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beats before it broke. Any moment now, her whole body might just fall apart, and all she could do was stare at the library door, hoping against hope that Lucas might suddenly appear through it and rescue her.
But he didn’t.
Felicia sidled close, while still smiling and ushering people towards the dining room. ‘I don’t know who you really are, or what your intentions were in being here, but I suggest that you go and pack your bags.’ Her voice was a whisper, but there was no mistaking the edge in it. ‘I’ll have a taxi waiting for you when you return.’
Dory nodded. ‘I’m Tyler’s assistant,’ she offered, but Felicia shook her head.
‘I don’t care. You’re never going to visit here again. It doesn’t matter who you are.’
It was true, Dory realised. It didn’t matter who she was. Not to these people – they’d hate her regardless. And in a way… it felt strangely freeing.
Any hopes and dreams she’d had about her and Lucas were over now, as much as it hurt to think it. Even if he could forgive her, she would never live this down. Never be welcome at Midfield House again. Never move past this moment. Not while she was in the States.
But that wasn’t all. She couldn’t work for Tyler now – how could she go back to the office and face him? And that meant that she couldn’t keep up the illusion of her perfect Manhattan life any longer.
A weight lifted from her shoulders at the realisation. She’d had enough of pretending, anyway.
She thought of her emergency credit card, tucked in the pocket of her suitcase. This, even her father would have to agree, definitely qualified as an emergency.
It was time to go home.
***
Lucas slammed the library door behind him. ‘What the hell, Tyler?’
‘Don’t you be mad at him,’ Cheryl snapped. ‘We’re not married anymore, remember?’
‘Trust me, I know.’ And he gave thanks for it everyday. He wasn’t the same man who’d married Cheryl, and he never wanted to be that person again. ‘So why the charade? Why rope Dory into our family mess?’ God, he couldn’t think about Dory now. He was still too angry, too confused. He needed to get things straight with his brother, first. Then he’d deal with her.
‘Dory?’ Cheryl asked. ‘You were kissing your assistant?’
‘I didn’t know you were going to be here!’ Tyler said, which Lucas thought probably wasn’t going to help his case.
‘Let me see if I’ve got this right,’ Lucas said, keen to understand what the hell was going on before Cheryl started berating Tyler for kissing another woman. ‘You were secretly dating – God, no, engaged to – Cheryl and got photographed. Mum demanded you bring the new girlfriend to visit and, knowing you couldn’t bring my ex-wife home for Christmas, you roped your assistant into being your fake girlfriend in return for a plane ticket home for New Year.’
Tyler nodded. ‘That’s about it.’
‘You did what?!’ Cheryl screeched. ‘So what? You’ve been playing happy families with her all weekend?’
‘Look, you two can fight out that part of it later,’ Lucas said. ‘What I want to know is – when did you tell Dory about Cheryl?’ Because if she’d known all along, if she’d agreed to this ridiculous scheme knowing exactly what she was doing… he wasn’t sure he could forgive that.
‘I didn’t,’ Tyler said, miserably. ‘She figured it out this morning, when she answered my phone when Cheryl called.’
‘I was trying to get hold of you to tell you I’d be here tonight,’ Cheryl said, defensively. ‘I wanted to talk about telling everyone about us. I didn’t know you had your other woman here.’
‘She’s not… it’s not like that. She was doing me a favour, so my family could have a nice, straightforward Christmas without all the angst.’ Tyler sighed. ‘I just didn’t want to drive my brother away entirely. Was that so bad?’
Lucas didn’t want to sympathise with him, but it was hard not to. He had a point, after all. If he’d known Cheryl was coming tonight, he’d have headed home hours ago. If he’d known she was dating Tyler, he might not have ever come back. It was hard enough leaving his real life behind a few times a year to pretend to be an Alexander again. But despite everything, he loved his parents, even his brother. And he’d always figured that he could give them this much, at least, to keep his family together.
Looked like he and Tyler were more similar than he’d ever wanted to admit.
With a sigh, Lucas dropped into a chair, his anger rapidly fading. ‘So this… thing with you two. It’s serious? You’re really engaged?’
Tyler gave him a sheepish smile. ‘I love her, man. I always have. Since the first day I saw her.’
‘Oh, baby!’ Cheryl launched herself at Tyler, and Lucas looked away into the fireplace.
Since the first day I saw her. How had he not noticed? His brother had been in love with his wife and he hadn’t even known. Even when he figured out that Cheryl most wanted him for his position and prestige – and not at all once he’d changed, once he’d given those things up. And the equally hard realisation that he’d loved what she represented – success, his place, his parents’ approval – more than he loved Cheryl herself. Did she really love Tyler? Or was this more of the same?
Did it matter, when Tyler loved her so much?
It did, Lucas knew. But it wasn’t his problem to fix. Tyler had what he wanted, at last. And Lucas had his own life to sort out.
Dory hadn’t known, not all along. But she’d lied to him that afternoon and kept it secret from him that evening, even as she fell into bed with him. What the hell was he supposed to do with that?
He needed to talk to her, even if he had no idea what to say. Getting to his feet, he started for the door, but stopped at the sound of Tyler’s voice.
‘Lucas? About Dory… She wanted to tell you, man. She wanted me to tell you, to make things right between us, and when I wouldn’t… she was going to.’ Tyler winced. ‘I might have… well… threatened her. Just a little bit.’
Cold fury rose up in Lucas’s chest; all the anger he hadn’t felt watching Tyler kiss his ex-wife exploding now at the thought of him threatening Dory. ‘What did you do?’ he asked, keeping his fists clenched at his sides. But if his brother’s answer didn’t satisfy him, he might not be responsible for his actions.
‘I told her that if you found out the truth before we left here on the 26th, she wouldn’t get her ticket home for New Year.’ Tyler glanced down at the floor. ‘And, uh, I might have suggested that she wouldn’t have a job afterwards either.’
‘When was this?’
‘A couple of hours ago, I guess. She’d just finished getting ready for the party.’
And she’d come to his room. She’d come to tell him and he’d dragged her into bed.
‘Look, tell her I’m sorry, yeah? And the job’s still hers if she wants it.’ Tyler pulled an envelope with a bow on it from his jacket pocket. ‘And give her this?’
Her ticket home. Scowling, Lucas took it. ‘I need to talk to Dory. You two… be happy or something.’ Lucas yanked open the library door. He was going to fix this mess, once and for all. And then he was taking Dory back to bed, with no secrets between them this time.
***
Dory crammed her belongings into her case in record time, but Felicia still had a cab ready and waiting when she got down the stairs. She’d changed into jeans and a sweater, leaving her burgundy dress on the floor of the bedroom. She was never going to wear it again, and she needed the suitcase space.