Page 23 of Beautiful Distraction

I don’t want to lie, but I need to.Mandy needs to drop the whole thing before Idie from embarrassment.

“Let me guess. You forgot to mention he drove aLamborghini?” She throws up her hands in mock surrender. “Oh my god, Ava.”

Why’s everyone obsessed with a stupid car? Particularly onethat’s not even worth its price tag, if you ask me. I mean, most human beingscouldn’t possibly afford the insurance rate, let alone the payment plan. Andyou can’t park the thing anywhere without people gawking and at least a fewthinking about stealing it.

It’s insane.

“Again, I had no idea,” I mutter.

“Yeah, right. Even someone like you must recognize it,”Mandy says dryly. “There’s nothing forgettable about the car, or the guydriving it, for that matter.”

She’s right.

There isn’t.

But I can’t admit that to her.

“You could have fucked him,” she mumbles. “You know, getback in the game.”

“Oh, my god. Will you just shut up about him?” I shoot her avenomous look and turn away.

“Fine. Whatever. I was just trying to help.”

“How so? By pointing out the one wrong decision I can’tchange? Or that my love life sucks?”

She scoffs but remains quiet.

Of course, I regretted not taking him up on his offer threemonths ago. But what I regretted more was driving home and telling Mandy aboutit that night because the moment I did, she started calling all her friends toask whether anyone might know him. Which they didn’t, obviously. Next came theInternet searches. The Friday nightclub stakeouts. And eventually, the reproachthat I didn’t do what any woman with her panties in the right place would havedone.

“You know…” Mandy starts. Oh, I know where she’s heading,and I’m not having it. “You could always—”

“Don’t say it,” I interrupt.

She holds up her hands. “Fine.” And then she walks backinside, leaving me alone.

The early evening air’s crisp and cools my head. Afterspending a few minutes on the porch, I decide that seeing Kellan again is of noimportance because tomorrow I’ll be gone and his memory will be soon erasedfrom my mind.

When I return to the living room, Mandy’s nowhere to beseen. Kellan’s hard body is sprawled across the sofa, his long legs stretchedout, his arm draped across the cushions.

Fuck! I’m alone with him.

My heart speeds up. The entire situation feels way toointimate. My tongue flicks over my dry lips as my gaze sweeps over the room in adesperate search for Mandy.

Where the hell is she?

“She’s upstairs,” Kellan says coolly. “I offered to let youboth stay.”

“We agreed on three hours. We’re leaving tonight.” Gosh, whydoes my voice sound so clipped and hoarse?

“She told me your car broke down.”

Damn my car.

We’re stuck here. The realization makes me freeze in suddenpanic. The fact that he’s looking at me with a strange glint in his eyesdoesn’t ease the unnerving tension I feel in his presence.

“I’ll be happy to send for a mechanic, but he won’t be herebefore tomorrow. You’re free to stay the night.”

“Why the change?” I can’t help asking.

---