Bold by Nicola Marsh Page A

Chantal?” He sat, perched on the edge of his seat, aware the awkwardness of this meeting had as much to do with it being their first time face to face as his father’s shabby treatment of Chantal.
    “Not important,” Christopher said, waving away his concern as if it meant nothing.
    “It is to me.”
    “Difference of opinion.” Christopher’s piercing gaze held a hint of animosity before he sighed. “Not my place to tell you what we discussed.”
    Zane wanted to push the issue. But he’d find out the truth from Chantal soon enough. In the meantime, he glared at his father, feeling unsure and annoyed and bitter, that bloody ache in his chest intensifying tenfold.
    Christopher mimicked his frown. “You’re a Harrison all right. Same build as Kurt, same scowl as Wyatt.”
    Disliking Christopher’s flippancy and obvious favoritism toward Kurt, Zane’s frown deepened. “Was there some doubt of my paternity?”
    Christopher chuckled. “You’re a smartass like Kurt too.”
    Considering Zane hadn’t spent any more time with Kurt beyond their initial meeting, he’d have to agree.
    “I’m glad you came,” Christopher said, fidgeting with a drink coaster. “We’ve wasted too many years. Time to move forward.”
    Yeah, it would be that easy for him. Move forward. Forget the fact he’d ignored his Aussie sons for thirty years. What a crock of shit.
    “ We’ve wasted too many years? Don’t you mean you?” Zane gritted his teeth against the urge to yell. “You knew you had sons in Australia. I didn’t have a fucking clue you existed ‘til three years ago.”
    “I deserved that.” Christopher nodded, appearing unfazed. “You’re right. But I’ve told you where I was coming from and now that you’re here, I really want us to get to know each other.”
    Zane wanted that too but being this close to his father he’d expected to feel…something. Instead, he couldn’t shake the animosity and regret. It was like an insidious parasite, worming its way through his hope that he could be part of the larger Harrison family.
    “The tryout’s in half an hour, we need to go.” Christopher stood with the ease of a man half his age. “Let’s take things slow, okay?”
    Unwilling to verbalize half of what he was feeling and thinking, Zane settled for a nod.
    He wished he had time to check on Chantal but for now, he’d accept his father’s olive branch, do this tryout and figure out exactly how much he was ready to forgive.

 
     
     
CHAPTER TEN
     
     
    After the battering her ego had taken at the hands of Christopher Harrison, Chantal needed a little TLC so she headed for the one place to lighten a woman’s heart: Rodeo Drive.
    Entering the boutiques with their cool marble interiors gave her enough of a buzz, being able to make purchases even more so.
    Gone was the good girl of Craye Canyon, the outstanding ballet student who never put a foot wrong, the innocent kid who’d wanted to be just like her mom: stay-at-home, quiet, nondescript.
    That kid had died the day she’d learned her mom put up with her step-daddy’s philandering for years. After learning the ugly truth, Chantal had never wanted to be like her mousy mom: too tolerant, too conservative, too reserved. She’d wanted to emulate her brash aunt Pam, the town’s wedding planner, who swanned around in stilettos, minis and big hair.
    Chantal had ditched the ballet and moved onto hip-hop, had been a high school terror with a reputation that grew exponentially with the outrageous rumors. She loved it. She fed it. Then she’d discovered her mom had withheld the truth about her dad living in New York City all those years and it has been the final straw. She’d left Craye Canyon behind to have the life she’d always wanted in Vegas.
    She was driven, successful and rich, and no man, even someone as powerful as god-almighty Christopher Harrison, had the right to make her feel anything less.
    However, spending two days in bed wasn’t conducive to