Billionaire's Vacation: A Standalone Novel (An Alpha Billionaire Romance Love Story) (Billionaires - Book #13)

by Claire Adams

  It helped that he seemed to be making distancing myself easier. He had found someone new. In that case, best of luck to them. It should not have taken this long to get to this place. I didn't know whether you could break up with someone who you weren't actually with, but it felt that way. I sat down again, staring down at my textbook. Nope, it wasn't happening. Not tonight. I picked my phone up instead.

  "Hello?" said Tiffany.

  "Guess who just left my place," I said instead of hello.

  "Who?"

  "Sean."

  "The guy you're wasting your good looks and time on?"

  "You'll never guess what he came here to do."

  "Eat your food? Have sex? Did he lock himself out of his place and knew you'd let him spend the night?"

  "No," I said, rolling my eyes, though this was Sean we were talking about and all those were possibilities. "He came in saying he and I needed to talk. He just started dating someone new and told me he came over to give me a chance to defend why he should still see me or it's over."

  "That fool walked into your house and gave you an ultimatum?" she asked.

  "Can you believe it?"

  "No. Just no. You can't anymore. Dump him, please. For me, so I don't have to hear this shit anymore. For yourself, so he isn't making you defend your title as his spare girlfriend."

  "I think I'm done," I said, weighing the possibility in my head.

  "Really done? Or just done till the next time he calls you?"

  "He has a new girlfriend, he shouldn't miss me," I said, shrugging.

  "I want to congratulate you for shaking 175 lbs of dead weight, but I'll believe it when I see it."

  "Can I ask you something?" I asked.

  "Anything. What is it?"

  "I need you to tell it to me straight. Don't sugar coat it."

  "Of course. What do you need to know?" she asked. I took a deep breath.

  "Is Roman seeing anybody?"

  "No," she said immediately, almost too fast.

  "Tiff, I mean anybody at all, it doesn't have to be a girlfriend. Do you know if he's taking girls home? Dating?"

  "No, Vee. He isn't."

  "Are you sure?"

  "I know he's been seeing his friend Donovan again and they go out to bars, but he isn't seeing anybody, not even casually."

  "Great," I sighed.

  "Why? I thought... I thought you were done with him."

  "He left me this box at my door earlier this week. It had a note in it. He wants to meet up and talk. He basically said where to meet him and that he'd be waiting there every day at the same time till I showed up."

  "Have you talked to him?"

  "No. It's going to take more than just a letter to see him again."

  "I can tell you for a fact that he isn't playing you," she told me. "If he wants to talk, maybe you should hear him out if nothing else. Then you can hear it from the horse's mouth."

  "I'll think about it," I said.

  "Guess that's all I can ask you to do," she conceded. I thanked her for telling me and hung up.

  The boxes had started showing up on Tuesday; it was Sunday now, almost a week. How long would it be before he gave up and stopped going? Had he been going at all? Was I too late? If I was then it was my fault for thinking the offer didn't have an expiry on it.

  But if Tiffany's facts were straight and he wasn't seeing anyone, that meant that he was serious about... About what? Something. Us getting back together? All he had said in the notes was he wanted to talk but, it made sense that maybe that was what he wanted. The only way to know for sure was to go talk to him.

  Talk. Just talk. If he really wasn't seeing anyone else, that meant he was at least serious. A talk, I could give him that much.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Roman

  She's not coming, I thought for the millionth time. Again. She's not fucking coming. I had been checking the clock since it had hit one. It was almost two now. If she was showing up, she should have by now. There was late and there was this. This was a blow off.

  That first day, I understood. After a couple after that, I could still see why she wouldn't show. It was almost a week now, though, and I was getting tired of sitting out on this blanket waiting for someone who wasn't even thinking about showing up. When did it cross the line to just pathetic, waiting for her like this? I wondered. It was one thing if I knew I could count on seeing her, but that hope was dying a little every day.

  Did I have to go to her place to talk to her? No. I knew Ron. She wouldn't like feeling like I was backing her into a corner, making her talk to me when she didn't want to or when she was still mad and needed time to cool off. That was why I had given her the option to come to me when she was ready. Question was when the hell would that be? Maybe she wasn't trying to get ready. Maybe talking wasn't even something she was thinking about doing in the first place, so there was nothing she had to get ready for.

  I wasn't buying all this food to eat myself, but it was looking like that was what I would be doing again tonight. I sighed, putting all the food back into the basket. Would I be back tomorrow? That was the thing, I could say that I wouldn’t be, but I would. It was getting harder every day and maybe I just wasn't taking a hint, but I would.

  A flash of white through the trees caught my eye. I looked, making out a person coming towards me. Nobody had ever come through the trees to the clearing when I had been here. I doubted how many people actually knew about it. I held my breath recognizing the figure coming through the trees. Her dress was white and her hair was down, loose and a little messy around her shoulders. It was her. She came. She hadn't blown me off.

  Something told me that I should be standing when she came up to me, so I did. The past year had been good to her. Maybe the image I had had of her in my mind just hadn't been close enough to the real thing, that was why I couldn't look away from her. She looked angelic when she wore white. I was so glad that I had gotten back just in time for sundress season.

  "Hi," she said softly, coming up to me. I restrained myself from touching her; she probably wouldn't want me to.

  "Hey."

  "Can I sit?" she asked.

  "Please," I said. She sunk down to her knees, sitting on her legs. Her dress rode up so I could see part of her thighs. The movement distracted me a little. It wasn't like I hadn't seen it before, it had just been so long since we had both been here, since that day we had ditched class the week before finals.

  "Are you hungry?" I asked, sitting facing her. She said that she was. I pulled the spread out of the basket. Mini quiches I had bought from a bakery and some brownies. She ignored the quiche, going straight for the dessert.

  "I didn't think you were coming," I said.

  "I didn't either. Sorry for making you wait."

  "I'm just glad you showed."

  Silence. I wasn't used to this, being awkward around Ron. We had never had that problem, not even when we had just started out dating.

  "I haven't been here since..." She stopped herself. I remembered the last time we were together here. Thinking about what we did was probably going to just scare her away. We had to work back up to that.

  "Were you busy today?" I asked. She broke a piece off her brownie and ate it.

  "I was actually at school," she said.

  "Yeah? Why?"

  "Library. I took some courses for the summer session."

  "That's great."

  "Is it? I think it is, but some people think I should be backpacking around Europe, not sitting in class."

  "If it's what you want, it's great that you're doing it," I said, shrugging. "Besides, not a lot of people make school their first priority, even when it should be."

  "It'll pay off in the end, that's what I keep telling myself," she said, with a small smile. "What about you?"

  "What? Class?"

  "You always had classes during summer training," she said. I liked that she remembered that. I liked that familiarity we had with each other. We had been a couple, bu
t all that time we spent together, all that time talking, had made us friends, too. It was the kind of friendship I didn't get from Don or anyone else. We were close physically and emotionally – it was everything together.

  "Stuff's a little weird right now," I said.

  "How so?"

  "I would have to reenroll if I wanted to play for the school again, but since I took time off, I don't know whether it would be worth trying to get drafted this year. Football was always what I wanted to do. I feel like I'd rather concentrate on that than split my time with academics."

  "That sounds risky," she said.

  "It is. Any professional sports career is risky. Barely any of the people in college for football actually end up in the league."

  "Only the best?"

  "Yeah, and the ones lucky enough not to get injured.”

  "I hope you get in. I know how much being making it into the pros meant to you." She broke her brownie in two, eating another piece.

  "Thanks. I hope so, too."

  "Looks like we're both where we want to be," she said with a small smile. If she meant here with her eating brownies, then yeah, I agreed.

  "In some ways," I said. I thought I saw her blush.

  I asked her what courses she had picked up for summer session. I liked to think I had at least a slight working knowledge of psychology from talking to her about her school stuff. She avoided talking about my deployment when I'd mention it, but loosened up. The sun moved and we moved the blanket with it. The timid way she started lingered, but it wasn't unbearable. Two hours later, she had to head home.

  "I had a good time," she said. She helped me fold the blanket back up.

  "Thanks for coming. I want to see you again, Ron." Uncertainty crossed her face and she bit her lower lip a little.

  "I don't know," she said.

  "Anything. I'll take anything, Ron. I'll walk you to class in the morning if you'll let me. I just want to see you again." She paused. What was she about to say? I wasn't too good to beg her for this.

  "Are you free Friday night?" she asked. I had to wait a couple beats to stop myself from cheering.

  "I will be," I said. "Dinner?"

  "As friends," she said firmly. I bit my tongue. Don't argue with her, she already said yes. Don't make her change her mind.

  "I'll pick you up," I said.

  "No, I'll drive. Wait a minute. How do you know where my new place is?" she asked.

  "I asked Tiff," I admitted.

  "What else did you ask her?" she asked.

  "Whether you were happy." She paused again, looking down for a second.

  "Why would you want to know that?"

  "Because I care about you. I needed to know-"

  "Whether I ever got over when you dumped me?" she interrupted. Her voice wasn't accusing me of anything; she sounded neutral, but some pain came through.

  "How you were doing since I hadn't seen you in a long time," I said. "Ron, I need you to know that I never stopped caring about you. I know what I did, and I can't apologize enough for making you think there was a time that I didn't."

  "I just don't want you to have expectations for this," she said. "I agreed to see you, but what happened isn't going to be reversed after one date."

  "I know that. I'm just glad that you're giving me a chance. Since it's a date, let me pick you up," I tried. She sighed, running her hand through her hair. I wanted to do it, too, but I had lost the privilege to touch her like that a year ago.

  "Okay," she said. Thank fuck she was on board. I told her I'd pick her up at seven thirty Friday night. She nodded – not that enthusiastic, but it was still a yes.

  "Can I walk you to your car?" I asked.

  "Sure, we're going the same way anyway," she said. We walked side by side. My hand brushed the back of hers accidentally, and she silently crossed her arms across her chest. Fuck, that stung, I realized, miles away from this girl who was right next to me where the hell I was. I was back to square one, maybe less than that. I was sure of what I felt, but that was because it was easy for me. I hadn't been the one who had had to hear from my boyfriend of almost three years that he didn't love me anymore out of the blue.

  "Thank you for coming to see me," I said again as we walked up to her car.

  "I'm not going to lie to you. Up until one thirty, I wasn't sure I was."

  "Can I ask what changed your mind?" I asked, wishing I didn't as soon as it came out of my mouth. But I needed to hear it. The lies I had told her before I left were the reason she was here like this now, scared of me.

  "Something told me you were being sincere. For that, I figured you at least deserved a chance to say what you needed to say."

  "What about the date?"

  "If you wanna test your luck, I'll cancel it," she threatened. She was smiling a little and her voice was light. It was something. I'd take a tepid smile over tears any day. That bit of fire, too? That was her, my girl. We said our goodbyes, and I waited till she had driven away to get into my car and head home.

  I dropped the basket onto the kitchen counter when I got home. First day it wasn't full of food I'd have to eat myself. Today was a good day, I thought. It was a win. A small one. One which depended on what happened Friday, but I was taking it. I was back in.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Veronica

  Tiffany had called me saying she was coming over that afternoon. The knock at the door came right on cue. I turned the television off and went to get it. Since it was only her, I didn't care that I was in my pajamas with my hair in a bun. She breezed in, dressed like she had had places to go during the day. I had had places to go during the day, too, but my apartment was a strict comfort-only zone. The jeans and bra came off the second I walked through the door.

  I was about to ask her how she was when I noticed the look on her face. She was grinning so hard she could split her cheeks.

  "Why are you in such a good mood?"

  "Why aren't you in a better one?" I looked at her blankly. "You have a date tomorrow."

  "I know, that still doesn't tell me why you’re so thrilled."

  "So, you aren't excited?" she asked. We made our way to the couch. My dining table was crowded with books and photocopies, but I was taking a break.

  "It's your brother; we went out for almost three years."

  "That was in the past, you're new people now."

  "Different versions of the same people," I said to her, "so no. He can't surprise me at this point. I know him pretty well."

  "A lot can change in a year," she said.

  "If you know something, tell me now."

  "Nothing," she said innocently, "I'm just excited.

  "You know that's not normal, right?"

  "I've been rooting for you since the beginning. I'm excited the two of you are finally talking again."

  "That's all we're doing – talking."

  "Of course it is," she said, grinning.

  "Stop looking at me like that."

  "Just admit you're excited, too."

  "I'm not. This isn't new. He isn't new. It's just been a long time."

  "So you haven't been thinking about what you're going to wear?" she asked.

  I paused. I had a pretty solid wardrobe. I didn't like spending on new stuff, just getting a couple investment pieces a few times a year. But now that she had mentioned it, I hadn't really thought about what I was going to wear.

  "I'll dig something up," I said lightly.

  "This isn't a date that you just dig something up to wear.”

  "We used to go out together. I'm not trying to make a fake first impression. He knows what I look like with no makeup on in pajamas. I don't need to impress him."

  "That's no excuse not to try. You have to make an effort. That is how you keep a man," she said matter-of-factly.

  "How do I keep something that isn't even mine?"

  "Not with that attitude. First, you need to open your eyes because you still somehow think the two of you aren't getting back together."
>
  "We'll see what happens when it happens," I sighed. I didn't want any pressure. That was one of the conditions of this date even happening. It had to be casual, no expectations more than just talking and sharing a meal as two people who had been close in the past.

  "You still have to try," she said.

  "I will. Tomorrow, I swear I'll wear false lashes."

  "I mean for real. Let's go out and buy something."

  "A new dress for this? No."

  "Come on."

  "What’s wrong with what I own?"

  "He's seen it all before, that's what," she said, smirking.

  "No. Not a good enough reason to do it."

  "We could make it a whole day. Shop, get our nails done, it'll be fun."

  "I'm not spending money on a new dress."

  "You've barely quit working since school let out, and then you'll be right back in class on Monday again."

  She had a point. I sort of hated that she did, but class was starting next week and it had been a little while since I had spent money on a manicure. I was happy to do my nails at home since I could save money that way, but it was nice to let people take care of you sometimes. Getting them done today, just before the date with Roman, didn't mean that I was doing it for him. No. I was doing it for me, like Tiff said. There was no shame in doing something nice for yourself when you deserved it.

  "I'll come with you, but I still won't spend money on a dress," I insisted.

  "That's all I want," she said, popping up to her feet. "Grab a shower, and we'll leave." I resented that she thought I wasn't clean just because I was wearing pajamas, but let her have it. I changed and coaxed my hair into a simple up-do, not really wanting to brush it out into a lion's mane. We took separate cars, starting at the nail salon.

  We ended up at the mall next. I didn't want to really buy anything, so I just followed Tiff's lead, following her into a boutique where she claimed she had seen something that she wanted to get. She was tall, long limbed, and willowy, so she could have just skipped the school thing entirely and taken up modeling. Shopping with her was fun, but clothes just didn't sit the same on me. I was slightly above average height, but still three inches shorter than her. I wore a size six, but I wasn't walking down anyone's runway anytime soon.