Chapter 694
He was drawn to that very contradiction–the tangled mess that made her so compelling.
Jamison caught on, a spark of amusement tugging at his lips. “So what you’re saying is–she went after you because it was the best way to get her mother the treatment she needed. She claims to love you, but really, it’s the perks of being Mr. Wilson’s son and Professor Penn’s stepson she’s after. You’re just a means to an end?”
“Exactly! It couldn’t be more obvious. She doesn’t even bother to hide it.”
The more Naylor spoke, the more frustrated he became. With Katrina right there in the room, though, he had to keep his voice low, even as the veins in his neck started to bulge.
He shot a glare toward the window, where Ivy and Katrina were soaking up the sun on the patio. His tone grew sour. “Honestly, I bet your wife’s been giving her advice–treating me like some gullible fool.”
Jamison bristled. “Nonsense. My wife is the sweetest woman you’ll ever meet. She’s got no hidden agenda.”
Naylor rolled his eyes so hard it was a wonder they stayed in his head. “Please. You’re so full of it. Your wife is sharper than a tack–she’s got more schemes than a chess grandmaster. Sweet and innocent? Give me a break.”
“You’ve got her all wrong,” Jamison countered, refusing to accept there could be anything amiss with his wife–or at the very least, refusing to admit it out loud, especially if someone else was the one pointing it out. Defending her was practically second nature for a man besotted with his own wife.
Jamison changed the subject. “If you think you’re being used, why let it happen? Why go along with it so willingly?”
Naylor straightened, indignant. “Because I’m a decent guy, that’s why. I can’t stand to see a woman suffer. And anyway, I was born a hopeless romantic. You have no idea what the Lester family is like–they tried to set her up with a guy old enough to be her grandfather. Can you imagine the scene?”
Jamison, who usually didn’t care for gossip or other people’s drama, found himself oddly invested today—maybe because it involved his best friend and his wife’s closest friend. He was anxious that any fallout between Naylor and Katrina could end up putting a strain on his own marriage. He pressed, “What was it like?”
Naylor grimaced. “It was like watching her being pawned off to some sugar daddy. I couldn’t take it.”
And he wasn’t exaggerating. Seeing Katrina on that awkward date with the old man had rattled him so much that, on impulse, he’d agreed to her “courtship.” After they slept together, he realized things felt different–he was hooked, plain and simple.
“If that’s how it started, then what you feel for her is just pity–pity for her situation with the Lester family, pity for her mother’s illness. That’s not love,” Jamison pointed out.
Naylor gave a resigned shrug, letting his arms drape over the back of the couch as he sighed. “Who knows? All I know is I’m in too deep now. Guess I’m just another fool who tried to play the game and got played instead.”
Jamison laughed. “Serves you right.”
“Some friend you are, getting a kick out of my misery,” Naylor shot back, but Jamison ignored him, warning instead, “Ivy doesn’t have a lot of close friends, and Katrina’s more like a sister to her than anything. So even if things don’t work out between you two, handle it like an adult. Don’t let your breakup mess things up between Ivy and me.”
Naylor glared. “You’d pick your wife over your buddy any day. What happened to brotherhood, huh? Has marriage sucked all the backbone out of you?”
Jamison just snorted. “You’re not far behind, my friend.”
“Spare me, I don’t need your curse.”
Meanwhile, over on the sofa by the window, Katrina was confiding in Ivy about the day’s events.
“You already met his mom?” Ivy was surprised. “How did that go? What did she think of you?”
“I didn’t really meet her, not properly. I was too nervous, so I just told her I was a friend asking for help. Professor Penn doesn’t know I’m dating her son.” Katrina’s cheeks flushed as she spoke, her voice dropping to a whisper.
Ivy chuckled. “You really think you fooled her? She’s a professor, not an idiot. She’s been around the block–there’s no way she didn’t see right through you. She probably just didn’t want to embarrass you.”
Ivy had met Professor Penn enough times to know she was nobody’s fool–and always carried herself with understated grace. The whole Penn family had class. Hearing this, Katrina’s nerves kicked up again as she replayed every moment in her mind, suddenly worried.
“What if she thinks I’m a liar? Or that I’m just using Naylor to get help for my mom? What if she thinks I’m manipulative?”
“I can’t say,” Ivy replied gently.
Katrina sighed, half talking to herself. “If I’d known, I never would’ve gone. I should’ve let Naylor talk to her instead. Still, she was so gracious–she spoke gently, and you could tell she was kind to those interns, too.”
Ivy shot her a teasing look. “Getting excited about joining the family, are we?”
Katrina blushed. “No way, that’s not up to me.” Truth was, she liked both Naylor and Professor Penn. Maybe that’s why she felt so insecure–she didn’t feel like she measured up. Her family background, her finances–she fell short in every category. And then there was her mother’s illness. Anyone with half a brain would run for the hills, so why was Naylor still here? She honestly couldn’t figure out what he saw in her.
After half an hour, as they got ready to leave, Naylor suddenly remembered something. “Oh right, you two have been cooped up in the hospital so much lately, I bet you haven’t heard the big news.”
Jamison scoffed, “You’re such a gossip. Have some dignity, man.”