I could say no. Tell him I was loopy from the cold and didn’t know what I was saying. But it wouldn’t feel right after his truth bomb. “It’s not much of a secret either, and nothing compared to what you just told me. Silly, when you think about it.”
“Indulge me.”
“Fine. Bex was suspicious when the band I sang with the night we met—the one I turned down—called me out of the blue and begged me to do this one job with them. They offered me my own suite for the weekend, with two adjoining rooms and all the spa amenities, along with a nice fee for a one-night performance. No bar band, even if they’re working all the time, can afford thatkind of generosity. I knew it, and they basically admitted it to me. That I was a special request.”
“That does sound suspect.”
I agree. “Bex did some digging and found out it was a Finn family gathering, that Kate and Tanaka, both of whom have a very personal stake in getting her to talk to them again, were going to be here. She’s been avoiding them since that night. She figured they knew I was spending all my time with her, and they thought she’d come as my plus one and be?—”
“Trapped,” Michael finishes for me. “Or at least, inconvenienced enough for her to give him—or them—a chance to apologize face to face.” He nods his head slowly. “It sounds like something he would try, especially if all regular channels were closed. He’s not a fan of the word no.”
“Exactly what Bex thought. I was going to turn it down, but she asked me to come here and tell her everything that was happening instead. I don’t know what she was expecting. No one spilled any secrets she’d be interested in. At least, not around me.” My smile is wry. “I admit to liking gossip, but I’m no Nancy Drew. Still, I can do anything for a weekend if it will make her feel better.”
“You’re a good friend.” Michael licks his lips. “Win, what happened that night was?—”
“Unacceptable,” I interrupt grimly. “And avoidable. Believe me, I’ve told her exactly that, multiple times.”
“You don’t blame the attackers? Her boss?”
“I have plenty of blame to go around. But she didn’t just volunteer for the job, Michael. It was her idea. She was pushing to get off the computer and out from behind the concierge desk. She wanted a dangerous assignment.”
“Why?”
“She’s got her wrong-headed reasons, but believe me, she’s also gotten a taste of my intervention wrath. I made slidesand everything.” I snag another macaron. “Let’s talk about something that makes me feel less like kicking someone in the balls.”
His flinch is so small I would have missed it if I weren’t looking. “So, unemployed investigating researcher Michael Demir,” I say with a little grin. “You got the name but none of the cool toys or playboy lifestyle? Just a traveling cubicle? How did that happen?”
“That’s not a subtle subject change.”
“But you’ll tell me because you still owe me more back story after my overshare.”
He nods slowly. “Okay then. But I should start at the beginning. Mom spent a summer in Paris after high school to immerse herself in art. My father—who she later learned was married at the time, though not to Bellamy’s mother—swept her off her feet for a few weeks, and then he moved on and she went home. When she found out about me, she let him know. Not because she wanted anything from him, but because she thought it was the right thing to do. He was already divorced and dating yet another runway model, but he didn’t deny it or send his lawyers after her. Just set up an extremely generous account for my upkeep, requesting I keep his name and that he be given a say in my education. There was some paperwork involved, and she signed it.” His eyes narrowed on mine. “I never blamed her. The ranch has been in our family for generations, and they were barely scraping by before I came. She didn’t want me to grow up struggling.”
The former Demir patriarch had been beyond rich by all accounts, so he could probably afford to change a few families’ lives without it even making a dent in his world. He was practically in the “I can build a phallic spaceship for kicks if I want to” club.
“So he gave you a tutor and his name, and enough money to help keep your mother worry free.”
“He managed his problem and utilized an asset to its fullest potential,” Michael corrected, the remaining warmth in his expression disappearing so swiftly I almost shiver with its absence. “But we weren’t worry free. Which is why I mentioned avoiding town. People talk in small towns. And our family gave them plenty to talk about.”
Oh. I can imagine. Two confirmed bachelors and a pregnant, unmarried sister mysteriously coming into large sums of money. That would do it. People could be such cruel, nosy assholes.
I almost apologize for bringing it up, because that is a truckload of baggage he’s holding on to. Not that I don’t have a similar set labeled “Fashionably Resents Parental Figures.” I just like to hide it in the back of my closet and try to forget about it whenever possible.
Great job, Win. He saves you and cooks for you, and you send him into a depressive spiral about his shitty dad. Why don’t you talk about LBJ’s dick again, you ruiner?
I can’t leave things like this. Something tells me he’s been simmering in it for a while now, especially with this whole brother situation. He said it wasn’t going well. Are his feelings about his father getting in the way of him connecting with Bellamy?
“You know, I’m supposed to singJust the Way You Areby Billy Joel at the party on Sunday,” I say casually, feeling him out. “The matriarch of the Finns is a Piano Man fangirl. Did they ever tell you about the time your brother tried to win Seamus back by hiring him to sing for his future mother-in-law?”
“What? No. No one’s mentioned that.”
“My information is only thirdhand, since I heard it from Bex, who heard it from Brady Finn. But from what I understand, he closed down the entire block, enlisted most of the Finns for helpand brought in Billy to sweeten the pot before he proposed to Seamus. It was insane, but very romantic. They’ve been married for almost ten years now, and his devotion appears unwavering. To Seamus and their children.”
I’m not out here trying to be Bellamy’s fluffer or anything. I just want Michael to know that he doesn’t sound like their unfaithful father to me.
“I always thought he was like the rest of them,” he says, confirming my thoughts. There’s a hint of regret in his voice. “Spoiled. Shallow. Careless with money and oblivious to the human fallout they leave behind.”
I hold up my hand. “I won’t lie to you. In my paycheck-to-paycheck opinion, Bellamy Demir is obviously a little careless with his money. And if he hadn’t funded Bellamy House to shelter and protect victims of sexual abuse, or donated a ridiculous amount to the city, I would probably judge him a little for it. I’m pretty sure his husband did when he first met him. Seamus is a well-known champion for the underdog.”
