Page 69 of Charming Deception

I never even got to say goodbye to him in the end, it was so sudden.

Or thank him.

Fuck, I should’ve said thank you more.

Before it was too late.

Everything was just rolling along… and then it felt like everything derailed, so unexpectedly.

I’ve only been derailed like that two other times in my life. But those were major fucking derailments.

When Dad died in the helicopter crash.

And when Mom remarried.

No. Not when she remarried.

When she abandoned me for another life. Another family.

But if there was one thing I learned from losing my dad so young, life is short. And it’s never a good idea to let a good thing slip away. Any more than it’s a good idea to hang on to the bad.

I finally head up to bed, feeling stuck in a way that I hate.

I keep trying to come up with some other approach, some way to win Megan over. But I’m running out of ideas.

Clearly, dinner and drinks, money and all the job offers I can conjure just don’t do it for her.

She likes plants, right? Flowers? I could send her a ton of them, but then maybe she’ll think I’m in love with her or something.

Too romantic.

There has to be something else she wants, something I haven’t offered her yet. Something I can do for her.

Something only I can do for her?

As I’m stepping into the shower, an idea occurs to me, and I pause to send her a text.

Me: What if I help you deal with your ex?

She doesn’t answer.

Me: You arrived here with that one little suitcase. But you must’ve owned more than that when you left him. I can get you a good lawyer. Send someone to collect your things.

Again, she doesn’t answer, so I get in under the water and let the heat pound down on me.

I know, in these moments, alone and without any distractions, when my thoughts converge on nothing but her, that I’m far more interested in her than I’ve let myself believe.

I feel oddly off-kilter.

It’s like some corner I didn’t see coming has been turned, but when I look back to see where it happened, it’s all murky.

All that’s clear to me is that every time she says no to me, it fuels me.

My motivation has shifted, from my loyalty to Cole to my personal desire to win her back. To win her over. Even the pressure from Graysen is starting to take a backseat to just winning one with this girl.

When I get out of the shower, a thrill runs through me when I discover she’s texted me back.

Megan: That’s a really generous offer. And I appreciate it. But it’s not necessary. I don’t want anything from him.

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