Darius (Starkis Family #5) (18 page)

“I walked into his dorm room one night and found him banging his ex. Apparently he’d been seeing her behind my back the whole time. Told me she was the one he wanted, not me, and the only reason he’d hooked up with me was because he was hoping to get a job with Dad’s company when he graduated.”

“Jesus,” I said, swiping a hand over my face. “I’m sorry, sis.”

“That’s when I realized who and what I was.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was a Starkis. That meant men looked at me and saw dollar signs.”

It killed me to hear her talk about herself like that, but I couldn’t pretend I didn’t know what she was talking about. I usually believed women saw the same thing when they looked at me. “Not all men. You’re beautiful. You’re smart and funny and—”

“Spare me,” she said, raising her hand. “We both know none of those qualities matter as much as my big fat trust fund.” She closed her eyes, tipping her head back against the couch cushion. “Do you ever think about changing your name and moving to some foreign country where no one has ever seen your picture?”

“Can’t say that I do.” It concerned me that she’d thought about that. I didn’t want to see Catia run away from her family or the people who loved her. “Hun, you just have to choose the right guy. So this Kyle guy was a loser. Doesn’t mean all guys are like that.”

“I know.” A tear glided down her cheek, and she brushed it away. “But do you know how rare it is to meet someone whose eyes don’t light up when you tell them your last name is Starkis?”

“I hear ya. I experience the same thing all the time.”

“How do you handle it?” she asked, sighing.

“I’ve gotten pretty good at reading the signs. If they suggest a five-star restaurant on a first date because they know I can afford it, that raises a warning flag. If they suggest a trip for their birthday or point out all the things they like in a jewelry store window as we walk by, I know that’s not the girl for me.”

“What about Chelsea?” she asked, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

I smiled as I thought about how far removed Chelsea was from the picture I’d just painted. “She’s happy with takeout and a movie.” I gestured around the small living room. “She fell in love with this little cottage just the way it is.”

“She’s right,” Catia said, looking around. “This place is great. If you don’t want it, maybe I’ll buy it.”

As much as I’d have loved to have Cat in the Hamptons more often, I didn’t think I could give up this place now that I knew how much Chelsea liked it. “You wanna hear something funny?”

She smiled. “Sure, I could use a good laugh.”

“You know how Chelsea and her roommate live above that comedy club I bought, right?”

“Yeah, you mentioned something about that when we talked on the phone.”

“Well, when Chase started the reno, the girls had no place to stay. So I moved them into my apartment in the city. Uncle Demi is putting me up in his hotel.”

“Why not just put the girls up in a hotel?” Catia asked.

“I knew they couldn’t afford it, and Chelsea refused to accept ‘charity,’” I said, making air quotes around the word. “So get this—she wants to pay me rent. The same rent she was paying to live in that old dump. I told her I didn’t want to take her money, but she sent me a check with a note telling me she’d move out if I refused to cash it. Can you believe that?”

A slow smile spread across Catia’s face. “Whatever you have to do to make things right with that girl, do it. She is definitely a keeper.”

Chelsea

I was just heading out to the library on Monday morning when someone knocked on the door. Since it was a secure building, I assumed Daphne had forgotten her key again.

I pulled the door open, grinning. “You really need—” The words died on my lips when I saw Darius’s sister, Catia. “Oh, hi. Sorry, I thought you were my roommate.”

She glanced at my purse, which was slung over my shoulder. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“I was just on my way to the library,” I said, stepping back for her to enter. “But that can wait. Come in.”

“The library?” she asked, looking amused.

“I know it’s hopelessly old-fashioned, checking books out of the library, but I love reading, and I just can’t justify the cost of…” I let my words trail off when I realized she could probably buy a whole bookstore chain if she chose to. “Anyway, I wouldn’t have anywhere to put them even if I did buy them. Our apartment is pretty tiny.”

“Speaking of apartments, my brother mentioned you were staying here. I hope you don’t mind me stopping by like this.”

“No, not at all. Did Darius ask you to pick something up for him?” After the way we’d left things, I wasn’t sure he would want to see me anytime soon. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to see him.

“No, I came to talk to you, if that’s okay?” Catia set her huge designer purse on a living room chair. “My brother doesn’t know I’m here, and I’d like to keep it that way, if you don’t mind.”

I didn’t relish the idea of keeping secrets from anyone, but I assumed Catia had a good reason for wanting to keep our conversation private. “Can I get you something to drink or—”

“No, thanks, I’m fine.” She smiled. “Could we sit down though? This may take a while.”

“Okay.” I couldn’t imagine we had anything in common, aside from Darius, but if she wanted to talk, I was willing to listen. Sitting on the sofa while she claimed the chair, I asked, “Are you on your way back to Chicago today?” I wasn’t all that curious about her plans, but I figured small talk was a good place to start.

“Yeah, I have a flight in a few hours.” She grinned. “My father likes me to use his plane, but I prefer to fly commercial just to piss him off.” Giggling, she said, “If I really want to get to him, I tell him I flew coach.”

I smiled, thinking of her sophisticated father flying coach. I couldn’t picture it. Mr. Starkis, like his brother, struck me as blueblood, though I knew neither man had been born with a silver spoon.

“I was hoping I could talk to you about my brother,” Catia said. “I know your relationship with him is none of my business, but I feel like I may have given him some bad advice.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was the one who suggested he tell you that he didn’t have any expectations of you or your relationship.” She winced. “I didn’t tell him to say that exactly, but I have a feeling that’s the way it came out when he talked to you.”

“Something like that.” I felt marginally better knowing Catia had planted the seed in Darius’s mind, but he’d been the one to let it take root, so he had to believe it had some validity.

“I got the sense he was putting too much pressure on you.” She smiled. “Believe me, I know what that’s like. It doesn’t feel good, does it?”

I didn’t feel Darius had been pressuring me. I would have preferred to wait a while before meeting his family, but I wasn’t sorry we’d been intimate. “This is all still new to me, Catia. I don’t have a lot of experience with relationships, and your brother is… well, not like anyone I’ve ever met. So I guess I’m still trying to figure him out.”

“I can understand that.” She crossed her legs, resting her manicured hand on the knee of her chic black pants. “But I know Darius better than just about anyone, and I can tell you he has a heart of gold. When he really cares about someone, he would do anything for them. And he cares about you. That much is obvious.”

“I appreciate that, but—”

She held up her hand. “Please, just hear me out. I know it may be difficult for you to trust people. It is for me. But sometimes trying to be strong, caring for ourselves, gets tiring. It’s nice to have someone to lean on. I have my family. Do you have anyone?”

Her tone was kind and gentle, prompting me to nod. “My roommate is like a sister to me. And the people I work with at the comedy club have always been like family. My neighbor, Maria, she’s like a surrogate grandmother to Daphne and me.”

“I’m glad you have people you can count on.” Catia surprised me by leaning forward and reaching for my hand. “But you have Darius now too, and I’m here to tell you that man would go to the mat for you.”

Hearing his sister make a claim like that made my heart swell. I already knew Darius was protective of the people he loved. That much was obvious from the way he interacted with his family. He wouldn’t let his mother carry heavy platters, and as soon as he’d found out Kara was pregnant, he was constantly re-filling her water glass so she didn’t get dehydrated.

“We’re still figuring this out,” I said, wiping my damp palms on my cotton maxi skirt. “I’m not sure how Darius feels.”

“How do you feel about him?” Catia asked.

Wow, Darius was right. His sister was fearless. “I’ve loved every moment I’ve spent with him. He’s made me feel things I haven’t felt in a very long time, but I’m still not sure we’re right for each other. That’s the part I’m trying to figure out.” That was as honest as I could be.

“Darius hasn’t told me a lot about your past, and frankly, I don’t need to know. It’s none of my business. But I get the sense you’ve been through a lot, and that’s part of the reason my brother has fallen so hard for you. You’re a fighter, and he admires that.”

She would never know how much it meant to me to hear that someone like Darius admired and respected me. He’d made the same claim, but hearing it from his sister made me believe it. She had no reason to lie to make this work.

“I care about him a great deal,” I said, clasping my hands under my chin. “The last thing I want to do is hurt him.”

“There’s only one way you could do that.”

“What?”

“By not giving him a chance.” She reached for her purse. “If you tried and it didn’t work, he’d be upset, but at least he wouldn’t have to wonder what might have been. Trust me, Chelsea, there’s nothing worse than that.”

I got the feeling she was speaking from personal experience. Chase, maybe?

“I should get going. I have a plane to catch.” She stood, reaching for my hand. “I really like you, and I think you’d be good for my brother.”

I smiled, squeezing her hand in return. “Thank you.”

“Would it be weird if I gave you my number and asked you to keep in touch?”

I would never have expected to bond with a woman like Catia Starkis, but no matter what happened with Darius, I could see her becoming a friend. “No, I’d like that.”

She reached into her handbag for a business card. “I know you and Darius have a long road ahead of you, and it might help to talk to someone who knows him well, who can help you put things in perspective.”

She was right. Bending her ear from time to time would help, so I took the card with a smile. “I’ll try not to bore you with my problems.”

She bit her lip, looking more uncertain than she had since she walked in. “I kind of have a favor to ask of you too.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“I noticed you and Chase are pretty friendly.”

“Yeah, he’s a great guy.”

“He is.” She gripped her purse strap tighter. “Kara and Darius are obviously good friends with him, but I don’t want to drag them into my drama.”

“So what can I do to help?” Given how great she’d been about my relationship with her brother, helping her with Chase was the least I could do.

“Maybe you could just keep me posted on what he’s up to?” She blushed. “He barely acknowledged me at the party, and when I tried talking to him, he shut me down right away.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, curling my hand around her forearm. “That must have hurt.”

“It did, but I have only myself to blame.” She sighed. “I think I’d like another chance with him, but I have to be one hundred percent sure before I walk back into his life and ask for one. I’d have to leave behind everything I love in Chicago for a chance with him: my work, my friends, my parents. So it’s a pretty big deal.”

“Sounds like it.”

“I was just wondering if you could give me a heads-up if you think he’s seeing anyone special. I’d hate like hell to miss out on a chance with him because I was too late.”

“Sure, I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”

She gave me a quick hug before rushing to the door. “Thanks so much, Chelsea. You’re awesome. I really hope you and my brother work things out. I’m counting on seeing you at the next family gathering.”

“Thanks.” I waved as she stepped onto the elevator, and I had the sense I’d just made a new friend. A girl could never have too many of those.

***

I was surprised when Darius walked into Exodus later that night, half an hour before last call.

“Hey,” he said, leaning over the bar. “I was hoping we could talk. Can I wait around until your shift is over, drive you home?”

I couldn’t think of anything I’d have liked more. I’d missed him like crazy, even though it had only been a couple of days since I’d seen him. “Sure, I have another hour or so before I can head out. Can I get you a drink in the meantime?”

“Sure. I see a friend over there, so I’m going to go over and say hello.” He pointed toward a beautiful blonde sitting alone in a booth. “It looks like she’s drinking white wine, so I’ll grab one of those for her and a Corona for me.”

“Okay.” I clenched my teeth, hoping he could tell by my jerky movements that I was pissed. He was going to bide his time waiting for me with some cover girl wannabe? That couldn’t bode well for the conversation we were about to have.

“She’s married to a friend of mine,” he explained. “At least, she was last I heard.”

“Oh.” That made me feel slightly better, but when I glanced over his shoulder and saw the way her eyes zeroed in on Darius’s butt, I frowned. She didn’t look happily married to me. “Here you go.” I slid the drinks across the bar. “Shall I start a tab for you?”

He grinned. His cousin was part owner of the club, which meant a tab wouldn’t be necessary. He slid a hundred-dollar bill across the bar before reaching for the drinks. “Keep the change.”

“Darius,” I said, trying to hand it back to him, “that’s way too much. I can’t—”

“There’s my favorite little bartender.”

I cringed inwardly when I heard that voice. He was a regular and hit on me every time he came in, despite the fact I shot him down every time. “What can I get you, Steve?”