Page 85 of Nothing to Deny
“Not as far as I can tell and he goes all quiet when I ask, changes the subject, gets snappy.”
Rather than be angry, or even concerned, it was sympathy that welled inside her. “Poor guy. He’s found the love of his life, and now he’s terrified he’ll lose her.”
“The love of his life should know his past,” Baer said. “She can’t love him if she doesn’t know him.”
And, damn, he was right. She still felt for the guy though. And, come to think of it, Kelly too.
“She can still love him. His work history doesn’t change who he is, it doesn’t change his heart.”
Her fingers slipped between Baer’s like before, apparently, she’d gone to his side again. Stuck in that tractor beam, she didn’t stop until their bodies were in contact. “He should tell her but shouldn’t worry about losing her. She wouldn’t leave him. No woman would do that if her feelings were real.”
Donaghue snickered. “Can tell you’re new to the business.”
“Watch it,” Baer snapped.
“Look, I get it, you wouldn’t be the first Jane to fall for a guy, it happens. Even get scary sometimes. But if they don’t know before and you have to tell her cold, most women can’t handle it. It’s an even bigger deal when you sprinkle in commitment and marriage.”
“Yes, but the truth will come out eventually. If they met through Loretta, there’s a chance she says something. And Holly knows now too. It can’t be that unusual for you to come across clients in the real world, at events or just in the street, when you’re not working.”
“Most don’t say anything.”
“Maybe not, but they’re talking about a life together, a lifetime together, you don’t think there’s any chance of Kelly finding out?”
“Hey, babe, I’m in the full honesty camp too,” Donoghue said, holding up his hands. “Does he want to be married, maybe a couple of kids running around, up to his eyeballs in mortgage payments, when the truth lands? No. Marrying her before she knows would be nutso. I’m just saying, I get why he doesn’t want to put it out there. There’s a chance he loses it all.”
And how would a reveal work on a family vacation? Hadn’t she just been saying to Baer they shouldn’t be loud? If Kelly found out the truth there, the couple didn’t exactly have space and privacy for long heart-to-heart talks, or screaming arguments either.
Mm, yeah, maybe the timing wasn’t exactly perfect. But did they want the family to fall in love with him, only to then have him ousted when Kelly found out the truth? What reason would Kelly give the others if she dumped him?
“They’ll work it out,” she said, maybe because she wanted to believe love could prevail, maybe because there was a chance she’d be facing her own exposure in the not-too-distant future. “If they truly love each other.” She knew what Baer did, her family didn’t. Would their attitudes change how she felt about him? She just couldn’t imagine it. “I’m going to get ready and talk to Holly.”
Finding out a guy was a serial killer or something, sure, that may make a difference to their chances of a future together. Doing what he had to do for his family to survive? How could any woman fault a man for that?
“Holly doesn’t know shit about shit.” Donaghue landed the evil eye on Baer. “I don’t tell my clients everything. If I stress her out, she’s not having a good time.”
“I guarantee she’ll know if her sister is upset. I can talk to Kelly…”
Or could she? Could she trust herself not to tell her cousin the truth? Her position was still that someone should tell her. If that wasn’t Nickson, maybe she’d have to fill the role. Was that just meddling? She didn’t want to be the tattletale, and everyone knew what the messenger got.
Except fear of personal reprisal went further than her cousin going in a huff about her telling the truth. She could also be blamed for blasting the whole relationship apart. And forcreating drama on the holiday. Was there a way out of this that didn’t involve someone getting hurt or embarrassed?
“No time now anyway. Breakfast’s still on downstairs, then we’re going on some hike. Getting out in the fresh air, taking it all in.”
Okay, so there was a plan, that didn’t involve her and Baer spending the day in seclusion. Now knowing they were keeping Kelly in the dark, seclusion sounded like a much better plan. Nickson wasn’t the only one with something to hide either. They’d arrived with secrets, but none that could cause the demise of the woman’s love. This new information? It could turn the woman’s world upside down. How could she face her knowing that?
Would there be time after breakfast to call Roxie? She needed her friend’s strength to build her confidence.
One way or the other, she couldn’t go out the way she was. “I’m going to finish getting ready.”
After gathering a few things from her suitcase, she went back into the bathroom. As she closed the bedroom door, the men seemed to huddle closer again. So the conversation wasn’t over. Was Nickson the only one keeping things from his, temporary or permanent, other half?
No. Don’t give in to paranoia. Roxie was right, after how things ended with Chapman, she was gun-shy. It wouldn’t be fair to punish Baer for another man’s mistakes, but it was difficult to trust her own heart.
What she did know? Baer was honest with her, would be honest with her. Maybe the men were discussing potential ways to tell Kelly the truth, maybe they were just exchanging Squires gossip, or it could be they wanted to figure out the best way to keep their friend’s secret.
Friend?
Nickson was Squires, they’d said that. They didn’t say whether or not he was someone they’d protect, someone they liked, someone they spent time with outside of work. She couldn’t judge Nickson, she didn’t know him well enough to make an accurate assessment of his character.
