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Her smile was bittersweet "I don’t think he wants ave Cade an apologetic look and hustled off before he could ask further questions
It was cowardly of her to run, but she couldn’t handle things at theShe didn’t knoho--or what--to believe anylanced up from his bottle of Scotch as someone sat down at his table To his surprise, it looked like his friend, Cade He closed his eyes, and then rubbed the tooup a bottle and sniffing it He winced "Jesus, ged "Alcohol is alcohol"
"And you’re not one to drink" Cade waved solass, please? And taters" He turned back to Jonathan "So, you want to say what’s bothering you?"
Jonathan poured hi rotten, that’s what"
"Odd thing to hear fro down lost cities"
"All dumb shit to pass the ti o, he’d had Violet and she was carrying his childand he’d pissed it all away to go gallivanting around the world with ato be his friend and iven up Violet His Violet Jonathan rubbed his face again and ain "Cade, I’m such a fool"
"Is this about that lovely woman who just ran off?" Cade sipped his drink, his expression friendly and understanding Of course Cade wouldn’t judge hied anyone If ever there was a man who deserved to be sainted, it was Cade Archer Jonathan couldn’t even hate hiliet out of here fast enough"
He stared down into his glass, thinking of Violet’s wary brown eyes, her se "She is beautiful, isn’t she? She makes my heart hurt just to look at her I see her face, and I see everything I could have had" He shook his head and wanted to bang it on the table in frustration "But I don’t have any of it I have nothing"
"That’s a bit dra him "You’ve turned your family’s fortunes around You’re one of the wealthiest men on the planet You’re a benefactor for dozens of charities You’re never cruel, you’re generous with your rinned at the last part "It can’t be all bad, can it?"
"But none of it ripped his tuive it all up in a heartbeat to know she loved ain"
"I don’t think she hates you," Cade said quietly "She wouldn’t be this unsettled if she did"
"What do you know? You’ve never lost anyone you loved You have a perfect life"
"Perfect," Cade echoed, and his sly brittle "Are we confessing our sins, then? All right" He leaned forward and poured hi at Jonathan "I’ve loved and lost, too"
"Who?" Jonathan didn’t believe hi shit toof his drink and considered it for a tiain "Daphne Petty," he said slowly
Didn’t ring a bell Sounded familiar, but Jonathan’s brain was skunked at the moment "Am I supposed to knoho that is?"
Cade’s expression was rueful "You ht be the only one in the world that doesn’t Audrey’s sister Reese’s Audrey" When Jonathan’s expression remained bland, Cade continued "Reese Durham? Your buddy in the Brotherhood? Ladies’ er The one with the purple wig and the plastic bikinis and the tattoos?"
A azine last month?"
"Probably"
"Yeah, I think I jerked off to her" He hadn’t, not really Violet was the only one who got his dick hard He just wanted to wipe that cheerful look off of Cade’s face
"Asshole"
"So you’re in love with her?" If he was thinking of the right girl, she ild and more than a little badly behaved Didn’t seeer?"
"I was in love, yeah Back in the day" Cade considered his glass "She got fairl anymore, and I don’t knohat to think All I know is that I feel like she’s the one that got away" He gave Jonathan a thin smile "So You’re not alone in the heartbreak corner"
He was surprised to hear all of that co from Cade "Yeah, but you didn’t destroy her life, did you?"
"No, she seeh on her own," Cade said flatly
"Well, I destroyed Violet" Jonathan thought of the pain in her eyes A baby There had been a baby and he’d never known She’d lost it after she’d gone home Had it been because she was so stressed and unhappy to be abandoned? Probably He could lay the blame for that at his own feet, as well It just made him hate himself more "I’ve drea moment And now I find out that she hates ut" Despair threatened to overwhelet her back now Ever"
"Maybe it’s time for both of you to start over," Cade said "It’s been ten years You’re both different people than you were before"