Paloma grinned. “And did she invite you to said parties? That would definitely answer our question about them being swingers.”
He chuckled. “Sorry, no invite.”
“I bet it’ll come when this project is over. I see the way sheandBill look at you.”
Was that jealousy he heard mixed in her teasing? They moved toward the modern lighting display. Halfway through the showroom, he had to ask, “But you’re not interested?”
“In swinging?” She sucked in the side of her top lip. “In theory, it sounds like fun. But I don’t think so.”
“No. I meant interested in me? You said you’re glad we didn’t hook up.” He smiled and hoped his disappointment didn’t show. “Has spending more time with me made you like me less?”
“God no,” she said with a soft laugh. “That’s why I’m glad nothing happened. You’re . . .” Her gaze lingered on his mouth before she looked away. “You’re dangerous.”
“Dangerous?” He set the light fixture down next to a sleek display of LED strip lighting and straightened, looking at her.
“I’m taking a break from men, focusing on my career.”
“Because of Asher?” A sucker-punch of jealousy caught him off guard—not at its presence but its intensity. He didn’t have a right to be territorial about her past, especially when he was the one who’d turned her down that night at The Hill. Still, knowing she might be hung up on Asher made his chest tight.
“No,” she replied.
“Then why the break?” he asked gently.
She slouched onto a nearby stepping ladder. “It’s not about Asher. He was just . . . a distraction, really. From something bigger.” She twisted her hands in her lap. “I was in a long relationship before him. Richard and I, we were engaged . . . and I made the mistake of mixing business with my personal life.”
“What happened?” Max asked, his chest tightening at the pain in her voice.
“He was this hotshot business consultant who specialized in startups. He convinced me to let him help with my business.” Her voice softened slightly. “I think he meant well at first. He was always talking about building this amazing future for us, how he wanted to make sure I had everything I wanted.”
“But something changed?”
“The gambling. God, I didn’t know about it until everything fell apart. He kept it completely separate from our life together. Until he couldn’t.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “He’d go on these ‘business trips’ to meet clients, but in reality, most of the time he was hitting casinos in Detroit, Vegas, and Atlantic City. High-stakes poker, mostly. Started small, but then he got in deep with some dangerous people.”
“How’d you find out?”
“Pure luck. One of my supplier’s checks bounced, so I went to the bank in person. The teller mentioned something about a wire transfer I’d never authorized.” She shook her head. “When I started digging, I found this whole separate life he’d been hiding. He had a system, funneling money from my business through fake vendors, making it look like legitimate expenses. Then he’d use that money to pay off gambling debts or buy into bigger games.”
“Jesus,” Max muttered.
“When I confronted him . . .” Her voice cracked slightly. “That’s what kills me. He broke down completely. Said he’d been trying to fix it before the wedding, that he had these systems that couldn’t fail. He kept saying he needed one big win to put all the money back, make everything right.” She shook her head. “He’d even been going to Gamblers Anonymous meetings in secret, trying to get clean. But then he’d relapse, lose more, and have to cover it up with more stolen money.”
“Sounds like he was living a double life.”
“Exactly. And he was good at it. In our regular life, he was this amazing fiancé. Remembered every anniversary, planned the sweetest dates, talked about our future home and the family we’d have.” She wiped at her eyes quickly, glancing around. Thankfully, their section of the store was empty. “Meanwhile, he’s up at 3 a.m. doctoring bank statements and moving money around to hide his losses. The FBI found spreadsheets on his laptop—he tracked every lie he told me so he wouldn’t slip up.”
“How much did he take?”
“Almost half a million. But you know what’s crazy? He blamed me. Said it was because I wanted too much. How I wanted to be the number one interior designer in Michigan, to have the best showcase home. My incessant wants were why he gambled, to keep up with my dreams.”
Anger flared in Max’s chest. He’d seen her work ethic firsthand, watched her pour herself into the Thompson project. The idea that someone would use her drive and passion against her, twist it into an excuse for their failures was vile.
His hands curled into fists, then forced them to relax. His rage wouldn’t change Paloma’s past. He took her hand and squeezed it. “You know that’s absolute bullshit, right?”
“Sure.” Her gaze dropped from his, telling him the truth.
“That’s rough,” Max said softly. “I’m sorry.”
She wrapped her arms around herself. “After him, I was a mess. Felt like I couldn’t trust my own judgment anymore. That’s when the really bad decisions started.” A harsh laugh escaped her. “Like taking home a man who ended up stealing from me.”
