“How have you two been friends without my knowing about it?”
She scoffed. “Did you seriously think I would tell you I was doing business with your family? Have you met yourself?”
Evan’s mouth snapped shut. He turned on his heel and paced to the other side of the room, and Heath couldn’t imagine the betrayal he must feel. How could she engage with his family at all, knowing how poorly they’d treated him?
“Evan, I only ever dealt with Chris.”
“You think that makes it okay?”
“It might if you knew anything about him.”
The two men shared a long look before Evan huffed, “Right.”
Heath cleared his throat. “You were saying? About the reservations?”
Though she smiled, Lucy’s direct attention wasintense. Her eyes reminded him of Andres. Icy blue, to where they appeared silver at certain angles, and she had a powerful presence. He felt bad for the opposing counsel.
“Admittedly, it was a bit of a gamble, but I felt I knew Evan well enough to risk it.”
Evan bristled. “Meaning?”
Her attention shifted to the man she’d once planned to marry, and Heath saw the briefest softening of her gaze before it hardened back over. “Meaning I knew you’d take the trip without me, because your bent for petty revenge is rather legendary, darling.”
“Don’t call me that. You’ve lost cutesy pet name privileges.”
A brusque nod. “Alright, fair.”
Heath felt as though they were back on the original plane, but instead of a torrid flirtation, he was third wheel in an alternate universe ofOthello.“What does any of this have to do with me?”
Christian cleared his throat. “We thought you’d be good for one another.”
The room exploded with exclamations of disbelief and an array of four-letter words until Olivia stepped into the center, raised her hands, and shouted, “Enough! We are all adults here. Feelings have been hurt, but you’ll get further with dialogue than screaming.”
The room filled with the silence of shifting fabric as everyone present fidgeted while collecting their thoughts. After a moment, Christian turned to him.
“Heath, you’ve been my rock over the years of dealing with my father and my growing involvement in the company. I’d thought… well, I’d hoped you might offer that same steadfast support to my brother. Someone youcancount on to be there. Unlike me.”
Heath gave his head an abrupt shake, certain he’d misheard. “Are you saying that you sent me to the Virgin Islands hoping I’d hook up with your brother?”
He balked. “Well, no. Not exactly. I just suspected you’dbecome friends if given the opportunity. You enjoy having your buttons pushed, and he’s an asshole, albeit a charming one.”
Evan pressed his hand to his chest. “That’s possibly the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
Heath coughed and Evan closed his mouth. “You couldn’t have introduced us over dinner?”
Christian smacked his lips and scratched the back of his neck. “I would, but he never returns my calls. Also, I don’t think the two of us arguing would’ve made the greatest first impression.”
Heath met Evan’s eyes and saw the pleading in their depths. “Yes, Evan has trouble with those. How did you even know I’d go? I’m hardly the grand solo adventurer.”
Christian laughed, the bastard. “I made that argument, but I suspected you might go to spite me. I also asked Andres to prod you if it came down to it.”
Heath seethed. Andres, that traitorous snake. Oh, they would be having a word.Words,actually, and most of them would be unflattering.
Evan tugged at his hair, which meant he was working through the problem. It also meant his previously neat coif was now a wild, wavy mess. Just like when they?—
“This still makes no sense. You both banked on my petty, vengeful ass going on the trip and happening to meet this uptight know-it-all?—”
“I beg your pardon!”
