Stay the Night (21 page)

The first one was the one she’d shown him in the taxi. He paused on it, entranced. He’d asked her for a copy to keep for himself.

There were a few pictures of blond women who were obvious her sisters, and there was also a teenager who looked like she was also related despite the Goth makeup. He studied it before moving on.

Then he reached a picture of him.

The first one was taken while he sat with ice on his knee, his face in a determined grimace. Frowning, he arrowed forward quickly. There were lots more. Him working out. Him making wheatgrass. Him reading a romance novel. All candid. All showing his limitations.

She was doing her photo essay even though he hadn’t agreed.

He resisted the urge to throw the camera through the window. Instead, he took the memory card and tucked it into his pocket. Then he called his car service and asked for a driver to arrive ASAP.

He was setting the camera back on the table when she walked back in. She smiled at him. “Have I told you how much I love your father’s whiskey? It’s spoiled me for other whiskeys.”

He got up. “Help yourself.”

She stopped, frowning. “Are you going somewhere?”

“To bed.”

“Alone?”

Looking away, he shrugged. “I should rest up. The game is coming up.”

“In a week,” she pointed out. They both stood there, silent, until she finally said, “Are you okay?”

“Just tired.” And stabbed in the back—or his heart. He couldn’t tell. “There’s a car waiting for you downstairs. Let yourself out.”

He felt her eyes on his back as he left the room. A perverse part of him wanted her to run after him and tell him it was all a mistake, that she hadn’t meant to do anything with those pictures. A perverse part of him wanted to ignore that it’d happened and ask her to stay the night—forever.

That was the kicker.

He rubbed his chest, in the center where it hurt, and enclosed himself in his room, locking the door. He wasn’t sure whether it was to keep her out or keep him in.

Chapter Twenty-one

Why did he send her away?

Titania stared out the tinted window. Instead of the London streets, she saw a replay of the evening in her mind. It’d been lovely, filled with laughter and friendship and passion.

Then why had he suddenly gone cold and sent her away? Something must have happened. She glanced down at Psyche.

Dread pooled in her belly. She thought she’d seen him putting her camera on the table, but she figured she was mistaken. Why would he pick up her camera?

But something made her turn the camera on to check the images still on there. She hadn’t backed up the SD card yet, even though she knew she should have.

On the screen, a message popped up that there were no images.

There had to be images—the SD card was almost full from the past week. Frowning, she opened the SD slot.

Empty.

Her heart gripped as the enormity of the situation hit her. She pressed a hand to her forehead. What had she done? She’d lost the most important opportunity that she’d ever been given. She just wasn’t sure if it was photographing Ian or Ian himself.

The driver pulled up in front of the South Street house. She hopped out before he could come around to open her door. She mumbled a thank you to him as she hurried up the steps to the house. She closed the door behind herself and then leaned against it. What was she going to do?

She needed to call Gigi. Pulling out her phone from the pocket of the camera case where she’d tucked it away, she looked at the time and decided to call regardless.

The call went to voicemail. Biting her lip, Titania said, “Gigi, I think I really messed things up this time. You need to come home
right now
. I need you.” She paused and then added, “Please.”

Hanging up, she held her head.

“Titania.”

Startled, she jerked up and hit her head on the door. “Ouch.” Wincing, she watched her mother approach.

Jacqueline’s brow furrowed, concern narrowing her eyes. “Why are you home? I’d have thought your young man would keep you all night.”

She had to swallow a few times to speak. “I don’t think he’s my young man any longer.”

“Oh Titania.”

The instant sympathy in her mother’s eyes almost undid her. She looked away, blinking furiously. She would
not
cry.

She felt her mother’s hand take hers. “Come with me, darling,” Jacqueline said, her voice soft, drawing her down the hall.

Titania followed blindly, glad someone was there to lead her. Her mother guided her to the study, to some cushions laid on the floor in front of the fireplace. Titania folded onto the pillows, hugging a smaller one to her chest, watching her mother wordlessly.

Jacqueline lit the fireplace, even though it wasn’t a chilly night. Then she went to the sideboard and returned with a bottle of tequila, minus the glasses.

She must have noticed Titania’s questioning look because she said, “There’s no evidence this way.”

Titania just held out her hand.

Her mother passed her the bottle. “There’s also whiskey. It’s Rosalind and Portia’s preferred drink, but you always followed your own path.”

“This is so strange,” she blurted out, clutching the neck of the bottle and staring at the woman who’d birthed her, who she didn’t know at all.

“It’s high time, isn’t it?” Jacqueline smiled wryly as she settled onto the cushions, her legs tucked under her. “I spent a lifetime doing what was expected of me, regardless of what I wanted. Such a mistake that was. I don’t want you girls to do the same. There’s nothing worse than waking up one morning and realizing no one around you genuinely loves you.”

She felt a pang of guilt that not even a hefty swig of tequila could erase. She blotted her mouth with the back of her hand. “I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about, darling. I’m the one who needs to apologize.” She paused, obviously hesitating. “Do you want to tell me what happened tonight?”

Titania threw her arms in the air. “I’m such a fool! I should be angry with him for what he did, but it’s all my fault. If I hadn’t done what I did, he wouldn’t have needed to do what he did.”

Jacqueline took the bottle away from her. “I think you’ve had enough, Titania.”

She laughed, but her laugh turned into a sob. “I bollocksed everything.”

“I’m sure that’s an exaggeration.”

She gave her mother a flat look.

“Or not,” Jacqueline acquiesced. She took Titania’s hand, holding it loosely in hers as if giving her room to pull away if it offended her.

Oddly, it was comforting.

“Tell me what happened, Titania,” he mother said softly.

She found herself relating the story, of Cole and how she’d decided to take the pictures even though Ian hadn’t given his permission and how he’d found out.

“And now you have feelings for him,” her mother concluded for her.

She pressed a hand to her head. “I don’t know.”

“I didn’t raise foolish children,” Jacqueline said wryly. “You know how you feel about him. If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t be so obviously upset.”

“Maybe. Definitely.” She winced. “I like him.”

Her mother raised her brow.

“A lot,” she amended.

“
Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, such shaping fantasies, that apprehend more than cool reason ever comprehends
.” At Titania’s blank look, Jacqueline said, “It’s from
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
.”

The Shakespearean play she was named after. When she was a child, she’d refused to read it. Maybe she should now, especially since she was going to have so much time on her hand, with her career being done and no love life.

She faced her mother. “The worst part of it all is that I’m more upset at losing Ian than I am my career.”

Jacqueline took her hand, holding it loosely. “Maybe because you know you’ll bounce back where your work is concerned. You’re too good a photographer for someone not to relent. Your mentor can’t have that extensive a reach. But if Ian doesn’t forgive you, he’s lost.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Is this a pep talk? Because your method needs improvement.”

Her mother smiled from her heart in a way that Titania had never seen. “I’ll see if I can find a book to read on the subject.”

She took a mental snapshot of the moment. This was the quintessence of bittersweet, sad and optimistic all at once. Even if she lost Ian over this, she’d have gained a mother.

Tears filled her eyes. “But I don’t want to lose him, Mum,” she said, emotion clogging her throat.

Jacqueline folded her carefully in her arms. “Then don’t. You’re smart, and you’re resourceful, and you’re lovely. Apologize to him and ask him for a second chance.”

“He’s stubborn.”

“Good thing you are, too.” Jacqueline brushed her lips to Titania’s forehead.

She closed her eyes, inhaling her mother’s perfume. She didn’t have a memory of it from childhood, but now she’d remember it forever as the scent of love.

“Tawny.”

Grumbling, annoyed by her dream, she pulled the blanket over her head and turned over to go back to sleep.

“Tawny.”

The Gigi in her dream was even more annoying than the real one. She pushed the hand away. “Leave me alone.”

“You left me a frantic message that you needed me, so I came home. You can at least do me the courtesy of waking up.”

Maybe if she ignored her dream, it’d stop.

The blanket was yanked off her and cold air hit her rudely. She sat up, her eyes popping open, not sure where she was.

The study. She must have fallen asleep there the night before.

Gigi tapped her foot on the floor, hands on her hips. “Are you awake now?”

“At least you didn’t pour cold water on me,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

Gigi turned around. “I’m fine now, darling. Go on to the office.”

Titania saw Merrick, Gigi’s fiancé, leaning in the doorway watching the scene with unabashed amusement. He walked in to give Gigi a smoldering kiss.

“Jesus,” Titania muttered, shielding her eyes as Gigi purred.

When they finally broke apart, her sister patted her man’s chest. “I’ll be home as soon as I get everything straightened out. Likely this afternoon.”

“Optimistic,” Titania said under the breath.

Gigi turned to face her as Merrick left them alone. “What happened?”

She pressed a hand to her head. “I took Ian’s pictures without his consent, and he found out.”

“And now you’re here cowering?”

“I’m not cowering.” Titania pursed her lips. “I’m regrouping.”

“Mum said ‘regrouping’ included a lot of tequila last night.”

She shrugged. “The woman foisted it on me.”

“Really.” Gigi’s perfect brow arched.

She cleared her throat. “I wonder if you could help me with something.”

“It wouldn’t involve winning a man back, would it?”

“Maybe.”

“Fortunately I have a little experience with this.” Gigi sat on the couch next to her, her smile warm. “But I know a few other people who wouldn’t mind giving you a hand.”

Titania sighed, slouching against the back of the couch. “You’re going to use my misfortune to make me accept the other sisters, aren’t you?”

“I’d never make you do something you didn’t want.”

“Right.” She snorted in disbelief.

Gigi leaned against her, also reclined, looking into her eyes. “You’ve been here how long? If you still think they’re awful, I’ll back off.”

“And now you’re using reverse psychology.” She pouted. “Fine. Gather the troops.”

Her sister flashed her world-famous smile. “You’ll be so happy we did.”

She was already happier than she’d been, and that was saying something.

Chapter Twenty-two

It was strange, realizing this was the last time she’d walk into the Red Witch.

Niamh stood outside the door, took a deep breath, and stepped inside.

Geraldine was in her usual spot, looking annoyed because she actually had to work. Niamh usually handled the after-work surge.

She headed straight to the bar, not comforted by the fact that Geraldine’s sour expression worsened when she saw her.

The older woman set two pints under the beer spigots and began them simultaneously. “I don’t know whether I should throw you out for abandoning me or throw you a party for coming to your senses.”

“I just came to pick up my last paycheck.” But she kept her distance just in case.

“Here.” Geraldine reached under the counter and slapped an envelope on the bar.

“Thank you.” Niamh picked it up and nodded at the beers. “They’re overflowing.”

“Damn it.” Geraldine shut the valves off and glared at them like they were plotting against her. Then she pointed a finger at Niamh. “I’ll never forgive you for leaving me in a lurch, but I’ll never ask you to come back because it’s better this way.”

She wasn’t sure she’d agree, but she nodded as she turned to leave. Waving to a few of the regulars who called out to her, she hurried out of the pub before the tears in her eyes spilled.

Outside, she took a deep breath to calm herself. It would have worked if the old boys hadn’t rounded the corner right at that moment.

“Lass,” Clancy called out to her with a wide smile.

Bennett eyed her closely. “Where were you this week? Have you been sick?”

She shook her head, smiling faintly at Sean who just touched her shoulder. “I left the Red Witch.”

They all gasped. “Who’ll give us beer?” Sean asked mournfully. “I’ve got a powerful thirst.”

Patting his arm, she gave him a watery smile. “I’m sure whoever’s working will build a proper pint.”

“It won’t be the same,” Clancy said just as mournfully. “You’ll still come back to play with us, won’t you?”

“What happened to buying the pub?” Bennett asked, his white brows drawn together.

The tears flooded back. She shrugged, pretending like she didn’t care when it was all she could think about. “It wasn’t meant to be, I guess. I couldn’t raise the money or get any investors.”

“I’ll be an investor,” Sean offered again.

Clancy jabbed a finger in his friend’s direction. “He really is loaded.”