“Can I come in?” she asked, and I sighed, swiping the tears off my face, though I was sure it wouldn’t cover up the hurt.
“I guess,” I mumbled.
The door pushed open and Kelly walked in with wide eyes. “Are you okay?” she asked.
I pressed my lips and shook my head. “I’ll be fine.”
“Boy troubles?”
I shrugged.
She was quiet for a moment, watching me. I avoided her eyes. I hated crying in front of people. Hated it. I didn’t like anyone seeing me weak or vulnerable…no one besides Cane, obviously.
Kelly finally made a move by shutting the door quietly and then taking a step closer my way.
“Problems with Cane?” she asked, and that caught me completely off guard.
My brows drew together when I picked my head up to meet her eyes. I expected to see a soft, sincere expression, but instead her eyebrows were knitted too, her entire face tight and stern.
“W-what?” I asked.
“You heard me,” she said. Even her voice sounded different—sharper, without the soft touch of a southern accent she’d had previously.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’d like to be left alone right now.”
She tilted her chin with an agitated sigh. Pulling her white clutch from beneath her arm, she opened it and took something out. She then tossed the object my way. It was a pair of panties. My panties.
I dropped my legs in a flash, pushing off the bed. “Why do you have these?” I demanded.
“No, Kandy. I think the question is why were your panties in Cane’s suitcase?” She cocked a brow.
I had nothing to say. I was speechless. Utterly and completely dumbstruck. Kelly huffed a laugh, tucking her clutch beneath her armpit, and took a step to the side. She gave my room a sweep with her eyes, walking around like she had nowhere else to be.
“The thing is that I knew you liked him. I’ve always known. I see the way you look at him, like you’re waiting for something to happen. You are head over heels for him, and I get that. I mean, Cane is a handsome man. And wealthy too. He has this way of making a woman feel…wanted.” Her eyes sparked as she took a step toward me. “For a while, I thought it was one-sided, but then the beach happened…and I noticed the way he looked at you, and I’d never seen it before. He looked at you like he wanted fuck you all over that house. I noticed how protective he was of you. I even noticed when you two would disappear at the same times…and then I remembered our last night there, when he called me by someone else’s name.” She pressed a hand to her chin and tapped it, as if she were deep in thought. My palms were slick, my jaw slack as I watched her. “Bits, that’s what it was. Bits. I had no idea who Bits was…until I heard him call you by that name the next morning. But still,” she continued, “I ignored it and gave him the benefit of the doubt. I mean, what would Quinton Cane, a thirty-five year old man with a million-dollar company, want with a girl who is nearly half his age? It just didn’t make any sense, so of course I just considered myself crazy and figured your little crush on him was getting to my head. He did pay you much more attention than me, and he asked a lot of questions about you, but I’d considered it nothing. I needed time to think, so I eventually got back to my senses and paid him a little visit a few nights ago. He wasn’t home yet, so I decided to wait for him…and that’s when I noticed the unpacked suitcase. And that’s when I found those in the side pocket.” She pointed at my panties on the bed. “I remember them very well. Pink with red hearts. I picked them out for you when we went on our little shopping spree in Destin. Remember?”
Her eyes were hard on me. I’d never seen her like this—almost vicious, like she wanted to rip my throat out.
“Kelly, I—I swim at Cane’s house almost every other day. I used his shower and probably just forgot to grab my panties.”
“Oh, Kandy.” She made a tsk noise. “You poor, sweet girl.” She came closer, but was still staring me down. “I may seem like the nicest, most oblivious woman ever, but trust me…I’m not. I notice everything. Just like I’ve noticed how much Cane admires you—how badly he wants to keep you in his life—I’ve also noticed how riled up Derek can get when he’s tested. I know the extremes he would go for his daughter. You are his world, and Cane is his best friend. If he found out that Cane touched you in that way…well, he would never look at him or you the same again. He would despise Cane…quite possibly ruin his life and career. And for you…well, the trust would be broken, don’t you think? Your parents won’t see you as their sweet, innocent, beautiful girl anymore. They won’t know what to do with you.”