Down for the Count (Dare Me)

chapter Eleven


“What in God’s name is going on here?”

Lacey’s eyes sprang open as she was awakened from a dead sleep. Horror drenched her when she registered the sound of her mother’s voice. Rowena Garrity stood with her arms folded over her chest, her back ramrod straight, stormy gray eyes filled with accusations.

“Mother? Wh-what are you doing here?” She pulled away from a groggy and confused Galen to drag the sheets up to her neck for more cover. Luckily, he had gotten up for a snack in the middle of the night and was only half naked. Too bad the same couldn’t be said for her.

“I’m so sorry, Lace.” Cat stepped in behind Rowena, her cheeks flushed with anger. “She caught me on the way back up from breakfast. I told her she should call first, but, well…” Cat’s disgusted face said it all. Rowena was like a titanium tank. If she wanted in, there was no stopping her.

“It’s okay, Cat. You’re not in the wrong here. Mother, what’s going on?”

“I believe that is the question you should be answering.” In spite of the frost in her tone, true to form, Rowena never raised her voice. She turned her bone-chilling gaze on Galen. He sat up, but to his credit, he didn’t flinch. Or explode into flames. “And you? I would say I expected better, but then we both know that would be a lie. I’d appreciate it if you’d give me some time to speak with my daughter, Mr. Thomas.” She turned to face Cat and dismissed her with a nod. “Mary Catherine.”

Galen’s face was stony. “Ma’am, I’m happy to do whatever makes Lacey comfortable, and if she’d like me to stay, then that’s what I’ll be doing.”

“From where I’m standing it appears you’ve done enough already. Taking advantage of a heartbroken young woman so you could get into her bed after her marriage implodes hardly seems like the act of someone concerned with my daughter’s happiness. She’s in no state to make decisions, and you took advantage like a carrion-feeder.”

Lacey’s whole body shook, but she managed to keep her tone even. “I’m sorry, Galen. You shouldn’t have to listen to this. It’s better if I deal with her on my own. You don’t have to leave, though—we will. Mother, please wait out front. I’ll change and meet you down the path at the café. We can talk there.”

“It was bad enough I had to confide in the staff with those archaic notes, which incidentally, I’m furious at you for disregarding. Now you think I want to discuss your infidelity in public?” Her mouth flattened into an angry slash of red against her ivory complexion.

“Infidelity?” The tenuous hold she had over her emotions threatened to snap, but she hung strong. “After what he did, I hardly owe him any loyalty.”

“Of course you do. We had an agreement, and Garritys always meet their obligations.” She hitched her Chanel bag higher onto her shoulder and waved an imperious hand in Lacey’s direction. “Get a move on. We need to hash this out ASAP so we can put this ridiculousness behind us. I swear, I don’t know what you were thinking. You’re a married woman, for the love of God. Unacceptable.”

Lacey sat straighter, anger handily defeating the initial humiliation of having her mother find her in flagrante delicto. “Don’t throw that in my face. You know perfectly well the paperwork was never filed.”

Galen took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Rowena narrowed her steely gaze. “Semantics. You made vows. Moreover, we signed contracts.”

Lacey allowed herself a short, harsh laugh. “Vows? Those were broken the minute I walked in on him with Becca. As for the merger, that has nothing to do with me. I told Dad to go ahead with it. This is my issue and my life.”

“Well, your father has all of a sudden decided that continuing after Marty hurt you like that would be a betrayal. As a display of his support, he’s decided that the merger is off. If you can’t forgive Marty, neither can he. That’s why you need to come home and give this marriage a chance, Lacey.”

“I hope you’re not suggesting that I spend the rest of my life with a man who was unfaithful to me and who I no longer hold any affection for in order for your business to prosper financially.”

“Our business,” her mother corrected coolly. “The last time I checked, you were a Garrity as well. And I refuse to air out any more of our family issues in front of these people. Meet me at the café in the main hall in fifteen minutes. I’ll get us a quiet corner, and we can deal with this like grown-ups.” She turned on her tasteful spindly heel and swept out of the room without waiting for an answer.

These people. As if they were some subhuman race. Lacey stared at the open door for a long moment, still reeling from the shock. She’d gone to sleep feeling happy and safe and satisfied and had woken up to a nightmare.

“Well, that was awkward,” Cat said, stepping back into the room. Her expressive face was high with color, and Lacey knew it had taken every ounce of her friend’s self-control not to tell Rowena where to go. Despite her mother’s best efforts to get Cat to behave like the low-class broad she’d determined her to be, Cat had always managed to handle herself beautifully. In the past twenty years, she’d never once told Rowena what she really thought of her. By now, she seemed mostly immune to Lacey’s mother’s cold but polite forbearance capped by random, subtle putdowns. But Galen wasn’t used to it, and Lacey could feel the tension pouring off him.

“I’m so sorry, you guys. She has no right to treat you that way. I know she’s a nightmare. Let me get this over with. I’ll talk to her and send her on her way.”

Galen released her hand and nodded. “You do what you need to.” In spite of his words, she could feel the change in him. It was like he’d erected a wall between them in just a few short minutes, and she hated it.

“I won’t be long. Then we can go fishing like we’d planned, all right?” She despised the pleading tone of her voice but couldn’t seem to help it. “It will be fine, you’ll see.”

Galen nodded and rolled to his feet. “Sure thing.”

Cat scowled at him. “Don’t let her get in your head, Lace. Stay strong. We’ll be here when you get back. Come on, bro, let’s go for a swim and let her get ready.”

They left Lacey alone in the bed. Their bed. The look on Galen’s face had about done her in, and she wanted nothing more than to rail at her mother for her behavior. The thought got her up and moving, fueled by her anger. It was time to put her mother on notice. She wasn’t the same woman she used to be before her wedding day. Before Puerto Rico. Before Galen.

And more than that? She wasn’t going back.

Less than twenty minutes later, she stood at the entrance to the café. Sucking in a deep breath, she yanked open the door and stepped inside.

Her mother was already seated, and the hostess led Lacey to the small booth in the farthest corner where Rowena sat with a glass of grapefruit juice and a face just as sour.

She glanced pointedly at the slim gold watch on her wrist, but Lacey didn’t bite. She slid onto the booth and faced Rowena head-on. “I don’t appreciate the way you treated my friends.”

“And I don’t appreciate your tone or the way you’re behaving. I think it’s time for you to look a little harder at the people you call friends.” Her mother plucked up the napkin in front of her, opened it with a snap, and settled it on her lap before meeting Lacey’s gaze again. “A girl who drags you into trouble by the nose since childhood fixes you up with her brute of a brother.” Her voice had risen slightly and a blue vein throbbed behind the thin skin of her forehead. She stilled, took a breath, and folded her hands primly on the table, modulating her tone again. “A brother who pretends to be a gallant rescuer of runaway brides, only to sweep you off to Puerto Rico and take advantage of your vulnerability and wealth. And they should have my respect?”

“No. No, don’t you make it sound like that. Every time something doesn’t go exactly the way you want it to, you start this bull. The manipulation and bending the truth, putting a nefarious spin on everything. Cat is like a sister to me. She’s been nothing but good for me, and Galen came here and helped me through a very rough time. I didn’t pay for his ticket, and he has his own money. They are the best friends I’ve ever had.”

“Well then I suggest you start interviewing for new ones, because a true friend wouldn’t lead you down a path of destruction and heartache or be party to the breakup of your marriage.”

“I. Am. Not. Married.” She all but spat the words, but her mother barely blinked.

The determination in Rowena’s eyes was chilling. “You spoke vows. We had a contract with Marty’s family. The merger is in place. We have made promises to clients about this expansion; there are deals on the table contingent on this going through. This isn’t some child’s game to be tossed aside over a crush. People’s livelihoods depend on this. Already the negative press is damaging our name. We need to make this right, and we need to do it now.”

It took every ounce of self-discipline to keep her voice low enough that the other diners wouldn’t hear. “You know, Mother, people who negotiate these types of arrangements have a name. They’re called Madames. Or pimps, if you prefer.”

Rowena didn’t bother to feign shock or horror. Instead, her shrewd eyes narrowed at the barb. She looked like a snake. “Don’t be such a drama queen. I’m not selling you off to some lecherous sheik. Marty is a nice young man with an impeccable pedigree. Our families are doing what good families have done for generations. Ensuring that our son and daughter settle down with a spouse of equal standing.”

“And in your estimation”—she could feel the pulse throbbing in her temple and fought to keep her composure—“a man who would cheat on his wedding day is my equal?”

Her mother shrugged her slim shoulders and took a sip of juice before responding. “I’m speaking socially. You thought he was fine until his little slip. In fact, you were happy to marry him. As for the man’s character, it’s no worse than most. You always were such a little prude about that. Men are lustful beasts, Lacey. Make your home, make your babies, spend his money, enjoy the club and your social life, and turn the other cheek to the rest of it.”

Lacey drew back, as much stunned that her mother still had the ability to shock her as she was by her words. “You can’t possibly believe that.”

“Oh, but I do.”

“I guess that’s easy to say, since Dad never cheated. Why you would want that for your only daughter, I don’t—”

Rowena’s mirthless, tinkling laugh skated down Lacey’s spine like an icicle. “Oh, darling girl, don’t be so naive. How do you think I got him to buy me the house in the Hamptons? Or that Bentley? Or this bracelet, for that matter.” She held out her hand to examine the diamond bangle with a fond smile.

Lacey’s stomach heaved, and she bit down on her trembling lip. Her mother had always been a dragon, but her father? A distant but doting teddy bear of a man. The one she could count on for a hug or an ear to bend when he was home to give it.

A cheater.

As much as she didn’t want to believe it, when her mother met her gaze again, she saw the truth there, laid bare. She shook her head violently. “No. Not me. I don’t want that. I won’t have that. I want someone who will be honest and loyal and who loves me more than anything else in the world.”

Rowena swept a hand over her flawless updo. “Then get a dog.”

Lacey wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of flinching. “I won’t let you crush this dream for me.”

“Is that what you think you have in your boxer up there? A dream?”

Lacey looked away, refusing to answer.

“Here’s a wake-up call for you, then. If a vapid little man like Marty would cheat, why would you think one woman would be enough for your virile Mr. Thomas?”

Rowena’s aim was true, and the venom-tipped arrow struck home. In spite of Lacey’s immediate denial, she could already feel the insidious effects of the poison infiltrating her thoughts, seeping into her heart. Hadn’t she thought that same thing herself? Hearing her mother reaffirm it made her ill, and every bit of confidence she’d gained since she’d gotten to Puerto Rico drained out of her. What would make her think she could possibly hold a man like Galen when she hadn’t even managed to keep Marty interested long enough? When Marty had cheated, she’d been horrified, furious, and embarrassed. One thing she knew for sure. If she and Galen exchanged vows and then he was unfaithful?

It would break her.

She thought back to their magical night before and resisted the urge to tug at the chain hidden beneath her collar. She’d been so touched by his gift and the meaning behind it, but now she wondered if he’d been preparing her for his eventual departure from her life. All the speeches about her being strong and feeling special whether he was around or not…had he been telling her not to get too comfortable?

She shoved the nauseating thought away as the waitress came by to take their order. Rowena waved her off and when she left, her mother leaned forward, eyes softening a little. “I know I seem harsh sometimes. We both know I wasn’t born with that coddling gene that so many women have. But I care for you a great deal, and as much as I’d like for the merger to go through, I’m also looking out for your best interests. And believe me, darling, it’s in your best interest to marry a wealthy, pliable man and make your own happiness in this world. Men like Galen are nothing but heartache.” Something flickered across her face. Regret?

The truth was suddenly so clear. “Who was he, Mother?”

“Excuse me?” Her smooth brow wrinkled in faux confusion, but the pain in her eyes sealed it.

“The man who hurt you. Who was it? Was it Dad or someone before him?” Lacey pressed. She reached out and took her mother’s hand and for a split, heartrending second, she thought they might have some sort of breakthrough, a moment of honest emotion between them.

Maybe Rowena thought so, too, because she sat back, extricating herself from Lacey’s grasp. “Spare me the melodrama,” she said with a sniff. “This isn’t some episode of Dr. Phil. I’m trying to remind you to be pragmatic. That was never a problem for you until your father insisted it wouldn’t do any harm for you to hang around with the Thomas children.”

Lacey hissed out a breath and tamped down her disappointment. She’d try reasoning with her one last time, and if that didn’t work, she was done. “Cat and I have been friends since forever. I know you’d like to blame her for every little imagined misstep in my life, but she’s the one person I know I can turn to for anything. And Galen didn’t make me run away from my reception. That was all Marty’s doing. In fact, I don’t even know why you’ve come. Surely Marty accepts the fact that this situation is beyond repair. He’s probably relieved that he and Becca can go public now.”

Funny how that thought didn’t even faze her. Galen was right. The two of them deserved each other, and if they managed to find happiness together, more power to them.

“Decidedly not. Marty recognized his mistake that very night and has been almost inconsolable. He desperately wants to reconcile with you. It was only my insistence that you needed some space that kept him from accompanying me here to win you back.” Rowena opened her purse and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. “This is for you. I’ve already spoken to your husband. He’s willing to overlook your abandonment and even the fact that you were here with another man to honor the agreement the two of you made. I expect no less of you.”

Lacey gaped at the marriage certificate in shock. “Where did you get that? Fitz was going to destroy it.”

“When he contacted Marty to let him know of his intention, Marty asked me to intervene. I called Ellory Fitzhume, and she was able to get the document from Allen.”

Fitz, you damned turncoat. “You had no right to do that.”

“It was for your own good. You’re not thinking clearly and none of us want to see you act more rashly than you already have. Come home. Think it over for a week or so, away from the garish lights and nights of debauchery, and you’ll see. This is all a mirage. If I’m wrong, then feel free to pick up with your boxer where you left off. If he actually cares, a few days won’t make any difference, will it?”

She stood and dropped a twenty dollar bill on the table. ”I’ll be at the El San Juan Resort tonight. My flight leaves first thing in the morning, and I’ve purchased a second first-class ticket in your name so that you can join me. Take the night to say your good-byes, then come home so we can deal with this situation as delicately as possible and try to salvage this merger. There’s nothing left for you here, Lacey.”

She strode out of the restaurant without a backward glance. Lacey stared after her for a long moment, grief and fear rendering her immobile. And then she heard the sound of Galen’s voice in her head.

You’re a fighter. You’re stronger than you know, squirt.

She fingered the glove around her neck and stood. Screw Rowena. She was nothing but a lonely, bitter woman who had to control everyone and everything around her. Well, not anymore. Not with Lacey. She’d go back home when she was ready and not before.

She strode toward the exit, more than ready to get back to the villa. And back to Galen.