She ducked her head, suddenly serious. “I’d rather not.”
“Tell me something,” she asked, not meeting his eyes.
“Yes?”
“You said before that you and Jack didn’t talk at all about me after we broke up.”
Where was this all leading? Reid had no idea. He only knew that the reminder that she’d once been engaged to another man had his gut tightening. He really had no desire to talk about her ex-fiancé. “That’s right.”
“What about before the breakup? You two must have talked about the woman he was about to marry.”
He shrugged, still confused about the direction this conversation had taken. He’d sat her down to try to convince her to accept payment for her hard work.
“What did he tell you about me, Reid? Did he say I was just after his money?”
He hadn’t seen that question coming at all, wasn’t sure how to answer. If he thought hard about it, Reid would have to admit that Jack had in fact insinuated that very thing. “Celeste, what’s this all about?”
She took another sip from her straw, looked away toward the crystal-blue water of the pool. “See, he would have been right to say so if he did. It’s the real reason he left me.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CELESTE COULDN’T REALLY say if her intention had been to shock Reid. But it sure looked like she’d done just that.
She hadn’t had anything to eat all day, just that pot of coffee this morning. And the rum punch was so much stronger than any drink she was used to. Combined with the confusion that seeing Reid always seemed to bring forth within her, the alcohol had gone straight to her head and loosened her lips.
Reid suddenly stood. Dropping several bills onto the bar, he picked up his cell phone and the report. Then he gently nudged her up out of her stool.
“Let’s go.”
Celeste followed without question. The cat was out of the bag now. Might as well get everything out in the open.
He led her to a rental cabana that must not have been reserved for the day and pulled down the privacy flaps. A shiver of apprehension ran down Celeste’s spine when he turned and fixed his gaze on her.
“Care to explain?” he demanded.
She dropped down onto the padded lounger and studied her toes. “I didn’t grow up with any money, Reid. Unlike the way you and Jack grew up.”
“Don’t make assumptions, Celeste.”
“What does that mean?”
But he wasn’t going to allow the switch in topic. “Never mind. We’re talking about you.”
She let out a deep breath. “Why do you think Jack decided he couldn’t go through with the wedding?”
“He got cold feet. It happens.”
She laughed without any real mirth behind it. “He got cold feet because my mother and sister made no secret of the fact that they were very excited about how rich he was. They acted downright giddy.”
Nausea roiled through her stomach at the memories. There’d been times when Momma had come right out and asked Jack about his net worth and how much he was willing to part with to help his future in-laws.
The humiliation had been unbearable.
She sucked in a deep breath. “Jack insisted we needed to get away from my mother and sister, starting with the wedding. Hence the desire to elope—so they wouldn’t be there. He also suggested we consider living on the West Coast afterward. To stay far away from them.”
“You said no.”
“In no uncertain terms. I’m all the family Tara and my mother have. There is no one else. I couldn’t just turn my back on them.”
Reid remained silent, simply waited for her to continue.
“So Jack can’t really be faulted for walking away, can he?” she asked. “I can’t really blame him.”
Reid crossed his arms in front of his chest as he analyzed her. “Is that what you really think?”
She could only nod silently, still staring at her toes.
“What about the fact that he waited until the last minute to do it? Or how cowardly it was to leave you waiting there with a church full of guests? Can you blame him for any of those things?”
“I’m not saying he’s a saint. I’m not defending him. And I’m not defending my mother and sister. I’m just saying I understand why he did it.”