Page 31 of Runaway Bride's Guide to Love

“I should be asking you the same thing.”

“I asked first.”

“Really, Tiger? That’s how this is going to go?”

“It is,” I say sternly, my shock now being replaced with determination. “You’re going to tell me why you’re breaking into my brother’s house.”

He looks confused and gives his head a quick shake. “For one, I didn’t break in. I have a key. And I don’t know what you’re thinking, but this isn’t your brother’s house. This is one of the rental properties that my boss owns that I’m checking out, along with numerous others over the course of this week.”

“Are you calling me a liar?”

He shakes his head and puts his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t say that. I’m just saying that maybe you got the wrong house. Because I work for the man who owns this house, who isn’t your brother.”

“This is the right house, and my brother does own this property.”

“No, he doesn’t.”

“Yes, he does.”

He groans. “Are we really having a kindergarten argument over this? Just admit you’re in the wrong house.”

Okay, now I’m mad. I’ve just spent the better part of the last four years with a man who would gaslight me into submission. Or argue with me until I gave up. I’m not about tospend one of my first days of freedom being treated the same way.

No matter how sexy Cap looks in those jeans and that hat.

“I’m not in the wrong house. This is the house I’m staying at, owned by my brother, Simon Banks. I’m staying here for two weeks. So now I’m going to ask you again, what are you doing here?”

Cap’s jaw drops a little. No. Not a little. A lot. Think cartoon character with the jaw that hits the floor and the eyes that bug out.

“Are you…Stella?”

Did he…how does he…

“How do you know my name?”

He shakes his head and starts pacing in circles. He takes off his hat and runs a hand through his hair. He looks panicked. I’m just confused.

“No…no, no no,” he mutters. “This is supposed to be occupied by his sister, named Stella, who just got married. It’s supposed to be for her honeymoon.”

“Itwasfor my honeymoon. And as you know, that didn’t happen.”

“Fuck,” he groans. “Now it makes sense that he asked me to check on you. He just forgot to tell me that one small detail.”

I notice Cap’s hat as he puts it back on, which says Magnolia Properties.

The name of my brother’s company.

And then it hits me.

I’ve heard about my brother’s one and only employee, his property manager, Emmett. One of his best friends from college whom he reconnected with over the past year.

We’ve never met. At least I thought we hadn’t.

Emmett is Cap. Cap is Emmett.

The one who saved me on the worst day of my life.

The one who took care of me when he didn’t need to. When Iwas a stranger in a bar wearing a fugly wedding dress and crying into my martini.

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