Not Quite Over You
Page 54
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She was looking forward to the party. It wasn’t every day a regular person like her got to hang out with royalty. She had no idea what Bethany’s parents were like, but based on Bethany herself, she would guess they were pretty cool.
Silver had just finished the second trailer when an unfamiliar car pulled up by the open gate to the parking area where she stored the trailers. The car door opened and Silver’s stomach sank as Drew’s mother stepped out. Silver looked around desperately for an escape route. Before she could find one, Irene was approaching and there was nothing to do but smile as graciously as she could.
“Mrs. Lovato. This is a surprise.”
Irene, well dressed and well preserved, looked her over. “Yes, I would imagine it is. I want to talk to you about my son.”
Silver instantly flashed on the scene from the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice—the one where Lady Catherine de Bourgh told off Lizzie for being involved with Mr. Darcy. She hoped this conversation went just a little better.
“All right,” she said slowly, telling herself that regardless of the assault, she could more than handle herself.
“Drew is going to be taking over the bank from his grandfather,” Irene began. “Do you know this?”
“Of course. He loves working at the bank.” She smiled. “I suppose they’re well suited for each other.”
Irene waved her hand as if dismissing the humor. “It’s all but done. I’m sure Libby will make a run at it but no one wants to work for her. No, it will be Drew.” Her expression softened. “He’s such a wonderful man. Warm and caring, intelligent. He understands people.”
Silver sensed a trap, but she couldn’t see it. “Okay,” she said slowly.
“He has a wonderful future ahead of him. He could go anywhere, do anything. Opportunities are just waiting for him. His father and I have connections all over the world. We know people. People in power. People with money. Drew was meant for more than this ridiculous little town.”
“Then he should take advantage of what you’re offering,” she said, not sure of the other woman’s point.
“Unfortunately, Drew has an oversize sense of responsibility. His default position is to take care of someone else, rather than himself.”
Silver wanted to say that was a good thing, but she suddenly realized where Irene was going.
“You think I’m standing in the way.” Silver shook her head. “It’s not like that between us.” She didn’t know what it was, exactly, but she knew that there was no permanent commitment. If Drew wanted to leave, he would.
Irene’s expression turned calculating. “I would believe you except you have a child together and doesn’t that change everything?”
“Autumn is eleven. She has parents. Whatever Drew and I are to her, they come first. They always have. It’s how we wanted it.”
As she spoke, she felt something odd in her chest—something she couldn’t define. It wasn’t a pain, exactly. More of a certainty about... She pushed the feeling away.
“I’ve never used Autumn to trap Drew,” she said firmly. “Not back when I was pregnant and not now. I don’t know what hold you think I have over Drew, but you’re wrong. Any problems you have with him are of your own making.”
Irene motioned to the trailers. “Really? This isn’t you trapping him? This isn’t you trying to seduce him into thinking this tiny world is enough for him? Doesn’t it strike you as odd that he chose to go into business with you? Why this? Why not a tech company start-up?”
“I have no idea. You should ask your son.”
“You think you’re so smart, but you’re wrong.” Irene leaned toward Silver, her gaze intense. “You can keep him in the short term, but one day he’s going to wake up and realize he doesn’t belong here, and then he’s going to leave you. And you’ll have nothing.”
Shades of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Silver thought, trying to find the humor in the situation. She half expected Irene to say she did not send regards to Silver’s mother.
“Whatever you think I want from Drew, you’re wrong. You don’t know me or anything about me.”
Irene smiled. “You’re mistaken. I know far more than you think. I know you’re in love with him and that, my dear, will be your downfall.”
Irene walked away without saying anything else, which was probably for the best as it was all Silver could do to stay upright. She felt as if she’d been hit in the stomach and all her air had rushed out.
Love him? Love him! No. She didn’t. She couldn’t. It was a ridiculous idea and only a crazy person would ever imagine she and Drew were anything but business associates who, ah, slept together and had a kid. But that didn’t mean anything—it couldn’t. She knew better. She’d worked so hard not to be like her mother, falling in love at the drop of a hat. She’d been determined to be strong, to define her own life on her own terms. She’d never done anything simply because of man.
Only she had. Not in a volume way, like her mother, but she’d done plenty in the name of Drew. Even doing things so she didn’t have to deal with him was sort of the same thing as doing things because of him, wasn’t it? She hadn’t gone from man to man, but maybe that wasn’t about being strong. Maybe it was about...about...
She sucked in a breath and hung on to the side of the trailer to keep from collapsing to the ground. The truth bitch-slapped her a couple of times while her brain slowly, oh so slowly started to believe.
The reason there hadn’t been a string of men in her life wasn’t because she was some badass who had her act together. No, the truth was far more humbling. She’d never fallen in and out of love like her mother because she couldn’t. She’d given her heart to Drew when she’d been all of eighteen years old and she’d never taken it back. She’d been in love with Drew this entire time.
While the feelings had been dormant, they’d never gone away. They’d been there, lurking like some recurring virus. Being around him had brought everything to the surface.
She was a fool and she’d always been a fool. In some ways she was worse than her mother. At least her mom had always had the dream of finding the one. At least she had hope. All Silver had was the realization that she would love Drew for the rest of her life, and the knowledge that, as Irene had pointed out, one day he would wake up and realize this town wasn’t for him, and then he would be gone, taking her shattered heart with him.
* * *
SILVER ARRIVED AT the party-planning meeting still reeling from her emotional realization. She didn’t know what to do with the information, let alone what it meant. The only thing she was sure of was that she had to try to act as normal as possible—a goal that proved impossible the second she walked into the conference room.
Drew was already there. Not only did her heart start thudding the second she spotted him, she was instantly overcome by indecision. Did she sit next to him? As far away from him as she could? What was she supposed to say? How should she act? What if he guessed? What if he felt sorry for her?
The last thought had her wanting to bolt for the door, but she forced herself to square her shoulders and move into the room. At all the meetings, she’d sat next to Drew. She would do the same today, and then she would be fine. Perfectly fine.
Silver had just finished the second trailer when an unfamiliar car pulled up by the open gate to the parking area where she stored the trailers. The car door opened and Silver’s stomach sank as Drew’s mother stepped out. Silver looked around desperately for an escape route. Before she could find one, Irene was approaching and there was nothing to do but smile as graciously as she could.
“Mrs. Lovato. This is a surprise.”
Irene, well dressed and well preserved, looked her over. “Yes, I would imagine it is. I want to talk to you about my son.”
Silver instantly flashed on the scene from the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice—the one where Lady Catherine de Bourgh told off Lizzie for being involved with Mr. Darcy. She hoped this conversation went just a little better.
“All right,” she said slowly, telling herself that regardless of the assault, she could more than handle herself.
“Drew is going to be taking over the bank from his grandfather,” Irene began. “Do you know this?”
“Of course. He loves working at the bank.” She smiled. “I suppose they’re well suited for each other.”
Irene waved her hand as if dismissing the humor. “It’s all but done. I’m sure Libby will make a run at it but no one wants to work for her. No, it will be Drew.” Her expression softened. “He’s such a wonderful man. Warm and caring, intelligent. He understands people.”
Silver sensed a trap, but she couldn’t see it. “Okay,” she said slowly.
“He has a wonderful future ahead of him. He could go anywhere, do anything. Opportunities are just waiting for him. His father and I have connections all over the world. We know people. People in power. People with money. Drew was meant for more than this ridiculous little town.”
“Then he should take advantage of what you’re offering,” she said, not sure of the other woman’s point.
“Unfortunately, Drew has an oversize sense of responsibility. His default position is to take care of someone else, rather than himself.”
Silver wanted to say that was a good thing, but she suddenly realized where Irene was going.
“You think I’m standing in the way.” Silver shook her head. “It’s not like that between us.” She didn’t know what it was, exactly, but she knew that there was no permanent commitment. If Drew wanted to leave, he would.
Irene’s expression turned calculating. “I would believe you except you have a child together and doesn’t that change everything?”
“Autumn is eleven. She has parents. Whatever Drew and I are to her, they come first. They always have. It’s how we wanted it.”
As she spoke, she felt something odd in her chest—something she couldn’t define. It wasn’t a pain, exactly. More of a certainty about... She pushed the feeling away.
“I’ve never used Autumn to trap Drew,” she said firmly. “Not back when I was pregnant and not now. I don’t know what hold you think I have over Drew, but you’re wrong. Any problems you have with him are of your own making.”
Irene motioned to the trailers. “Really? This isn’t you trapping him? This isn’t you trying to seduce him into thinking this tiny world is enough for him? Doesn’t it strike you as odd that he chose to go into business with you? Why this? Why not a tech company start-up?”
“I have no idea. You should ask your son.”
“You think you’re so smart, but you’re wrong.” Irene leaned toward Silver, her gaze intense. “You can keep him in the short term, but one day he’s going to wake up and realize he doesn’t belong here, and then he’s going to leave you. And you’ll have nothing.”
Shades of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Silver thought, trying to find the humor in the situation. She half expected Irene to say she did not send regards to Silver’s mother.
“Whatever you think I want from Drew, you’re wrong. You don’t know me or anything about me.”
Irene smiled. “You’re mistaken. I know far more than you think. I know you’re in love with him and that, my dear, will be your downfall.”
Irene walked away without saying anything else, which was probably for the best as it was all Silver could do to stay upright. She felt as if she’d been hit in the stomach and all her air had rushed out.
Love him? Love him! No. She didn’t. She couldn’t. It was a ridiculous idea and only a crazy person would ever imagine she and Drew were anything but business associates who, ah, slept together and had a kid. But that didn’t mean anything—it couldn’t. She knew better. She’d worked so hard not to be like her mother, falling in love at the drop of a hat. She’d been determined to be strong, to define her own life on her own terms. She’d never done anything simply because of man.
Only she had. Not in a volume way, like her mother, but she’d done plenty in the name of Drew. Even doing things so she didn’t have to deal with him was sort of the same thing as doing things because of him, wasn’t it? She hadn’t gone from man to man, but maybe that wasn’t about being strong. Maybe it was about...about...
She sucked in a breath and hung on to the side of the trailer to keep from collapsing to the ground. The truth bitch-slapped her a couple of times while her brain slowly, oh so slowly started to believe.
The reason there hadn’t been a string of men in her life wasn’t because she was some badass who had her act together. No, the truth was far more humbling. She’d never fallen in and out of love like her mother because she couldn’t. She’d given her heart to Drew when she’d been all of eighteen years old and she’d never taken it back. She’d been in love with Drew this entire time.
While the feelings had been dormant, they’d never gone away. They’d been there, lurking like some recurring virus. Being around him had brought everything to the surface.
She was a fool and she’d always been a fool. In some ways she was worse than her mother. At least her mom had always had the dream of finding the one. At least she had hope. All Silver had was the realization that she would love Drew for the rest of her life, and the knowledge that, as Irene had pointed out, one day he would wake up and realize this town wasn’t for him, and then he would be gone, taking her shattered heart with him.
* * *
SILVER ARRIVED AT the party-planning meeting still reeling from her emotional realization. She didn’t know what to do with the information, let alone what it meant. The only thing she was sure of was that she had to try to act as normal as possible—a goal that proved impossible the second she walked into the conference room.
Drew was already there. Not only did her heart start thudding the second she spotted him, she was instantly overcome by indecision. Did she sit next to him? As far away from him as she could? What was she supposed to say? How should she act? What if he guessed? What if he felt sorry for her?
The last thought had her wanting to bolt for the door, but she forced herself to square her shoulders and move into the room. At all the meetings, she’d sat next to Drew. She would do the same today, and then she would be fine. Perfectly fine.
