“You want me to call your father and tell him you’re not up for the job?”
“Don’t.Please. I’ll find someone else.” She blinked back tears as the shame washed over her.
Ben smirked. “Good girl.”
As his eyes raked over her again, she trembled, suddenly aware of her vulnerability. She dug her nails into her palms. “You…you should leave.”
“I’m going. You think I want you, knowing you’ve been banging that asshole?” He turned and left, tripping over one of the bins as he approached the door. He kicked it, sending it skittering across the room.
Only after he left did Victoria cry.
She was back to square one, no better off than she’d been before.
No. She was worse. She’d allowed herself to fall in love and contemplate freedom when it was obvious she couldn’t have either one.
Chapter 26
Rafael stormed out of Blackwood Manor and didn’t stop until he reached his car. He leaned against it and let out a long breath, watching the warm breeze send dusty brown leaves spiraling against the pavement. The balmy weather only deepened his remorse. If the night had gone as planned, he would have spent it with Victoria, making love under the stars.
Instead, he was in hell.
He wrenched open the door of his Honda and slid inside, intending to peel out of the parking lot. But he couldn’t start the engine. All he could do was sit motionless, staring at his phone, willing Victoria to call him. To apologize and beg him to come back. To assure him he hadn’t lost the contract.
But as time crawled by, minute by agonizing minute, he had to accept the horrible truth. She’d hung him out to dry. Not only that, he’d screwed up beyond measure. With one brief altercation, he’d lost the all-important Cavendish-Macalister wedding. If he’d stayed in the kitchen and kept his mouth shut, none of this would have happened. But instead of letting Victoria deal with her drunken ex on her own, he’d rushed to her defense. In his desire to protect her, he’d made everything worse.
How could he have been so stupid?
Sitting in his car solved nothing, so he forced himself to turn the key in the ignition. As he drove back to Escondido, he set his phone on the passenger seat in case Victoria called.
Not going to happen. You’re not worth it.
When he pulled into his spot outside the apartment complex, he hesitated before going in. As riled up as he was, he didn’t want to deal with Ernesto or Dario. He walked over to JJ’s Tap—the same dive he’d taken Victoria to—and found a stool at the bar. More than anything, he wanted to get hammered and forget he’d ever met her. But he wouldn’t let himself fall into that trap. Instead, he ordered a beer and nursed it slowly while a group of hipsters postured at the nearby pool table. Occasionally, he checked his phone to make sure it was still on, but the lack of notifications made his stomach churn.
By the time he got home, he could barely keep his eyes open. He crawled into bed, wishing he could sleep for the next forty-eight hours.
Tomorrow, he’d have to face his brothers and tell them everything.
* * *
When Rafael wokeon Thursday morning, he grabbed his phone. He’d slept so deeply he could have missed a text from Victoria.
Nothing.
He staggered to the bathroom to take stock. Not good. Bags under his eyes, mussed-up hair, scruffy stubble. At least he wasn’t hungover. But mentally, he was still in the lowest circle of hell. He stepped in the shower while the water was still cold, hoping the chill would revive his senses. As he was getting dressed, his phone buzzed with a text. He leapt for it, praying it was from Victoria. Instead, he got a message from Tony.What time are you coming in to prep?
Prep.Jesus. They’d done so much prep for this event. Thousands of dollars of food, all wasted.
As much as he wanted to go back to bed, he had to face up to his mistakes before anyone put another minute of work into this damn wedding. What killed him the most was that he’d tried so hard to show his brothers he was responsible. And up until Wednesday night, he’d succeeded. He’d made everyone proud.
But now? He’d let his heart derail everything.
He sent Martin and Tony a text.Meet me in the tasting room ASAP.
In the hopes of calming his nerves, he skipped his usual cup of coffee. A decision he regretted during the drive to Tres Hermanos as the slow-burning agony of a caffeine headache seeped into his brain. The irony of confessing to his brothers in the room where he’d first met Ben and Missy wasn’t lost on him. He would have avoided so much grief if Missy had chosen a different caterer.
You don’t mean that. You had a good time with Victoria.
Maybe so, but her actions had confirmed his worst fears. Even if she’d enjoyed his company and delighted in sharing his bed, she didn’t think he was worth fighting for. To her, he was nothing more than a passing diversion. Her dirty little secret.
