“Shut up,” I rasped. “Go back. You did what?”
“Are you done choking?”
“I’ll choke you in a minute.”
His eyes flashed with amusement. “I told him if he didn’t fix himself up, he could buy back what I own and do it all himself.”
“I thought it was just a family thing.”
“No. I got ten percent when my mother died, and a further fifteen when I turned thirty last year. The twenty-five percent would cost him several million dollars.”
“Wait.” I wiped my mouth and set down my fork. “If he can buy out, why has he never bought out your sister?”
“He doesn’t want her to have the money. He’d rather lose it, long-term, out of spite, than pay up and own the income.”
“Sounds like a stunning way to go out of business.”
“It’d be different if he were peddling newspapers, but he makes more than enough money.” He leaned back in his chair.
Somehow, we’d both managed to make some headway with our food, but now, we were apparently abandoning it.
“Fair point. What happened after you made that threat?”
He stretched his hands above his head. “He said he’d call the lawyer for a valuation.”
I blinked at him. “Would you actually do it? Sell to him?”
“Yes. But he won’t buy it. He’s bluffing his way through it, hoping that I’m doing the same thing. He doesn’t have the patience or the will to run everything the way I do. We both know that.”
“Are you aware this entire situation is slightly screwed up?”
He gave me a wry smile. “More than. Welcome to my life.”
I had to laugh. “Was that all you talked about?”
“I told him I was going to find Perrie. He was more annoyed about that than my threat to leave him to run it on his own.”
“Why?”
“Because he doesn’t actually believe I’d leave him, but he believes I’ll find my sister.”
This was it. This was my moment.
I had to be honest.
“You’ll find her. I’m pretty sure of it.”
He tilted his head to the side, gazing at me intently. “Really?”
I nodded. “One hundred percent.”
“You’re sure.”
“I know. Thing is…I already found her.”
Damien stared at me. The flame of the candle flickered, casting an extra shadow across his face.
His expression was unreadable. His poker face was something else—not even his eyes showed any emotion. There was no way to tell what he was thinking.
I didn’t want to know what he was thinking. I was now officially scared of what was going through his mind, and thanks to the regret coiling its way through me, I was regretting what I’d done.
He sighed. “I know. Fergus called me.”
“Goddamn snitch!” I slapped the table, making the candles jump. “What the hell?”
“He didn’t think you’d tell me by yourself, so apparently, he called me so I could bring it up if you didn’t.”
“I have no idea how I tolerate that man.” All right, I’d been the one being a little sneaky, but still! He’d orchestrated it.
I grabbed my glass and finished it in three large mouthfuls. I was no longer scared—I was pissed off.
“If it makes you feel better, I was subjected to a ten-minute-long rant about why he could never be straight,” Damien offered.
“I had it all afternoon. Try again,” I replied dryly. “Are you annoyed?”
He frowned, his eyebrows pulling together in confusion. “Why would I be annoyed?”
“Because I found your sister and spoke to her.”
“You mean she didn’t run the moment you said why you were there? Fergus didn’t get past the awkward moment you both sat down and stared at him.”
That made me snort. “Yeah, I’ve never seen him run so fast. Forrest Gump would be jealous. Actually, Perrie was pretty interested in my ability to withstand your harassing attempts to buy the bar.”
“Harassing.”
“Yes.”
“Now the fact you had an entire conversation with her makes perfect sense. You’re on her side.” His poker face was back in place.
I wasn’t falling for it this time. I flicked a pea in his direction that he promptly swatted out of the air. “On the fact you’ve made a whole bunch of stupid decisions? Totally. Also, the fact you’re an asshole. That’s something I’ll never change my opinion on.”
“I’d be insulted if you did.” He knocked his foot into mine under the table in a weird moment that felt completely natural. “What did you talk about?”
I took a deep breath and had a drink before I told him everything we’d discussed. I even apologized for bringing up the bank account, but he didn’t really care.
Apparently, it was one more thing he didn’t have to bring up one day.
Typical male.
“So, she’s going to call you?” he asked when I was finished.
“Me or Abby,” I said vaguely. “I might have accidentally offered her an interview.”
Thirty-One
Damien
My eyebrow arched at her admission. The clink of my fork as I set it down on the plate echoed through the room. “You offered her a job? Why?”