Jerome stared right through him. “If you don’t have much time on this earth, you shouldn’t waste a minute of it.” Then, to Finn’s shock, Jerome’s eyes filled with tears. “You didn’t know, did you? Tell me you didn’t know. I can’t believe you’d be so cruel, if you knew.”
Finn rifled through his mind, trying to remember some detail he must’ve missed. “I have no idea what I’m supposed to know or not know.”
Jerome’s nostrils flared. “That my girlfriend has leukemia.” His gaze turned to ice, his anger so intense that Finn backed away. “We’re getting married as soon as we can, and don’t you dare say either one of us is being selfish. Don’t you dare!”
Finn held up his hands. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t talking about you.”
“Good.” He shook his head, mouth clamped shut, like he was holding back his fury. “Because I had to beg her to even date me. And she didn’t want to marry me, even though we were in love.” His hand pushed across the top of his shaved head. “She said I should marry someone else. Can you believe that? Like I wouldn’t rather have one day with Charisse than a million days with someone else.” He punched his finger at Finn’s chest. “That’s what I’m talking about! That’s what it means to really love someone… when you know what they’re worth.”
Unsure what to say, Finn waited in silence while Jerome pulled himself together. At last, his anger seemed to subside, and he took a long drink of water.
“For what it’s worth,” Finn said, “I’m really sorry about Charisse. About the cancer. That’s really tough luck.” If there was anything Finn understood it was bad luck—he was a living example.
“No, we’re blessed, and we know it. More blessed than you can imagine. She needs a bone marrow donor, and we’re going to find one.” Jerome wiped his face with the back of his hands. “But I’m lucky to have her, no matter how long that is. I’m the luckiest man alive, and don’t you forget it,” he said fiercely.
Finn tried to swallow, but his throat was like hot concrete.
“I won’t.”
Laurie pumped herself up before going back to the table, having hid in the bathroom for the duration of the silent auction. She had to put her emotions aside. Raising money for the kids at Limitless was more important than her feelings for Finn. Before long, she would have to get up on stage and model that jewelry set with a smile on her face. She was going to look so ecstatic that every single woman in that room would be clamoring to have those diamonds around their necks and on their fingers.
Fortunately, when she arrived, Finn wasn’t at the table.
“What happened to my boss?” she asked Jerome.
“He said he had to make a phone call.” Jerome picked at his fingernails. “We had an interesting conversation.”
“About what?”
He lowered his voice. “I may have accidentally told him we were siblings.”
“That’s a disaster,” she rasped, in a loud whisper. “We can’t tell anyone yet. The press will have a field
day.”
“I don’t think he’ll give it away. But it was a good thing I told him. Get this… he thought we were dating, and that I might be your abusive ex-boyfriend.” Jerome gave a forced laugh. “I set him straight, though. And you won’t have to find a new job either. I told him he ought to appreciate you, and he said he does. Who knows, you might even get a raise. So everything will be great, now.” He had a smug smile. “You can thank me later.”
Laurie’s stomach twisted up like a drawer full of old electrical cords. “I can’t believe you,” she hissed. “You had no business interfering.”
Finn must think she was the most pathetic person on the planet. How could she even face him?
“I was only protecting you.” Jerome pushed out a pouting lip. “You needed someone to stand up for you, and I did it.”
She leaned close to his ear, with barely controlled rage, struggling to keep a neutral expression on her face. “Let me tell you something, brother. If you’re going to get married, you’d better learn this lesson right now. A woman doesn’t want that kind of protection from a man. She wants support. That means you make the decision together. You don’t get to do whatever you think is best, without asking.”
As luck would have it, Finn picked that moment to return, forcing Laurie to end the conversation before she’d discovered everything her brother had said. Finn was extremely solicitous, confirming her worst fears—he now viewed her with pity. When she shivered from the cold draft on her bare shoulders, his tux coat came off and slid onto her shoulders. Her blood burned, not from the warmth of the jacket, but from his scent, which clung to it. Then he disappeared and came back with a cup of steaming coffee that she accepted, despite her pride.
She wanted to despise him for hurting her. As with her father all those years, it was so much easier to respond to pain with animosity. But his considerate actions, combined with everything she knew about him, made the task impossible.
Who said “there’s a thin line between love and hate”? What a stupid idea. I’m ruined forever.
As the live auction began, Laurie smiled and clapped, watching the Limitless coffers fill in dramatic fashion. Hopefully, no one could tell she was dying on the inside.
Evidently trying hard to make up for his misstep, Jerome bid enthusiastically on the Bach tour. But Laurie didn’t return his eager smiles as the price went higher and higher. She’d half-hoped Finn might surprise her and bid against Jerome, according to her original defective plan. But he sat quietly with his hands folded in his lap, smart practice when you don’t want a stray movement to be mistaken as a bid. When the price went over $100,000, Jerome shrugged and mouthed, “Sorry,” bowing out of the auction. The bids continued to rise between an older gentleman Laurie didn’t recognize and an anonymous bidder on the internet. At last the old man surrendered, making the price the highest of the evening, at $165,000.
The auction continued for the next hour, each item increasing in value. As the time approached for her to model the diamonds, she became increasingly more nervous, pressing her hands together in her lap and turning the ring around her finger until her skin was almost raw. Her head began to swim like it did in the airport, until Finn beckoned her close with a crooked finger and whispered in her ear, “Have you noticed that bead of sweat on top of Chuck’s head?”
“What?” The question caught her off-guard.