I don’t know what the change was all about, but I can’t say I’m sorry.”
“Was it romantic? Was it hot?” She fires off the questions, and it makes me smile.“Because you’ve not really filled me in on all the deets of this side of the relationship. We’ve focused on the ‘he’s a jerk and you need to forget him’ side.”
“Fine. I give you that. Well, he’s good-looking. Ridiculously so, I’ve told you this. That hasn’t changed; if anything, he’s even more handsome. Although he has this quality about him, maybe it’s his ego, but he definitely thinks he’s better than a lot of the people around him.”
“That could be hot.”
“He’s very confident. And it’s a turn on. Believe me.” A giggle escapes, and I hope she isn’t going to push further. I won’t be telling her everything that happened on our trip, and nothing of my mental breakdown I had thinking I was stuck in the bathroom. It turns my stomach just thinking over it.
“So, serious?” The tone is steely, matching the question.
“I don’t know. Maybe?” My voice rises in question. Because I don’t know. That’s the big question and even Everett seemed to side-step it while still answering it.
“You sound at a loss.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to get with him. One minute, it’s like he’s the smart and successful businessman I know he is. Then, he shows me this other side to him. It’s… daring. And fun. But it makes me wonder if I can trust anything about him.”
“Do not trust this man with your heart, River!”
“Oh, I will do no such thing,” I assure her. “He’s high risk, I know this, I’ve seen it play out.” But as I say it firmly, I hope my heart is, in fact, listening. “I’m going to get an early night. It’s going to be a busy week.”
“Oh, sure is, considering you now need to work out what’s going on with you and Mr Van Cort.”
“I know.”
“And you need to find time to come and see me. Don’t get sidetracked by Mr Rich.”
“I will. I promise.” But this weekend away cost me more than I’d considered, losing money and a little of my pride at the claustrophobia meltdown. “Speak soon.”
We say goodbye, and I unpack, glad that I took the red dress. It might not have been very me, but it fit the weekend perfectly.
***
I’m the first in the office, as usual, and I run my usual programme. As I review the figures and the market, there’s a shift in how I feel, as if I’m standing at that table again, about to slide the stack of chips onto another number.
