A Beautiful Mess

Chapter 18

Dinner wasn't as bad as Sydney thought it was going to be. The Easton men were able to use their considerable charm to put the women at their ease, and Aunt Viola was on her best behavior. Sydney was silent while trying not to watch Cole's every move. She didn't think she was very successful at it because when Sydney looked over at Aunt Viola, she gave her a wink.

Theresa and Bridget got into a little bit of a contest when it came to discussing their history with Cole. Bridget reminisced about their college days and spring breaks spent abroad, while Theresa continued to bring up her and Cole's common interest of the dig and all that they were currently accomplishing together as a team.

"And what about you Sydney, what do you and Cole have in common?" Aunt Viola's silence had been too good to be true.

She felt everyone's eyes fall to her as she cleared her throat, sat down her fork, and wiped her mouth. Her eyes connected with Cole's and he looked amused that she had been put on the spot. The first thing that popped into her head was their attraction to each other; they definitely had that in common.

"A mutual dissatisfaction with each other." Sydney supplied as she thought about how he always seemed to be upset with her about one thing or another.

"What does that mean?" Bridget looked from one to the other, her eyes narrowing.

"Dr. Easton and I don't much care for each other," Sydney said as she picked up her glass, digging deep to find the wall that she had so carefully built up over the last four years that Cole had been steadily knocking down in the past six weeks.

"Then why are you here, now?" Bridget asked.

Theresa looked smug at the fact that she knew that Sydney and Cole didn't get along.

Sydney looked at Cole, noting that his face had turned into a cold mask as he watched her.

"Because, while Dr. Easton and I don't much care for each other, I like his family very much, and from what I understand Miss. Easton issued the invitation, not Cole. I'm sure he would have never invited me." Sydney took another bite of food.

"Call me Aunt Viola dear," Aunt Viola insisted before changing the subject to Timmy and her trip down the well while admiring all of her bruises.

Sydney downplayed it as much as she could until Bridget retook control of the conversation by talking about how she had given money to the ASPCA so that little dogs like Timmy would be safe.

Sydney tuned out the conversation, upset that Cole hadn't objected to their dislike of each other.

As the meal ended and everyone moved outside to the patio for coffee,  Sydney excused herself to use the powder room at the opposite end of the hall from the dining room. She locked herself in and sat for a good ten minutes, taking deep breaths, wondering how everything had gotten so out of control. All she wanted to do was run and hide. She didn't want to watch an evening of Bridget and Theresa fighting for Cole's attention.

There was a knock on the door, and she opened it to find Cole standing on the other side, his stance was wide, and he was blocking her escape. He pushed her into the tiny room filling it with his entire body. Sydney was pressed against the wall with nowhere to run.

She heard the click of the lock behind him, and she gulped.

"A mutual dissatisfaction with each other?" his voice was a low growl before his lips landed on hers in a searing kiss. Sydney turned too mush as Cole's arm snaking around her waist and the wall were the only things that held her up while his lips devoured hers.

She couldn't say how long the kiss lasted but it wasn't long enough, and when he broke away they were both breathing hard. "The only dissatisfaction I have with you is your unwillingness to tell me why you are on my dig. So tell me, right now, so that we can move on Sydney."

"Move on to what Cole?" Sydney gave him a sad smile.

"This for starters." He kissed her hard again.

"Why on earth would you want me when you could have someone like Bridget?" she softly cried, breaking away from him.

"I don't want Bridget!" he hissed

"Oh, but you do want me? Why now Cole, why after all this time? Have you decided that I'm worth it when you so plainly told me I wasn't? Now that I'm officially not your student, am I worth the risk? I've been down this road before. I'm good for a little side action but nothing long term." All of her hurt poured out on her words. She took a deep breath, "I'll tell you why I'm here if that's what you want. I'm here because Paige's father paid for me to be here. He likes me to be close to her because he thinks I keep her out of trouble, which isn't that far from the truth."

She pushed him away as best as she could in the confined space, turning towards the mirror where she could watch him.

"Why on earth didn't you want me to know that?" he asked, confused by the simplicity of her answer.

"Protection, alright!"

"Protection from what?"

They weren't yelling, but they were talking in angry whispers.

"From you! Mesmerizing, remember?"

There was a sudden knock on the door. "Sydney, are you alright?" Theresa's voice called from the other side of the door.

"Yes." She responded, watching Cole's eyes. They had gone wide and then narrowed as he watched her answer Theresa.

"Madeline would like you to join her in the kitchen when you're done here." Theresa informed her through the door.

"I will." She and Cole waited while they listened to Theresa's footsteps die away.

"I want to leave the dig Cole; I'll leave tomorrow, you can tell everyone I had a family emergency or something." Sydney pleaded.

"You can't leave." His voice was emotionless.

"Now who's playing games Cole!" she hissed, pushing at him.

"No, you cannot leave. I was told, in unequivocal terms, that you were to remain on site until the end of the dig. Otherwise, we lose a substantial donation." He was watching her closely. "Are you telling me that that's not your father's doing?"

"I can't tell you that; I don't know who's doing it is, all I can tell you is that I know nothing about it." Sydney wanted to cry in frustration as she pushed again.

He stepped away from Sydney with a frown, opening the door and letting her pass. She looked up at Cole as she did and had to gulp back tears at the distrust she saw there. Knowing if she stayed with him any longer she would lose control, she hurried away from him, towards the kitchen where Maddie was waiting with a full bottle of wine and a shoulder to cry on.

She had said too much.

*******

Sydney hadn't said enough. Cole needed to get some air and think. He walked through the side door and out into the garden on the opposite side of the house. What had she meant when she said she needed protection from him? Did that mean that she cared for him? He suddenly remembered something she had said when they had been in his childhood bedroom. She had said that she had been an easy mark. Is that what she thought, that all he wanted from her was sex?

He cursed himself, of course, that what she thought, he had never told her differently, and if some other guy had made her believe that sex was all she was good for then why wouldn't she think that that was all he was after? Suddenly, a lot if Sydney's actions made sense, especially why she pretended not to care when she did. What other lies had this man made her believe?

He had to come up with a plan, but first, he had to find out who was so insistent that she remain on site and why. Was it her father or Paige's?