She frowned and looked at me. “Sorry. Sit down.”
I remained standing. This wouldn’t take long. “I’m quitting the show,” I said. “I want to leave.”
She widened her eyes. “What?”
“I can’t do it anymore. Yesterday’s yacht thing was too much. It was terrifying, Mom. I’ve never been so frightened. And you said I only had to stay a couple of episodes. But it’s been four and a half weeks.”
Of course the real reason was because of Dec not returning my feelings. I couldn’t spend another minute in his company, faking it all for the cameras. Well, watching him fake it, anyway.
Mom was silent for a moment. Then she sighed and took her glasses off again. “You can’t leave, Olivia.”
“What? Why not?”
“Because the viewers have already decided who’s leaving this week, and it’s not you and Dec. You two are helping to bring us some amazing ratings, so I want you to stick around a while longer. I know I promised it wouldn’t be for long, and I’m sorry that it’s been five episodes already. But you really are helping, Liv. I need you to stick around for a few more.”
“No,” I said firmly. “I’m done. I’m going home.”
“I hate to remind you of this, darling, but you did sign a contract to be on the show. You had to, or else the network would’ve known something was strange about your presence here. And the only way you can get out of it is if there’s an emergency, or if you get voted out.”
“There was an emergency! I just said it—the yacht incident!”
She waved her hand. “Oh, grow up, Livvy. That was no emergency. It was a set-up, and you know it. You were never in any danger.”
“If you don’t let me out of the contract, I’ll call the network heads. I’ll tell them you didn’t have the numbers so you cheated by putting me and Dec on the show.”
Mom narrowed her eyes and stood up. “You’d do that, would you? Ruin your own mother’s show out of selfishness?”
“I…” I paused. She was right, and she’d called my bluff. I wouldn’t really make that call. If I did, the network heads would probably fire Mom and cancel her show, and as much as I wanted out of here, I couldn’t have that weighing on my conscience.
I decided to go for the sad begging tactic instead. “Mom, please. I really don’t want to be here anymore.”
“You promised to help me, Olivia.”
“I know I did, but I…” My voice trailed off. I didn’t know what else to say.
She glanced down at a framed photo which sat on her desk. I couldn’t see it from where I was standing, but I knew it was an old family photo. I saw it the first time I was in her office. “You know, sometimes I wish it was…” Her sentence trailed off as well, and she sat down with a heavy sigh, still staring at the photo.
“Wish it was what?”
“Never mind,” she muttered.
“Wish that it was me who died instead of Callum? He was so much easier for you to handle, wasn’t he?”
“For the love of god! Enough with the theatrics, Olivia. I didn’t say that.”
“But you think it sometimes, don’t you? You always said he was a good boy. He wasn’t the ‘wild child’ like me who ran off to New York at seventeen to make his own way.”
“He never made it to seventeen.”
“I know! That’s not my point. My point is you wish it was him standing here right now, don’t you?” I said. “When you looked at that photo just then…that’s what you were thinking. I could see it in your expression. Because he would never say no to you or argue with you. You wish he was here instead.”
Mom set her lips in a thin line. “Those are your words, sweetie. Not mine.”
I’d never said these things out loud before, because I didn’t want to tarnish my memories of my brother. But I knew I was right, and it wasn’t even about my relationship with him while he was alive; we’d gotten along wonderfully. It was about his relationship with her—she always liked him better. Favored him.
There was a good reason my mother and I had barely spoken during the two years since I moved out of home. We were better off apart most of the time. When I was still at home, we used to have a lot of blow-up arguments like this, and we were just too different in personality to truly get along. Too headstrong to let things go, too. It didn’t make a good mother-daughter combination. Maybe I shouldn’t have said these things; maybe I should’ve kept my mouth shut about everything today. But she was in the wrong, too. She shouldn’t be forcing me to stay on this stupid damn show.
“Fine,” I finally said. “I’ll stay. But I don’t want to. You’re making me. Just remember that next time you think about nominating yourself for Mother of the Year.”
She rolled her eyes at me, and I turned and stormed out of her office. I hated the sight of this damn luxury resort now. The gorgeous wallpapers lining the halls suddenly looked tacky, and the wonderful ocean views from the windows were suddenly boring and ugly. What once felt like a dream had become a nightmare. I wanted to blame Mom, but I knew that the blame truly lay elsewhere.
This was all because of Dec.
Chapter Twenty-One
Olivia
I ran blindly out of the main resort building and down a cobbled path lined by hedges. I didn’t know exactly where I was going, but if I couldn’t leave the island and go home, I at least wanted to be alone somewhere. Somewhere away from Dec.
I missed my little apartment back in New York. I missed Audrey. I missed my jewelry business, and even my boring library job. Most of all, I missed the time before I met Dec. Before I could let my heart get stomped on so thoroughly.
Tears were still gathering in my eyes, and I tried to push them back. I couldn’t be sad. Shouldn’t be. I had no claim over him, after all. I was just a silly girl, reading into events that didn’t mean a thing. I’d built up all this stuff in my head, and while it all felt real to me, that was probably because I was so young and naïve. I needed to grow up and get over it. I needed to be alone.
“Liv?”
Well, so much for being alone.
I whirled around grumpily, and my face softened when I saw Shayla standing nearby, holding a camera. It looked like she’d been taking photos of some pretty pink and red island flowers, but she lowered the camera when she saw my face. “Liv,” she repeated. “Are you okay?” She quickly approached me, eyebrows knitted with concern.
I wiped my eyes and sniffed. “I’m fine. But thanks.”
“You don’t look fine, sugar.”
“It’s just…” I couldn’t tell her the real problem, obviously. She and the other contestants were oblivious to my true identity. Dec’s, too. I couldn’t very well say ‘well, Shayla, I’ve fallen for my brand new stepfather, oh and by the way, we’re pretending to be contestants on this show. Surprise!’
“What is it?” Shayla’s eyebrows were furrowed even more now.
“Man issues,” I finally said. Hey, that was actually true.
She nodded sagely and folded her arms. “Ah. With Dec, I presume?”
“Yeah.”
“And now you wanna run away, lick your wounds?”
“Something like that.”
Shayla was quiet for a second. “Well, I get that. I have somewhere you can go. But…um…”
Her voice trailed off and I arched a brow. “What?”
“You have to promise not to tell anyone.”
“Of course,” I said, curious now.
A pink blush seeped into her cheeks. “I know you all think I’m a goody-two-shoes. But I’m not always good.” She reached into the little purse she held and pulled out a set of keys. “Ta-da!”
I frowned. “What’s that?”
“Remember the huts we stayed in the first night here? Well, apparently the show rented them out for a whole month, even though we only got to stay in them for one night. And the cameras have all been shut off there now, seeing as they aren’t being used for the show anymore. So let’s just say I managed to…erm�
��borrow the keys to all of them in case Paul and I want some private time away from the cameras. You’ve probably seen that we’ve been getting along quite well.”
“Shayla! Oh my god!” I was so shocked that I almost forgot how sad I was. “Wait, how do you even get there? We had to take boats there last time.” Her blush deepened, and I shook my head incredulously. “Don’t tell me you stole a boat key from the crew as well!”
“It’s not stealing! It’s borrowing!” she said.
I laughed. “All right, all right. I won’t tell anyone.”
“So you’ll let me take you to one of the huts?” she asked. “You can relax, have some time to yourself to think things over. Or I can stay and we can have a girly chat. Whatever you want, babe.”
I nodded. “That’d actually be really nice. Thanks, Shay.”
“No worries.” She looked over her shoulder to make sure no one from the show crew was around to see us. “All right, let’s get down to the marina quickly before anyone realizes what we’re up to.”
We dashed down to the pier like naughty schoolgirls, and Shayla directed me into a little silver speedboat which was floating in the water, tied to a pole. “One good thing about growing up with four brothers? You end up knowing how to do stuff like this.”
She threw the rope off and slid a key into the speedboat’s ignition, and I giggled as she started the engine.
“Hey!” A familiar voice sounded in the distance, and I turned my head to see Isobel standing near the little marina, hands on her hips. “Hey, what are you doing?” she went on.
“Just um…taking the boat for a spin. It’s okay, we have permission!” Shayla called out.
Isobel narrowed her eyes and looked at me before turning her attention back to Shayla. “You shouldn’t hang out with her if you know what’s good for you. Why don’t you ask her why she’s really on this show? Or what she’s really up to?”
My entire body immediately stiffened. Shit. Did Isobel know I wasn’t a real contestant? Did she know I only came on the show for my mom’s sake, and that I never had to go through an application process like everyone else? It certainly sounded like it.
“What’s that about?” Shayla asked, giving me a puzzled stare.
“Nothing,” I said hurriedly. “She’s just crazy. Let’s go.”
Whatever Isobel’s problem with me was, I could deal with it later. I had enough on my plate right now, and if she knew my true identity and hadn’t said anything thus far, then surely she wouldn’t open her mouth about it to everyone at any point within the next few hours. I hoped that was the case, anyway.
Shayla grinned. “You got it, girly.”
We took off, salty water spraying up on us as we powered toward the smaller island where the huts sat on wooden walkways stretching into the water. I nervously turned my head over my shoulder for a second, and I saw that Isobel was still standing on the wooden planks of the marina, glaring with her hands on her hips as we headed away.
“Which hut was yours?” Shayla asked over the roar of the motor as we approached the right side of the smaller island.
I pointed to the third hut from the shore. “That one.”
“We’ll go there, then.” She pulled the boat to a stuttering stop, then tied it to a wooden pole on the little dock to secure it.
After pulling out the hut keys again, she opened the door to my honeymoon hut and stood there with her hand out. “After you.”
I stepped inside and sighed happily. This hut had only been my home away from home for one night during this whole experience, but I’d really loved it here. It was so relaxing, so peaceful. I collapsed onto the dove-grey sofa with a heavy sigh, and Shayla grabbed a forgotten bottle of champagne and opened it up.
“You look like you need this,” she said, locating a glass in the kitchenette.
I accepted the glass and sighed again. “Men, huh?”
“Hey, you don’t need to tell me,” she replied, taking a seat next to me. “I’ve dated enough assholes in my time. Do you wanna talk about whatever happened with you and Dec?”
I chewed my bottom lip. “Um. I just overheard him saying some stuff, that’s all.”
She puckered her brows. “What stuff? To who?”
I waved my hand, knowing I couldn’t possibly tell her the whole story. “Doesn’t matter. Point is, I don’t trust him now.”
Shayla was quiet for a moment. “Y’know, I’m a little older than you. I hope a little wiser, if only from experience.” She paused, then went on. “Did you actually talk to him about it? Because communication is key to making a relationship work. It’s honestly so important.”
“I think I heard everything I needed to,” I muttered.
She gave me an exasperated look. “Okay, this is exactly my point. You think you know everything. You think you heard and understood everything correctly. But how do you know if you don’t ask? Perhaps you misheard. Misunderstood. Or maybe he had a reason to say whatever it was he said to whoever it was he was speaking to, but he didn’t mean it. At least not in the way you think.”
“I’m pretty clear on what was said.”
“But you haven’t confronted him. You haven’t talked to him. Right?” she insisted.
“Well…no,” I admitted. “I just ran out.”
“So there’s a chance you could be wrong or misinterpreting things. Sure, you might very well be right, sugar. But you can’t know for sure unless you talk.”
I nodded slowly, considering her words. She had a point. I’d hidden from Dec and then hightailed it out of the resort after my chat with Mom, and my first response had basically been, ‘Run! Go home!’. But Shayla was right. Whatever it was Dec said, no matter how douchey it was…I had a right to know exactly what he meant. If it was true. If he really had faked all the little moments we’d shared over these last few weeks.
It honestly didn’t make sense that he had. I mean, I was so sure of how he felt about me, just from that kiss yesterday and the look in his eyes. Could he really be that good of an actor? Or was he just lying to Mom earlier?
Whatever the case, I intended to find out. If he truly had zero feelings for me, which could very well be the case, then fine—I would accept that. But at least I would know for sure how he felt.
“You’re right,” I admitted. “I should talk to him.”
Shayla smiled, eyes crinkling around the sides. “Good. I would hate to see you guys bust up. Honestly, you two are the cutest couple. I wouldn’t even be mad if you beat us all out to the finale. Everyone loves you together.
“I guess.”
“I know there’s an age gap, but age is just a number. Doesn’t matter when it comes to love.”
“Who said anything about love?” I said, raising my eyebrows.
She laughed. “Oh, come on. Anyone with eyes can see the way you two look at each other.” She paused to steal a little sip of my champagne, then stood up. “So, should I take the boat and hunt him down? Make him meet you here for a chat?”
“You’d really do that?”
She shrugged. “Sure, why not? It’s a free day from filming. I was just gonna roam around and take some photos of stuff while Paul went for a jog, but I don’t mind. It won’t take long.”
“You’re amazing.”
Shayla smiled. “Thanks, doll. So should I go grab him?”
I nodded. “That’d be great.”
She took the keys and headed outside, and I heard the boat engine starting a moment later. While she was gone, I paced nervously in the hut, wondering what I would say when Dec arrived. Wondering what he would say.
The low roar of the speedboat engine alerted me to his presence fifteen minutes later, and I lay back on the sofa, not even daring to look up as I heard his footsteps approach the door.
“Liv? Where are you?” he called out. “You know, a little girl can’t hide from her stepdaddy forever…”
I finally sat up to see Dec entering the hut, lazy grin on his handsome face. “I’m here,” I s
aid stiffly.
His smile grew wider as he caught sight of me. “So you wanted a little rendezvous away from the cameras, huh? I don’t blame you. I’ve been wanting a moment alone with you to tal—”
I cut him off. “I heard you talking to Mom earlier, Dec.”
His smile immediately faded. “You heard what?”
I stood up, narrowing my eyes as I crossed my arms. “I heard everything. What you said to her about me. How this has all just been some big fake game, and how you have no feelings for me.”
He shook his head and rubbed his chin. “Oh, shit,” he said softly.
“It’s fine,” I said. “Really, it’s my fault. After the way you’ve treated me and helped me over these last few weeks, I guess I started to read into things. See stuff that wasn’t really there. And that kiss on the sand yesterday…I misinterpreted that too. Didn’t realize you only did it for the cameras. But of course you did. It’s all so obvious to me now. I don’t know why I ever thought—”
Dec cut me off. “Hey, hold on, Liv. Please, can you let me talk first?”
“Look, I just wanted to hear it from you in person, that’s all. So say it. Tell me you have no feelings for me.”
He took a step closer. I shrank back. “I’m not gonna say something that isn’t true, Liv. You know that,” he said.
“I thought I knew a lot of things about you. But you’re a good actor, Dec.”
“I wasn’t acting! Can you let me explain what you heard today?”
I uncrossed my arms and looked at the floor. “Okay. Fine.”
He ran his hands through his hair. “Shit. Where to begin…” he said. “Okay, Liv, what you heard….well, you weren’t meant to.”
“Obviously.”
“I didn’t mean it. It made me sick to say it. It was all total bullshit. But I had to.”
“Why?”
“Well, for one, I don’t want to cause issues with your family. You and your mom, I mean. Your dad and brother are gone. You might not get along with each other famously, but she’s all you have left and vice versa.”
“I guess.”
Husband For Hire (A Billionaire Fake Marriage Romance) Page 37
