Page 76 of Christmas with the Elkin Billionaires

17

ANNA

Anna wanted to sink into the earth. It was only a matter of time before someone picked up on Freddie’s comment about the family business. Someone like Gabe, who’d want to know more. She had to get out. What should she bring with her?

They’d bought so many clothes at that boutique before they boarded the plane and none of them seemed like hers anymore. She couldn’t very well fill her suitcases with winter things she would never use again, especially given they technically belonged to Gabe. Props for the play they performed. Miserably.

Anna threw open the closet in their suite and looked blindly at the clothes hung in neat rows. She then ran to the window and wrenched back the curtain with a lump in her throat. Snow was coming down in a light flurry—that had to be a sign the storm was ending. But it didn’t really matter. Anna couldn’t remain at Elk Lodge anymore. She’d been caught out in a terrible lie, and she didn’t deserve to stay in the family suite any longer. She wasn’t family and never would be, and they all knew it now.

Anna went back to the closet, pulled out one of the smaller suitcases at the bottom, and placed it on the bed. She grabbed a comfortable pair of pants that would be good for travel—the forest-green top was an excellent choice. And, of course, the coat she’d worn off the plane. At the dresser, she opened the top drawer and swept her underthings into a ball, tossing them into the suitcase in a haphazard mess. It wasn’t like it mattered. Once she got home, Anna vowed to return the clothes she was wearing and the outfit she’d taken. The suitcase, too. Yes. That would only be right.

The front door of the suite slammed just as she was tipping her toiletries from the bathroom into a plastic bag.

“Anna?” God, his voice sounded so desperate. “Where are you?” Why would he be desperate to find her?

“In here.” Somehow, she managed to make her voice sound even and relaxed, not at all how she felt. Her emotions rolled through her like waves on the ocean, and Anna had nothing but a rowboat to navigate them. A dinghy-size vessel, and all the ways she’d learned to keep her calm through her job. Good thing she’d practiced for so long.

Gabe appeared in the doorway to the bedroom as she unzipped the outer pocket on the suitcase and put the toiletry bag inside. “You don’t have to go.”

“I absolutely do.” It was the hardest thing in the world, standing to face him, but she did it anyway. “There’s no way I can stay here after what just happened.”

Gabe raised both hands in the air. “Now that they know, we don’t have to pretend. We can take some time and figure things out.”

“What is there to figure out?” Heat rushed to her cheeks and she tried to will it away. It clung stubbornly to her skin. She must be red as a strawberry. “I didn’t belong here in the first place, and now it’s obvious.”

“That’s not—you don’t have to worry about that. They’re not going to care if your parents got divorced or didn’t have much money. They’re not going to care if you had an ex-boyfriend who turned out to be a jerk. Those things happen all the time.”

It was too much and the veneer of calm shattered. “Really, Gabe? None of that stuff is a big deal in a place like this?” He looked wounded, but it was too late to stop, much too late. “Your family prides itself on perfection. On high standards. My exjust showed up in the lobby of your luxury resort and made a huge scene. Do you think they want scenes around here? I can promise you they don’t.”

“Anna—”

“And aside from that, you don’t know the half of it. My family wasn’t just poor. The family business Freddie so casually mentioned? Sooner or later someone will get around to asking, so you might as well know everything. My father’s been in and out of prison for as long as I can remember. I just found out that my brother is back in prison and he’d only been out a few months. They are convicted felons who seem to pride themselves on being repeat offenders. And my mother has been marriedfour times.I’m not from a respectable family. Freddie knew about it and pretended it was no big deal, just like you’re doing now. But he lied to me, over and over. He kept me hidden from his family and friends and when they found out?” Anna had to pause. The memory of it threatened to overwhelm her. Then she pushed forward. “He laughed, telling them I was only useful for one thing.”

“He waswrong,” Gabe insisted, his face reflecting the horror. “You’re not like your family.”

“Look—they haven’t even found out about the Waters family and all the sordid details yet. All your family knows is that I’m the kind of person who makes bad decisions. Your family assumes I’m a cheater and a liar. Don’t tell me they didn’t. I saw their faces when Freddie made his announcement.”

“I’ll smooth things over.” Gabe stepped toward her. “I’ll talk to them. I’ll figure all of this out.” But he didn’t sound nearly as confident as he had before, the realization was enough to send her over the edge.

“Why?” Tears burned at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “You brought me here for one reason and one reason only—to impress your family. Becauseyouwere tired of them making you feel like you weren’t good enough. Do you really think that’s going to happen now?” Her throat tightened painfully. “If they were disappointed by you, a billionaire tech mogul who dates Oscar-winning actresses, just how thrilled do you think they’re going to be that you’ve brought home a potential gold-digging daughter of an ex-convict?”

Gabe took a half-step back, and she could see his thoughts flying through his eyes, making them more a dark gray than blue. He had to be desperate to win their approval. With the Elkin family, there would be no greater prize than earning a spot in their ranks. Gabe would want their good opinion of him far more than he’d want to spend his life trying to convince them that she wasalsoworthy. Lines of tension deepened across his forehead. He’d come to the same conclusion and knew she was right.

“Why would you go to bat for me in the face of all that?” she asked when he remained silent. Anna braced for the final blow now that the question hung in the air between them. She knew it was coming. On some level, she’d known all along this was how it would end. Eventually, there came a point when people could no longer ignore all that her family represented. It was the end of the line for her.

But it didn’t stop Gabe’s hesitation from hurting. Painfully so. Like a knife in her heart. She put a hand to her chest before she could stop herself. “I’m leaving, Gabe. Please step out of the way.” He stepped back, but the movement was stiff. Her skin ached for him to touch her, or to reach out and stop her—but he didn’t. She twisted off her ring and handed it to him. “We won’t be seeing each other again.”

The walk down to the lobby was the longest walk of her life. Her heart thudded wildly, as she waited for him to run after her, to shout after her, but nothing of the sort happened and the holiday cheer of the reception area continued all around her. The huge tree in the middle of the lobby twinkled and shone with all its decorations. Soft Christmas carols played over the in-house sound system, moving into all the empty spaces like water. She barely noticed Freddie and his family on a set of low sofas at the opposite end of the room, mumbling to each other and exchanging dark looks.

Anna had pushed open the door by the time she realized she hadn’t put on her coat. She shrugged it on, snowflakes landing on her eyelashes, and looked around. Okay, so she hadn’t thought this part through. It would have been smarter to call for a car before she started packing. It was cold outside, but she wouldn’t let that stop her. The last thing she wanted was to feel Elk Lodge’s warmth wiping away the chill that was already settling on her cheeks and into her feet. And asking the front desk for help getting a ride to the airport was entirely out of the question.

Luckily, one lone taxicab idled at the far end of the building under the last of the covered entrance. Anna hoisted her purse higher on her shoulder, curled a hand around the handle of the suitcase, and marched toward it.

This was it. This was the last chance. If Gabe came running out after her now, she might not be able to tell him no.Out in the snow and cold, the bitter flakes freezing her skin, she desperately wanted to be back in that suite with him, preferably tucked under the covers. One step at a time, each one taking her closer to the cab. The driver rolled down the window before she could knock.

“Are you waiting for someone?” she asked.

“Just waiting for the snow to taper off. Some guy called, but my car wasn’t big enough for his group.” The driver peered out the window. “It looks light enough to drive now, I think.”

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