Page 2 of Faking It with my Bestie's Billionaire Brother

The shrill sound of the bell ringing overhead for the next class interrupted our conversation, but after it finished, I reached across her desk and patted her hand. "We're going to get through it, Penny. This school means too much to the community for it to be taken away now. Besides, it's not just Ashbury people they would have to fight to get to the school," I teased her, winking.

She laughed softly. "Lord help the fool who dares to cross a Moretti, I know." Penny and I had been best friends long enough for her to hear the saying often quoted by my family, probably a nauseating number of times.

"I better go. I'm running late and I have to get all the way across campus," I said, stopping by the extra chair where I'd set down a large, plastic tub with some supplies that I had grabbed from the supply closet during my break.

"I'm never far away if you need me, Pen," I called over my shoulder as I hefted the large tub up in my arms and hurried out the door.

"I know." She smiled at me when I looked back, and I tried not to worry too much by the shadow of sadness I saw behind that smile.

Carefully, but as quickly as possible, I navigated my way through the hall with the large tub in my arms. The academy taught seventh through twelfth grade students, so typically, when I walked down the hallway in between classes, I saw a lot of heads down and checking their phones. So, I had to be careful not to bump right into somebody since no one paid much attention to where they were going.

I was halfway to my classroom when I heard a familiar voice call out behind me, "Hey, Miss Moretti? When is that project due again?"

I looked over my shoulder to see one of my more precocious students holler at me from across the hall. "On the fourteenth, Jackson," I called over my shoulder as I kept walking.

I started to turn back around when I ran into a hard, warm wall of muscle. I hit it with such force that I started to fall back, but strong arms shot out and wrapped around me before my head hit the ground. Another couple of seconds, and I would have smacked against the concrete. Thank God for my savior. That was when I looked up into said savior's eyes to find that they were the mysterious green eyes of Spencer Ashbury.

Oh, my God.

His brow was creased, as usual, and his nostrils flared in irritation.

"I am so sorry, I wasn't paying attention," I breathed out as he continued to cradle me just inches above the floor.

"Yes, I see that," he said, something other than irritation flickering in his eyes for once, but not anything I had time to identify because I heard laughing and catcalling.

"All right, Miss Moretti, go and get you some," a student yelled from nearby.

I vaguely heard another voice say, "Isn't that the guy who's on the board of the school? No wonder she's got such a nice classroom."

I groaned internally. These kids will be the death of me. But that was when I also realized that Spencer had not made a move to help me up. I looked frantically toward the students and saw what seemed like hundreds of little lights flashing, although, in reality, I knew it was probably a dozen.

"Mr. Ashbury," I said, "as enjoyable as this situation might be for you, would you mind helping me up before we're featured on every child's social media?"

He shook his head, seemingly realizing what was actually going on for the first time. He straightened himself and helped me up. "Yes, well, do try to be more careful next time you're traversing the halls, Miss Moretti."

I raised a warning eyebrow at him. If I hadn't been in front of all of these children, he might have gotten a taste of the sharp Moretti tongue in the worst way possible, but it was my job to teach these children how to sculpt and create art, not new four-letter words that would shock even them.

Still, I couldn't quite help myself from responding sarcastically as I managed to drop into a slight courtesy and answer in a stuffy voice, "Oh, do forgive me, Duke Ashbury, whatever shall I do with these troublesome elephant feet." Moving away, I bit back my smile when I heard laughter come from the children.

I'd probably hear about my little show from Penny later, but I decided it was worth it.

For all of his iciness, however, Spencer certainly was warm when he held me. All of that secret time I'd spent imagining him for weeks, as I sculpted frantically to capture the essence that was Spencer Ashbury, or at least some iteration of him, was now surfing through my blood in a pleased thrum. The whole thing was inconvenient, of course, but I would definitely use that interaction for fuel later that night when I finally got to sink my fingers into my sculptures again.

I had the night set aside to grade papers, but screw it, when one was called to create, there was no denying it. Even if it was a short-tempered jackass that was inspiring the creation.

Chapter two

Spencer

Since taking over the Ashbury Corporation from my father, I'd resigned myself to the bullshit I would have to deal with on a day-to-day basis, but today, it was just too damn much.

After having an infuriating conversation with Ralph, our family lawyer, and actually entertaining the ridiculous ideas that man spit out, I just needed a break from being in charge of all these people's livelihoods.

I needed to go someplace where I was just me and nobody expected anything of me, and there was only one place for that: with my baby sister, Penelope.

There were times when she felt more like a daughter than a sister, considering she was born when I was twenty and I raised her for most of her life, but that never bothered me. I liked taking care of her, and I hated to come to her with any of my problems, but she was the only person who didn't expect anything from me. So, I told my secretary to put all my meetings on hold while I snuck out for a couple of hours and did something that I rarely did. I made a trip to Penelope's work during the day.

She was constantly busy as the dean of the Ashbury Academy of the Arts, but I knew that she loved it. Every time I talked to her, she excitedly told me about some new events she was planning and the progress that the children had made. Running the school was her dream come true, and I was so happy to have been able to help her accomplish it, but all I really did was sign the checks. Penelope had been the one to make things happen for herself, and I was proud of her for that.

---