He answered, and as always, he sounded distracted. “Hey, Char. What’s up?”
“What’s up?” I hissed. “Are you kidding me? I’m living in Texas with Trent, which was your ridiculous plan. I have no idea what’s happening back home or how long I’m going to be here, and you’re asking me what’s up?”
“Right, right,” he muttered. “Sorry. It’s been a long day. How’s it going over there?”
“Great,” I said dryly. “Except for the part where Trent’s mystery country-club something-or-other basically implied I was twelve.”
Alex didn’t even pretend to care. “Yeah, well. How’s Gregory? Oh, that’s right. You don’t know because you don’t have to deal with him.”
“Alex.” My voice sharpened. “Why are you being weird? How is everything going in Chicago? Are you actually handling this?”
“It’s under control,” he said, but it was way too quick and much too vague to be true. “Don’t worry.”
I stopped pacing in front of the windows, looking out into the night to see moonlight occasionally breaking through the clouds, casting silver streaks across the fields. It was so flippingbeautiful out here. Truly. But I needed to know what was happening in my real life.
“Does Dad know about me and Trent yet?”
“No. Not yet.” A sigh. “He’s still pushing for Gregory, but I’m working on it.”
Well, that’s not reassuring. Not even a little.
“Look, I’ve got this, Char, but I have to go, okay?”
“Yeah, okay.”
We hung up after that promise that meant nothing, and I stood there in front of my windows for another beat before I turned to look at the quiet hallway, staring across it at Trent’s closed bedroom door.
A soft glow leaked from underneath, telling me that he was still awake. For a moment, I thought about knocking, even if just to clear the air. Maybe to ask why Savannah could ruin his whole night. Just to do something that didn’t involve me just standing here, completely in the dark about everything that actually mattered.
Instead, I crossed the room and shut the door gently, then got ready for bed and climbed into it alone, wondering what exactly I’d gotten myself into and just how long it was going to last.
CHAPTER 18
TRENT
I’d spent a good five minutes last night standing just inside my bedroom door like an idiot. My hand had been on the knob, my heart in my throat, my mind doing laps around the same damn thought.
Should I go talk to her? Should I knock?
I knew she’d been upset. Hell, I knew she had questions and I didn’t blame her. Savannah had blindsidedbothof us, but mostly—and this was where it got complicated—mostly, I just hadn’t wanted Charlotte going to bed thinking I still had feelings for a woman who hadn’t been part of my life for a decade.
Because I didn’t. Not even a little. But I’d stood there, staring at the closed door until, when I’d finally opened it, the light underneath hers had disappeared. Just like that, I’d missed my shot. So I’d let it go, told myself it was for the best, and climbed into bed.
Didn’t sleep worth a damn, though.
Now, however, I was in my home office with a mug of the best coffee in the world, taking a video call from Alex and acting like I hadn’t just spent the night tossing and turning because of his sister. His face popped up on the screen, looking way too polished for someone who claimed to be drowning in work.
“Hey, man.” He leaned over to prop his phone up against something. “I have an update on shipping timelines for you.”
“Yeah?”I guess we’re going to start with business today, even if it’s only padding for the real topic. “I’m making headway with livestock partners, but let’s talk timelines first.”
Alex nodded and jumped right in. I gave him my news, and finally, he sat back in his fancy, probably ergonomic or some bullshit chair, and cut to the chase. “How’s our little scheme going down there?”
I rubbed a palm over my jaw. “Shockingly well, if you can believe it.”
“Shockingly?” he echoed. “What’s so shocking about it?”
“We’ve already got invitations to dinners, clubs, and every fancy social circle my mom’s never been kicked out of. At this point, I can’t really believe how easily people are believing it and how completely they’re buying into the sham.”
