Chapter Six Lorenzo
CHAPTER SIX
Lorenzo
L ily, who seemed mighty confident only a minute ago when she brought up the Eros app, stares at the ground, looking unusually pale. The moonlight reflecting off her skin doesn’t help matters, nor does the beige running outfit she has on.
The color doesn’t suit her, and neither does black or white, which she seems to prefer as of late.
How is this the same woman who once told me her favorite neutral was pink? I can’t make sense of what happened to the confident person I’ve watched from a distance since I first laid eyes on her.
What did she do with the pearl clips in her hair, or what made her no longer tuck flowers into her face-framing braids? And where did her range of pastel clothing go, or the collection of sneakers she wore with ribbons for shoelaces?
It’s like she hit the Factory Reset button on her personality, and while I want to know why she turned into a blank slate of a human being, asking her would make her think I care.
Which I don’t.
I can’t.
She follows me to my truck, her steps slightly uncoordinated. I’m not sure what possesses me to open her door and make sure she gets into the truck’s cab without cracking her head open on the driveway, but I don’t shut it until she’s buckled in.
Whatever drunken bravado she had during her outburst fades, all while the uncomfortable silence between us grows. It’s hard to speak, let alone breathe, in her presence, given her addictive scent of flowers, wine, and something I can’t place.
I’d spend the whole car ride trying to determine what it could be, but her speaking ruins the idea.
“Don’t be angry at Willow,” she says once the lakefront bungalow is in my rearview mirror.
“A little too late for that.”
Her hands clench against her lap. “It wasn’t her fault.”
“Did you force her to talk about it?”
“No.”
“Then she clearly didn’t have a good enough reason to break her NDA.” I keep my attention focused on the road ahead while ignoring the alternating lawn signs supporting either Ludlow or me. Trevor has more, which isn’t a surprise, but I’m pleased by my growing number in Willow’s neighborhood.
“You can’t fire her.” Lily turns to look at me.
I don’t return her stare. “I can do whatever I please after she broke our agreement.”
“No.” She grabs my arm. Usually I find people’s touch repulsive, yet whenever Lily lays a hand on me, my body doesn’t shudder with revulsion. It craves more, and that kind of obsession is exactly why I stayed away from her once we met face-to-face after talking on Eros.
When I tense at the contact, she lets go and clasps her hands together instead. “If you fire her, I’ll make you regret it.”
I can’t help laughing. “Are you threatening me?”
She lifts her chin. “Yes.”
“And pray tell, what will you do if I fire her?”
“Make your life miserable.”
Not a hard task given the state of it, but I’m curious enough to ask, “How so?”
Lily is the type of woman who will get upset over killing a bug, so I can’t picture her doing much harm.
“I could ruin your campaign like that.” She snaps her fingers.
An amused huff slips out of me. “I’d love to know how.”
“You’re not the only one who could run for mayor.”
“Since when are you interested in local politics?”
“It’s a relatively new discovery.”
“How new are we talking?”
“Thirty seconds, give or take.”
I’m more entertained than annoyed, right until she opens her mouth again.
“Imagine what would happen to the gap between you and Ludlow if I join the race.”
I bite my tongue from sharing how I feel. “No one would take you seriously.”
“Maybe not everyone, but I only need enough people to pick me over you to do some damage. And who knows. Maybe the town prefers me over you and that other asshole.”
“Trevor?” I’m more surprised by Lily calling him an asshole than her flawed plan because I’ve never heard her speak ill toward anyone, let alone call someone an asshole. What does she have against the Ludlows, or better yet, what did they do to her?
Her nose twitches. “Yes. Him. It’s not like he’s a good candidate either, so I’d be doing everyone a favor by jumping into the race.”
My hand chokes the steering wheel. “You’re bluffing.”
She smiles. “Do you want to risk it?”
I stew in silence for a minute before speaking up. “What has Willow ever done to deserve this kind of loyalty from you?”
“For starters, she didn’t pretend to care about me when she only wanted a fake fiancée, so I automatically like her more than you.”
“I…” I what ? Yes, it’s true I joined the app to find a fake fiancée, but I ended up liking her more than I should’ve, which is why I cut her out of my life.
I had ignored the warning signs—like the urge to constantly check my phone or the worst-case scenarios that played out in my head whenever she didn’t answer my messages quick enough—until it was too late.
All it took was one meeting and I became paranoid about growing obsessed with her, like my father was with my mother. They both taught me obsessive thoughts only lead to an early grave, and I refuse to leave this world without stopping Trevor from becoming mayor.
“You what ?” she asks, annoyed.
“Nothing,” I reply.
“Classic Lorenzo, avoiding questions like a real politician.”
“I’m avoiding hurting your feelings.”
“You’re a little too late.” The way she slurs her words makes me think she wouldn’t have admitted that under any other circumstance.
“You’re drunk,” I say instead.
“What I am is sick of all this and you.” Her voice cracks. “Were you ever interested in a relationship? Or was it all a part of your bigger plan to become mayor?”
The way I press my lips together is answer enough.
She laughs to herself, the sad sound coming out soft yet no less powerful. “Got it.”
I want to tell her that yes, there were fleeting moments where I wondered if I was capable of a relationship like the one she desired, but I wasn’t in the mindset for one.
I’m still not in the right headspace. Not when I need to focus on my plan to protect the place my parents loved, and definitely not while I still struggle with being surrounded by memories of my father’s obsessive need to make my mother’s dream of living in Lake Wisteria come true.
With my right hand on the wheel, I tuck my other one into the front pocket of my pants and touch my father’s dice to remind myself of what matters. Of whom I’m doing this all for, and why I can’t allow myself to get distracted by a beautiful woman with the most alluring brown eyes I’ve ever seen.
Lily is quiet for a few minutes before she talks again. “Why not ask Willow to pick a fiancée from the start? Why try finding one through an app?”
I keep my mouth sealed.
“I deserve the truth,” she says when I don’t answer. “At least give me that.”
My stomach muscles spasm at the idea of hurting her—a weakness that only applies to her—but I take a deep breath and stroke the dice in my pocket to ground myself. “I was bored.”
She sucks in a breath.
I continue, knowing my answer will destroy any positive feelings she might still have toward me.
“You were the first person who messaged me, and I thought you were funny. I didn’t expect anything more than a single conversation, but then you messaged me the next morning…
and that night…and I don’t know. It went on way longer than I expected. ”
She covers her mouth with the palm of her hand, and tears fill her eyes. I feel like shit—complete and utter shit at causing her any distress whatsoever.
“Why did you agree to meet up, then? You could’ve used it as an out.”
But instead I met up with her on Halloween, not knowing at the time how that night would change everything. One incredible kiss was all it took to send me running, and I haven’t stopped ever since.
I clear my throat. “I will admit that I was curious about what you looked like and why you’d use an anonymous app when you clearly have a decent personality.”
The silence is suffocating.
“Then I met you, and it all made sense. You’re too…”
She makes a choking sound, and it feels as if she wrapped her small hands around my heart.
“Too…” I struggle to think of something strong enough to deter her.
“ Too what?” Her voice sounds so damn distant, and I realize it’s because she’s moved as far away from me as humanly possible by tucking her body against the door.
I deserve the sick feeling bubbling in my stomach and much more as I throw the final emotional punch. “You were too much for someone like me.”
You wanted kids, a husband, and a dog, while I only cared about myself , I want to tell her.
You’d spend all your energy defending a man who your family doesn’t like and never will , I nearly add.
I would’ve become obsessed with you. Completely, utterly, undeniably obsessed, and it would’ve killed me in the process .
“Pull over!”
My head whips in her direction. “What?”
She reaches for the handle.
Shit! Is she about to open the door to a moving vehicle?
“I’m going to be sick!” she shouts with misty eyes.
“Fuck! Hold on.” I turn the wheel to the right, nearly swiping another car parked along Main Street in the process of parking in the emergency lane.
Lily jumps out of my truck before I can pull to a full stop. I’m not fast enough, so she is already bent over and retching in front of the fire hydrant by the time I get to her.
I reach for her hair and pull it back from her face.
“I hate you.” She lets out a strangled sob that chips away at my icy heart.
“I know.” I adjust my grip on her hair so I can capture a few loose strands that were hanging in her eyes.
“You taking care of me right now changes nothing.”
I tighten my hold. “Wasn’t expecting it to.”
“I’m aiming for your precious little Ferragamos next.”
“They’re far from little, but be my guest. I deserve it and worse.”
My comment seems to set her off in the worst possible way.
I’m surprised Lily has anything left in her system, but she manages to vomit again. She doesn’t spin around and shoot for my shoes like promised, but a bit splatters against the handmade Italian loafers.