He opened his mouth to speak, but I held up my hand. “It was the same thing when we went to the party in Pennsylvania. You didn’t tell me Lyla would be there because you didn’t think I would go with you.”
“That’s not the reason. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think it was relevant.”
“The same way you didn’t think telling me yesterday was relevant. I can perhaps understand you not telling me the first time. But I can’t understand you not telling me yesterday.” Stony silence filled the trailer. Both of us staring at one another. Accusation in my eyes. Confusion in his.
In my heart, I now knew there was nothing between him and Lyla, but I was too far down the rabbit hole to come back out. “If there’s nothing between you, why did you kiss her?”
“She caught me by surprise.” He blew out a breath and slumped onto the sofa, his hands clasped between his knees. “I opened the car door for her to get in, and when I turned around, she launched herself at me. It took me a few seconds to register what had happened. I’d drank way too much bourbon, and my reflexes were slow. When my brain kicked into gear, I pushed her away and told her there was nothing between us and there could never be anything between us. She must have had photographers nearby to take photos. She had it all planned.”
I hung my head and closed my eyes. “You could have explained yesterday. If you’d told me you would be with her last night, sure, I would’ve been irritated, but I would’ve gotten over it, and we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“We wouldn’t be in this mess if you’d answered my calls.”
I barked out a laugh. “You did not just say that. We wouldn’t have been in this mess if the night of my mom’s cookie exchange I hadn’t gotten in the car with you. I should’ve said no. I should never have agreed to be your plus one. You said we all make mistakes. You’re the biggest one I’ve ever made. I’ve never regretted anything more.” I hadn’t meant to say any of that, but the fury monster beating against my chest refused to back down.
The hurt in his eyes almost made my legs buckle, but I would stay strong.
“What are you saying, Pearl?”
I drew in a lung-filling breath. “I’m saying this is over, James. Like you, I no longer believe in love.”Chapter Twenty-Three - JamesWhen Erin and I reached the bottom of the courthouse steps, she threw her arms around me as the paparazzi snapped photos and yelled questions in our direction. “I can’t thank you enough, James. I’m relieved this is over, but I could never have done it without you.”
“You know he’s going to appeal.”
“I don’t care. Everyone sees him for who he truly is now. Screw the money. I’m going to donate all one-hundred million. I don’t want anything that was once his. The only thing I care about is him not being able to hide his true colors. I can finally move on with my life. I’m glad it’s over.”
I was glad it was over too. We got lucky. The court caseload wasn’t backed up, and the judge signed off in record time. Instead of six months, the whole process took six weeks from beginning to end.
The case had been a trying one. Not because it was overly difficult, but because everywhere I turned, I saw Pearl.
In the New Year, both of us returned to work as if nothing had happened. She accepted her promotion to associate. I congratulated her, and she thanked me. There was a coldness in her eyes now. A sharpness to her tone.
A constant frown lined her forehead, and her lips were often drawn into a grim line.
On Christmas night, after she told me it was over, I got back in my car and left. She’d offered me the sofa for the night, but I’d refused. She’d made her decision. I didn’t like it, but I would respect it. I still ached to for her. My arms and my bed were empty without her.
If I were a weaker man, perhaps I would have chased after her. Bought her flowers, gotten down on my knees, and begged for forgiveness, but I wasn’t a weak man.
Lyla denied any knowledge of sending Pearl anything. She would never admit it, but she knew that I knew it was her. I’d completely cut her out of my life.
After one last hug, Erin got into her waiting car, and I went back to the office. January always brought a landslide of new cases. The holiday season wasn’t a time of joy for everyone.Grant Taylor stepped into the elevator. “Nice one, James. Another job well done. Not that I expected anything else.”