Not anymore.
To his surprise, Addison leaned back in her seat with a smirk. She looked smug, and he might have believed that she was satisfied with herself if he hadn’t caught it—that flash of pain that speared him straight in the heart.
He’d hurt her.
Badly.
And he had no excuse.
“Addison, please believe me when I say I am so sor—”
“I’m curious,” she said, talking over him as though he’d never opened his mouth. “Does Daddy pay more if you take me out on a date?” She leaned forward. “What is the going rate for kissing a…what did you call me? A frumpy librarian?”
His mouth was dry, his heart heavy. “I never said frumpy.”
Of all the things to say in his own defense…that was the worst.
She blinked a few times as if truly stunned by his stupidity. I never said frumpy? Really? That’s the best you can do?
Disappointment oozed out of her and some of that hardness faded into a look of hurt and confusion. “I really thought you’d at least try to justify your actions.”
“I can’t. I don’t want to.” He leaned forward and gripped her hand. “I need you to understand…I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
Her eyes widened as she pulled her hand back like he’d burnt her. “No, I can’t imagine you meant for me to find out.” Her tone dripped with sarcasm and that smirk was back. “That would ruin everything, wouldn’t it?”
Yes. Any hope he’d had that he could get through to her flickered and faltered. Her finding out had ruined everything. He could see it in her eyes, he could read it in her body. This thing between them had just been starting, they hadn’t learned to trust each other…and now they never would.
He’d lost her. He watched her shove the coffee aside, followed her movements as she picked up her purse and got to her feet. He wanted to explain, but nothing he could say would make this right.
He’d had a chance with this woman, and he’d lost it.
She didn’t even spare him a second glance as she walked out of there, leaving him alone to wonder how on earth he could feel this way with a woman he’d only just met.
It didn’t make sense.
He shouldn’t feel so hollow, or so frozen to the bone just because she’d written him off.
He definitely shouldn’t feel like she’d taken his heart with her when she’d walked out the door.
16
Two days passed and Addison was still fuming.
Anger good, tears bad. That had become her new motto.
She also hadn’t spoken to her father yet, or had another terrible conversation with Colton. If he was still keeping an eye on her, she didn’t know. She didn’t care.
Let him watch her, what did she care? She had a life to live and until she calmed down and got her head on straight, she wasn’t going to talk to her dad or Colton.
Her phone rang but she didn’t reach for it.
It was probably her father again. He’d been leaving messages, checking in on her, but she hadn’t listened. Besides, she was busy.
She eyed her reflection in the mirror. Any other day, what she saw would have made her grin. The princess costume she’d bought online was insanely over the top, from the huge taffeta skirt to the sequin-covered bodice. The only thing missing was her tiara, and that was sitting beside her on the couch.
At any other time she would have smiled, but today it was hard to muster up much more than a wince.
She hurt.
Her heart hurt, her chest hurt…even her head hurt from crying.
She should have moved on already, but Colton’s betrayal still stung. Her father’s betrayal hurt just as much.
The man who loved her the most in this world hadn’t trusted her to be on her own, and the guy she’d hoped might care for her in return had only ever been faking.
Two men stabbed her in the back on one day. She sniffled, glaring at her reflection when tears welled up in her eyes.
She was so sick of crying.
She was so tired of stewing. For a woman who was so accustomed to being alone, she’d never thought she’d be so heartbroken to not have friends. Having someone to talk to would help so much right now, and she couldn’t call Vanessa again. Her friend had a life, after all, she couldn’t expect her to drop everything just because her crush had turned out to be a jerk.
The knock on her door had her starting in shock.
Colton.
She shook off the thought and widened her eyes in alarm as a key twisted in the lock and the door flew open.
“I’m here,” Vanessa said, her voice breathless as if she’d run all the way from New York City.
“Vanessa?” Her mouth fell open. “How did you—where—” Addison stopped attempting to speak and launched herself at her friend, tackling her with a hug that made Vanessa laugh.
“Wow, I’m glad somebody’s happy to see me.” Vanessa patted her back. “I wasn’t sure you wanted to talk to me since you’ve been ignoring my calls all morning.”
Addison pulled back with a gasp. “That was you?”
Vanessa pursed her lips.
“Sorry.” Addison grimaced. “I thought you were my dad.”
“I’m going to pretend I’m not insulted that you confused me with a heavyset balding man.”
Addison laughed. Vanessa was as pretty as they came with her long curly black hair and tall, slender build. She might have been born and raised in Cyrano, Wyoming but she looked like she belonged on a Paris runway.
Probably Colton’s type to a tee…gorgeous, confident, and worldly.
She brushed the thought away. She would give her entire inheritance to be able to get through one hour without thoughts of Colton bombarding her and making her miserable.
“What are you doing here?” she asked when she pulled back from the hug. Then she frowned. “Please say you didn’t drop everything just because I was a little down—”
“A little down?” Vanessa said, her eyes wide. “That’s the understatement of the century, my friend.”
Addison’s lips hitched to the side—she’d love to deny it, but her friend was right. She’d been the first person Addison called after leaving Colton still scrambling for an excuse at the coffee shop the other day.
Needless to say, the conversation had not been pretty. Her end had been filled with ugly crying, random fits of temper, and then a garbled conversation about what a jerk Colton Parker was as she inhaled a pint of ice cream.
It had not been Addison’s finest moment. She winced at the memory. “I’m so sorry if I worried you, but you really didn’t have to come all this way. What will your job say?”
“I quit.”
Addison blinked. “Wait…what?”
Vanessa nodded and Addison’s guilt flew off the chart. “You quit? Just to come back here?”
Vanessa laughed. “No, Addie,” she said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “I’ve been fed up with the job for a while now and needing to make a change. Your meltdown just gave me the extra incentive I needed to call it short.”
“Oh.”
Vanessa shrugged. “It was just a job, right? And I’m just not sure I’m up for all that travel anymore. I mean, it was fun for a while but eventually living out of suitcases loses its appeal, you know? Besides, my new boss turned me into a stressball.” She clutched her stomach. “I had an ulcer the whole time I was away.”
“Oh no!”
Vanessa waved away her concern. “I’m feeling better now. In fact, I started to feel better as soon as I gave my notice so I guess that says something right there.”
Addison smiled. “You missed your home.”
Vanessa snorted. “Yeah, I guess I did. Who would have thought that you’d be the one living in a new town and I’d be the one dreaming of settling down in my tiny hometown?”
Addison wrapped an arm around her waist. “Well, I’m glad you’re back.”
“Me too.” Vanessa returned her squeeze. “Now t
ell me where I can find that no-good Colton Parker so I can kick his butt.”
Addison burst out laughing, and after two days of wallowing that burst of humor felt so very good. “You’re not going to kick anyone’s butt, Vanessa. I told you, I’d handle this.”
Vanessa pouted, but her eyes were filled with laughter and…something else. Maybe pride. It was quickly replaced by a know-it-all expression that Addison knew well. “I told you he’d hurt you.”
“Yes,” Addison said simply. “You did.”
Vanessa planted her hands on her hips. “I told you to run away.”
Addison sighed. “I know, but…maybe I’m tired of running.”
Vanessa surprised her with a little smile. “Good for you.”
Addison tilted her chin up. Yeah. Good for her.
“Now here’s hoping the next time you decide to take a walk on the wild side, the bad boy in question won’t turn out to be a jerk.”
“Or in my father’s pocket.”
“Agreed.” Vanessa’s gaze dropped and she blinked rapidly. It seemed she was only just now noticing that Addison was wearing a pale blue princess costume. “Um, hon? I am all for you stretching your shopping muscles and finding a new style, but…I don’t think this is it.”
Addison laughed again as she looked down at the dress. “It’s for a kid’s birthday party.”
“Ah,” Vanessa said. “That makes more sense then… Sort of.”
Addison shrugged. “Well, I can’t stay in this apartment and wallow forever, now can I?”
“No.” Vanessa’s voice was firm. “Definitely not. Go out there and get back on the horse.”
Addison gave her friend a doubtful look as she reached for the tiara. “I don’t know about getting back on any horses. But I am awfully tired of being cooped up in here.”
Vanessa nodded, coming to sit on the couch to watch her prep. “Have you talked to your dad yet?”
“Not yet.” At Vanessa’s silence, she added, “But I will.”
“Uh huh.”
“I will.” She spun around to face her friend. “I’ve just been—”
“Avoiding conflict?”
“No,” she said quickly. “I’ve been…” She couldn’t find the right word, and she ended with a sigh. “Okay, yeah. Maybe I’ve been avoiding conflict.”
Vanessa grinned. “Hey, don’t be hard on yourself. You’ve made so much progress. I mean, you told off Colton-the-creep. In person! Without crying!” She waved her hands in the air. “That’s a big deal. It makes sense that you’d need a little time to deal before taking on daddy dearest.”
Addison nodded, but doubts plagued her. She had been making progress, but sometimes it felt like one step forward, two steps back. She’d been so proud of herself for taking the initiative and kissing Colton, but then had suffered so many doubts and insecurities when he’d ended it. And she’d been so proud of herself for putting Colton in his place the other day, but then she’d spent the last two days wallowing in her own personal pity party.
Well, no more. Two days were more than enough. “Hand me my phone,” she demanded.
Vanessa was quick to reach for it and hand it over.
Addison took some deep, steadying breaths as she dialed her father. She headed into the bedroom when her dad picked up so Vanessa wouldn’t hear the deeply personal conversation that followed.
It was a talk she should have had with her father years ago. It was filled with tears on both sides, but by the end she she’d finally gotten it through to him that while he was allowed to worry about her safety, he was not allowed to interfere.
“I’m not a child anymore,” she said. “You can’t keep treating me like one.”
“I know. And I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said. “I’m so sorry that you got hurt in this. I was only trying to protect you.”
“I know, Dad.” Her anger was gone, replaced by exhaustion.
“If it makes you feel any better, I already fired him,” he said. “I wanted him to get close to you. But when he told me he’d gone and developed feelings for you…” He made a sound of disgust. “Clearly he crossed the line.”
She stiffened where she was standing beside the bed. “What? When did he say that?”
“When I checked in with him to see why you weren’t responding to my calls.”
“Oh.” Her mouth stayed frozen in an O of surprise. Her heart started to pick up its pace as her mind raced to figure out what this meant.
He’d been lying, surely. He hadn’t really cared about her; she was just a job.
But then…why would Colton lie to her father? Why would he get himself fired by saying he had feelings for her? She lifted a hand to rub her tired eyes. They were still puffy and heavy from all the crying she’d done this weekend.
No more.
She was done crying over Colton Parker.
Her father huffed with annoyance. “I should have known something was up when he insisted on telling you the truth.”
She froze again, her hand dropping to her side. “Wait…what?”
“He didn’t tell you that part?” her father said. “Colton thought you needed to know—”
“Which I did,” she interrupted.
“I know, I know. I realize that now.” He apologized again, for what had to have been the tenth time, but her mind was busy trying to make sense of what he’d said. It was trying to fit these new pieces into the puzzle she’d thought she’d figured out.
But now… Now, she wasn’t so sure.
Vanessa came into the doorway and gestured to an invisible watch.
The party. She’d almost forgotten.
“Dad, I’ve got to go. I have to get to a party.”
The moment she hung up, Vanessa pounced. “What did he say? Did he apologize? And what did he say about Colton?”
Addison hesitated. Part of her wanted to hash out every word her father had said, to analyze and scrutinize every potential meaning, every possible significance. But what good would that do? She could already feel hope rising up in her, completely unwanted and one hundred percent unwarranted. If Colton Parker really had feelings for her, he knew where to find her.
“Well?” Vanessa asked. “What did he say about Colton?”
Addison reached for her purse. “Nothing.”
That was basically true. What her father had said was of little consequence. It didn’t change a thing. She wouldn’t think about it one second longer because it didn’t change a thing.
17
Normally Colton liked having his little sister as a roommate. But on days like today, he was all too aware of the cons that came with his living situation. Namely, that he was living with his little sister.
“This is so pathetic.” She stood in front of him with her arms crossed, blocking his view of the television.
“I’m trying to watch something here.” He lay sprawled out on the couch, a bag of chips within easy reach.
Gina glanced over her shoulder at the ESPN show he’d been watching until she’d so rudely interrupted. She looked back at him, her nose wrinkled up in disgust. “This highlights clip has been playing on a loop for hours. You must’ve seen it at least ten times already today.”
He shrugged. More like twenty, but who was counting?
“So pathetic,” she mumbled under her breath.
“Hey, it’s my day off, I can do whatever I want,” he said, still not bothering to sit upright. Gina worked at the theater today; she’d have to leave eventually.
“Yes,” she said slowly. “But you did the same thing yesterday and the day before…” She sighed. “Aren’t you getting a little tired of feeling sorry for yourself?”
He reached for a chip and popped it into his mouth. “Nope.”
“Don’t you at least want to try and talk to her—”
“Nope.” He met her gaze evenly. “You were the one who said I didn’t deserve a second chance.”
Gina winced before coming to perch on the couch beside him. “Yes, but that
was because I was angry on her behalf.” She gave him a stern look that made her look exactly like their mother. “You should have told me what you were up to with her.”
Great. More guilt. Just what he was looking for. He met her gaze evenly. “I told you it was for work—”
Her arched brow said once again how unimpressed she was with this argument.
He sighed. “You wouldn’t have approved.”
“I wouldn’t have tried to push you two together, either. In fact, I probably would have warned you right from the beginning to quit or at least get someone else to do the job.”
“Why? You think I’m so bad for her?” He was. He knew he was. Yet, some weird masochistic part of him wanted to hear someone else say it.
“No, you idiot,” she grumbled. “I would have told you to steer clear for your own sake. It was obvious the first time I saw you watching her that you were falling for her.”
“I was not falling, I was just—” He stopped midsentence. He’d lost the energy to protest, and besides, maybe he had been a little too interested in Addison even from that first run-in. She’d just been so different from what he’d expected.
Of course he’d been intrigued.
“Yeah, well, maybe it’s not too late to set this straight,” Gina said.
“Of course it is.” Anger flared up without warning. How to explain to Gina that he’d ruined everything. In one day he’d lost the girl of his dreams and the money to start up his new business. He’d let himself down, he’d let Trent down, and he’d hurt the one person he never wanted to see in pain.
Stellar job. Really, he’d outdone himself.
“Come on,” Gina said, nudging his knee. “Get up off that couch, take a shower, and go tell her how you feel. She might even give you a second chance.”
He growled. “Your optimism is beyond annoying, you know that, right?”
She smirked. It ran in the family which made her know-it-all look that much more annoying. Had he looked that cocky to Addison? Probably. He’d thought he was sooo clever.
Fake Dating the Unsuspecting Heiress Page 14
