Page 78 of Pretty Wild

“Well, I appreciate it. I thought I’d just have to throw sugar and milk in my coffee this morning and was pleasantly surprised when I opened the fridge.” After a few beats, she asks, “What is it you want to ask me?”

I take a sip of my bitter coffee and lean against the counter. Many questions flash through my head, but only one stands front and center in my brain. So, I just blurt out the one thing I want to know. “Did you punch that fucker in the nose?”

She’s taken aback for a moment before bursting into a fit of laughter. “No, but I wanted to.”

The corner of my mouth curls up. “Good. That would have been the least of what he deserved.”

Her throat bobs as she lifts her head in agreement. “Yeah. I was completely pissed at Bradley too. He’s the show’s producer. He’s the one who approved that bombshell to air.”

I make sure to add this Bradley character to my list. “So…Vaughn Cramer, huh?” I pray that question came out as casual as it sounded in my head, and not like the jealous asshole I fear it mimicked.

She lowers her eyes for a second before returning that chocolate gaze back to me. “He was…charming. We ran in the same circles, so we were constantly at the same places at the same times. In a way, it felt good to be around someone and talk to them about the industry and the price of fame.

“I was always being followed and photographed, but when I started to date Vaughn, their efforts just went into overtime. The headlines always promoted the good boy and the bad girl he was going to tame.”

“Bad girl?” I ask, recalling the online references to her partying and wild days.

She rolls her eyes. “That was their angle. They were always trying to photograph me doing something inappropriate. Each headline was more ostentatious than the previous one, and they played the angle to perfection.”

“But he was using you.”

She nods. “Yep. I’ve always kept people at arm’s length, mostly because it’s hard to know who to trust. In fact, I rarely trust anyone, with the exception of a few close friends and work confidantes, which makes his betrayal that much harder to take. Over time, I began to trust him, to see him as a man who just wanted a touch of normal in our abnormal world. He claimed to want to be Just Vaughn, not Vaughn Cramer, Hollywood Heartthrob.”

“How long did you date?” I find myself asking.

“Off and on for more than three years.”

My eyes widen at that response.

“We met at a party my dad was attending. I was twenty-three and his plus one, since my mom was away someplace. Vaughn came up and introduced himself to me. I knew who he was, since he had just wrapped up a movie they were promoting heavily for a summer release, and I’d seen some of his early movies. For the first time, someone seemed to be paying attention to me, not my dad. He never once asked me about him, which was different. Most guys would always dig for information, but not Vaughn. He never once talked about who my dad was or asked to meet him. I never picked up on an uneasy vibe, one that meant he was betraying me.”

“He’s a master manipulator,” I state, wishing he were standing in the room so I could kick his fucking ass.

“He is. After I saw the show, I just shut down. I needed some time to come to terms with what I saw, as well as the fact the whole world just witnessed my humiliation.”

“I’m sure that was tough.”

She nods again. “Horribly. Anyway, when we finally connected, he tried to play it off as part of the show, like it was scripted, and he was supposed to say that. And when he realized he couldn’t charm his way out of it, he threw every excuse at me, including that it was somehow my fault.

“My phone was going crazy; everyone was trying to find out what was going on. The media was hounding me, looking for a statement or whatever, and everywhere I turned, they were playing that clip. I wasn’t in any mood to face it all head-on, so I left. I found a little cabin in the middle of Nowhere, Wisconsin, and I flew out a couple days later under the lesser-known name of Jade.”

She’s been through a lot in a short amount of time. Add in the fact I was a complete asshole to her in the beginning, and the only reason I have is that she got under my skin. In a way no woman ever has, and if I’m being honest, she’s sort of embedded there, right under the surface. Without even knowing it, she’s refusing to leave.

Except, that’s not true.

Ryan is leaving.

In less than two weeks, she’ll be out of here, jet-setting back to her life in California. I’ll be here, continuing to do my thing. Even if I wanted her to stay, I wouldn’t ask. What does Pine Village have for a woman like her? She’s used to fancy, expensive, and glamor. The best she’s gonna get here is the steakhouse, not that there’s anything wrong with it. Kameron has done an amazing job transforming it into a great place to eat.

Of course, it’s no CUT by Wolfgang Puck, which was recently featured on some dining and food show the TV was turned to.

Not that I’m trying to tally up what I have to offer. I’m not. This is a fling, nothing more or less. She’s here for a short time, and I’m committed to showing her a good time. At the end of her month, we’ll walk away with only memories and a smile.

“Is he bothering you? Vaughn?” I ask, redirecting my train of thought back to the conversation at hand.

She shrugs. “He’s blocked. He tried to call and message a bunch, but I haven’t talked to him since I broke it off and left. I don’t want to either.” She exhales loudly and shakes her head. “Looking back, I realize our relationship wasn’t right. It wasn’t what I really wanted, but it was all I knew. He was gone for lengthy periods of time for work, and I was fine with that. I shouldn’t have been, you know? But I was. Looking back now, our relationship was comfortable, but it was built on lies.”

Taking a sip of my coffee, I can’t help but wonder, “What now?”

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