he was gone, Lanie turned back and raised an eyebrow. "You two aren't–"
"No! Lanie, I'm not sleeping with my boss."
"Oh don't act like it's so unheard of. He's gorgeous. And rich."
"Another rich man is the last thing I need right now."
Lanie's expression instantly brightened. “Now it's your turn to spill. What do you mean by that?"
Mara bit her lip. It probably wasn’t a good idea to talk about the situation but how was she supposed to figure things out if she couldn't tell anyone? It was impossible to get an unbiased opinion from her usual group of friends because they all knew Trent as well. It wasn't fair to put them in the middle and ask them to choose sides. And she needed to talk to someone about this strange situation.
"Have you ever heard of a guy pretending to be poor? Like instead of flashing his wealth around, he lives like a normal person, driving a normal car even though he has a lot of money?"
"Um, no. Most guys do the opposite. They buy a car they can't afford and dress flashy so they can make women think they have more money than they actually do."
"Right. I didn't think so. But it turns out Trent comes from a wealthy background but he never told me."
"Oh. Well, maybe his last girlfriend was a gold-digger," Lanie suggested.
"Maybe."
"Is that why you've looked so sad lately?" At Mara's nod, Lanie put an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sure he had a good reason. He probably thought he was just being cautious."
"You're right. That's what I've been telling myself." Even though she didn't really feel it, Mara forced herself to smile.
It worked because Lanie instantly looked relieved. "It'll all work out in the end. I've seen the way he looks at you. He's crazy about you." She glanced at her watch. "I'd better get to my desk. I'll treat you to lunch today. You look like you could use a break."
* * * * *
TRENT CLIMBED THE stairs to Matt’s house and rubbed his hands. There were really only two ways this could go and he was trying to ignore the gut feeling that it was going to end painfully.
Or with blood.
He pressed the doorbell and then leaned against the stair railing. His friend had purchased the one story ranch house in a quiet, middle class neighborhood. He’d been so proud when he’d bought it. Trent had several properties around the world but he’d been more excited to help his best friend move into this modest home than about anything he’d ever purchased for investment.
After a few more minutes, he shifted restlessly. He didn’t hear anything but figured someone was home because both Matt’s truck and Penny’s sedan were in the driveway. Whether they’d open the door when they saw it was him, that wasn’t certain. Finally the door swung open and Matt stood in the doorframe, a scowl on his face as he looked at Trent.
“All bets are off now, huh?”
Trent must have looked as confused as he felt because Matt looked at his outfit with disdain and clarified, “Nice monkey suit. No more pretending to be normal?”
Trent looked down at the suit he’d forgotten he was wearing and sighed. He knew Matt was angry but he’d never been on the receiving end of his friend’s volatile temper before.
“I was never pretending with you. Any of you. I guess it might seem that way but I wasn’t.”
“Yeah? I’ve never seen you look like an insurance salesman before.” Matt snickered but he moved aside so Trent could enter the house. He had to count that as progress. The television was set to a news station and there was a beer on the coffee table. Matt ignored him and sat back down in front of the television.
“I’m only wearing this because I need to go into the city. This is what I wear when I do that. Mara can tell you that.”
Matt shrugged and kept his eyes on the screen. “So why are you here?”
“I have to go back to New York. I want to take Mara with me.”
“You're asking permission now?” Matt didn’t move but Trent could feel the frustration coming off him in waves.
Knowing his friend as well as he did, Trent figured it had to be killing him not to say any more. Matt had always been crazy over-protective of his sister especially when it came to the guys she’d dated. Hell, he’d helped Matt intimidate more than a few of them. Which was why Matt’s tacit approval of his relationship with Mara had meant so much to him. There was no greater vote of confidence than for Matt to think that he was good enough for his sister.
Even though he knew he wasn't.