Page 13 of Charming Deception

Like here here?

He expects me to stay here?

“Where else would you go?” His eyebrow spikes. “Of course you’ll stay here, with me. Right?”

Well… my things have been whisked away to who-knows-where, so it looks like I am staying. For now. So I force myself to say the one thing I promised myself I would say. “Okay. Yes.”

“Jamie and I are great friends,” he assures me, maybe picking up on my concern. “He’s really been there for me.”

“That’s nice,” I say cautiously.

My brother chuckles. “You’ll like him, Megz, I promise. He’s a lot like me.”

“Yeah.” I swallow a groan. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Chapter 3

Megan

“I won’t be long,” I promise Cole. I figure it’s the only way I can reassure him that I’m okay.

When I turned down his offer of dinner and a dip in the pool, opting to shower first, his eyebrows twisted with big-brother worry.

Priorities, though. I haven’t showered in two days.

So, he shows me up one of the long hallways lined with paintings of hockey players and up a flight of stairs to one of the guest bedrooms. As it turns out, his best friend’s mansion has an entire wing for guests. But Cole tells me no one else is staying here right now.

Just us.

He hesitates to leave me, though. “You sure?”

“I’m okay, Cole. Really.”

“All right. We’ll do dinner when you come down, with Jamie.”

“Okay.”

“I’m glad you’re here, Megz.”

I try to smile. “Me, too.”

He gives me another hug, and finally he leaves me there, closing the door gently behind himself like I’m in mourning.

Maybe I am.

I exhale as it hits me how badly I just want to be alone right now. But that’s probably a bad idea. If I’m alone, I might just curl up and feel sorry for myself.

I can’t let Troy do that to me.

I’ve given him enough of my past. He doesn’t get my present or my future anymore.

I look around the guest room, which Cole said was right next to his, and a swell of gratitude for my brother lodges in my throat.

My suitcase, backpack, and purse have all been left for me by the foot of the bed.

It’s a queen-sized four-poster bed with luxurious white bedding. There’s also a cozy sitting area and an adjoining bathroom. Like the rest of the house, this room is elegant, a mix of classic and contemporary, white and airy, with earthy, warm tones, and there’s something about it that feels very coastal-chic. All the wood and the natural colors, maybe, along with the subtle seaside vibe of the stones around the fireplace.

It’s so nice, I could weep.

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