snorted, shaking her head. ‘Right, that’s the version we heard from Hal. Don’t you ever question him? Our father is a ruthless businessman. Don’t you think that ruthlessness might spill over into his personal life?’ She swallowed, her throat hot. During her speech, she’d uncurled from her relaxed position and leaned towards her brother, who looked at her with an infuriating unreadable expression.
But he’d touched a nerve. One that lay exposed and raw, permanently close to the surface and vulnerable to attack. Her blind faith in Hal was as thin and filmy as gossamer. And just because Joe Lane hadn’t matched Hal Jacob for cold-blooded business deals, didn’t mean Jack followed suit, not that it was a bad trait in Harley’s book. Fortunately, from what she’d witnessed, Jack shared neither of their fathers’ qualities.
‘Perhaps because you’re the golden boy, you’ve never experienced Dad’s...acerbic tongue and brutal honesty.’
Ash huffed. ‘I work with the guy every day. I’ve experienced plenty. I’m surprised you have.’
Harley smiled, sickly sweet. ‘I’m the pretty one—remember when he called me that for the first time? Well, I was smart enough to see he’d written me off academically. Too stupid to go to Harvard—’
‘You never even applied.’
‘Because I was scared of failing again, disappointing him again.’
Ash stared, open-mouthed.
‘He still tells his friends I’m the face of Jacob Holdings because he’s too embarrassed by what I do, what I’ve built, to show any pride.’ Harley slammed her tumbler onto the coffee table, and glared at her brother, daring him to defend their overbearing, often tactless father.
Shortly after that fateful last skiing holiday they’d shared with the Lanes, Hannah had made it into Harvard Business School and Ash had passed the bar, to much family rejoicing. Harley, by comparison, had applied to the New York School of Design to study fashion. Hal’s reaction, his obvious disappointment, had sealed the deal on their relationship. But his harsh comments had stung, nonetheless, shoving her firmly into the role of the family dropout.
Ash shook his head, his glass in his lap, seemingly fascinating.
‘I’m sorry he made you feel like that. He’s an asshole. We’ve always known this,’ he said, his voice quiet and his expression remorseful. ‘So what do you know that I don’t?’
Harley shrank a little inside, the memory of Jack’s face this morning crushing her when he relived the pain of his family’s implosion. She couldn’t bring herself to tell Jack. But could she tell Ash? The words hovered on her pressed-together lips, forcing their way out as if they’d taken on a life of their own.
‘Hal had an affair with Amalie Lane.’ The cathartic rush was almost head spinning but the words sickened her.
Ash gaped. ‘Bullshit.’ He slugged a mouthful of Scotch.
She nodded, the flames of the fire turning hazy as her heart thudded too fast. Now she’d spoken the confession aloud, should she repeat them to the person who had a right to know? A man who was still hurting from the consequences of Hal’s actions.
‘I saw them. That last holiday in Aspen.’ She’d never been able to look at Hal the same way again, their already shaky father-daughter relationship irreparably tarnished by stumbling across the illicit liaison and thrust into the middle of a very grown-up issue.
At the time, she’d taken her anger and pain and fear and internalised it, withdrawing from Jack the only way she’d known how to deal with such momentous knowledge. Doubting everything she’d believed, seeing her father clearly for the first time, and terrified the secret would come out.
‘Fuck. Does Jack know?’ Ash gripped the back of his neck while his mind spewed out questions. ‘Does Hal know you know? Does Mom know?’
Harley shrugged, the swirl of nausea intensifying. On the surface their parents’ marriage seemed solid. But Jack was right. Who knew what went on behind closed doors? No relationship was invulnerable. And love...? Well, that was a sham.
‘You’ve known all this time and didn’t say anything?’
‘I was scared at first...and then.’ She shrugged. ‘It’s an impossible position—if I tell, I’m ruining someone’s life. If I stay quiet, I’m condoning it. Colluding.’
‘I’m so sorry. I had no idea.’
Harley nodded. That was the trouble with secrets. They ate away at you inside, and if you let them escape, you simply spread their power, allowed them to infect others with their poison.
At her sigh, Ash held up a placating hand. ‘I’m sorry for sticking my nose into your personal life. I was looking out for you. But I see you don’t need my protection. I just didn’t want you to get hurt again. I mean that idiot, Phil—’
‘I wasn’t hurt by Phil. I ended it, remember.’ Harley stared at the tumbler of amber liquid on the table. Aside from making her feel small, Phil and Jack didn’t belong in the same conversation. Besides, she’d never allowed herself to get close enough to Phil to get hurt, despite being engaged to him.
She could at least thank Hal for that. On discovering his deception, she’d seen a man she’d looked up to her whole life, one whose approval was constantly worth chasing, and she’d vowed to be nothing like him. To be guarded when it came to relationships, because from what she’d seen they led to lies, heartache and betrayal.
But Ash was right. She and Jack hadn’t talked about the past and her part in it. Perhaps she’d hurt him with her rejection more than she realised. And now she’d hurt him all over again if she told him what she knew about Hal and his mother.
Perhaps he’d be able to forgive her for being young and clumsy with his feelings. If she’d been able to discuss what happened with her father, she might have worked through her confusing emotions and let Jack down with more of an explanation. More consideration.
But now? How could she explain that she’d kept such a monumental secret from him? From everyone. A secret that must have played a major part in the breakdown of his parents’ marriage and the implosion of his family.
He detested Hal—once he discovered she’d covered for her father, he’d hate her too.
She sucked in a shuddering breath, reminding herself she and Jack were just fooling around—a casual fling, great sex. Enlightening him on the real reason for the family feud and his parents’ subsequent divorce when they were just having a good time—what was the point? All these years later?
Jack had moved on from that then and he’d soon move on from her now. Harley rubbed her temples to banish the vice gripping her head.
‘I did a little fishing.’ Ash pressed his lips together the way he did when delivering bad news in the boardroom.
She pinned him with a hard glare.
He held up a hand. ‘I know, but I’m your brother. It’s my job to look out for you. And this is business.’ He sighed, eyes softening.
Of course Ash would dig. It was his job, one he excelled at. And reading people—he’d always told her that was the key to being a good attorney.
‘I
