Page 62 of Flirting with My Billionaire Enemy

Despair slips around me, and I sink into a chair as she disappears and goes up the grand staircase in the foyer.

Somehow, I hope I can change her mind, but I’m not sure it’s possible. Maybe this is our new normal.

29

ARIANA

Inever should have allowed myself to fall in love with Kaison. All my worst fears have come to pass. I’ve allowed myself to feel this way, and now I’m paying the price. My heart is so shattered. But I have to protect myself from getting hurt even worse. Nip it in the bud and rip off the Band-Aid. Or whatever the saying is.

I can’t be with a man who is emotionally unavailable. I’m afraid he’s still hung up on Blair and that everything she said was true. He dated all those women to numb his pain. He might be willing to be with me, but how long will it last? When will he realize it’s too scary and decide to run?

After my stuff is packed, I head to the kitchen to grab a few snacks for the road. I put my tote bag on the floor by the pantry and toss some chocolate chip cookies and a few snack-sized bags of chips. I load up my laptop and my suitcase and purse and then come back for the snack bag, setting it on the seat next to me. My car is all gassed up, so I shouldn’t need to stop at all.

As I drive down the road, tears pour down my face. I’m going to miss this place, this family. I don’t have the heart to come back for Christmas, which is devastating because I’m sure it will be so beautiful. There are some staff members meticulously wrapping strings of outdoor lights around the branches of the trees lining the driveway.

The security guard waves at me as I leave. Little does he know that I likely will never be back.

That brings on a fresh batch of tears, and I cry so hard that I sneeze. That’s weird. I don’t usually sneeze when I’m crying. Maybe there’s just some cat hair on my bag. I did set it on the floor, after all, and that’s where Lidia keeps the kittens’ food dishes. I should have been more careful with it and put it on the counter or something.

I keep sneezing for the next hour and a half while I’m driving. I’m going to have to put this bag in the wash when I get home. I reach my hand in to get a bag of cookies, and I touch a little warm ball of fur. I pull my hand back and scream. What’s in my bag? My heart is racing, and I pull over on the side of the road. I look over to see Mittens staring up at me with those cute little ears all perked up.

Maybe I should have opted for the allergy shots, after all.

“You little stowaway. You must have been taking a nap in there, getting all cozy in my bag. No wonder it felt a little heavy when I was carrying it out to the car.”

Mittens looks back at me and meows in response. I’m almost home so there’s no point in turning around now, and I’m afraid if I do, I’ll be too weak to walk away from Kaison again.

Kaison deserves someone who isn’t going to walk away from him and freak out about past girlfriends. Someone who doesn’t have commitment problems. Because, let’s face it, the real reason I never dated before isn’t because work was too consuming. That was just the excuse I told myself. The real reason is I’m scared of losing my loved ones. It’s too scary to let someone in. It’s safer to push them away and accuse them of being in love with past girlfriends.

But I can’t think about that too much. I’m not ready. And I’m sneezing again so I need to get some allergy medicine in me. “What am I going to do with you, Mittens? You’re going to get cat hair all over my apartment.”

But she’s so cute. I can’t help but take her home. So I give in to the cuteness. I pop open a bottle of Benadryl and take some as soon as I pull into the parking garage at my apartment. Mittens climbs into my lap, and I pet her until she begins to purr. Then I lift her and put her back in the snack bag, this time zipping it up so she doesn’t hop out while I’m walking and get lost. Mrs. Keith would not be happy if I lost her kitten.

I really should call her so she doesn’t go looking all over the place for Mittens.

“Ariana, where did you go?”

“I headed back to Atlanta.”

“But we had plans with you yesterday,” she protests. I can tell she’s really disappointed.

“I have to tell you something.” Hopefully, changing the subject will keep her from asking too many questions about why I left. “Mittens jumped into my snack bag, and I had no idea until I got home. So it looks like I kidnapped your kitten. I can bring her back to you if you want.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll send someone to your house to pick her up. I know you have to finish up that project.”

She does have a point. I still have some last-minute polishing to do. “Thank you. And sorry I didn’t notice sooner. She was asleep in there so I didn’t hear her, but I was sneezing the entire way home, so that should have given me a clue. I just thought I had cat hair on my bag or something.”

“Well, Mittens is always getting herself into trouble, so don’t feel bad. How could you have known she was going to sneak into your bag?”

Well, she’s been known to jump into cars before. But I thought I was safe since I was parked on the outside of the house instead of in the garage.

I hang up with her and head into my apartment. When I get there, Farah is on the couch with her boyfriend, looking quite cozy. I’m clearly interrupting something.

“Girl, what are you doing here already? I thought you weren’t going to be here until tonight.” Farah hops off her boyfriend, Easton’s, lap and crosses to where I’m standing with my bags.

“It’s a long story.” I sigh and zip open the tote bag to give Mittens some fresh air. She pops her little head out and meows.

“You got a cat?” Farah squeals. “I thought you were allergic.” She reaches out and picks up Mittens, snugging her to her chest. “She’s so cute. I love little gray striped kitties,” she says in a baby voice to the kitten.

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