I have no interest in their malicious gossip, and Adair doesn’t need me to save her. She can take care of herself. I turn to leave when Adair responds.
“Of course, he doesn’t.” The laugh I’ve grown to love sounds hollow—cruel even.
A pit opens in my stomach. I taste acid on my tongue. I don’t want to hear anymore. This isn’t my conversation. But my feet betray me, refusing to move. Instead, I cling to the shadows, out of sight but still able to hear them.
“It’s not a bad deal,” Darcy says. “Ride him for what he’s worth. I mean, it’s all he has to offer, right? Then use him to get your dad to back off.”
“I’ll get right on that,” Adair says.
I can’t move. I’m stuck listening to her piss all over me.
“When you’re done you can pass him around,” Ava suggests. “My dad will flip the fuck out. He never cares what trash Money is banging, but, God forbid, I bring someone like that home. Double standard.”
“Mine, too.”
“Sterling isn’t really into dating,” Adair says.
“So? He’s on scholarship, right? Who do you think is paying his tuition?” Ava asks. “Those of us writing checks. He owes it to us.”
“Exactly,” Darcy agrees.
“You haven’t even graduated,” Adair says.
“The point is that he can be useful and fun. Don’t forget to share,” Ava tells her.
“I won’t.”
I can’t listen a minute longer. I’m glad her friends got their way. I’m glad she’s finally shown me who she really is. I just wish it wasn’t too late, because she got her hooks into me already. I love her fire—that unreachable piece of her that can never be tamed. The part of her I know will destroy me.
Pushing my way through the crowd, I ignore Cyrus waving to me from across the lawn. He’s with Poppy and it looks like they’re both reconsidering their relationship. The last thing I need is to watch those two make out all night. It’s easy to pretend I don’t hear them. The party is loud. Despite the October chill, more than a few people have stripped down and jumped in the pool. I leave the bedlam behind me. The farther I get from the patio heaters and tent, the colder the night becomes. The music and shouts fade behind me as night swallows me. I should have grabbed my jacket. There’s no fucking way I’m going back for it. When I reach the front drive, I stop and stare at the house for a minute. Every light is on. The party probably spilled inside a long time ago. All this house for what? A couple rich assholes? Why had I ever believed she saw something in me? She came from this. I barely own my last name.
I shove my hands in my pockets and start down the long drive. I’ll be frozen by the time I reach campus, but, at least, I’ll be numb. In my head, a list starts to form. I need to go to campus housing and request a new room. Cyrus is fine. It’s not his fault. But I don’t want to see any of them again. Then I lay low, focus on my work, finish the fucking year. By then, I’ll have forgotten her and she’ll have moved on to whatever plaything she spots next. Maybe she’ll even grow up and go to London like she wants.
I hope she does.
Because then she’ll be far, far away. From me. From them. From whatever’s turned her into this raging bitch.
“Sterling!” she calls from behind me.
I turn to the sound of her voice. Fuck, I am just her little lapdog, aren’t I?
“Where are you going?” she calls when I keep walking.
I don’t answer. I keep walking.
There’s a pause and I think she’s given up. But then I hear her soft plea, “Don’t leave me. You promised you’d stay.”
I want to keep walking. I want to pretend I don’t hear the anguished request. Instead, I turn and follow the scattered pieces of my heart leading me back to her.
34
Adair
Present Day
I flow into Windfall that afternoon, still in shock over today’s turn of events. When I woke up in Sterling’s bed, I hadn’t known what to think. I left feeling worse, confused and unsure where my past ended and my present began. Then destiny dropped a present in my lap: a job.
It’s embarrassing to think it’s my first real job. I’ve volunteered for years, but it’s not the same. Bluebird offered me a small salary that I don’t need yet. But it’s the first honest money I’ve ever made. I know exactly what I’m going to do with it. Half to the shelter. The other half saved in a college fund for Ellie. I won’t pretend her future is safe with MacLaine Media on the line. I’m not sure that Malcolm or Ginny are ready to admit that, and I can’t trust them to think about anyone but themselves. I won’t let her wind up like me, completely dependent on her father or any man.
A towering arrangement of magnolia blossoms wobbles into the foyer. I peer around it to find Felix holding the vase.
“These are beautiful,” I murmur as he places them on a table. I lean down to breathe in their creamy vanilla aroma. It’s the slight tang of lemon hiding under it that I love though. My mom always told me to wear magnolia perfume because Southern women might be sweet but they still know how to bite.
Felix hands me a card with a wink. “It looks like you have an admirer.”
My fingers tremble as I take it. Most men send roses. There’s one man that knows I love magnolias. I can’t bring myself to break the seal. I’m not sure what I want that card to say.
And there’s other things I need to confront. “I want to talk to you about Ellie.”
We’ve been avoiding each other for the most part. Since daddy put Felix in charge of Ellie’s inheritance,
