Lola followed Moira into the cottage, and as she watched her friend boil water and get out the teapot and loose-leaf tea, she tried to convince herself that everything was going to be okay.
Setting two mugs of steaming peppermint tea in front of them, Moira said, “I can’t wait to hear the good news.”
“I went to see Duncan yesterday. In Boston.”
Moira’s mug slipped from her hands onto the table, splashing tea over the rim. “Why would you do that?”
“Because he needs to make things right for you.” Hating that she’d caused Moira’s rosy flush from the sunny garden to go pale, Lola rushed to say the rest so that her friend would see it truly was good news. “He’s agreed to give you the money you were promised by Brilliant Funds. All five hundred thousand dollars. Not as an investment, but as a payment with no strings attached.”
“I don’t want it.” Moira’s voice was firm, her mouth a hard line.
But Lola was desperate for her friend to understand that Duncan could help her this time around, rather than harm her. “He also wants to give you every contact he has that will help grow your business in both the US and abroad. Everything you dreamed of five years ago can finally come to fruition. And you won’t owe him anything.”
Moira pushed away from the table. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do.” She sounded like she was working hard to stay calm. “Truly, it means so much to me that you want to help, just as you always have. But I’m doing fine on my own. I don’t want anything to do with Duncan or his money. And I definitely don’t want to be pulled back into the past. Not when I’ve worked so hard to move on from it.”
Lola understood why Moira was reluctant to take anything from Duncan, yet she still couldn’t let it go. Not when Duncan’s funds could make such a difference in her friend’s business, and life. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to convince you to reconsider?”
Moira’s expression was firm. “I’m afraid not. The best thing for all of us is if we simply move on and forget about one another entirely.”
Lola knew she should accept Moira’s answer. She should give her friend a big hug, then drop the whole thing. Instead, she found herself saying, “Yesterday, I met a woman he’s worked with for the past three years. Serafina is really happy with what he’s done to help build her fashion business. I asked her a ton of questions, and she swore everything has been completely aboveboard. She even went so far as to say that working with Duncan is the best decision she’s ever made.” Words continued to tumble out. “I also met the women who work in his office, and they seem great too. So maybe—”
“Are you actually trying to convince me to trust him?”
Lola opened her mouth to deny it, even though she’d just been fervently pressing his case. Acting as though the praise from his coworkers, and dancing in his arms at the restaurant, and getting lost in his passionate kisses had somehow erased his wrongdoing.
So much for washing sense into her brain in the shower.
Lola stood, regret in every cell of her body. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come to you with this plan. And I definitely shouldn’t be trying to convince you to work with him again.” Had a secret part of her been so distraught at the idea of never seeing Duncan again that she’d been searching for any reason, any excuse to keep him in her life? Even if it meant convincing Moira to give him a second chance? Lola’s chest clenched tight as she stood before the woman who meant so much to her. “I know I keep asking for your forgiveness, but I hope you’ll give me another chance to get things right. I won’t see him or speak to him again, I promise.”
Before she could say anything more, Moira pulled her back into her arms. “You’ve got to stop beating yourself up. I adore you, Lola. I always have. And I always will. No matter what.”
A few minutes later, Lola left through the side gate, deliberately bypassing the main house because she wasn’t up to answering questions from her parents. During the walk to her studio, she reminded herself over and over that it was time to get on with her life. No more wallowing in misery. No more moping over a guy.
Once she was at her desk, she opened an email window and typed in Duncan’s address.
Subject: Not interested
Duncan,
I spoke with Moira. She is not interested in taking your funds or hearing your apologies.
Lola
She hit Send and watched the message disappear from her screen. Now their relationship was really and truly over.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Duncan’s heart sank as he stood in his kitchen, coffee mug in hand, and read Lola’s email.
Though he was hugely disappointed by Moira’s response, he didn’t blame her for refusing to associate with him and his money. How could he when it was exactly how he felt about his brother? Even worse, now that Moira had refused to accept his funding, he would no longer have any connection to Lola, however peripheral.
Renewed fury rose up inside of him at the damage Alastair had wrought on so many lives. When Duncan had first uncovered his brother’s crimes, Duncan had been both stunned and angry. Then, when Alastair had gone even further by breaking into Duncan’s home and destroying his corporate paperwork and hard drives, his fury had not only grown bigger and hotter, but he’d also realized that this was something even their blood bond couldn’t withstand. He’d cut ties with Alastair completely that day.
Now, however, he couldn’t let another day go by without knowing whether Alastair’s henchman had told him about Lola. Because if Duncan’s brother realized how much she meant to him, would Alastair lash out at her as well? Would he try to hurt her in order to hurt Duncan?
Ready to pay his brother a long overdue visit, Duncan poured his coffee down the drain, grabbed his wallet and car keys, and was just about to head into the garage when the doorbell rang.
From the silhouette through the stained glass, Duncan was able to guess who it was. His instincts were confirmed when he opened the door to find Alastair standing on his front step, his face wreathed in a wide smile. Had Alastair always looked so small? Had Duncan always towered over him the way he did now?
As a child, given their ten-year age gap, Alastair had seemed larger than life to Duncan. But his brother now seemed diminished in so many ways, from the lines on his face, to his slightly hunched back, to his shoulders and the narrowing of his chest. Yes, his suit was bespoke and he had access to the best aesthetician in Boston, but neither of those things could turn back the clock.
“It’s been too long.” Alastair said it as though they were old friends who hadn’t seen each other simply because their lives had gotten busy. Not because one of them was cheating, lying scum.
As Duncan stepped out and closed the door behind him, he was glad for the large trees and thick shrubs in front of his house, which would shield their conversation from neighbors who might be nearby.
“You’re not going to invite me in?” Alastair asked.
Like hell. This wasn’t a social call. Duncan wouldn’t pretend that it was.
Ignoring the question, he said, “I already told your employee to pass on my reply to your offer. But if you mistakenly thought you could change my mind by coming here in person, I’ll say it again: I’m not interested in working with you, now or at any point in the future. Whatever relationship we had ended five years ago. And don’t send anyone else to my office or home to try to convince me. From this moment forward, I will not tolerate your presence, or the presence of anyone who works for you, in any aspect of my life—professional or personal.”