He pursed his lips. "It wasn't as if we were on a date. It was all business. She made that pretty d.a.m.n clear."

"Yeah, and you know why?" She leaned across the table.

"Yeah, I know why. Because getting involved with someone like me would be stupid. I'm not worth it."

Fraya opened her mouth then closed it. She sat back in her seat and regarded him thoughtfully.

"What?" he asked. "It's true. I know she realized she'd screwed up by...well, never mind."

"I know you two slept together."

"Oh. Well. We never should have done that. For some twisted reason, I thought she actually cared about me. Like I said, she made it clear that night she didn't."

"Oh for G.o.d's sake." Fraya stared at him, shaking her head. "This is priceless."

"What?" He frowned and took a sip of his hot coffee, hoping some caffeine would clear his head and put him in a better mood. Because this conversation sure as h.e.l.l wasn't doing it.

"Don't you get why she was making it all business?"

"Uh..."

"She was protecting herself." She leaned forward. "She thought you were in love with someone else. She thought you were using her. And on top of that, her a.s.shole boss was telling her to sleep with you to keep you out of trouble."

Dylan's jaw went slack and he almost dropped the cup of coffee he held. "Huh?"

"I guess she never told you the things he said to her. She also never told you that her job was on the line and that if she didn't succeed in getting you back to San Amaro and cleaning up your act, she could lose her job."

"Uh. No. She didn't tell me, but Tim did." He sat there gaping at her. "Her boss sent her to Tahiti to sleep with me?"

"No! He sent her there to bring you home. It wasn't until later that he suggested doing that. Which was long after it had already happened, I understand."

Heat slid up into his face. "Well."

"After he said that, she was determined to stay away from you. She was so angry that her boss thought she would do something like that. Angry and hurt. And she was angry and hurt when you took her home and then went back to the party without her."

He was having a hard time making sense of all this. "I'm not in love with someone else."

Fraya smiled.

"You were hurt when she backed off, weren't you?"

He frowned.

"Yeah, you were." She grinned. "I really think you two need to talk."

His eyes widened. "Tell me about it! I've tried to get hold of her for days! Not that I had much time, but s.h.i.t, she wouldn't take my calls, I couldn't find her anywhere, and n.o.body would help me get hold of her."

"Really? You tried?"

"Yes! They took her away and replaced her with that dumba.s.s Tim. Sorry." He rubbed his forehead. "He's not really a dumba.s.s, but he's not Brooke. You know? I know I screwed up and I really didn't mean to make her lose her job. f.u.c.k!" He stared down at his coffee. "She doesn't have to put up with a boss who talks to her like that! Did he really expect that she would do something like that?"

She shrugged. "I guess he did. She loves her job. Not her boss, but she likes working for Jackson Cole. I told her she should sue him for s.e.xual hara.s.sment. Or quit."

"She doesn't want to quit."

"Nope." She glanced at her watch. "I have to go." She slid out of the booth.

"Fraya."

"Yes?" She turned back.

"Brooke's lucky to have a sister like you. Family like you."

Her eyes softened. "Thanks. I thought you might want to punch me."

He shook his head. "I'm the one who should be punched."

She gave him a slow smile. "There might be hope for you, Dylan Sch.e.l.l."

Then she walked out of the restaurant. He watched her, struck by how much the way she moved was like Brooke. From the back, if her hair was longer, it could be Brooke.

The waitress returned with his breakfast. He ate mindlessly, forking up scrambled eggs and melted cheese, stabbing the tines into pieces of melon and strawberries.

Jesus Christ. What kind of douchebag was Brooke working for? No wonder she'd been so adamant she had to get him home to San Amaro. And keep him out of trouble.

Once again, he had to wonder if she'd slept with him for the sake of keeping her job. But he didn't have to think very hard about it. What had happened in Tahiti hadn't been planned, he was certain of it, and she'd tried so hard to keep things businesslike between them when they got back.

The food in his stomach turned to a rock. He knew he'd gotten her in trouble, he'd known when Tim had told him he'd be working with him instead of Brooke. Now it was driven home to him even more that in that thoughtless, careless night of partying, trying to distract himself from the fact that Brooke had wised up to the fact that he was not someone worth caring about, trying to pretend he wasn't jealous of those other guys she'd been flirting with and dancing with, he'd hurt her. He'd hurt her career. He was an a.s.shole.

He'd been hurt, but he'd also been thoughtless and selfish and stupid that night, going back to that party without Brooke. He hadn't even thought of the impact his actions would have on her. He hadn't been thinking about himself either, but whatever the consequences of that were for him, he'd deal with it. But the consequences for her...f.u.c.k.

He called himself all kinds of names. He'd f.u.c.king let her down and all she'd done was be loyal and generous and caring. Trying to do the right thing. Flying all the way to Tahiti to drag his sorry a.s.s back home to California, even though she was afraid of flying. Going to the wedding with him so he didn't look like a big loser to his friends. Setting up all those charity events, not only for him but for the kids and the oceans. All she was doing was trying to live a life that mattered, and all he was doing was p.i.s.sing his life away.

No wonder he'd been all alone when he'd won the d.a.m.n compet.i.tion. He deserved to be alone.

He checked his cell phone for the time. He was supposed to be at that meeting at Jackson Cole in less than half an hour. Great. Good times.

Chapter Twenty-Three.

Brooke knew Dylan was in the building. She knew the big meeting had been scheduled and her stomach cramped with nerves at the thought that they might end the sponsorship deal with him. She'd talked to Tim earlier that day, and he didn't think it would happen since Dylan had just won the Jackson Cole Pro. But still. They were dealing with Barrett there, and, well, he was a jerk.

Her gaze fell on her desk calendar and the little circle she'd drawn around last Friday's date. She closed her eyes briefly, once more counting back the days to Tahiti, pressing a hand to her stomach, wondering...d.a.m.n. What would she do if... She shook her head and got up from her desk.

She walked through the office to where she could peek from behind a cubicle part.i.tion and see into the conference room through the gla.s.s wall. She watched Dylan walk into the room and seeing him made her heart constrict. He smiled that white s.e.xy smile, his face tanned, his dark hair hanging onto his forehead. His loose shirt hung from his broad shoulders, and he moved with that easy athletic grace she now knew so well.

She opened her eyes and watched them all take their seats and begin talking. She couldn't hear a word, but she watched Dylan. He didn't smile again once they began talking. He leaned forward to say something and she wished she could read lips.

Then someone came up behind her and said, "What are you doing, Brooke?"

With a jump, she made an excuse and fled back to her office, where she tried hard to distract herself with work. But that wasn't so easily done.

Tim appeared in her door long before she thought the meeting would end. She frowned at him. "Hey. Done already?"

"Yeah." He shook his head and lowered himself into a chair. "Okay. That didn't go like I'd expected."

Her nerves leaped. "What happened?" She bit her lip and curled her fingers around a pen.

"Dylan dumped us."

She blinked. "What?"

"He dumped us. He told us he didn't want to accept sponsorship money from a company that would treat one of its employees like they treated you."

She could only stare at him, a buzzing noise in her ears. His words replayed in her head and still didn't make sense. "Me?"

A smile ghosted across his mouth. "Yeah. You. Somehow he knew some things Barrett said to you."

Her jaw dropped. "How? I haven't even talked to him since then."

"I don't know how. But apparently it was true because Barrett just about had a stroke. I've never seen his face so red."

"But...oh my G.o.d. Pierson was in that meeting too." The VP of Marketing.

"Yep."

"Oh my G.o.d," she said again, still processing it all. "So we're not sponsoring him anymore?"

"Nope."

"Because of me?" She stood, adrenaline rushing through her veins. "Oh my G.o.d, no!"

"Yep."

"But...but...he can't do that."

"He did."

"He's crazy!"

Tim laughed. "You know what? I don't think so. He might be a little rash, but not crazy. And frankly..." He shrugged. "I was impressed. He also told them that he was the one who'd screwed up by going to that party that night, not you. He told them it wasn't your fault, that he'd taken you home and dropped you off and he'd gone back to the party."

She sank back into her chair again. She rubbed her temples. "Barrett must be so furious."

"Yeah. That's an understatement. He started talking about suing Dylan for breach of contract."

"Ack!"

"I know."

"I'm going to be fired for sure."

"Doubtful. Dylan told them if they sued him or fired you, he'd go public with the things Barrett said to you. That was when I thought Pierson was going to have a stroke, and we were going to have to call an ambulance for both of them."

She felt as if she was choking. She lifted a hand to her throat. "Arghrahg," she began. She cleared her throat. She nibbled her bottom lip. Her eyes darted around the room. "What should I do?"

"Go for lunch? It's noon."

"Lunch? Are you kidding me?"

He grinned. "Yeah, you're right. This has been quite the morning. We'll go for drinks instead."

"I can't go out drinking! I'm about to lose my job! And what about Dylan? Oh my G.o.d. What's he going to do?"

"He just won the Jackson Cole Pro. Pretty sure he can pick and choose from the sponsors lined up at his door now."

"Oh." She pressed her lips together, gazing at him. "Yeah. Maybe. Oh. Wow." She let out a long breath and leaned back into the chair. "You know, I think I'm gonna take you up on that liquid lunch offer. Let's go."

Tim laughed and led the way out. They took his car.

"Where to?" he asked. "Laguna Dorada?"

"No!"

"Oookay. Breaker Cafe?"

"Sure."

But when it came time to order, she hesitated. "I think I'll have a crantini," she said. "But without the vodka."

"That would be cranberry juice," the server said.

"Right."

Tim shook his head and ordered a b.l.o.o.d.y Mary. "With the vodka," he added. "Make it a double."

"I have to talk to Dylan," Brooke said.

Tim pointed at her cell phone sitting on the table. "Call him. He was upset because you weren't answering his calls."

"Really?"

"What's with you two, anyway?" He leaned his elbows on the table.