“I think this plan of yours might actually have some merit,” I said when my sister didn’t justify my comment with a response. I could see in her eyes that she didn’t agree and that she wouldn’t have accepted help either, nor did she think I would’ve. “It helps all parties, and it would definitely satisfy my need to get back at Angelina, so I’m in. All we need to do is convince Anna it’s a good idea.”
Jessie grinned, her eyes twinkling like it was already a done deal. “Let me handle that part.”
Chapter 12
ANNA
As I closed up the Tourism Center for the evening, I saw Jessie coming down the street. She waved and grinned when she spotted me at the door.
“Hey,” she called. “I was hoping to catch you once you were done. Have you got a minute?”
“For you, I’ve got as many minutes as you need and some wine. Want to come up?”
“I’d love to.” She followed me up the rickety wooden staircase around the side of the building, sighing when she got to the landing and looked out at the view of the water with the sun starting to dip low on the horizon. “That never gets old, does it?”
“Nope.” I smiled as I twisted the knob and the door swung open. We went into my apartment, both of us setting down our purses in the kitchen before I poured us some wine.
Once we were settled on the couches with the curtains open to take in the view, I turned to her. “So, what’s up? What did you need a minute for?”
She held the stem of her glass in both hands, her eyes soft and sincere on mine. “I wanted to apologize that you were caught off guard by William being in town. I should’ve given you the heads-up before he arrived. I was just so excited when he said he was coming that I spent the rest of the day getting his cottage ready. I didn’t even think about letting you know he was going to be here until I saw you walking into the dining room.”
“It’s fine. Really. It was nothing I can’t handle. Just a surprise, is all.” The smile I tried to give her fell flat.
“I don’t buy it, but I won’t push,” she said, tilting her head to one side as she surveyed me. “It was such a shock to see you walking in and realizing I should’ve told you. Also, thank you for bringing Charlie’s by.”
“You’re welcome. I know Monday mornings are crazy for you. I thought you might appreciate the sustenance.”
“I really did.” Her expression turned thoughtful, and she let go of the glass with one hand to turn the thin silver chain around her neck between her fingers. “Are you sure we’re okay?”
“We’re fine. I promise.” I swallowed around a dry patch in my throat. “How is he? He seemed totally okay, but it’s not like I know him well enough anymore to be able to make any kind of judgment call.”
Jessie glanced toward the windows before bringing her gaze back to mine. There was sudden tension in her eyes and her nostrils flared. “He put on a good act while you were there, but truth be told, he’s not okay. I’ve never seen him so withdrawn or negative before. He went to bed right after dinner last night, then came to my office for about fifteen minutes this morning, and that’s it.”
“You haven’t seen him at all outside of that?” I had figured he would try to spend every moment he could with his sister.
Those two had always been close. Even though they didn’t see each other very often these days, I knew from little things Jessie had let slip over the years that they still spoke at least once a week.
It seemed strange that they were living in the same house again but hadn’t seen all that much of each other yet.
“No, not at all. I’m not even sure if he’s there or if he’s gone for a walk or something.” The corners of her mouth turned down. “Angelina really did a number on him. It’s a mess.”
“I feel really bad for him,” I said. “I can’t believe someone would do that to William. Not that it’s acceptable to cheat on anyone, but he’s got such a good heart.”
“That’s the problem. No one knows or believes that he has such a big, amazing heart. Even the press is turning on him. Have you seen the latest news?”
“Nope, I’ve been intentionally avoiding seeing anything about him on TV,” I admitted. “I may not be in love with him anymore, but hearing about him and his fiancée still isn’t much fun. Why are they turning on him?”
“Because gossip and betrayal sells,” she said simply. “This might ruin his career if things spiral too far out of control.”
My eyebrows pulled together, my heart suddenly thundering. “How? She cheated on him. Surely, they should be supporting him and not turning on him.”
“They should be, but they’re not. It looks like a few of the outlets are making it out to be his fault. People are saying he wasn’t good to her and that he didn’t pay her enough attention. There are also whispers that he never truly reformed himself after they met and that he’s been playing her all along.”
I felt the blood draining from my cheeks. “You can’t be serious. That’s horrible.”
“It is horrible, but I’m serious. Unfortunately.” She leaned back on my couch, shaking her dark hair out before sending the ceiling a glare. “Everything that he’s worked for can go up in flames because of this, and none of it is even true. He was completely faithful to her and you know what he’s like in a relationship. He’s not some alley cat, or so obsessed with his friends or his phone that he doesn’t pay attention.”
I completely believed that he’d been faithful to Angelina. I also knew that what Jessie was saying was true. William was the best boyfriend anyone could ask for. Or at least, he had been when he was younger. I doubted that had changed.
He was the kind of guy who was more than happy to stay in, eat takeout, and binge-watch a favorite TV show. When we’d been together, he was popular at school but he always made as much time for me as I’d wanted from him. He was all about holding hands and planting kisses on knuckles, and he’d never made me feel like he would rather be doing something else.
“How do you feel about him now?” my friend asked suddenly, surprising the ever-loving heck out of me with the question. “I know you guys have unfinished business, but do you still miss him?”
I gave her a soft smile. “Nah, not in any real way. I think about how we used to be sometimes, and I miss having that in my life, but I don’t miss him. It’s been a very long time. Years.”
“Well, when you say it like that.” She chuckled, one of her fingers twirling her chain again. “We’re really getting old.”
I lifted my foot onto the couch and nudged her knee with my toes, making her squeal with laughter. “Don’t say that. We just met when we were really young. There’s no need to go looking at it any other way.”
She laughed some more, setting her glass down on the coffee table to avoid spilling her wine. When the laughter eventually subsided, she exhaled deeply. “We really were super young, huh? You’re sure there are no unresolved feelings between you two?”
“Not that I’m aware of.” It wasn’t entirely true. I would always care about him. I just wasn’t in love with him anymore. “Why are you asking all of this?”
Her expression grew somber, her green eyes dark and stormy when they met mine. “Have you ever heard of canceling someone?”
I sucked my lips into my mouth while I thought. “I think so. Hasn’t it got something to do with when fans stop supporting famous people? They stop watching their films or reading their books if they feel wronged by them?”
“That’s exactly it, yes.” She shook her head. “It can get really bad. If this thing and these lies they’re telling about William get much worse, I’m afraid it’s going to happen to him.”
“Do you really think it will?” It seemed a little far-fetched, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized she might very well be right.
Women’s rights were at the forefront right now. I was all for it, but it didn’t seem fair that William would have to take the brunt of the hate when he hadn’t done anything wrong simply be
cause of what he was packing between his legs.
I supposed that was simplifying things to the point of oversimplifying them, but that seemed to be what it came down to. William had a bad reputation, and even though the entire world had seen her cheating on him, they were reluctant to believe she’d been the one in the wrong.
Jessie watched me carefully, nodding when she saw whatever it was that was on my face. “See? You didn’t even really need me to answer you. You already know it could easily happen to him.”
“Okay, but why ask all those questions about me and my feelings for him? I hate to break it to you, but me coming out and defending him as his ex-girlfriend doesn’t seem like it would carry much weight.”
“No, it probably wouldn’t. What he needs is the chance to redeem himself. He needs to show the fans and the media what you and I already know. That he isn’t a one-dimensional asshole of a guy, but that he has depth. And a past.”
I frowned. “Where is this going?”
“If you pretend to be with Will again, we might be able to get people to see him in a different light. The media would be all over it if they catch wind that he’s in a new relationship, but if they find out he’s reconnected with his first love and she’s giving him a second chance? That’s pure gold. Nothing says hometown boy like a story like that.”
“That’s ridiculous.” I laughed. She had to be joking, but when she didn’t join in, I realized she was serious. “No, Jess. No. Absolutely not.”
“He needs you, Anna.” She leaned forward and put a hand on my forearm. “You know he has a good heart—you just said it yourself—and this will show it to the world. Why not? If neither of you are still pining over the other, what’s the harm?”
“Uh, that I could come off as the homewrecker who’s trying to steal Angelina Cross’s man? Why would I put myself in that position?”
“You won’t come across as the homewrecker. You’re the shoulder he cried on when he got home. You helped his broken heart heal, and the two of you fell in love again.”
“Or he could be painted as a man-whore who couldn’t keep it in his pants after his fiancée cheated on him, while I would be the seductive temptress who might also be a gold-digger wanting to break up the happy couple.”
“William has people on his team who do this kind of thing. All you have to do is agree, and they’ll make sure the right reporters ask the right questions.”
“Doesn’t that seem manipulative?” I asked, my brow furrowing.
She shook her head. “It’s called show business. What’s manipulative is what the media’s doing to fans of his right now. They’re literally changing the perception of him through deceptive tactics, and people are eating it up.”
“Fine. That might be true, but still.” I tightened my ponytail before grabbing my wine from the table and taking a huge gulp of it. “I’d love to help him, really. I’m just not sure if I can do this.”
“We’ll pay you,” Jessie said. “Consider it a job. Nothing more than a business transaction. All you have to do is hang out with William a little. That’s not so bad, is it?”
When I still didn’t bite, she kept pointing out things like how William and I would probably have ended up spending time together anyway, that we still had a lot to talk about, and that this way, it was a win-win situation for both of us.
Eventually, I started coming around to the idea. How difficult could it be to go on a few fake dates with my ex? I could keep a handle on my feelings, and this was a legitimate way to make some money.
I could pay off some of our debts and maybe even move into a place that was just a little bit bigger and nicer. The chipping paint on my walls, the leaky faucet, and the mold in the bathroom had been bugging me for ages. I’d done everything I could to fix the apartment up, but without my landlord, Mildred, coming to the table, there was only so much I could do that didn’t cost a ton of money.
Best of all about this proposition was that I might be able to take some pressure off my dad, too. He’d been taking on too many extra shifts, and I knew it was because he wanted to pay off those debts as fast as possible. He thought that if he could pay them off, I wouldn’t have to contribute a decent amount of what I earned to help do it. It was admirable but unnecessary.
If I could put even a dent in what we owed, he could relax a little bit.
“I’ll think about it,” I finally said. “Can I have a few days?”
She grinned. “Take as many days as you need. If you decide against it, that’s also okay. We’ll figure something else out. I just thought this was the best way and that it could benefit the both of you.”
Benefit or break. The jury was still out on that one.
Not that I had the ability to break William anymore, but if I let him under my skin, he sure could break me into a million tiny shards. Then again, he didn’t want to get under my skin. In fact, except for this business arrangement, I doubted he wanted much from me anymore at all.
He probably never even thought about me these days, which actually made all this seem a whole lot simpler. We weren’t the same Anna and Will who used to be head over heels for each other.
We were Anna and William, and those two hadn’t done the things together we had. They didn’t have our past, our memories. All they had was what they both stood to gain, and that might just be everything.
Chapter 13
WILLIAM
Anna smiled at me, her hands on her curvy hips and one of her long legs extended to the side. She was saying something about the challenge I’d set before racing away to change into my swimming trunks.
My mouth had dried up as soon as she’d come out of the house wearing a lilac bikini with a halterneck top and strings tying the bottoms at her sides. It had to be a new one because I’d never seen it before.
In the back of my mind, I remembered something about the challenge. I’d said something about diving into the pool and holding our breath, but I suddenly couldn’t care less about it.
It had been about six months since we’d taken our relationship to the next level, and although we didn’t get nearly enough time alone, I still couldn’t get enough of her. I didn’t think I ever would.
It didn’t help that she just seemed to get sexier by the fucking day. She’d always been on the curvier side, but those curves were filling out in all the right places. Her face was slowly maturing, taking the wide-eyed innocence and turning it into the beautiful, striking face of a woman.
She was only eighteen, but I already knew she was going to grow into the most breathtaking woman in the world. My friends thought it was just because I was smitten with her, but it wasn’t. She was objectively gorgeous, and they knew it too.
I hadn’t missed the way heads had started turning whenever she walked down the hallway at school, or how even my friends went all slack-jawed when she hung out with us here at the pool.
“Will?” She snapped her fingers, a slight smirk on her full lips when I finally managed to lift my gaze away from her body.
I splashed some water on my face, then decided to just go under for a minute while I tried to get my head together. The cool water stung my heated cheeks, but it felt nice. Refreshing.
When I came back up, I tried to act unaffected. “Sorry. I guess I just zoned out for a minute. What did you say?”
“I asked you what the rules were. How will we know who wins? If there’s no one watching, we won’t know if one of us cheats. We could easily come up for a quick breath and go under again.”
“I wouldn’t cheat,” I said, my heart sinking at the mere thought of her not feeling as strongly about it as I did. I knew we weren’t talking about cheating on each other, but I’d recently discovered a jealous streak about a mile wide inside me.
All those looks she was getting had brought it out in me, making me want to bang on my chest and yell “MINE!” whenever I saw someone’s eyes on her. It felt like a juvenile reaction, but when I’d told my father about it, he’d laughed and told me it was natural
.
Anna’s eyes softened at the dark expression that must’ve appeared on my face. She stretched her arms out in front of her and executed a perfect dive. Her toned arms sliced through the water and she only lifted her head when she was right in front of me.
She slicked her hair back before winding her arms around my shoulders, pulling herself closer to me through the water before hooking her legs around my waist. Keeping her face a few inches away from mine, she fixed me with an intense look.
“I wouldn’t cheat, either,” she said firmly, her fingers playing with the wet hair at the nape of my neck. “I love you, Will. You know I didn’t mean it like that.”
I dragged in a calming breath. “I know. I’m sorry. I don’t know where that came from. It must be the hormones.”
“People our age blame everything on hormones,” she teased but then pressed her breasts against my chest. The thin material of her bikini top didn’t do a thing to hide how hard her nipples suddenly were. “Then again, they sure are potent.”
“True.” I’d been fighting a hard-on since she’d come out of the house, but now with her soft body wrapped around mine and her delicious lips just there, there was no fighting it anymore. I swallowed hard, leaning forward to touch the tip of my nose to hers. “I didn’t invite you over for sex, though. I thought we could just hang out by ourselves again for a change.”
“Is your dad still on his business trip?” she asked, her voice little more than a whisper.
I nodded. “Jessie’s at choir for the rest of the afternoon. We have the house to ourselves, but I don’t want you to think that I—”
“I could never think that about you. We waited for years, Will. I love you and I know you love me. I don’t think we have to feel bad about wanting each other that way, and I don’t think we need to justify it.”
“I do love you,” I said, my voice strained and thick with a rush of emotion I only ever felt when I was with her. “I love you so damn much and I’m going to love you for the rest of my life. As soon as we’re old enough, I’m going to ask you to marry me.”
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