“That’s it?” Vincent tilted his head, his eyebrows drawn. “That seems a little lacking, don’t you think?”
She rolled her eyes and twisted her fingers in her shirt. It was lacking because she wasn’t saying it to Angus personally. Why did everything have to be so hard? “I’d say I’m sorry. I’m sorry you felt shoved into a corner to do a show like this. I’m sorry my sister hates me. I’m sorry I didn’t tank the interview with your producer.” The words poured off her tongue fast and furious. She cast her gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry…I’m sorry I keep lashing out at you.”
Vincent chuckled. “That’s a lot of sorry.”
“And this is why I don’t want to be here. Everything’s a joke, pretend, or usable for ratings. I have no idea how to navigate this kind of thing, and…no, I’m done with this interview,” she said. “Angus deserves better than this. He is a person, you know.” She stormed away and straight to her bedroom.
This whole thing was stupid. Could it get any worse? Probably, and she hated to think about the depths the show would sink to.
* * *
The night air was cold and biting, but Penelope would take that over the claws waiting for her in the house. After the interview, she’d stayed in her room until she was sure everyone was in bed before venturing out to the patio. It was the only place she felt safe.
She had zero desire to deal with Zora or Amber. They were positive that Angus was giving her special treatment. Telling them to go jump in a lake so he could rescue them hadn’t gone over well. Although, she may have left the rescue part out.
The patio door opened, and Penelope checked over her shoulder. Sure enough, it was Angus. Was she wearing a collar with a bell?
He took the seat next to hers and slouched in it. “A little late to be haunting the halls, eh?”
She shrugged. “It’s quiet. I can think.”
“When I was a lad, I’d sneak out at night and lay out in the field. Even when it so cold I could feel it in my bones. It was me, the stars, and nothing in between.”
She cut a glance at him. “The only thing I’m missing is the rush of waves.”
He smiled. “Is George your thinking partner?”
A laugh popped out. “Yeah, he is. I’m missing him too.”
“I miss mine. They just want me and nothing else. I think that’s why I have four of them.”
Penelope chewed her lip. She didn’t need to be talking to him, but that interview hit her in the heart. “I owe you an apology. I’m struggling here, trying to find the real underneath the pretend, but I don’t think you jumped in the river after me for ratings. And, even if you did, it was still brave. Stupid, but brave.”
“You have a weird way of delivering apologies.”
She let her head drop back and exhaled sharply. “Why do you keep talking to me?”
He chuckled. “I have no idea. I couldn’t sleep, and you were out here. Seemed the polite thing to do.”
Why couldn’t he leave her alone? And then it dawned on her. There were alarms on their doors. The truth was most likely that he’d been woken up and told to talk to her.
Penelope stood. “I’m suddenly tired.”
He quickly stood. “What did I do this time?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why can’t we have a civil discussion?”
She hugged herself. “I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to get to know you. I don’t want anything.”
He raked his hand through his hair. “You are the most aggravating woman I’ve ever met. And if you met my agent, you’d know I don’t throw that around. What can I do to just…have a normal conversation?”
“Wake Jeanie up. I’m sure she’d be thrilled.”
Angus threw his hands in the air. “I don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything.”
Penelope hugged herself a little tighter. “Goodnight, Angus.”
She didn’t wait for a response because she didn’t care. They were both being forced into a situation neither of them wanted to be in. It was the nice thing to do to give him an out. Maybe that was the tactic she needed to employ from now on. Couldn’t fight if the other person wasn’t playing.
Chapter 20
With a deep breath, Angus sat up in bed. He’d tried everything he could think of, but with Penelope’s determination to keep her distance he was beating his head against a brick wall. It didn’t matter what he did or how he approached her; she’d tuck tail and go to her room. He imagined their interactions were keeping the audience entertained, but his patience was wearing thin.
The next big outing would be the planned trip to Hawaii. Barb had insisted on it. At first, he’d hated the idea of a romantic trip, but now he was thinking the change of scenery would help. Maybe it would shake things up and he could start over with Penelope.
Everyone, including the crew, was packing. A secluded beach house had been rented for two weeks, and during the stay, each woman would have one full day with him, as well as two group dates. It would be a chance for him to get to know each of the women better in a new setting. The very notion put him on edge.
Hawaii with Jeanie would be okay. Zora and Amber were a nightmare. The only person he could see himself enjoying time with was Penelope, and how could he spend time with someone who wanted nothing to do with him? And worse, why did he want to be around her while knowing that?
He knew why. While encounters with Penelope were infuriating, he found them interesting and entertaining. Her face would go from pink to red, and she’d storm off. At first, he was completely frustrated with her, but as the weeks passed, he found her temper more and more charming. It gave him something to look forward to.
Angus shoved off the bed, showered, and packed. They’d be leaving early and filming the whole trek. He rolled his shoulders and pulled his luggage with him to the door. Aside from the intrigue of cracking Penelope’s shell, he was finding it more and more difficult to put on a smile every day.
As he entered the great room, the women greeted him with warm smiles, minus Penelope, who was missing.
“Are we all ready?” he asked, as if he didn’t care she was noticeably absent.
Jeanie nearly danced with excitement. “I sure am. I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii.”
“Me too,” said Amber.
“Hawaii’s nice. Hawaii with you is nicer.” Zora held his gaze.
Zora turned him off in every way. He wasn’t even sure why he considered her eye candy in the beginning. The more he was around her, the less attractive she became. He thought her profession was noble, but she was aggressive and annoying. The way she held his gaze, how she’d find a way to always sit next to him, the way she’d touch him…it was all too much for someone he barely knew.
He’d even gone so far as to beg Barb to send her home. Her and Amber, but with only four women on the show, it wasn’t feasible. Jeanie was too sweet and boring. Not Angus’s words, Barb’s. And Penelope? It’d be the odd couple only without the cooperation to actually be seen together.
“Is Penelope already in the limo?”
“She says she’s not coming,” Jeanie said.
Angus pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled. “I’ll go talk to her.”
“Barb’s kinda already talking to her.” Amber shrugged.
He glanced at the three women, debating whether to join Barb or not. He strode to Penelope’s room and stepped inside. She just needed to play ball a while longer.
“You can’t just walk into my room!” Penelope glared at him.
Barb shook her head. “Angus, love, I’m taking care of it.”
“What do I have to do to get you to stop being so difficult?” Angus asked, his tone gruff.
“Angus, love, I said I’m taking care of it,” Barb said, adding a little force to it this time.
“Why am I being so difficult? I’m not doing anything. I don’t want to go to Hawaii. With you or anyone else. I want to stay here,” Penelope pleaded, turning to Barb. “Please, I�
�m begging you. Don’t make me go.”
Barb slipped her arm around Penelope’s shoulders. “Listen, darling, we’re going to Hawaii, and you don’t have a choice. I see your bags are packed, so why the sudden heel-digging?”
“You know what? Never mind. I’ll go. I just don’t want a day to get to know him. I know all I need to know. I’m perfectly fine giving my day to someone he’d like to spend time with. As long as that person isn’t me.”
Was he really that bad? “What is it with you? What have I done to you personally that makes you behave like this?”
“I’m not going on a date with you,” Penelope said leveling her gaze at him.
Barb glanced at Angus and back to Penelope. “We’ll discuss that when we get there.”
“Fine.” Penelope snatched her luggage handle and side-stepped Angus, making a quick exit.
“What can I do?” Angus began pacing. “I’ve tried everything.” He fought to keep his voice down.
Barb stood inches from him. “Remember: win her over, win them all over. Do you want your career back or not?”
Angus inhaled and closed his eyes. His heart thrummed so hard he could hear it in his ears. He’d tried to be charming, friendly, and easygoing, but all of his efforts were shot down. He’d saved her life, for crying out loud. It seemed nothing he tried worked. His shoulders sagged. The fighting was wearing him thin. Of the things he liked doing with a woman, arguing wasn’t one of them.
Maybe he’d try being Lanky Angus. The fresh-off-the-boat Scot who was so real she wouldn’t be able to help but see him as a person. Just for her. Trying so hard was going completely against his decision to guard his heart during the show, but he couldn’t find the will to stop searching for a way into her good graces.
With renewed determination and a new strategy, Angus walked back into the great room and flashed a broad smile. “Everyone ready now?”
Everyone but Penelope seemed eager and ready to go. She wouldn’t even cast a side-glance in his direction. In the limo, she sat as far away from him as possible and looked out the window.
On the plane ride to Hawaii, while Amber, Jeanie, and Zora sat around him, chatting, Penelope sat off by herself, refusing to speak to anyone. Her hair was like a curtain as she looked out the window. Once they arrived at the house, she disappeared into her room the moment she was given the chance.
After they’d all had a chance to drop off their luggage, they rode to a nearby restaurant that had been rented out. The local eatery boasted itself as a top dining place on Maui, so, of course, that’s where Barb had sent them.
“So, Angus,” Jeanie said, “about these days with you we each get. What will we be doing?”
“It’s a surprise.”
Zora and Amber pouted.
“That sounds like fun,” Jeanie said. Again, emphasizing how likeable she was.
He shrugged. “The only thing I know is that it will be a way for us to get to know one another better.”
Zora leaned in close to him. “Well, that I’m looking forward to.”
“Me too. I’ve always wanted to come here. Sun, surf, swimming.” Amber’s eyes widened. “I wonder if we’ll get to go snorkeling.”
Jeanie’s eyes lit up. “Oh my gosh, I’ve always wanted to do that.”
Penelope sat opposite him at the table, staring down at her closed menu.
“How about you, Penelope? What are you looking forward to while you’re here?” asked Jeanie.
“The end,” Penelope replied without looking up.
Amber rolled her eyes.
Jeanie leaned over. “Penelope, we’re being filmed. He saved your life. The least you could do is pretend,” she whispered. “We’re trying to have a good time. Lighten up, okay?”
She nodded but remained quiet. When it came time to order, without ever opening the menu, Penelope rattled off a meal like it was something familiar.
While Angus chatted with the three ladies, he’d glance at Penelope. There were a few times when he thought she was on the verge of crying. Although, he couldn’t be sure because she’d never look at him.
Once dinner was over, Penelope sat as far away from him as she could in the limo. The car had barely come to a stop when she jumped out and ran into the house.
The rest of them agreed to meet on the back porch for a small nightcap after they’d changed. As he approached the glass doors leading out, he paused and took a deep breath. The smell was incredible. The salt in the air was so thick he could taste it. The sunset looked like a painting with reds, pinks, and golds. Waves crashed in the distance with whoosh after frothy whoosh. It was called paradise for a reason.
Then he heard the women begin to talk, and he hung back, wondering what they really thought.
“That Penelope girl has to go. I swear she is such a downer. Always fleeing the scene like Angus is a leper,” Amber said. “And he jumped in freezing water to save her. What a loon.”
Angus angled himself so he could see them but remained out of sight.
Amber tucked her hair behind her ear. “She doesn’t want to be here.”
“I don’t understand why they don’t just send her home. It’s obvious she’s miserable,” Jeanie said. At least she sounded sincere.
Amber shrugged.
Zora glanced from Amber to Jeanie. “Because as hard as she tries, she likes him. He’s charming, attractive, and funny. Those traits, no matter what you tell yourself, are hard to resist.” She leaned forward and picked up her wine glass off the coffee table. “And, as Amber said, he saved her life. She’s avoiding him because she likes him and she knows she doesn’t have a chance.”
Angus worked his jaw. Penelope didn’t have a chance? More like she had the best chance. She might be avoiding him, and he might be frustrated, but that didn’t change that he liked her.
“If I knew someone wanted to go home that bad, I wouldn’t make them stay,” Jeanie said.
“She brings in viewers because she’s a regular person. Unlike us.” Amber’s tone was mocking.
Jeanie shook her head. “She brings in viewers because she’s not completely gaga over him. I was honest when I said I liked him. I don’t get the feeling there’s any chemistry there, but I’m hoping our date changes that.”
That was a relief. She felt it too. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be too disappointed when he didn’t choose her.
Zora chuckled. “It’s probably best she wants nothing to do with him. She’d just get her feelings hurt.”
“I don’t think he’s that shallow,” Jeanie said.
Angus quietly stepped back and cleared his throat so they wouldn’t realize he’d been eavesdropping. “Hello,” he said as he walked out.
“Hi.” It was a chorus of sweet greetings and smiles.
“Did you want a drink?” asked Zora.
“I’m good.”
“I’m so excited about tomorrow,” Zora said. “I can’t wait to see what the surprise is. I bet it’s going to be simply amazing.”
Angus sat and chatted a while, until he looked over his shoulder and found a lone figure sitting on the beach. If he were guessing, it was Penelope. A chance to be alone with her with none of the other women around. Maybe this was his chance for a new start.
“Ladies, I’ve enjoyed this, but I think I’ll turn in.” He stood, and they stood with him. Three single kisses on the cheek and an exchange of goodnights made it possible for him to ditch them and sneak around to the beach.
As he walked back into the house, he stopped Jeff.
“Do you think you guys could keep a low profile when it comes to Penelope? I’m going to try to talk to her, and if she sees you guys, she’ll never give me a chance.”
Jeff shrugged. “I think we can do that. There are some dunes we can stay behind to make things less obvious. We’ll film from there.”
“I’m not trying to trick her. I’m honestly interested in what’s going on with her.”
“You don’t have to explain anything to me.”
> “I felt like I did.”
“Go talk to her. We’ll stay out of the way.”
Angus paused a moment. “Thanks.”
Chapter 21
“Mind if I join you?” asked Angus.
Yes. No. Oh, she didn’t know. Three mixed drinks had left Penelope feeling friendlier than she had in years. Normally, she didn’t drink. Diabetes and sweet alcoholic drinks didn’t mix, but she was so emotionally wrung out when the limo stopped that she just didn’t care. She’d walked straight through the house and along the beach to a bar where she’d downed them before she could change her mind.
“Sure, why not?” Her words weren’t exactly slurred, but he’d be an idiot not to realize she was tipsy.
“Are you drunk?” he asked as he sat down about a foot from her.
She took a deep breath. He smelled as good as he looked. As always. “Define drunk.”
“One drink too many.”
With a chuckle, she said, “Oh, well, that’s a loose definition.”
Angus laughed. “I guess it is.”
His laugh was warm, and her stomach fluttered. She should’ve told him no.
The silence lingered for a moment longer.
“Had you eaten at that restaurant before?” he asked.
Penelope looked out over the ocean. The foamy waves lapped at the sand, and the stars sparkled. Her throat constricted, and she swallowed hard. “Yep. About two years out of college, I stayed here two weeks.” She’d been fighting tears all night. From the moment they’d pulled up in front of that restaurant, her heart had ached.
“That must have been nice.”
The urge to talk was at war with her promise to never tell anyone. She clamped her mouth shut and renewed her promise to keep her secret. “I’m not talking to you, Angus MacLachlan. I’m right about you. You might very well have changed, but I’ll never know for sure. I’ll never know you. I’ll know the face you show the world, but I’ll never know if it’s really you.”
“Fair enough,” he said, just loud enough that she could hear him over the water.
Mending The Billionaire Movie Star (MacLachlan Brothers Romance Book 1) Page 10
