Series: The Laws of Opposite Attract Series by Vi Keeland
Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
I opened my mouth to apologize, to say I was just tired. But when I did, that wasn’t what blurted out. Words raced fast and furious. “Brayden is the younger man I’ve been telling you about. I’m so sorry. I had no idea you two knew each other. Neither did Brayden.” I closed my eyes, hating the way I’d delivered the news, yet relieved that it was out there.
“Brayden?” Caitlin said.
I peeked one eye open. “Brayden. Brady. They’re the same person. My Brayden is your Brady.”
She blinked a few times. “You’re dating my ex-boyfriend?”
“Yes. No.” I shook my head. “I mean yes, the man I’ve been talking to you about is Brayden, but we’re not dating. I mean, we were, but we aren’t anymore.”
My daughter’s forehead wrinkled. She averted her eyes, staring off into the restaurant dining room for a long time while I waited on pins and needles. Confusion was still all over her face when she turned back. “He’s seen me naked. I’ve seen him naked. I slept with him.”
I cringed. “I’m so sorry, Caitlin. I had no idea. I never would’ve gotten involved with him if I’d had an inkling of suspicion you two were somehow connected. I was hesitant enough because of his age. Even if you guys were friends it would’ve probably been too much for me to handle. I had no clue.”
Caitlin had always been an easy read for me. I knew when she was upset, even when she tried to hide it. But at the moment, I had no idea what she was thinking. Her face was a cross between confused and something else—angry, maybe? She lifted the napkin from her lap and tossed it on the table in front of her.
“Did you sleep with him, too?”
“No.” I shook my head. “God no. Thankfully things between us didn’t get that far.” It made me sick to think how close we’d come, though. If Caitlin had been five minutes later getting to the elevator, or if I’d been five minutes later to come down, Brayden and I would’ve gone along on our merry way to dinner and…after dinner. Though I wasn’t about to share that.
“What are you going to do now?” she asked.
“Well, obviously whatever had been going on between us, whatever we’d started, is over. I haven’t figured out what to do about the project we’re working on together.”
Caitlin looked anywhere but at me. It reminded me of when her father and I had first started dating. She’d seen me as a woman trying to take her mother’s place. She’d resented me so much that it took almost a full year for her to look me in the eyes. It broke my heart to think we could be back there now, after all we’d had to go through to get to the other side. Caitlin wasn’t just my husband’s daughter; she was my daughter, and my very best friend. Or at least she was…
I reached across the table and took her hand. “Caitlin?”
Her eyes shifted to me.
“You believe me, right? That I had no idea who he was and would never do anything intentional to hurt you?”
“Why wouldn’t I? That’s what you said.”
Her tone sounded more sarcastic than certain. But I’d had all night to let everything sink in. She was likely still in shock. I squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry this happened.”
Caitlin frowned. “Yeah, me too.” She looked over at my plate. I’d ordered an egg-white omelet and fruit, but hadn’t touched a bite of it yet. “Are you finished with breakfast?”
My stomach was tied in giant knots. I couldn’t possibly eat. “Yeah, I’m done.”
“I need to get on the road.” She pushed her seat from the table and stood. “I have a few conference calls this afternoon when I get back.”
“Oh…okay.” I looked around for the waiter and raised my hand. “I just need to pay the check.”
“I’m going to wait for you outside the restaurant.”
I forced a smile. “Sure. I understand.”
After, we walked to the elevator bank. Neither of us said a word. Once we were inside and the doors slid closed, I turned to her.
“I’ll meet you down in the lobby in fifteen minutes to check out? We can walk out together?”
She nodded but kept her eyes pointed at the ground. “Sure.”
Inside my room, I was relieved to have a few minutes alone. It had been hard to breathe with the thick tension in the air. Since I’d been up all night, my things were already packed and ready to go. There wasn’t much I needed to do before going back downstairs. I thought about calling Brayden, or maybe texting to let him know it was done. But that would inevitably cause an avalanche of questions, none of which I felt prepared to answer. So instead, I lay back on the bed, closed my eyes, and tried to meditate.