“You don’t know that for sure.”
Blair stopped moving, and her gaze pierced her assistant. “Melissa. Neither one of us hides from the truth. It’s not the time to start.”
Melissa stood. “I’ll get us both a glass of water.”
Blair knew she should be getting ready for her deposition. She should be preparing to face Garrett in the conference room, but all she could do was relive her kiss with him in the Vandemeer kitchen. How she’d thrown herself at him. How he’d been just as eager to kiss her. But that was before she’d overheard him and Neil fighting over who would win the contest. Was that his true motivation? So why had he told her he still loved her? To try to earn points in some pissing contest with his cousin? She knew they had a rivalry, but this . . .
Her office door opened, and Melissa walked in with a huge bouquet of flowers. “These were just dropped off.” Her eyes flashed with anger as she set them down on Blair’s desk.
“Who are they from?”
Melissa hedged. “I didn’t open the card.”
Blair stomped over and snatched the card from the middle of the flowers. It was a beautiful bouquet of red roses and white lilies. They were her wedding flowers, so she knew who’d sent them before she even read the card.
Blair,
I’m gutted. Please let me explain.
Forever yours,
Neil
“Blair?”
She spun around to see him looming in the doorway, a wary expression on his face.
Melissa hurried over and began to shove him out of the room with a surprising amount of strength for someone so slight. “I told you that you can’t come in here.”
Blair sighed and shook her head. “He can come in.” No matter the outcome, she needed to talk to him. There were too many complications to walk away without ever seeing him again. Melissa left the room, but she gave Blair one last significant glance before shutting the door behind her.
“Blair.” Neil rushed to her and tried to pull her to his chest, but she pushed him back.
“No.”
He took several steps backward and raised his hands in surrender. “Okay. Your rules, Blair. Just tell me what to do so I can fix this.”
She shook her head. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“Can I explain what you saw? Please?”
“I have a deposition in fifteen minutes, Neil. Fifteen minutes.”
“Blair.” He reached for her hand. When she didn’t pull away, he continued. “I know things got out of hand last night, and you have no idea how sorry I am. I confronted Garrett about cornering you in the kitchen and . . . Let’s just say I couldn’t stand by and let him insult you like that.” His brow lowered with indignation.
“What are you talking about?”
“He was bragging about how he could win you from me.” He took a deep breath. “He was rude and disgusting about how he planned to go about it, and I refused to listen to him talk about you that way.”
“What way?”
He moved closer to her and slowly slid an arm around her back. “Darling, don’t make me tell you. I had enough trouble listening to him say it. So I hit him.”
Neil had to be one of the most non-confrontational people she’d ever met. She had a hard time picturing him throwing a first punch, yet she’d clearly seen them scuffling in the pool, and there was no denying the bruise under his eye now.
“I really don’t have time for this. I have to be ready for this deposition. Now more than ever.”
He slowly ran his hands up and down her bare arms. “Darling, we were both angry last night, and things got out of hand. But we’re getting married in two days. All I ask is that you think things through before you make any hasty decisions you’ll regret.”
She didn’t respond. Perhaps he had a point.
“I know you have a lot on your mind. The last thing you needed was for my cousin to turn up and try to humiliate you. And then there’s Nana Ruby.” Her name rolled off his tongue as though it imparted a bitter taste. Then he looked into Blair’s face. “But there’s something I didn’t tell you.” He lowered his eyes. “The reason I’m putting up with her shit.”
She gave him a look of irritated disbelief. This sounded a lot like a con job. “Go on.”
“Her inheritance.” He licked his lower lip. “She has thousands of acres right outside the Springfield city limit. Her land is probably worth millions, though she hardly acts like a woman of wealth and class. If I piss her off, she’ll cut me out of the will.”
Blair’s eyes narrowed. “That seems unlikely.”
“You don’t know her like I do. You didn’t spend every summer watching the two of them huddled together over horses and literal shit in the barn, while they pretended I didn’t exist.”
She backed up and put her hands on her hips. “And thus your need to best him.”
His face softened. “No, Blair. It’s not like that.” He was quiet for a moment. “Garrett’s a player, through and through. He assesses a situation and tries to figure out the best way to milk it to his advantage. He’s only close to Nana Ruby because he wants the land all to himself. And the best way to do that is not only to get into her good graces, but to alienate her from me.”
She shook her head. “That seems like a stretch.”
“You knew him before, right? He was the boyfriend who broke your heart in law school. He tried to rekindle your relationship last night in the kitchen.”