A bitter scoff leaves my mouth, my question answered. Of course, she wouldn’t want to believe boy wonder had anything to do with this because suggesting she date someone else would mean she has nochance with him. Not that she did in the first place. Hayes Miller is as in love with his fiance as any person can be, but denial can be a great motivator. And Lily is in denial.
“No, Lily. I haven’t spoken with Abigail since the board meeting.” My voice is hard, and I wonder if she can see through it to the jealousy pulsing in my veins. It’s stupid. There’s no good reason I should be this consumed by Lily. In fact, there are more reasons for me to stay away from her than there are for me to pursue her. We aren’t even friends, and yet, addiction rarely follows reason.
“Then what is this because I don’t understand?”
How do I explain this and walk away unscathed?
“The way I see it, we both need to work on our reputations.”
“I don’t—” she starts to argue, but I level her with a stare.
“You do. Benton Falls is a small town, and we both know they like to gossip. I was there for the board meeting, and I also heard about your Birdie application.”
“Of course you did,” she grumbles. “And I assume you agree with them? That I’m cold and heartless?”
I shake my head. “No. I think that’s what you want everybody to think.”
She turns her face away from me, hiding so I can’t see her reaction. My eyes follow the slender line of her jaw down to her neck, and the need to step forward and run my nose along that path hits me so hard it nearly knocks me to my knees.
“And you? How does this help you?”
“Because the judge thinks I’ll leave, and I need him to see I have a reason to stay other than just Tanner.”
Her eyes snap to me, the crystal blue of her irises searing into me.
“And you think a date with me will help?” she asks, the sarcasm in her voice loud and clear. “I think you’d be better off finding someone with a betterreputation.”
Her chin tilts up with defiance, but she doesn’t hide the vulnerability in her eyes quite as well as she thinks she does. Or maybe it’s that I see my own vulnerabilities staring back at me when she looks at me that way.
“There’s no one but you, Lily,” I say, keeping my face open so she can see how much I mean that. For almost a year now, there’s been no one but her, and it makes me a danged fool. Clearing my throat, I ask, “So how about it? Want to be my fake girlfriend?”
______________________
Waiting for Lily’s answer is like waiting outside in a thunderstorm and trying not to be hit by lightning. Except her gaze is the lightning, and I’m being zapped with each blink of her long lashes.
“You did say you would help,” I remind her because I need her to say yes—for Tanner.
She studies me for another moment longer before she shakes her head, her blonde hair falling over her eyes.
A hole opens in the pit of my stomach, and I’ve almost forced myself to accept what she isn’t saying when she opens her mouth and asks, “Why me, Theo? Really? Because I’ve already made too many decisions that have hurt Tanner, and I don’t want to do that again. So why me?”
My brows dip as I study her. Her hands are clasped together, wringing out her fingers, and guilt lays across her shoulders like a heavy blanket.
“What do you mean you’ve already made decisions that hurt Tanner?” I ask, not understanding where this is coming from.
Lily’s eyes drop to the floor, and she swallows hard, the line of her throat tensing.
“Last year. I—I should have done something, tried harder to find a way around Josephine and Eric. I should’ve listened to Hayes and MJ, but I didn’t. And he got hurt. I should have tried harder.”
Stepping forward, I close the distance I placed between us and cupher face in my hands, forcing her to look at me.
“That was not your fault, Lily. His mother should’ve protected him, and she didn’t. No one blames you because your hands were tied.”
A single tear slips out the corner of her eye, and she reaches up, brushing it roughly away before she steps back out of my grasp.
“I blame me,” she says resolutely. Her shoulders straighten, and her chin lifts stubbornly. “So, I’ll ask again. Why me?”
Looking her straight in the eyes, I tell her the truth—at least part of it. “Because you are so much more than what you think you are. Because I need someone who won’t cower because of Josephine’s money—someone who isn’t weak. And, Lily, you’re one of the strongest people I know. So, please, help me.”
