For someone that doesn’t know which side I want to be on, I sure am screwing one person over right now.
“And what did he do with his mother?”
“I’m not doing this.”
“Tara, it’s okay. I’m only asking.”
“I know what you’re doing.” I cross my arms and steady my gaze. “I don’t want to pick sides, okay? Whatever’s going on with you guys, leave me out of it.”
“Did Kellen tell you something’s going on?”
I groan and look at the sky. “Please, Hugh. I’m just the gardener.”
“The gardener and the girl that used to be best friends with Cait. Don’t think I’ve forgotten who and what you are. Yes, you’ve been good and quiet out here, working in the sun, laboring away. But I remember. We all remember what happened to that poor girl. I’ve kept you around because you do a good job, but you had a deal with Orin, not with me. Do you understand?”
I want to scream. This manipulative bastard. He’ll stoop to any low to get what he wants. If I thought Kellen was bad, Hugh is worse, or at least so much more blatant about it.
“Don’t make me get involved.”
“And don’t force me to rethink your employment and housing. You’ve gotten a great deal. Good pay, free cottage. We even pay healthcare, don’t we? God, what a nice little life, and you seem to enjoy it.”
I grip my gloves in both hands and tug at them anxiously. “This isn’t going to work.”
“Sure it will. What was Kellen talking about with his mom?”
“I don’t know, okay? All I know is they spent time together, then he came out here and helped me work. I think he was upset about her condition and doing some physical labor helped him forget.”
“Very quaint, but if you think Kellen gives a damn about his mother, you’re insane. That man doesn’t care about anything in this world except money, power, and himself, so don’t fall for his bullshit. Remember, he left for years, and he’s only back now because he’s a shark and he smells blood in the water.”
“I don’t want to get involved either way.”
He nods, still smiling. “Understood, but unfortunately Kellen seems to have involved you regardless. From now on, I want you to tell me what he says as soon as he says it. If you want to keep this job and you want to stay in your cottage and live this comfortable life, you’ll need to prove that you’re a loyal member of this family. No more free rides.”
I clench my jaw. A thousand responses flit through my mind, most of them starting with fuck you, you stupid— but instead I only nod once and glare at him, not trusting myself to speak.
“Good,” he says and turns away. “I’m glad we’re on the same page. I’ll be back and I hope you have something interesting to tell me when I am.” He waves and walks off, whistling to himself.
I watch him go, seething.
I want to scream at him. I want to hunt down Kellen and scream at him too. No part of me wanted to be involved in this stupid farce of a power struggle but now I’ve been pulled into both camps, and I don’t even know what to do. On the one hand, I can back Kellen, marry him, and hope he wins—even if that’s a long shot. Or I can back Hugh, spy for him, and keep the life I’ve built over the last seven years. I won’t own the gardens, but I’ll get to work them, and that’s been enough to keep me content and sober all this time.
Both are a risk, but one’s less of a risk than the other.
“Did you have a nice chat with Hugh?”
This time, I jump up and yelp. I whirl around and there’s Finn standing at the other end of the cactus patch, smiling and poking at a saguaro cactus, one of those iconic tall tubular monstrosities.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Just listening to your chat.”
“Jesus fucking hell, are you seriously spying on me?”
He shakes his head. “Nah, not spying on you. I’m spying on him.” He nods toward where Hugh just left.
“You’re insane. You’re all absolutely insane.” I groan and tug at my hair.
He shrugs like, yeah, probably and waves a hand in the air. “The status of my mind is unimportant. I think we need to have a quick talk.”