Page 126 of The Ruse

Even if Asher decided he didn’t want to be with me after everything, I knew deep down that Nash and I would still be missing something.

“Well, I guess I should probably wish you the best,” he said. “Because even if you and I aren’t meant to be, I still want you to be happy.” He gave me a sad smile. “Asher and I may have our issues, and I’ll probably never be part of his fan club, but he must be doing something right if he won you.”

I didn’t know what it was but what he said kind of broke my heart. Because even though I was breaking up with him and hurting him, he was still kind enough to wish the best for me.

“Some girl out there is going to be super lucky to capture your heart one day,” I said, meaning it.

Nash was one of the good ones.

But he just kind of scoffed like he didn’t really believe it. “I won’t hold my breath.”

“It’s going to happen.” I stepped closer to touch his arm. “And she’s going to find out that I did this tonight and probably tell the whole world that I’m an idiot for not choosing such an amazing guy.”

He chuckled. “Then I guess I’m going to have to tell her that she’s right because I’m basically the best.”

I smiled, only realizing then that I had tears prickling at my eyes. He wiped them away with his thumb. And as I looked up into his ocean-blue eyes, I couldn’t help the little ache in my chest.

If we had lived in a different world where Asher Park didn’t exist, I probably could have been very happy with Nash Hastings.

“So, does this mean Asher is taking you to the debutante ball?” Nash asked.

“No,” I said. “I, um, haven’t exactly told him how I feel yet. Plus, I’m sure he already has plans with his aunt and uncle for the holidays.” I shrugged. “I’ll have to figure something out, since you probably wouldn’t want to be my escort anymore.”

“What?” he asked, sounding shocked. “You’re trying to kick me out of that, too?”

“You’d still go with me?” I asked. “Even after all this?”

He shrugged. “We’re still going to be friends after tonight, right?”

“Yes,” I said. “At least, I hope so.”

“Well, then I would still be just as honored to be your escort as I was before,” he said. “I won’t leave you hanging.”

“Really?” I asked, not believing he was saying this after everything.

“Sure,” he said. “I’ll be there, anyway. Plus, Hunter and Scarlett will be there together, so it’s okay for people who are just friends to go together.”

“That’s really awesome of you,” I said, still not believing this. If the tables were turned, I doubted I’d be okay going to a fancy ball with a guy who had just dumped me. I would tell him he could just go on his own.

But I guess this only went to show that Nash was a bigger person than me.

“Well, like we established earlier,” Nash said. “I am basically the best.”

37

ASHER

I madeit to Ridgewater around eleven and got a ride to my aunt and uncle’s house with my cousin Logan in his Corvette.

My aunt and uncle weren’t billionaires like the Hastings, but they had come into some money fairly recently and had a really nice home on the top of the hill with the other wealthy people of their small town.

After I got all settled in and figured out how to ship the journal to Bailee’s parents in the morning, my cousins and I stayed up late chatting about everything that had happened in our lives the past month.

“I still can’t believe the Cohen twins are going to your school,” Jace said when I told them about Elyse and Ava. “It’s such a small world sometimes.”

“Yeah,“ I said. “Elyse and I were actually wondering if we went to some of the same parties this summer but couldn’t remember seeing each other.”

“We probably did,” Logan said, running a hand through his shaggy brown hair that was always messy. “And you said you have a thing for Elyse?”

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