Denny gave a long, drawn-out sigh of disgust. “You’re not too good at this whole relationship thing, are you?” When Mark started to protest, Denny held up a hand, stopping him. “I’ll grant you, it does sound a touch . . . bad. But come on, this is Crystal—your Angel. You have sleepovers with her. You flitter with Mae West quotes. You took care of her for two days while she was barfing all over your house. For the love of God, man, you even cook for her. And after all that, you’re sitting there with your tail tucked between your legs after fleeing town? Shit, come on! What happened to confrontation and fit throwing? You should have gone straight to her place last night and had a minirant before demanding some answers. Instead, you’ve done everything short of burying your phone in the sand to avoid speaking to her.”

“I don’t know how to do this,” Mark murmured glumly. “I don’t get involved with women beyond fucking. I’ve never had to deal with something like this. I need space to figure everything out, and that’s what we’re doing here now.”

“All right.” Denny surprised him by agreeing. “I can see how this would be difficult with you being a dating newborn. Possibly, it’s even better that you decided on distance rather than saying something you might regret later. But you do need to let her know where you are. Taking off like that without any explanation, regardless of the circumstances, was kind of an asshole move.”

Staring at Denny in bewilderment, Mark asked, “It’s okay for her to be pursuing happily ever after with her ex and I’m supposed to keep her updated as to my whereabouts during the meantime? If that’s the case, how does anyone ever get married and stay that way?”

Denny rubbed his temples before adopting a soothing tone. “That’s not what I’m saying, cousin. Let her know that you’re alive and out of town. Then, when you’re ready, go home and talk to her.” Snapping his fingers, he added, “Gray and Suzy’s party is this weekend. Were you two planning to go together?”

“Yeah, of course.” Mark shrugged, not understanding where this was going. Denny had picked up his phone and was typing out a text as if their conversation was over. “Were you making some kind of point that I missed?”

Denny looked up after a few more taps on his screen. “What? Oh, right. I was just letting the pilot know we’re flying out Friday night. You’ll go home and take Crystal to the party. You’ll be polite and cordial to everyone—and not drain the positive energy from the event. Then afterward, you’ll take her back to your place and have a rational conversation about what you’ve learned. She’ll probably be pissed that you were checking up on her, and you’ll have to deal with that.”

By this point, his head was spinning. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he snapped, “Don’t you think maybe you should have consulted me before filing a flight plan? Plus, I’m not in the mood for a freaking party right now. And last, Angel’s going to be the one pissed and not me?” The twitch of Denny’s lips let him know that he’d slipped and gone back to Crystal’s nickname.

Denny got to his feet and clapped Mark on the back. “Welcome to the wonderful world of dating—where no matter what they do, it’s always your fault.”

“Fuck me,” Mark hissed as his assistant walked away.

Is eight in the morning too early for alcohol? Because I damn sure need it right about now.

Chapter Nineteen

Mark was due home today after his unexpected business trip, and she was beyond anxious to see him. He’d finally returned her call the afternoon following his departure, telling her briefly that Jacob needed his help in Boston and it had been a last-minute thing, which was why he hadn’t called. When she’d tried questioning him about his parents’ visit, he’d simply said that it was fine.

The whole call had sounded stiff and formal. She had been certain that he was trying to blow her off, so she’d been surprised when he’d confirmed their date for Suzy’s gathering on Saturday night, saying he would meet her there.

Since then, he’d given brief responses when she texted, but she had been too uncertain about what was going on between them to call him again. She spent the rest of the week in a depressed funk, avoiding her friends and her meddling mother. Bill had made the mistake of calling an hour earlier to badger her about another counseling session and she’d let him have it. She’d told him in no uncertain terms that it was over, and that although she wished him well, she had moved on and he needed to do the same.

Of course, less than half an hour after that, her mother had started calling. There was no way that was a coincidence. Bill, the bastard, must have ratted her out. Before turning her phone off, she’d texted Mark just to make sure he knew that Suzy’s party had been moved to Ella’s house. There had been some severe storms in the area the last few nights and both Suzy and Claire had been dealing with some coastal flooding on their properties. Rather than trying to get everything cleaned up in time, Ella had volunteered her house since she and Declan had escaped the worst part of it.

She took one last look in the mirror and decided that she needed another coat of concealer. The dark circles under her eyes gave testament to the fact that she hadn’t slept well while Mark had been away. Funny how she would often sneak away to the sofa or spare bedroom because she needed some personal space during her marriage to Bill, but with Mark, she’d slept practically wrapped around his hard body and had loved it. She’d done nothing but toss and turn without him.