Her Big Fat Foxy Billionaire Best Friend

by Victorine E. Lieske

  “Miranda’s already hurt. From Walt. She’s clinging to whatever she can right now, and that seems to be Zachary Dunham. If he succeeds, she may shatter.”

  Angelica frowned. “You can’t interfere. You know that, right?”

  He turned to her. “What do you mean?”

  “She likes him. As soon as you try to say something bad about him, she’ll think you’re not being a good friend. She’ll think you’re jealous or spiteful or something. You can’t tell her.” Angelica grazed his arm with her long fingernails. “Trust me. Come on, I want to get another drink.”

  He spent the evening listening to Angelica talk about the stupidest things. From fashion, to who had the worst makeup in the crowd, to all kinds of gossip about the Star Venture cast. Several times he wanted the night to end so badly that he thought about jumping overboard. Luckily, just when he was about to fake being sick, he looked at his watch: midnight. He no longer saw Miranda around.

  “I’d better head to bed.”

  Angelica squeezed his hand. “It’s been fun tonight.”

  He looked down at her. Fun wasn’t the word he’d use to describe it.

  “Walk me to my cabin?”

  He nodded and headed toward the elevators with her. They got off on her floor, and he walked down the hallway with her. She opened her door, but turned to him, tugging him into the doorway.

  “Here’s where we kiss goodnight.” She pulled him down to her lips. After the kiss she grinned at him, placing her hand on his chest. “See you at breakfast.” Her gaze dipped to his chest. “Unless you want to order breakfast in bed.”

  He pulled her hand off his chest. What was he doing? Angelica was not who he wanted to be with. Miranda wasn’t jealous, and Angelica was starting to make him want to gnaw off his own arm. He really shouldn’t be with her if he couldn’t stand her. “We need to talk.”

  She frowned. “That doesn’t sound good.”

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry. It’s not working between us. It’s not fair to you to keep doing this.”

  She ran a finger down his chest. “Life isn’t fair. I just wanted a good time with a billionaire.”

  He took a step back, heat rising to his face. “And I want more than that.” He swallowed. “I want Miranda.”

  Angelica’s face soured. “Well. Good luck with that.” She slammed the door in his face.

  He exhaled. That was for the best. If he had to spend another day with Angelica, he was going to do something drastic.

  As he neared his cabin, he heard a muffled noise coming from Miranda’s room. He froze and listened. She screamed. His heart hammered in his chest and he pounded on her door. Was Zachary in there?

  No answer came, and he continued to pound. “Miranda?” he called. “Let me in.”

  Finally, the door opened. Miranda stood there in her pajamas, her hair disheveled, her hand on her chest. “Drew? What are you doing here?”

  He craned to see around her. “I heard you scream. Are you okay?”

  She let him in. “Yeah, I just had a nightmare. That’s all.”

  He was relieved to see her cabin empty. Then he noticed how rattled she looked. His palms grew sweaty. “Are you okay?”

  She sat on the edge of her bed, the covers in a twisted mess. Her hands shook. “I’m fine.”

  She trembled like a frightened kitten. What could have done this to her? Miranda wasn’t usually disturbed by things; she even liked scary movies. He sat next to her. “What was the dream about?”

  “Nothing. I just sometimes have nightmares. That’s all.” She didn’t look him in the eye.

  “How long have you had them?”

  “Ever since I was a kid,” she whispered.

  Concern welled in him. “Is it a reoccurring nightmare? Always the same?”

  She nodded, and a tear escaped down her cheek. “I thought maybe they were gone. I hadn’t had one in a while.”

  There was more to the story, he could tell, but instead of drilling her more he pulled her to his chest. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”

  She snuggled into him. “I always feel safe with you.”

  He held her until she pulled back and smiled at him. “I’m better now. Thank you.”

  He gazed into her eyes. “If you ever want to talk about it. . .”

  She looked at the floor. “I know. You’re a great listener.”

  “I care about you,” he said, his voice low.

  “Yes.” She smiled, but it looked forced. “I know you do.” She stood, and he followed her to the door. “Goodnight, Drew.”

  He paused, wondering if he should ask one more time. Maybe she would tell him. But he chickened out and stepped out into the hallway. “Goodnight.”

  The door clicked shut; he was alone with his thoughts. There was a side to Miranda he didn’t know. A side that didn’t tell him everything. What was she keeping from him? And why didn’t she feel like she could trust him with it?

  He exhaled and went into his room. If she didn’t want to tell him, he couldn’t force it. But something was going on with her, and it concerned him.

  Chapter 16

  Miranda awoke with a monster headache. After she dressed it still wasn’t better, so she knocked on Drew’s door. Maybe he thought to bring some aspirin. He opened it, his hair still wet from his morning shower. His gaze seemed to penetrate through her.

  “Hey, squirt,” she said, trying to lighten the mood. Things had turned way too serious between them, and it was her fault for crying out during her nightmare. “I have a headache. Do you have anything?”

  “I’ve got some ibuprofen. Come in.”

  She sat on his desk chair while he rummaged through his suitcase. He pulled out a bottle. “Here you go.” He tossed it to her, then disappeared into the bathroom.

  She shook out two pills and grabbed one of his unopened water bottles. Hopefully her headache would go away. She was looking forward to the tubing thing they were supposed to be doing today.

  After a few minutes, Drew came out of the bathroom, his hair combed and styled. He leaned against the door jam. “You okay?”

  “Yes. I’m sure I’ll feel better.”

  He gave her a meaningful look. “I wasn’t talking about your headache.”

  Nice. He was asking about her nightmare. She didn’t want to explain her nightmares to him. Didn’t want to get into how, after all these years, her father’s abuse still haunted her. “I’m fine.”

  He didn’t look like he believed her, but he stood and opened the door anyway. “Alright.”

  Miranda walked with him to the elevators, trying to ignore her pounding head. After he pushed the button, he turned to her. “Want to eat somewhere else today?”

  She peered up at him. “Wouldn’t Angelica be upset?”

  “I broke things off with her last night.”

  Relief flowed through her. Thank goodness. Angelica was not the girl for him, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so she frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  He gave her a skeptical look. “No, you’re not.”

  She bit her lip. He was right, she didn’t like Angelica, but that was rude to say. “I just didn’t think you were very happy with her.”

  He slowly nodded. “Maybe you’re right. Want to eat at the buffet?”

  “Yeah, sounds great.” As they walked, her headache seemed to pound in rhythm. She hoped the ibuprofen would kick in soon.

  “Are you going to try the grits?” he asked when they got in line, giving her a wink.

  “I thought you were done teasing me about that.” Her face heated.

  “It’s just so fun. I can’t help it.”

  “So what if I thought grits meant your butt? What else was I supposed to think? ‘Kiss my grits.’ It sounds like it.”

  He chuckled and scooped up a pile. “Want some?”

  She shoved his hand away. “No. I’m fine with my fruit and yogurt, thank you very much.”

  “You’re missing out.”

&nb
sp; She sat down at their table, eyeing him. “Since when have you eaten grits?”

  “I’ve been to the south.”

  “Florida doesn’t count as the south.”

  He laughed, and she realized she really liked the way his eyes crinkled when he wasn’t holding back. She picked up her yogurt and peeled the foil top off. Something was different about him this morning, but she couldn’t pinpoint it. “You look happier.”

  His smile faded, and he looked down at his plate.

  Why had she said he looked happy? He’d just broken up with Angelica. Even a two-day fling stung when it ended. And she had no idea how wrapped up he’d been in Angelica. She quickly changed the subject. “You said you’re struggling with your next video game. What ideas have you come up with?”

  He shrugged. “Just lame ones.”

  She shifted, trying to get out of the sun’s glare. It was making her head feel like it was in a vice. “Come on, tell me some.”

  “I don’t know. I want to do one with a massive twist at the end, not just something small like the king was a woman thing. People love twists, so I was thinking of having something major revealed at the end.”

  “Good idea. Anything come to mind?”

  Drew took a drink of his milk. “I’d love to have the twist be that you belong to an alien race, while all the while you’re thinking you’re human.”

  Miranda scraped the bottom of her yogurt cup. “Like you’re on a team, and your mission is to find a suitable planet to live on, but you find a planet that is already occupied. The race is hostile, and the mission is to figure out a way to get rid of them without putting yourself at risk. But in the end you find out you just killed all of mankind on Earth.”

  Drew raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, only I don’t want it to end with the annihilation of the human race. But that’s a good scenario. I wonder if we can tweak it.”

  “Sure, we could brainstorm some more. That was just off the top of my head.” She rubbed her temples. “I wish this headache would ease. I thought the ibuprofen would help, but it’s just getting worse.”

  He studied her. “You look pale.”

  She placed her hand on her forehead. “Maybe I’m coming down with something. That yogurt isn’t sitting too well.”

  Zachary appeared and stopped at their table. “I’ve been looking all over for you. Didn’t you get my note?”

  She looked up at him, but pain shot through her head, making her nauseous, so she bent back down. “No.”

  “Well, let’s go. I have tickets for the first tubing excursion and I don’t want to miss it.” He placed his hand on her shoulder.

  “I don’t think I can go. I have a terrible headache, and the sunlight is killing me.”

  “You won’t even notice it as you zoom down the zipline.”

  The mental image made her stomach lurch, and she pressed her lips together so she didn’t hurl on him. Drew stood. “She’s sick. I’m going to take her back to her room.”

  Zachary grumbled something under his breath. It didn’t sound very nice. Drew helped her stand, the motion making her yogurt do backflips in her stomach. “I think I need a bathroom. Now.”

  Zachary held his hands up. “Okay, okay. Don’t puke on me. These are five-hundred-dollar shoes.”

  Annoyance ripped through Miranda as Drew helped her get to the bathroom. Luckily, she made it to the toilet before breakfast made another debut. Her head felt like it was going to split open. She rinsed her mouth out at the sink and leaned against the cool tile on the wall.

  “Miranda?” Drew’s muffled voice came through the door.

  The swaying of the boat made her run back to the stall. After she was sure she wouldn’t throw up again, she cleaned herself up and made her way out of the bathroom. Drew caught her around her waist. “You look horrible. Let’s get you to your cabin.”

  Walking to the other side of the ship seemed to take forever. Drew opened her door and ushered her over to the bed. “Lie down.” He slid off her shoes and turned off the light so it was dark.

  Miranda curled up with her pillow. Her head pounded. “Ugh. I feel like someone’s trying to break through my skull from the inside.”

  “I think you have a migraine. Close your eyes. If you get some sleep, you should feel better.”

  Miranda did as Drew said. She heard him rummaging around in the bathroom, and a minute later she felt a cool washcloth on her forehead. “Mmm, that feels nice.”

  The bed shifted a little and Drew rubbed her back. “Just relax.”

  “Thank you. Could I have a little water?”

  “Of course.” The bed lifted, and a minute later Drew handed her a bottle of water. She took a sip and handed it back to him. The soft noise of him setting it on the desk sounded. “Let me know if you want more.”

  Guilt constricted her throat. She could see Drew having fun ziplining and tubing. She should let him go before he missed the excursions. He didn’t want to stay and be her nursemaid. “You can go now. Thanks for helping me.”

  “Hush,” he said, his voice low. He sat back down on the bed behind her. “Is my rubbing your back helping?”

  “Actually, yes.”

  He continued in slow circles. The rocking of the ship and the warmth of his hand on her back was just what she needed; she fell asleep.

  Chapter 17

  Miranda became aware of herself, and the first thing she noticed was that the blinding pain in her head was almost completely gone. It had died down to a soft ache. Then she noticed a warm body pressed up against her back. Drew. She shifted and Drew spoke. “How are you feeling?”

  Her heart sped up at how near his voice was to her ear. “Better.” An embarrassing squeak came with the word.

  He placed his hand on her upper arm, and warmth seeped into her skin. “Good. You were moaning in your sleep. Do you need more water?”

  Miranda didn’t want him to leave, so she shook her head. “No.”

  He was silent for a few moments. His finger traced the skin on her arm, then he brought it down the center of her back where her scar was. “Does it hurt?” he asked softly. “The scar, I mean.”

  The question threw her off for a moment. She pondered how to answer him. “No. Not anymore. Not physically, anyway.”

  She kicked herself for adding that last part. He didn’t miss it. “It hurts you, though. Emotionally.”

  “Yes.” She said it so quietly that she thought maybe he hadn’t heard her.

  “It wasn’t an accident, then.”

  He wasn’t asking a question, so she didn’t answer. But that was silly because she knew he’d continue to ask. She was just delaying the inevitable. Was she ready to talk about it?

  “Someone cut you?” he pressed.

  “Yes.” The pain from that day came back in full force, and she blinked at the tears gathering in her eyes.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  The way he’d said it, like not knowing was ripping him apart, softened her. He really did care about her. And she knew this. Drew was a very caring person. She couldn’t keep it from him any longer. “It was my father,” she whispered.

  He sucked in a quiet breath. “He did this to you?” His fingers felt her scar through her shirt.

  The memories surfaced and she closed her eyes, unable to hold them back. “He was a mean drunk. I remember the screaming. The fights. I was only six. I would watch from the stairs to make sure he didn’t hurt my mom. To make sure she was still okay after he hit her.”

  Drew stiffened behind her, but she continued. If she didn’t get it all out now, she’d never finish. “The day it happened he was hollering about his cold dinner. Mom said if he’d come home on time, it wouldn’t have been cold. That was the wrong thing to say. He grabbed a knife from the kitchen counter.

  “I remember running down the stairs, going to stop him from cutting momma. He turned on me instead. He said she’d never serve him cold food again, and he would make sure she never forgot it. He picked me up. I remember
the scream that tore from her throat before I felt the cold sting of the knife. I passed out, and I don’t remember anything after that until I woke up in the hospital and my back felt like it was on fire. I’d lost so much blood, I almost died.”

  With the words finally out, she blew out a breath and her chest lightened. Drew’s hand had tightened its hold on her shirtsleeve as she talked, and now he let go quickly, almost as if he didn’t realize he was doing it. He smoothed her sleeve down. “Is that when he left you and your mom?”

  She swallowed. “We told people he left. It was just easier that way.”

  Drew pulled her closer to his chest. “What happened?”

  “He got arrested. He’s in prison.”

  Drew let out a breath and squeezed her shoulder. “Thank goodness.”

  “For the longest time I couldn’t even sleep at night. I had such nightmares. When you moved in next door and we started watching Star Venture together, that’s the point in my life when I really started settling into my new normal. It had been a few years, and I had learned to push away the bad memories.”

  Drew’s fingers ran down her arm, and she could feel his breath on her neck. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I can’t believe you never told me.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut. “I didn’t want to bring up the memories.”

  “You still don’t,” he whispered. “I’m sorry I made you talk about it.”

  She shook her head and turned toward him. He was on his side, leaning on his elbow. She looked into his eyes. “No. I’m glad I told you. I’ve needed to for a long time.”

  He touched her nose with his finger, then moved it to her lips. The feeling of his skin on her lips made her heart thump. She closed her eyes. His finger moved to her chin and hooked underneath, tilting her head until he was only a heartbeat away. Her eyes flew open. Was he going to kiss her?

  “Don’t shut me out,” he whispered. He stared into her eyes and time seemed to stretch. She could easily lean over and close the distance between them. But what would that do to their friendship? She needed Drew, now more than ever. If she kissed him—started a new relationship with him—what would happen if it didn’t work out? If they found they weren’t compatible as more than friends?