“Audrey? You saw her.”
“No. Daphne.”
Aha. So the white knight had arrived to the rescue of a very different twin. Suddenly, a few things locked into place. It explained why, despite Cade’s busy schedule, he was here hanging out with a pair of childhood friends.
He was in love with a twin, all right, but it was the wrong one. For some reason, somewhere along the way, Cade Archer—good hearted, generous, white knight Cade Archer—had fallen for the messed–up, drug-using, infamous twin.
He didn’t know who he felt sorrier for—Cade, for his choice in women or Audrey, who clearly had a crush on a man who wouldn’t notice she was there except in a friendship capacity.
“She’s a f**king mess,” Reese said bluntly, and hated the way that Cade’s brows furrowed even deeper. “That girl needs a year of rehab, not a vacation in the woods.”
“Daphne’s stubborn,” Cade told him with a tense look. “Audrey’s tried to get her into rehab before, but she just runs away. Her label’s not much help, either. I think someone there keeps supplying her with the drugs. I imagine a constantly available stream of her favorite addictions keeps her under their control more than threats of a contract breach does.” He didn’t look very pleased at the thought.
“She’s famous,” Reese told him. “She runs with all kinds of crowds. She can probably get drugs anywhere and everywhere.”
“That’s why I’m here,” Cade told him, and rubbed a hand on his nape, as if weary. “Audrey had mentioned concerns, but I didn’t realize. Thought the tabloids were just full of their usual bullshit. Then when I saw her at the party, I realized that they were all true. And I couldn’t leave her like that. So when she reached out to me, I suggested she come here. Maybe if . . .” He paused, then gave Reese a tense look, daring him to contradict him. “Maybe if I’m here, it’ll make a difference.”
“Maybe,” Reese said. He wasn’t sure. The girl seemed pretty messed up to him. But if Cade wanted to ride to the rescue, he wouldn’t be able to dissuade him. “You just let me know if you need help with things.”
“I will. Sorry your weekend was ruined. Sounds like Audrey has some impeccable timing.”
Reese grinned. “Camilla will get over it. In the meantime, I plan on making Audrey regret that she interrupted my rendezvous.”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Reese snorted. “Buddy, everything I do is something you wouldn’t do.”
“She’s a friend,” Cade cautioned, ever serious. “A childhood friend. Don’t hurt her. Despite her bluster, Audrey’s got a really good heart and she’s sensitive.”
The woman was about as sensitive as a bull in a china shop, but he didn’t disagree with Cade openly. “I just plan on teasing her a bit, man. She’s safe with me.” Safe enough, anyhow.
He didn’t mention their little blackmail-directed rendezvous scheduled for later that night. While he still considered that teasing, he wasn’t sure that Cade would.
“Good,” Cade said with a grin. “I’m glad you’re here. It’ll give us a chance to hang out, and I’m guessing we’ll need another set of hands around, if Daphne ends up being half the handful I think she’ll be.”
Reese was pretty sure that Daphne would be more than just a handful, but he said nothing to Cade. No sense in starting an argument. “It’ll be interesting.”
He just wondered what good ol’ Audrey would think when he didn’t leave immediately. Maybe he’d stick around for longer than the weekend, just to crawl under that woman’s skin. He had to admit that the idea had appeal, and his work was covered thanks to a few rather aggressive hires to handle the day-to-day aspects of Durham Industries.
Which left him plenty of time to torment Audrey Petty.
She’d fall under his spell eventually. Reese Durham always won over the women he had his eye on. And until she did, she was going to be mighty fun to play with.
He always did enjoy the chase a bit more than anything.
Chapter Four
Audrey set four places at the wooden table, laying down the plates and ignoring the large man who hovered nearby, supervising.
“You’re so incredibly domestic, Audrey. First dinner and now the table?” Reese tsked and shook his head, pretending to be impressed. “You’re going to make Cade a lucky man.”
She glared at him, clenching the last plate in her hand as if she wanted to strike him with it. “Will you shut up, already?” Audrey glanced around the room, making sure that Cade was nowhere to be seen. “He’ll hear you.”
“Sorry,” he said in a tone that indicated that he wasn’t sorry at all. “I thought I’d help you set the table.”
“You’re clearly being such a help,” she said in a nasty tone. “What with your standing around and being in the way.”
He chuckled. “What can I do to help you, then?”
Go away. Go away and never come back. “Go tell the others that dinner’s ready.”
“That, I can do.” Reese strolled out of the small kitchen, whistling, and Audrey gritted her teeth again. At least he’d listened to her for once.
It had only been a few hours and he was already driving her crazy. The man seemed determined to make her lose her temper. Not only was he constantly hovering around and making cracks, but he seemed to delight in doing nothing more than heckling her.
She wished that Cade had stuck around, but once he’d unpacked, he’d taken a walk around the lake. He’d asked Audrey to go with him, but she’d declined, wanting to stay close to the cabin in case Daphne needed her. She’d suggested that Reese go instead, but he claimed to be tired and laid down on one of the couches in the living room.
Of course, no sooner had Cade disappeared that Reese had been back up again, bothering her and asking her questions. How long had she been in love with Cade? Had she ever told him about it? Had she ever seen him naked? Did she get jealous when he dated other women? Did she date other men?
She’d ignored his questions and gone into the small kitchen, determined to make dinner. It was something to keep her busy. The only problem was, she wasn’t much of a cook. When they were younger, her older sister Gretchen had always cooked for the family, and she was wonderful at it. Living in New York City, Audrey had never needed culinary skills, not when there was a restaurant on every corner. But the groceries that Cade had brought seemed to be healthy, wholesome foods, and she guessed that someone would have to cook for them.