“What’s a shame is that you put the reputation of this firm at risk!” he snapped.
Cree remained silent because he was right. She could admit that to herself. She should’ve handled the situation with Tristan better. Mainly, she should’ve transferred his account to someone else or waited until the six months were up before hooking up with him. But it was too late for that. Still, she didn’t like how smug Warren was being about this.
And before she could stop herself, she said, “How would you feel knowing the private investigator I hired to look into you gave me some damning information? I wonder how your wife would react if I shared the findings with her.”
Cree could honestly say she had never seen blood drain from a person’s face. Warren suddenly turned white, and he swallowed hard as his chest heaved.
Interesting. She was bluffing, taking a chance that he had something to hide and apparently, he did. Maybe the rumors years ago, before she joined the firm, were true.
Cree had heard one of the firm’s associates had accused him of sexual assault. The woman had retracted her claim almost immediately, quit the firm, and the situation went away quietly. Cree wouldn’t be surprised if Warren had paid her off. She also wouldn’t be surprised if he had plenty of other things to hide. By his weary expression, her guess would be he did.
He stood slowly from his seat, no longer wearing the smug expression from moments ago. Instead, he looked like he wanted to pummel her. “Are you threatening me?” he asked.
“Not at all,” Cree said, standing her ground. “I’m just saying two can play the same games. Glass houses, Warren. Glass houses.”
She glanced down and picked invisible lent off her dress before looking at him again. “Now that we have an understanding, we can get to work on the dissolution process. The sooner we do, the sooner you’ll be rid of me.”
Chapter Thirty
“Dude, can you sit down somewhere? You’ve been pacing for what seems like hours,” Quincy said, and Tristan stopped and glared at him.
“I’ve only been here twenty minutes. How could I be pacing for hours?” he shot back.
Tristan didn’t bother telling his brother that he’d been pacing at home initially but started getting on his own nerves and had to get some air. That’s how he ended up at the commercial building that he had recently purchased. He thought stopping by there would help take his mind off Cree.
It hadn’t.
He was anxious to hear how the conversation with Warren had gone. Since she’d been planning on talking with him first thing that morning, Tristan thought he would’ve heard from her by now. It was after two, and he had texted her to check in, but he’d gotten radio silence.
Worried something might’ve happened, he had even called the receptionist to find out if she had even made it into the office. Shantel told him Cree was in the building, but she’d had back-to-back meetings.
Before Tristan stopped by the new offices for the nonprofit, he’d gone by the office space that Cree had identified she wanted. It wasn’t as big as the office suite on the top floor, the one that used to have a law office tenant, but it was big enough for her and a few support staff. Which was what she said she wanted. Though it would be awhile before Cree moved in, he’d been glad to see that it had been totally cleaned out.
“So, what’s going on? Clearly there’s something on your mind,” Quincy said, pulling Tristan out of his thoughts. “Oh wait. Is it Mom and Dad? I heard Mom had given you an earful for eloping.”
“Yeah,” Tristan said and sat in the chair next to Quincy’s desk. The movers had moved boxes and all the furniture for the nonprofit to the new building, and his brother was unpacking.
“Yeah, Mom let us have it. She’s thrilled to have another daughter, but she was pissed they didn’t get to be a part of our wedding day. She had hoped by now at least one of her kids would’ve had a wedding.”
Quincy chuckled. “Imagine if she knew she had missed two of your weddings.”
Again, Tristan found himself glowering at his brother. “I don’t know why you’re laughing. You’re the oldest. She should be looking at you to finally get married and have a big wedding.”
Quincy shrugged. “When my Mrs. Right comes along, maybe I’ll do just that. Until then, I’m going to continue having a good time out here enjoying the bachelor’s life.”
That was one thing Tristan didn’t miss. After being in a relationship with Cree, he’d known immediately he didn’t want to be single. He was a relationship kind of guy and didn’t like yo-yo dating. The years he and Cree were divorced had been awful, especially when women practically threw themselves at him.
It might not have been so bad if he’d been interested, but none of them were Cree. The one time he did try a relationship again, it was so unfulfilling that it just left him and the woman disappointed.
“I suggested to Mom that, if she wanted a wedding, maybe she should help you and Bethany find a mate.”
Quincy’s head jerked up from the folders he was organizing. “You didn’t!”
Tristan laughed for the first time that day. “Actually, I did. I told her that Cree’s mom has been trying to matchmake her kids for years, and four out of five of them are married. I also told her that Mrs. Priestly has several grandchildren.”
“Dammit, Tristan! That’s why she probably left me that voicemail inviting me over to dinner Friday night. She claimed there’s some people she wants me to meet who are interested in the nonprofit. That’s a first for her, and now I know why.”
Tristan burst out laughing. He just had that conversation with their mother the day before. “Man, Mom works fast.”
