Page 83 of Perfect (mis)Match

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

The elevator buzzed, and we both stepped into the quiet of the parking garage.

“It’s none of my business, and I probably shouldn’t be saying anything, but I could tell there was something special between the two of you. And I’m sorry it turned out this way.”

My bottom lip trembled as I tried to fight off more tears. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything.”

Linda pulled me into an awkward hug while I tried to juggle my box of belongings, which made us both laugh.

“Take care, Piper,” she said with a sad smile.

“Thanks, you too.”

We stared at each other for another beat, then turned and went our separate ways.

The air in the parking garage was steamy and still, and I had a flashback to the first time I’d been in the place.

The day that changed the trajectory of my life.

I walked toward where I’d parked and tried not to glance over at Vincent’s parking spot.

Impossible.

There sat a different little shiny red sports car than the one I’d hit.

Correction, the one he’d crashed intome.

I shook my head. I was about to get everything I’d wanted for so long. And not only that, I was proving to myself and the world, as well as to a certain asshole stepfather, that doing my own thing and believing in myself could pay off.

I kept telling myself I should be happy. This was my dream coming true. It didn’t matter that my heart was shattered into a million pieces.

That was my own fault, after all. What had I been thinking, falling in love with a playboy billionaire?

Falling in love atall.

Yeah, I was done believing in fairy tales. Never again.

When I finally got to my car, I wiped away the tears I didn’t even know were falling and tried to focus on writing my own happily ever after.

25

PIPER

Iwasn’t in the mood to be out in public, but Paul was impossible to refuse.

He’d called me the night I left Summit to get the full debrief after getting wind of it from Vincent himself, and he had pestered me into agreeing to meet him for lunch. Darcy had pushed me to go even though all I wanted to do was fuse to the couch for a few weeks.

He was already waiting for me at the restaurant when I arrived, which was a miracle in itself. The man never met a meeting time he couldn’t miss. Clearly, my tribe knew I was in a code red frame of mind and were going to extraordinary lengths to be there for me.

Thankfully, the restaurant was a casual bistro, and my leggings, puffy eyes, and ponytail didn’t make me look like I was crashing the place.

“Hey.” His face was a worried furrow as I slid into the booth. He leaned over to give me a kiss on the cheek and a side hug. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Hi.” I mustered up a half smile for him.

“You doing okay?”

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