Chapter 11 #2
“That’s fine.” She laughed at my discomfort.
“I’m not giving you a hard time about this.
Trust me. I wish I had dallied a bit more in college.
I allowed Preston to sweep me up too soon.
He just… he was offering everything I thought I wanted.
He just put it out there. He said he loved me four months in.
I realized after the fact that he had a schedule for that stuff, but I fell for it at the time. ”
“He love-bombed you,” I guessed.
She opened her mouth then shut it, tilting her head as she considered it. “I know what that word means, and it’s not exactly correct. It’s not exactly wrong, either, and it makes me feel stupid for falling for it.”
“Don’t do that, Bella.” I grabbed her hand again, the zing coursing through me a second time. What the hell was up with that? I forced myself to be honest when regarding her. “You didn’t do anything to deserve what he did. He marked you as somebody he could manipulate right from the start.”
“But shouldn’t that reflect poorly on me?”
“No.” That was one thing I was adamant about.
“Your only fault is that you’re too trusting.
My mom was that way, so I get it. People take advantage of your good nature.
The thing is, it’s impossible to wish that good nature didn’t exist. You just have to learn to better identify those who would use it against you. ”
“I stayed with Preston years after I knew it was a bad idea. I just couldn’t make myself leave.”
“Because you were afraid, not because you loved him.”
“Oh, in hindsight, I realize I never loved him. That’s the part that sucks so much.”
“We’re going to figure it out.”
“How can you be sure?”
I shrugged. “Maybe I’m an optimist.”
“You don’t strike me as an optimist.”
“I’m way more optimistic than you.”
“That’s not saying much.”
I laughed at her morose expression then released her hand and lightly slapped her knee. “Come on. Let’s take a look around the campground. I want to see what we’re dealing with.”
“And then?”
“And then we’ll come up with a plan of attack for Preston.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“It is going to be easy. That guy is used to people falling at his feet. When that doesn’t work with us, he’s going to get more and more frustrated until he shows his ass in public.”
“Do you really think he will?”
“I know he will.”
She blew out a sigh. “Okay. Let’s look around the campground. I still think this whole thing is weird.”
“Oh, it’s nuts. We’re committed to the plan, though. Plus, I think I can get a lot of writing done at this place. It’s only a month. We might be able to benefit.”
“I guess.” She didn’t sound convinced. “I probably am going to have to take regular shopping breaks, though. Don’t tell Bree.”
“My lips are sealed.”
THE CAMPGROUND WAS BIGGER THAN I’d thought.
A full trail circled the lake, which wasn’t overly large but a decent size for things like kayaking and swimming.
We chatted as we walked, talking about movies and books.
We liked a lot of the same things. She was open and excited when talking to me, and I found I was sucked in by her energy.
All of that enthusiasm died when we made it to the big bonfire pit, where Preston stood with other authors who were part of our group.
I recognized their faces from events at various restaurants and bars and wasn’t surprised that he seemed to have attached himself to Daisy Freeman, a very young new author who had made a splash in contemporary romance this past year.
Daisy was only twenty-two and busty. She knew it too.
Every shirt she wore had a vee, and her cleavage was impressive.
I would never say otherwise. She was friendly enough, at least on the surface, but there was something about her I didn’t like.
I hadn’t even attempted to hit on her, which was unheard of for me.
I would have at least reflexively flirted with her.
I never had, though. She seemed manipulative to me, like she was lining us all up for a specific reason.
I couldn’t put my finger on why I didn’t like her.
The fact that she was giggling like a schoolgirl as Preston schmoozed her only made me dislike her more.
“There you guys are,” Bree boomed, gracing us with a bright smile. “Did you get all your heavy petting in on the other side of the lake, away from prying eyes?”
Next to me, Bella stiffened. I recognized what Bree was doing, however, and returned her smile with one of my own. This was all for show, to drive Preston nuts.
“We had a very nice time,” I confirmed, taking Bella’s hand.
Her fingers automatically linked with mine, and for a moment, it rocked me how right this felt. I wasn’t much of a hand-holder. It had never seemed important to me. I was only doing it here for optics. Yet somehow, I liked holding Bella’s hand.
I liked it because she was little and vulnerable, I decided. I felt protective of her. It had to be that, right? It couldn’t be anything else. Even as I reassured myself it wasn’t a big deal, part of me—a bigger part than I was comfortable admitting, even to myself—wasn’t convinced.
“What’s the plan for dinner?” I asked, desperate to give myself something to focus on other than how much I liked holding Bella’s hand.
“I have food being delivered in two hours,” Preston replied, focusing his full attention on me. There was harsh edge to his stare. He truly hated me.
Good, buddy. The feeling is mutual. “Great.” I gave Bella’s hand a little tug. “We’re going to head back to our cabin to unpack. We’ll see you guys for dinner.”
“Have fun,” Bree called out in her singsong way. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Brody gave his fiancée an adoring look. “You’ll do anything.”
She shrugged. “That’s what I said.”
I waved them off and refused to look at Preston. He wanted to be the center of my world, to live rent-free in my head. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. Not for anything.