Free Trade Off by Cheryl Douglas Page A

late to get it back.
    “I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”
    “How can you say that to me?” He knew putting her on the defensive was the worst course of action, but he couldn’t contain the anger and frustration anymore. “You destroyed me, both of you. What you did… what you both did… that was the worst kind of betrayal. If it had been anyone else, maybe I could’ve come to terms with it, but Neil? Why the hell did it have to be him?”
    “He was the only person who understood what I was going through when you left. He knew how much I missed you because he did too.”
    “You sure as hell had a funny way of showin’ it. How long before you two jumped into bed together?” The shock that registered on her face told him he was seconds away from losing her all over again, but he knew if he didn’t say all the things he’d been dying to say for years, it would continue to eat away at him.
    “Is that why you asked me out tonight? Is that why you wanted me to work with you… so you can chastise me for what I did to you?”
    He pushed his chair back and raked a hand through his hair. He often had to keep his emotions in check on the ice, but this was different; there had never been this much at stake in a game. “No, I’m sorry. Damn it,” he said, clenching his jaw. “I don’t mean to attack you, but I’m just tryin’ to figure out why the hell you did this. Every time we talked about gettin’ married, you said you wanted to wait until you graduated college, but with Neil…”
    “In hindsight, I should have waited to get married. I was too young and much too naïve to make a decision like that.”
    Knowing that he wasn’t the only one living with regrets gave him some peace of mind. “Do you wish it hadn’t been him?” He stared at her, trying to decide if he was brave enough to ask the question he’d harbored for almost a decade. “Do you ever wish you’d married me instead?”
    “Only every single day,” she whispered.
    He was too shocked to speak until he realized she was getting to her feet. “Wait, where are you going? You can’t drop that on me and then walk out.”
    “I have to go,” she said, setting the napkin on her seat. “If I stay, I’ll say things I shouldn’t and that wouldn’t be fair to you or Neil.”
    He reached for her hand. “Please tell me you’ll still work with me. I need you.”
    “No, you don’t.” She smiled, a sad, wistful smile that fell short of reaching her eyes. “But I’m not too proud to admit that I need you. My business had taken a pretty hard hit lately, and the commission from your sale would help us to keep our head above water a while longer.”
    “Okay, so you’ll set up some more appointments?”
    “You didn’t like any of the houses we saw today?”
    He refused to let her look away when he said, “None of them were the one.”
    “How do you know?”
    “We both know that when you find the right one, you just know.”

Chapter Seven
     
    Aiden had an appointment to view houses with Sela later that day, but before he faced her again, he needed to talk to someone who could help him put the situation into perspective, someone who had known him his whole life.
    “Is Ryan in?” he asked the young lady sitting behind the desk at Titan Records. She looked young, perhaps a college student who needed a summer job. Aiden had little doubt his friend had a hand in hiring her. She was the kind of woman Ryan usually preferred: young, beautiful, and temporary.
    “He’s in a meeting, but I think they’re just wrapping it up. Can I get you a cup of coffee while you wait?”
    “No, thanks.”
    Luc Spencer, the founder of Titan Records and Ryan’s father, walked through the glass doors with a scowl on his face until his eyes landed on Aiden.
    “There he is,” Luc said, grinning as he walked toward Aiden. “Sorry I couldn’t make it to the party at your parents’ house the other night, kid. Marisa and I were in Malibu.”
    “No