“Lead the way.” He gave me an impish smile and followed me through the atrium toward the hall that led to the kitchen. The atrium served as a sort of hub to the whole house, with different hallways leading to the various wings.
We stepped into the dining room, where Mom was adjusting the fresh flower centerpiece on the table. She straightened and beamed at both of us when we walked in. “You made it.” She walked around the table to give me a hug, and then, to my horror, she pulled Cade in for a hug too. “I’m so glad you could join us tonight.”
Cade returned the hug as if it wasn’t completely crazy of her to offer it, smiling his charming smile as she pulled back. “Thanks for having me, Raquel. I’ve been looking forward to it.”
“Not as much as I have.” She winked and gestured for us to sit. “Please, have a seat.”
“Where’s Dad?” I asked as Cade pulled out a chair for me and scooted it in after I sat. He had the manners of a well-trained socialite; I’d give him that … but then, most heartbreakers probably did.
Mom frowned, her brow puckering in apology. “Your dad was so looking forward to this, but he got called into work.”
My stomach fell in disappointment, but I wasn’t surprised. Dad was always getting called into work. When you ran your own company—especially one on a global scale like his—there was always something to take care of. I unfolded the swan-shaped napkin on my plate and placed it on my lap. “That’s too bad. Hopefully I’ll get to see him at some point this weekend.”
“He’s blocked out all of Sunday to spend time with you,” she assured, giving me a little smile before she turned to Cade, “and he asked me to make sure to invite you for another dinner soon so he can meet you.”
“Mom,” I said, embarrassed that she would bring up another dinner invite. It wasn’t like we were dating.
“I’d love that,” Cade answered with a big smile as he took the seat across from mine. “In fact, my parents want me to invite Tia over soon, and they extended the invitation to both of you as well, if you’d like.”
I blinked, too stunned to say anything, but I didn’t have to, because Mom was already gushing.
“Really? How wonderful! We would love it, wouldn’t we, Tia?” She gave me a delighted look.
“Um …” I glanced at Cade, unsure how to react. “Yeah. That sounds great.”
His eyes held a roguish smile as he looked at me. “Excellent. I’ll let them know, and we’ll get something planned.”
I gave him a subtle glare. How dare he throw that out there without asking me first? He knew my mom would pounce on an invitation like that, and he’d used it to his advantage. Just what game was he playing?
Terry, my parents’ maid, brought out the first course, and Mom turned to Cade, practically glowing with approval. If she could handpick any boy from school for me to go out with, it would be Cade Carlisle. The thought bugged me … adding one more reason why I shouldn’t like him.
“So,” Mom said, “now that you’re here, I won’t keep you in suspense any longer about my ideas for the auction.”
“Awesome.” Cade leaned forward. “I’ve been excited to hear your thoughts.”
I wanted to be annoyed with him for sucking up to my mom, but he actually sounded sincere. It made sense that he would be in student government. He would be a force to be reckoned with in politics, with his earnest expression and soul-searching brown eyes. No one could resist voting for him. Even I had voted him in as student body president, and I hadn’t even known him last year.
Mom leaned back in her seat and clasped her hands together. “Tiara and I were talking about the idea of turning the auction into a sort of fashion show, with the students modeling the clothes they’re auctioning off. It might be fun for them to see what it’s like to take a turn on a catwalk.” She winked.
“I love that idea.” Cade looked at me. “It will get the students more involved and hopefully drum up more money for the charity.”
Again with the charity. Did he really have that big of a heart, or was it an act?
I nodded. “I think it will be fun. We could get a sign-up sheet for those who want to model, but also give the option for those who just want to donate clothes without getting on the runway.” AKA me.
“Good thinking.” He took out his phone and started typing. “Sorry, I’m just taking notes so I can submit these ideas to the student council. They’re going to be so stoked about it.”
Mom leaned forward. “While you’re taking notes … I have another idea I haven’t even told Tia about yet.”
I sucked in a breath, praying she wouldn’t suggest something like me singing a solo or some other awful form of humiliation.
Cade looked up from his phone, expectant.
Mom smiled. “Since you’ll already have the runway, the students, and the auction … what if you auctioned not only the clothes, but the student wearing the clothes for a date?”
I gaped at her. “Is that even legal?”
She laughed and waved a hand. “Of course, sweetheart. It’s just a date you’d be auctioning … nothing more. It would all be voluntary, and the person who ‘won’ the date would let the other person choose what the date would entail. That way no one would have to be nervous about it.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I don’t know—it still sounds a little sketch to me.”
She shrugged. “I already talked to Principal Anderson about it, and he liked the idea.”
Cade nodded. “If the principal’s on board, I say we go for it. I can think of some students who would pay a hefty chunk of change to win a date with the person they’ve been crushing on.” His eyes flicked to mine, and my heart stuttered.
Stop it, Tia, I scolded. Don’t be taken in by his flirting.
“It’s all for a good cause,” he continued, turning back to my mom. “So the more ways to raise money, the better.”
“Exactly.” She held up her water glass in a toast. “Here’s to raising money for charity—and here’s to Cade—the best student body president ever to grace the halls of Mt. Rainier Academy.”
I rolled my eyes at her theatrics and smiled, raising my water glass to join the toast. “Hear, hear,” I said.
Cade laughed and lifted his glass. “And here’s to a powerhouse mother-daughter team with their stellar ideas and mind-blowing art skills.” He smiled at me as we all clinked our glasses together.
I couldn’t help but smile back at him. Why did he have to be so darn charming? It made it harder to fight the growing attraction that rose inside of me like a hot-air balloon expanding and ready to break free. His foot accidentally bumped mine under the table, and a shower of sparks flew up my leg.
“Sorry,” he said, with a hint of a smile that said he wasn’t the least bit sorry.
“No problem.” I gave him a look, knowing he was thinking of our footsie conversation a few days back. His smile deepened, showing his dimple as he picked up his salad fork and started on his salad as he listened to Mom talk about the logistics of where to put the runway.
I pushed a cherry tomato around on my salad plate, deciding there definitely might be something to the whole footsie thing—if the other person happened to be wildly attractive.
The balloon in my chest rose higher, making me feel strangely fluttery and disoriented. If I wasn’t careful, all it would take was one more warm glance from Cade to release the ropes holding me back, and I would float away.
Chapter Nine
“What’s in this room?” Cade asked.
“Nothing important,” I said, trying to act casual as I backed up to block the door to my bedroom. After dinner, he’d asked if I would give him a tour of the house, so we’d wandered around to the different areas of the house. I showed him the theater room, the indoor dance studio—which my mom had built before her hopes of my being a dancer were dashed forever—the music room, the sunroom, and the various guest rooms, before we came to the floor with my bedroom.
“Huh,” Cade said, folding his arms
and raising a curious eyebrow. “It doesn’t look like nothing. In fact … I bet there are some pretty awesome views if there are windows in there.” He moved to open the door, and I grabbed his hand.
“You’re not going in there,” I said, giving him my best no-nonsense stare even as my hand tingled where it held his wrist.
“Interesting,” he said, his smile turning cajoling. “I have a feeling this might be your bedroom.”
“Cade,” I warned, sensing his growing curiosity. “Don’t. You. Dare.” Why hadn’t I just told him it was a utility closet? He’d seen right through my casual act.
A chuckle sounded deep in his throat, and instead of breaking free from my grasp, he moved closer, the scent of his cologne igniting a flurry of hummingbirds in my chest as he rested his other arm above me on the doorframe. “What are you going to do to stop me?” he asked, his voice dropping low as he searched my eyes.
The air left my lungs and I swallowed. Did I want to stop him? Yes. Of course. I blinked. Wait … what was the question again? My mind blanked and I became transfixed in the deep brown of Cade’s eyes. He was close enough that I could see tiny gold specks in them. His breath tickled my cheek, smelling like wintergreen gum. He kept hold of my gaze, bending his face closer … closer.
Woah. I snapped back to reality and panicked, grabbing the doorknob and forcing the door open, practically falling into my room.
Cade arched an eyebrow, staring with an expression that was half surprise, half amusement. “A little warning next time, Radcliffe,” he teased.
I blushed, ignoring the remark as I changed the subject. “So, here’s my room,” I said, self-consciously running a hand down my arm. It was spotless, but that wasn’t the part I was worried about. The part I was worried about was Cade’s reaction in three … two … one …
“Wow.” His eyes widened as he took in the wall of trophies, tiaras, and photos Mom insisted on displaying. He stepped into the room, completely oblivious to the incredible view of the Sound as he moved toward the “shrine,” as I mockingly dubbed it. “Did you win all of this?” he asked, leaning close to the shelves to study every humiliating detail.
“Yep.” Nothing but a close-kiss encounter could have forced me into letting Cade see my room. Lacey was the only other person at RLA who knew about the beauty pageants, and I’d wanted to keep it that way. I watched Cade closely, bracing myself for his reaction.
He turned from the wall, one eyebrow raised. “I had no idea you were so into pageants. Why didn’t you say anything?”
I lifted a shoulder. “It’s not really something I talk about.”
“Why not?”
I blew out a long breath. “My mom is a former Miss America, so I grew up doing pageants. It sort of—became our thing.”
“Miss America? That’s a pretty big deal.”
“Yeah.” I shrugged.
“Huh.” He glanced back at the wall. “I guess your name really fits then, doesn’t it?”
I cringed. My full name was a bit of a sore spot with me. I’d always been embarrassed about it. “I guess.”
“So when is your next pageant?” he asked.
“In a few weeks.”
“Where?”
“Um … I’m not exactly sure,” I lied, racking my brain for a change of subject.
“You don’t know, or you just don’t want to tell me?” He gave me a wry smile.
“Basically, yeah—I’m not going to tell you,” I admitted. It was hard enough to let him see the shrine, but I would die before having him come to an actual pageant.
“That’s fine.” He dropped his hands to his sides and shrugged. “I can always ask your mom.”
My eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t dare.”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “Why don’t you want me to come? I promise I wouldn’t embarrass you by cheering for you—at least not too loud, anyway.”
I gave him a withering look. “I’m not worried about you embarrassing me. More like the other way around.”
“You think you would embarrass me?” He frowned in confusion, and I turned away from him, willing him to understand.
“No one besides Lacey knows about my pageant life,” I explained. “It’s not really something I advertise.”
“Clearly.” He moved to meet my gaze. “But I still can’t understand why you want to keep it a secret. You’re gorgeous, Tia. And you’ve got a lot of talent; otherwise you wouldn’t have this wall full of trophies.” He shook his head. “What’s to be embarrassed about?”
“I hate it,” I blurted, and then squeezed my eyes shut, shocked by my outburst. Cade didn’t say anything, and the silence was deafening. I peeked an eye open to look at him.
His forehead smoothed in understanding, and he nodded. “Okay … I get it now.” He searched my face. “This is about keeping your mom happy, isn’t it?”
I relaxed my shoulders, relieved to have the truth out into the open. “Yes.” I bit my lip. “Pageants are everything to her. She would be devastated if she knew how much I hate them. Please don’t say anything to her or anyone else. I’d rather keep this between us.”
“I won’t say anything.” His expression turned thoughtful. “But are you really just going to keep entering pageants even though you hate them? That doesn’t seem right.”
I sighed. “I know. It doesn’t.” I moved over to the teal velvet chair at my desk and sat down. “I’ve wanted to tell her dozens of times … but each time, I chickened out.” I bit the inside of my cheek. “The thing is, my dad works a lot. Like, a lot, a lot.” I lifted a shoulder. “He’s always busy, and even though she puts on a brave face, my mom gets super lonely. I think a big reason why she shops so much is to fill the void, you know?”
He nodded, stepping closer and leaning his head against the wall beside my desk. “You don’t want to cause her any more pain by admitting you don’t love pageants.”
I met his gaze. “Exactly.”
“I get it.”
“You do?” I blinked in surprise and then smirked. “Somehow I don’t take you for the beauty pageant type.”
He laughed. “Yeah, not so much.” His face took on a faraway look as he turned to stare out of a nearby window. “I meant that I know what it’s like to want to please your parents, the pressure of trying to make them proud.”
I nodded slowly. That was a common theme among students at RLA. As the kids of CEOs, innovators, celebrities, and a myriad of other successful careers, there was a lot of pressure to achieve big. “But you’re the student body president,” I said, still mystified. “Your parents have to be proud of that.”
“They are.” He looked down, picking at an invisible piece of lint on his sleeve. “But sometimes it feels like no matter what I do, or how well I do it, it’s never enough. They just immediately move on to the next thing.”
Cade had never opened up to me like this before, and I caught a glimpse of the real boy behind the heartbreaker. A boy who was vulnerable and sincere. Without thinking, I touched his hand, my heart quickening at the contact. “I know how you feel,” I said.
Cade looked up, searching my face like I was a puzzle he was trying to figure out. “Why are you so different from other girls, Tia?”
I paused, caught off guard by the question. “What do you mean?”
He straightened, folding his arms across his chest as he studied me. “You’re beautiful and funny and smart and completely down to earth … and it’s driving me crazy.”
I gave an uncertain laugh. “There are lots of girls at school who would fit that description.”
“No.” He shook his head, keeping hold of my gaze. “There aren’t.”
I swallowed, my face growing warm at the admiration in his eyes. “There are,” I insisted. “You just break up with them too fast to get to know them well enough.” I covered my mouth with my hand. I hadn’t meant for that to slip out.
Cade’s forehead creased. “What is it going to take to convince you I’m not a player?”
/> “I’m sorry.” My blush deepened. He looked hurt, so I rushed on, “But you have to admit you’ve been through a lot of relationships.”
He tipped his head to one side, considering. “I’ve been on a lot of dates, yes,” he admitted. “I would ask a girl out only to discover that there was no real connection between us. For some guys, looks are enough, but not for me. I want something more.” He met my eyes. “Something deeper.”
My heart thudded against my rib cage, making it hard to breathe. “How will you know when you find it?” I managed.
His mouth slowly lifted in one corner. “I already have.”
My pulse hammered as he stepped forward, opening his mouth to say something else.
Rita, our housekeeping maid, walked in, carrying a small stack of clean sheets. She smiled. “Excuse me, Miss Tia. Your mom asked me to change the sheets for you.”
I let out the breath I’d been holding, my heart still pounding. “Okay. Thanks.” My sheets were perfectly clean, considering I hadn’t even slept on them yet. It was Mom’s subtle way of chasing us from my room. I couldn’t decide if I was relieved or annoyed. My emotions were too tangled together to make sense of them. Cade flustered me, and I needed fresh air.
I stood up, not quite meeting his eyes, though I sensed his gaze on me. “How about I show you the backyard?” I asked.
“Sure.”
We walked out of my room and made our way downstairs. I led him to my favorite outdoor patio overlooking the Sound. Thick bushes and trees kept the patio hidden from view, in case my mom tried to peek at us from the house. The climbing roses were in bloom on the pergola beams, and the sweet scent of their blossoms combined with cricket song and the unusually clear night sky made for a welcoming atmosphere as we stepped outside.
“Whoa,” Cade said, admiring the expansive view as the moon reflected off of the water’s surface. “This is where I would hang out all the time if I lived here.”
Don't Kiss The Heartbreaker (Billionaire Academy YA Romance Book 3) Page 6
