13. Scott

13

SCOTT

I cursed at the calendar as I added my upcoming meetings. My mutterings were typical nonsense, but the way my body reacted with a visceral pain right over my heart was new. I couldn’t fight the passage of time. The end of summer had crept up on all of us.

I’d barely seen Hannah since the day of Liddy's tea party. She kept busy cooking and cleaning, while our schedules kept us coming and going at all hours. Some days I saw no one but my assistant, an older, stubborn man who made my life easier even if he didn’t understand how to put a meeting into my calendar. He’d been part of my business for so long I dreaded the day he finally decided to retire. He’d be hell to replace.

My phone pinged a message from Ryland, and I opened it to find a video of Hannah and Liddy in the pool. Hannah’s sweet voice infiltrated my space and pushed out every thought of business. “Look, she’s swimming.” Her smile made another pierce of pain lance through my heart.

Of all the women through all the years, why was my interest in Hannah so strong and growing stronger over time? I was the perpetual playboy. I loved women. Yet I’d lost all interest in them the moment Hannah showed up in my life.

“Did you see me?” Liddy popped up in front of Ryland’s phone and waved. “Did you see?”

“I saw.” Ryland’s voice held enough warmth to melt the ice caps. “You were great.” The video ended with Liddy leaping backward into Hannah’s arms.

Damn it all. I fisted my hands on the desk to keep from crushing the phone. I’d give anything to be there with her and Liddy. I’d never been more jealous of Ryland. I ached to push back from the desk and go home to my Hannah.

“You’re a fool.” I shoved both hands through my hair and knocked my head against the desk. The empty thuds sounded hollow in the open office. “Sam, I’m leaving.”

Sam hobbled to the door and eyed me over the rims of his thick glasses. “And me, sir?”

“You can go home. You’ll be compensated for a full day.”

A broad grin creased the old man’s cheeks. “Thank you, sir.” His rambling shuffle quickened as he left my office. He grabbed his hat, coat, and cane, and vacated the building. I grinned and shook my head. He was what I imagined Arthur would be like in forty years.

I followed him out, locking the building behind me, and climbed into my car. Should I call Ryland and Arthur and fill them in on my plan or wait until we were face to face? Arthur had a few more hours at work, but Ryland was home. I checked my watch. Hannah would be putting Liddy down for a nap by the time I arrived. She always stayed close by while Liddy slept during the day.

I had my Bluetooth send Ryland a message to meet me in the study and called Arthur to ask if he had anything pressing. “I was just leaving.” He sounded as irritable as I felt. “Why do you ask?”

“Meet me and Ryland in the study when you get home. I have something to discuss.” I ended the call, knowing it would irritate him, then turned my phone off and grinned like an absolute maniac all the way home.

Five hours later, we had everything set up and ready. We’d sent Hannah and Liddy into town with the excuse that I needed my drycleaning picked up and could she stop by the health food store and grab Arthur’s favorite protein drink. She’d been annoyed but did as we asked.

“You’re either a genius or we screwed up big time.” Ryland clapped me on the shoulder. “I’m hoping for the former. Surely all those women have taught you something.”

Surely. I rubbed my hands together, feeling like a little boy who’d just discovered a pile of presents under the Christmas tree. Only this wasn’t for me. Hannah deserved to have us do something special for her.

“Food’s ready.” Arthur strode into the study. He’d been in charge of cooking. Both Ryland and I were menaces in the kitchen. Arthur had been all too happy to kick us both out and take over.

The front bell chimed, announcing her arrival. I headed out of the study and rushed over to take everything from her.

“Did you know the health food store you sent me to stopped carrying Arthur’s protein? I had to go to three different stores.” An annoyed huff fluttered the hair falling into her eyes. “I hope this stuff is as good as its price tag.” She shook her head. Even after months with us, she remained stymied by our spending.

“It’s worth it, love.” Arthur helped Liddy take off her shoes and held out his hand to her. “Can you both help me in the kitchen? I’m afraid I’ve made quite the mess.”

Hannah’s raised a brow, her posture stiffening. We’d meant to make this fun, but it seemed we’d caught her in a foul mood. Oh well. Too late to back down now. The plan was in motion, and if our impromptu dinner party and request didn’t brighten her mood, nothing would.

Hannah pressed her lips together into a flat line but followed Arthur and Liddy into the kitchen. I tagged along behind Ryland, who was trying to record without Hannah noticing. He’d set up a camera in the kitchen to capture her surprise, but the man was never satisfied with just one angle.

Arthur held open the door and bowed slightly. “After you.”

“What’s going on?” Hannah almost stopped but a nudge from Ryland kept her moving forward.

She spotted the massive array of dishes spread across the kitchen island and slammed to a halt. “What’s this?”

“Surprise!” I rushed around to see her face.

Her mouth hung open, her eyes wide and innocent. She raised both hands and covered her mouth. “What did you do?”

“We thought you deserved a party.” A surge of emotion battled to close my throat. “Sorry about the runaround. We wanted to make your last night special since Deena’s coming back tomorrow.”

Hannah deflated at the reminder. “You cooked all this?” She aimed the question at Arthur.

Grinning, he replied, “Most of it.”

We waited for the squeal of happiness but it never came. Hannah walked around the island and examined the dishes that filled the room with delicious aromas. Instead of delight in her eyes, I saw what looked like frustration. Disappointment? That had to be it. She was as disappointed as we were that her job ended tomorrow.

If she truly didn’t want things to end, then we were all on the same train of thought. Ryland, Arthur, and I had a long discussion while Arthur cooked. We’d all come to the same conclusion. We wanted Hannah to stay, but we hesitated to broach the subject before knowing her feelings.

Looking at her now made it clear. I tugged my left earlobe, the signal we’d all agreed on giving if one of us wanted to make the move to bring up the discussion.

“There’s something else.” I helped Liddy onto a stool and bracketed her in with my arms. Hannah raised her head, took in me and Liddy, and a bit of the frown eased. “We’ve been talking about your position here. Now, we promised Deena we’d not replace her, and we will hold to that promise.”

A blank expression fell over her face. It was so sudden and absolute that I almost fumbled my next words.

Ryland took over for me. “We’d like you to stay… as a guest.”

“We love having you both here.” Arthur joined the conversation. He’d hit close with that one word: love. Was that what we all felt for her? It would be a first for me.

Tears gathered in Hannah’s eyes. Her face crumpled and she covered it with her hands. Tears of happiness? No. I’d seen those before. This was the other kind. Tears of heartbreak. But why?

“Hannah?” I set Liddy on the floor and rounded the counter. “What’s wrong?” I held out my arms to embrace her.

She held me off with a palm to my chest. “Don’t.”

“What’s happening here?” Ryland sounded as confused as I felt and Arthur looked.

“I can’t stay.” Hannah scooped Liddy into her arms and held her between us, almost as though she needed comfort or a shield. “You’ve all been wonderful to me and to Liddy.”

Liddy squirmed until she faced Hannah and put her little hands on her mother’s damp cheeks. “What’s wrong?”

A question we’d all like to know. I dropped my arms to my sides. My stomach churned. The rich foods waiting for us smelled like defeat. “Hannah, please talk to us.”

She shook her head, sending hair flying around her face. “This is our last night in the house. Tomorrow morning, we’re going home.”

“This could be your home.” I considered pushing. Reminding her how much Liddy loved it here, and of all the things we could offer them both, was the kind of dick move I made in business dealings with assholes. I’d never treat Hannah that way. I wanted her to want to stay. Staying out of obligation or because of what we gave her defeated every emotion I’d felt these last few months. Our nights together meant nothing if we had to bribe her.

“Why are you crying, Hannah?” Arthur moved to stand beside me. Ryland stayed back, probably realizing that all three of us in such close quarters might push Hannah further away. “What can we do to help?”

“Nothing.” She hugged Liddy close. “Just let us go home, back to our lives.” Let her forget this summer ever happened . She didn’t have to say the words for me to hear them spoken in her sweet tenor.

We’d given her all of ourselves, had wanted to, and I’d thought she felt the same. When did it change?

“Is there nothing we can say or do to convince you otherwise?” Arthur asked.

She hiccupped a sob. “Thank you for being so good to me. And to Liddy. We’ll never forget your generosity. The only thing I need is for you to leave me alone.” Hannah fled the room with Liddy wailing that she wanted to stay.

Generosity? That’s what she called our passionate nights?

“What the fuck just happened?” Ryland crossed to the counter and stopped the recording on his camera. His topknot dangled like he’d been tearing at the strands of hair. “What did we miss? I thought?—”

“Me too.” I offered a commiserating shrug. “We all thought it.” We’d thought she would be happy to stay.

“Any ideas when she decided she was done with us?” Pain bracketed Arthur’s mouth. Poor bastard. Hannah leaving like this had to be dredging up some painful memories for him.

“Are we sure the whole thing wasn’t her playing us?” The stinging bite of anger prickled across my skin. I slept around, but I never led anyone on, never made them think the sex was anything more than that. What we’d had with Hannah was beautiful and exciting, the kind of thing love was made of. I growled and gripped the edge of the counter before I gave in to the urge to shove all the food onto the floor and stomp it until it looked like how my heart felt. Arthur’s feelings were the only thing that stopped me.

“Do we listen to her wishes and leave her alone or confront her?” Arthur seemed at a genuine loss.

“Leave her alone.” Ryland confirmed my thoughts.

I resisted the need to lash out by the slimmest shred of control. “If she wanted to work it out, she’d have stayed to talk. Face it, Arthur. It’s over.”