“You let me think that we met by chance, and that I earned that creative work because I was talented. So, well, yeah, you screwed with me. How the hell did you find me anyway? How’d you know what I needed?”
He gripped the steering wheel. “I can hear you’re upset.”
“Upset? Everything between us has been based on pretense. How can I trust you?”
“You’ve known me all these months. Have I done one thing that’s not in your best interest?”
“Dishonesty is not in my best interest. Everything between us was a ruse. A handout. I’m one of your damn charities.”
“Nothing was a handout. Dad told me about you, but–”
She interrupted. “You think you’re some prince. Makes you feel good, to take pity on poor me, doesn’t it?”
“I don’t pity you.”
“You think I’m just some charity case. Everything you did. That’s unethical.”
“I don’t think so.”
All her thoughts were pouring out now. None of his protestations mattered.
“I thought I was lucky to meet you. I thought I earned that assignment. I thought I’d done a good job.”
“You deserved it, you earned it.”
“It was a lie. It was a handout. You think I need that? You didn’t respect me. You felt sorry for me.”
“I did respect you. I do respect you.”
“Everything was a lie from the start, wasn’t it? Even meeting at the Pyramid Club.” Her hysteria cooled to detachment.
“Okay, I’ll tell you everything. Let me explain,” he said.
She was a statue. Her hard stare could have crumbled the road for miles ahead of them.
“I did come to the Pyramid Club to see you. I just wanted to know that you were okay. Dad wanted me to see if I could do something for you, and I didn’t know what you needed.”
“How the hell did you even know where to go?”
“This might sound bad, but I was really busy, so I outsourced.”
“Outsourced? What does that mean?”
“I hired a PI. She overheard your conversation. When you were talking to Mandy. She told me where to meet you.”
Orchid swiveled like an automaton. The force of her astonishment was immeasurable.
The car lurched and Phoenix had to adjust, in order to keep from heading into a ditch.
“PI? As in private investigator? You had a detective trailing me?” she shrieked.
“Months ago, but not anymore. Dad wanted me to do something nice for you, and I didn’t know what it could be. I didn’t have time to figure it out, so I hired someone.”
Orchid felt her face screw up with renewed rage.
“Hire someone? I was followed?” She wanted to strike him, cause him pain. His deception went straight to her bones, painful and unrelenting.
“It wasn’t supposed to come to this, I swear. It was supposed to be one good Samaritan deed, then move on. For Dad.”
