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“Where?”

“The house attached to Niall Quinn’s workshop is empty since he and Lucy got together. I asked if I could stay for a few weeks.”

“Why didn’t you ask me?”

“For the love of all things holy, you’re not going to have a snit, because I didn’t ask you. You weren’t even here.”

“Anna said Bea wants to make peace.”

“Beatriz has become a fantasist.”

And his need to prove himself to his father and rescue Beatriz were tearing him in two.

Cas had lived comparatively happily within the boundaries he’d set for himself. Until Beatriz. Until Beatriz shared excitement and laughter and passion with him and told him about her promise to her parents. There was no way Beatriz saw his father’s bank balance when she looked at him.

I’m thinking of giving Beatriz my money.

“That’s where the idea for joining the family business comes from?”

Cas should have expected Hunt to join the dots.

“Has your father ever offered you a job?”

“I made it clear I wasn’t interested. It’s different now.” Cas clenched his jaw. “Beatriz is desperate to support her family. She promised.”

“What did she promise?”

“To pay the bulk of the mortgage until it’s paid off. I’m pretty positive she’s helping her sisters too.” He lowered his voice. “Her family comes before me.”

And that was the hardest truth to confront. He was low on her list of priorities. If he’d even made it to the list.

“You think you don’t matter to her?”

“Her sisters were angry she missed out on a promotion. Because they had plans for the money. That’s why she fled to Anna’s apartment. She glossed over their selfishness.”

“You think she should have blurted out her life story to you when her family had just let her down?” Hunt never let him off the hook. “If you didn’t matter, surely she’d have taken the money?”

“When you say it like that.” Cas scowled.

“I’ll give you something for nothing. Anna shared this and gave me permission to tell you. Bea has always paid board and helped her family out in tight times. She doesn’t talk about it, because a guy she trusted with her secret ditched her, implying she wanted a sugar daddy.”

“Yeah. She told me. And I have a history with gold diggers.”

“You told her about Monique?”

“I tell her everything.”

“Would you break a promise to me for her?” Hunt’s quiet voice was sharper than a rapier.

“I might want to,” Cas admitted, meeting his best friend, brother-in-all-except-blood’s gaze.

“What if you’d had to choose between giving her or your dad your life savings?”

Cas flinched.

“Then I’m guessing you can see her dilemma. Does she know what you were saving for?”

“Yes.”