Page 47 of Dating the Billionaire
“What the hell is it?” Grant asked, his voice gruff with emotion of his own.
And she remembered all those times he’d defended her when they’d been growing up—usually to their own mother over some trouble Miranda had helped her get into. He’d been her knight in shining armor then. Her partner in misery in that house where they’d grown up.
But he had nobody to defend her against right now—because she had no defense for what she’d done. Embarrassed at her inability to control her emotions, she pulled out of his embrace and rubbed the tears from her face. “This is my fault,” she admitted. “I screwed up.”
“I know,” he agreed. “The wholeShe’s the Manthing was a big mistake, but it’s not worth getting this upset about. Even if Rinaldi tries to sue us, it’s not like he suffered any actual damages. Every flight went fine no matter who was flying him, right?”
“That’s only part of how I screwed up with Teo,” she admitted.
“Teo?” He tensed. “How close did you get to him while you were flying him?”
“Not very damn close at all,” she said. Because she hadn’t wanted him to see through her disguise. But she had to add the disqualifier. “Then.”
Grant groaned. “What aren’t you telling me?”
She nearly started crying again as she thought of all the things she hadn’t been telling...all the truth she’d kept from the man for whom she’d fallen.
And she had, she loved Teo, and she’d totally blown it with him.
Before she could lose it again, she admitted, “I met Matteo Rinaldi before he called here to charter a flight.”
Grant’s brow furrowed. “Where did you happen to bump into a billionaire?”
“I didn’t bump into him,” she admitted. “I was set up with him.”
“You went on a blind date with the guy?” he asked. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I just went out with him once before he called here to charter a plane,” she said.
“Is that why you were so pissed that he didn’t want you as a pilot?” A muscle twitched along his jaw. “Was it some kind of one-night stand?”
Not on Teo’s part; instead of waiting a certain number of days like other guys had, he’d called Miranda right away to get her number. She shook her head. “No. He wanted to see me again—”
Grant’s brow furrowed with confusion. “But then why didn’t he want you flying his plane?”
“He doesn’t know I’m a pilot,” she said. “He doesn’t even know my real name.”
“What? You gave him a fake name?” Grant asked, then blew out a ragged breath and rubbed his hand over his face. “Sounds like something I might have done.”
She groaned and then teasingly remarked, “Don’t make me feel even worse about this.”
He chuckled, but then the slight grin slid away from his face. “You do feel really bad about this. Why didn’t you just tell the guy the truth? Or better yet, why did whoever set you up not tell him your real name and what you do?”
“Miranda —”
“God, no! Tell me you’re not still friends with that troublemaker.”
She chuckled now. “Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?” she wondered aloud with great irony.
Grant glared at her. “I never got you in trouble. Usually I was trying to get you out of it—because she got you into it in the first place.” He threw up his hands. “Of course I should have realized she was all over this—the fake name, the dressing up like a man. That’s pure Miranda Fox—if there was ever anything pure about that damn woman! No, she’s pure all right. Pure evil!”
She glared at him now. “She’s my friend, Grant. And it wasn’t her idea for me to lie or for me to dress up like a man.” She sucked in a breath as she made a sudden realization. “Miranda doesn’t even know about that. She’d probably kill me for making this situation with Teo even worse.”
“Why? People set people up all the time. Why would she get that upset about it not working out?” he asked. “Really—what the hell business is it of hers?”
“It is her business,” Blair said. “She didn’t just do this as a favor for a friend. She set me up because she’s a professional matchmaker.”
He snorted and acted as if he was humoring her when he replied, “Sure she is.”
