you give a damn about, just like me, is your little sister.” Killian blinked. “That's it, isn't it. Hannah. Someone threatened Hannah?”
Cece fiddle with her napkin this time. “I don't even know why I agreed to come here. You live in a very different world than I do, Killian. Even if we did go to school together. You're sweet, you're smart, but you don't know what my family is like. You don't know what my life is like.”
“Tell me then.” He tapped on the table. “Tell me about it. Tell me what it was that made you sign that contract. And I will help you figure a way out of it.”
“And what do you want in return?” Cece asked.
“Nothing.” He was earnest. “I want to see you get out of situation that you clearly hate.”
Cece shook her head. “I don't know how I feel about this yet.”
“You don't like it,” Killian supplied. “I know you don't.”
She sighed. “I don't. But there's no choice.” Cece looked up at him. “You're right. This is all about Hannah, and only Hannah. My father is a drunk, my mother is self-centered, and my brother is an asshole. Hannah is all I have in that family. And I have to do this, for her.”
The waiter appeared and, really without thinking, Killian quickly ordered for both of them. He bundled the server away, then saw the look of anger on Cece's face. She leaned forward. “Who gave you the right to order for me?”
“I didn't.... know you'd have a problem with it.” Killian swallowed.
She picked at the table cloth. “Let me explain this to you, Kay. If you want to help, and you want to be my friend, as it seems you want to be, you don't ever, ever order for me. You don't assume you speak for me for any reason. You don't put words in my mouth, you don't try to put thoughts in my head. That is what my family has done my whole life, and that's what they are doing with this marriage contract. They are trying to think for me.” Cece leaned back in her chair. “And I am more than capable of my own thoughts and decisions.”
Goddamn it. Killian wanted to slam his hand down on the table, but instead settled for a clenched fist underneath. He had just been friendzoned without so much as a whole meal between them. “Cece, I'm sorry. That was presumptuous of me.”
“So you see you really don't know me.”
“I'm sorry.” He repeated. “I'll call him back and you change your order.”
Cece sighed. “Your intentions were noble. And you did order something I'd eat.”
“Well, at least I got that right.” He smiled at her. A moment later, she gave him a weak half smile back and he was relieved to see it. “I just wanted him gone,” Killian admitted. “I didn't want to be distracted, and I didn't want him to overhear our conversation.”
“Discretion is the better part of valor,” Cece said.
“Also known as 'nonya bidness'?” Killian offered.
Cece smiled and shook her head. “Ok, alright, I get it. You didn't mean anything by it.”
“See, that's the smile I'm afraid is going to disappear.”
“I have to protect Hannah from...” She sighed. “They tricked me into this by threatening Hannah. There were three choices. One, the whole family was going to lose the house, the fortune, everything we have and be destitute, two Hannah could married Paul Wainwright and they'd keep everything, or I could marry Paul Wainwright and save the family, which frankly I don't give a shit about, and save Hannah, which is what I do give a crap about.”
“Why on earth would you be saving the family from destitution?” Killian asked. “The Robbe family is one of the oldest families in the county and there's no doubt about your status.”
Cece picked at the table cloth. “My mother has a gambling problem. I thought it was a horse here or there, maybe a quick trip to a casino.” She wiped a finger down the water glass, clearing off a line of condensation. “It's not. She's gambled away most, if not all, of the Robbe family money. And all of it to the
Cece fiddle with her napkin this time. “I don't even know why I agreed to come here. You live in a very different world than I do, Killian. Even if we did go to school together. You're sweet, you're smart, but you don't know what my family is like. You don't know what my life is like.”
“Tell me then.” He tapped on the table. “Tell me about it. Tell me what it was that made you sign that contract. And I will help you figure a way out of it.”
“And what do you want in return?” Cece asked.
“Nothing.” He was earnest. “I want to see you get out of situation that you clearly hate.”
Cece shook her head. “I don't know how I feel about this yet.”
“You don't like it,” Killian supplied. “I know you don't.”
She sighed. “I don't. But there's no choice.” Cece looked up at him. “You're right. This is all about Hannah, and only Hannah. My father is a drunk, my mother is self-centered, and my brother is an asshole. Hannah is all I have in that family. And I have to do this, for her.”
The waiter appeared and, really without thinking, Killian quickly ordered for both of them. He bundled the server away, then saw the look of anger on Cece's face. She leaned forward. “Who gave you the right to order for me?”
“I didn't.... know you'd have a problem with it.” Killian swallowed.
She picked at the table cloth. “Let me explain this to you, Kay. If you want to help, and you want to be my friend, as it seems you want to be, you don't ever, ever order for me. You don't assume you speak for me for any reason. You don't put words in my mouth, you don't try to put thoughts in my head. That is what my family has done my whole life, and that's what they are doing with this marriage contract. They are trying to think for me.” Cece leaned back in her chair. “And I am more than capable of my own thoughts and decisions.”
Goddamn it. Killian wanted to slam his hand down on the table, but instead settled for a clenched fist underneath. He had just been friendzoned without so much as a whole meal between them. “Cece, I'm sorry. That was presumptuous of me.”
“So you see you really don't know me.”
“I'm sorry.” He repeated. “I'll call him back and you change your order.”
Cece sighed. “Your intentions were noble. And you did order something I'd eat.”
“Well, at least I got that right.” He smiled at her. A moment later, she gave him a weak half smile back and he was relieved to see it. “I just wanted him gone,” Killian admitted. “I didn't want to be distracted, and I didn't want him to overhear our conversation.”
“Discretion is the better part of valor,” Cece said.
“Also known as 'nonya bidness'?” Killian offered.
Cece smiled and shook her head. “Ok, alright, I get it. You didn't mean anything by it.”
“See, that's the smile I'm afraid is going to disappear.”
“I have to protect Hannah from...” She sighed. “They tricked me into this by threatening Hannah. There were three choices. One, the whole family was going to lose the house, the fortune, everything we have and be destitute, two Hannah could married Paul Wainwright and they'd keep everything, or I could marry Paul Wainwright and save the family, which frankly I don't give a shit about, and save Hannah, which is what I do give a crap about.”
“Why on earth would you be saving the family from destitution?” Killian asked. “The Robbe family is one of the oldest families in the county and there's no doubt about your status.”
Cece picked at the table cloth. “My mother has a gambling problem. I thought it was a horse here or there, maybe a quick trip to a casino.” She wiped a finger down the water glass, clearing off a line of condensation. “It's not. She's gambled away most, if not all, of the Robbe family money. And all of it to the
Similar Books
