“The way I am,” he repeated slowly.
“Do I really have to spell it out? You've likely slept with every girl in town. You're only interested in their bodies, not their brains. And to you, commitment is a four-letter word.”
His jaw clenched. I could tell he was thinking about arguing back, but he didn't bother – because both of us knew it'd be a lie.
“It's a bit hypocritical of you,” he snapped. “If all I'm interested in is sex, then maybe all you're after is money.”
“Excuse me?”
“That's right. When I told you the wedding was called off, I figured you'd be thrilled. We wouldn't have to go through that stupid stunt. You'd be keeping your store. But you didn't seem happy at all.”
Of course I'd been relieved about the shop. But part of me was sad too, and at the time I hadn't been sure why.
Now I knew. Without the wedding looming over us, Asher and I had no reason to pretend to be in love anymore.
Once I'd had a taste of him, I didn't want to just let that go.
“When I said I'd be getting that share of the Galleria, you got pretty angry,” he continued. “Maybe you wanted some of that for yourself.”
How dare he!
“Mom warned me you might just be hanging around for a piece of the pie. Why else would you be upset that the wedding was canceled? Because once we'd gotten hitched, you'd have me locked down. Half my stuff, yours. No wonder you agreed to do it.”
I felt like punching him, screaming and saying all kinds of horrible things, and probably would have if Macy hadn't been lingering nearby. Instead, I bit my tongue, grabbed my coat, and raced for the stairs.
“Where are you going?”
“Away from you. Have fun with your Galleria, Asher.”
He called for me to stop, but I ignored him. On the second floor landing, I nearly ran smack into Vivian. She wobbled back and forth; her eyes were bloodshot and the smell of alcohol was apparent on her breath.
“Oh! Hello there, Sarah,” she muttered, the words slurred. “Didn't think we'd be having visitors today. I'll, uh, have the maid put on a pot of tea.”
“No, that's all right,” I said, dodging just before she stumbled into me. “I was on my way out.”
“A shame. By the way, there's some tacky little yard sale going on down the road.” She sneered. “They had a wedding dress for sale. Cheap, too. Perhaps you might see if you can fit into it?”
My rage and shame were so strong I didn't bother reminding her the wedding was no more. Instead, I bolted for the front door before Asher could have a chance to catch up.
What an idiot I was for ever getting close to him. This was exactly why I'd avoided his advances for years, because I feared this moment might come.
Afraid I'd get too attracted to him. Afraid I would fall in love.
And I was right.
Chapter 23 - Asher
“The flowers should go over there. No, pink is too girly. I want white.”
Mom strutted around the country club with her cabal of wedding planners, a florist, photographer, and a professional interior designer. She was still carrying on as though nothing had changed, but refused to even speak Sarah's name.
I, however, couldn't even think Sarah's name without feeling terrible. A couple days ago, after we uncovered the Big Secret, everything went wrong.
I'd said awful things. Accused her of only hanging onto me for money's sake. I wanted to apologize, but how did you come back from something like that? Besides, she'd stopped talking to me, so I couldn't say sorry even if I wanted to.
Or maybe that was just an excuse because I was too scared to face her.
“Asher, you're being awfully quiet.” Mom slid away from the group to harass me. “How about a drink? I can have George bring you a mojito; they're fabulous here.”
“It's ten in the morning, mom.”
“So?” She raised her own glass, spilling a couple ice cubes on the freshly vacuumed carpet. “That's what your father pays membership for.”
Already, my temples were starting to throb. I was supposed to be at Slicker Image, hanging up a big stack of going-out-of-business signs. Mom had called and demanded I come to Shady Oaks right away. Of course that's the last thing I wanted to be doing, but it let me put off the inevitable for a little longer.
Now, though, I was kind of regretting it.
“I said I wanted the band to play on the balcony!” Mom pouted like a three-year old. “No, I don't care if it's minus five out. How inept can you be? You all had such good reviews on the internet.”
I managed to grab her by the dress sleeve before she shuffled away. “Hey. What did you order me over here for anyway? You know I'm busy. If the wedding's off and this is just for some big family Christmas reunion, I'll be going now.”
She winced like I'd just slapped her. “I don't know how you can act so selfish. Your dad is being more than generous, giving you part of the Galleria as he is. And now you'll be free to marry a nice, quality woman.”
It was clear what she meant. To her, Sarah and her family were nothing more than poor trash. I was ashamed I kind of thought the same way once. Not anymore. Hell, I'd almost rather spend time with the Masters clan than my own.
“Mom,” I said patiently, like you might to try reasoning with a young child. “Are you feeling okay? A couple hundred people are coming in for what they thought was a wedding.”
She nodded and smiled.
“But there's not going to be a wedding.”
Her
