Page 44 of The Mistakes I've Made
“You didn’t?”
Her eyes met the table and then found mine again. “No,” she said. “All I’ve ever wanted from you is friendship.”
This time, it was me whose eyebrows were raised in disbelief.
“Okay, maybe a little more than friendship at times. But you’ve got to understand that breaking up with Robbie was the hardest thing I’d ever done.”
“He cheated on you—”
“I know, but unfortunately, my heart hasn’t exactly caught up to the news yet. So, even though I want to hate him, I can’t. It might look like I’m hiding away at my grandparents’, but I’m just trying to find a way to heal. And it’s not always black and white.”
“So, if we’re just friends—with a few added benefits,” I said with a smirk, “then why did you get upset over Leilani? Not that I’m into her.”
She rolled her eyes, seeing through the lie I was trying to tell myself. “You know when you go on a diet?”
My brows furrowed. “Uh, no. Not really.”
She gave me a blank stare. “Really? Not ever?”
“I run every morning for the most part, and my job is incredibly physical. I’ve never needed to diet.”
Her eyes scanned my muscular physique, her teeth digging into her bottom lip. “Fair enough. Anyway,” she went on, “when I go on a diet, I always give up certain things. Like chocolate because of the sugar. There are a few days of withdrawal where you literally hate the world.”
“That sounds awful. Why would you do that?”
“Have you seen me naked?”
“Go on,” I said.
She grinned. “But, after the withdrawals, you begin to think that it’s not so bad. Until you sit down to a dinner out with friends, and one of those skinny bitches orders dessert. Then, you find yourself willing to fork your bestie to death just for a single bite.”
“Wow, I, um—”
She laughed, and I joined in.
“Anyway, love is a bit like that. You think you’ve gotten over the worst of it, then one day, you see that single glance, that perfect beginning of something real, and you find yourself—”
“Willing to fork someone to have it?”
She smiled. “Exactly.”
“Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but what you see happening between the heiress and me? It’s just business.”
Her brow lifted. “Really? Because she’s looked over here half a dozen times, and she looks pretty damn put out about it.”
“Seriously?” My eyes lit up, making Sierra laugh.
“Not interested, my ass,” she muttered, leaning forward, giving me a flirty smile. “Now, let’s see if we can really make her jealous.”
“You, my friend, are an evil genius.”
“And you, Taylor Sutherland, are so screwed.”
“What? Why?” I exclaimed as one of Billy’s waitresses came by to take our drink orders.
“Because,” she explained, “take it from someone who’s been there. Love is a gamble, and you have no idea what you’re about to get yourself into.”
I reached up to tuck back a piece of her blonde hair. “See, that’s where you’re wrong. This isn’t love. It’s just a game.”
