And yet, the thought of her actually leaving made me want to hit something – or rather, someone.
Me.
It wasn't because I liked her, or because she filled the house with something that I couldn’t quite figure out. And it sure as hell wasn't because I wanted her to stick around for her own sake.
It was because of the agreement.
Ithadto be.
With an effort, I turned my thoughts in that direction.
Could I find another girl?
Would I want to?
Or I should I just ditch this whole messed-up plan entirely?
And if I did, then what?I'd be dealing with a whole different set of problems – Felicity, my agent, the publicity people. Hell, if I thought Anna was trouble, those vultures made her look like a peach in comparison.
I shoved a hand through my hair and tried to think. It was harder than it should've been. I'd been awake for only ten minutes, and my hangover wasn't helping.
To clear my head, I'd been planning to ease out of the house long before Anna got up, giving me time to figure out what the fuck had happened last night – and what I should do about it.
I glanced past her and muttered, "I'm going for a hike."
"Fine," she said. "I'll come with you."
After last night's downpour, the trails would be covered in mud – a good thing for me. It allowed me to tell her the truth. "You can't."
"Oh yeah? And why not?"
"Because it rained last night."
"So?"
"So the trails are muddy."
"So?" she repeated.
"So you don't have boots."
"You mean hiking boots? I don't care." She pointed to her feet. "Look, I'm wearing old shoes." Her voice hardened. "Pretty convenient, don't you think?"
No. I didn't.
But if I wanted her to stay, it appeared that I had two choices – talk to her now or let her come with me on the hike. I didn't want either of those things, and yet, the thought of her leaving – well, Ireallydidn't want that.
I said, "I'll make you a deal."
Her eyes narrowed. "What kind of deal?"
"If you can't cut it on the trails, you'll come back to the house, and we'll talk when I get back – meaning you won't leave before then."
She might not know it, but I was buying myself some time. Hiking always helped me think, and shit knows, I had a lot of thinking to do.
As far as the talk, it wouldn't be happening on the trails. The mud wouldn’t matter to me, but itwouldto her.
I had hiking boots and was used to it. But Anna was a lightweight. She had old sneakers and not much else, unless I counted all the high heels in that pink closet of hers.
