Page 39 of Ten Rules for Faking It
“Is it big?” Excitement shook his brother’s voice.
“You’ve seen it. Of course it’s big.”
“You say that to all the girls.”
Despite rolling his eyes, Chris laughed. “Jesus. What are you? Fourteen? It’s what I saw online. Overlooks the ocean, the exterior needs a ton of work, and the yard is a mini-jungle. But it’s got potential, bro. Serious potential.”
“You think I’m a fool?”
Chris pushed off his car and walked closer to the edge of the embankment, stared out at the water, breathed in the salt air, and let go of his own worries. He’d sat on Everly’s stoop, waiting for her to come home last night. What did he know about being a fool?A lot.
“You’ve got other places to look at, so I say you take your time to choose. You’re sure about branching out to the West Coast?”It’ll suck if Noah ends up here just as I head home.He wouldn’t negatively influence his brother’s thoughts, though. That was their dad’s job.
“I feel restless and trapped. I don’t know what I need or what I’m looking for just yet, but I need to strike out on my own, Chris. I’m tired of him turning every idea I have into either his baby or something entirely different from how I’d envisioned.”
He nodded even though his brother couldn’t see him. “What were you thinking? Buying and flipping for yourself?”
There was a pause, and Chris realized, in the quiet, he missed his brothers, his mom, and even his sister. He needed to reconnect with them soon.
“I’m thinking of a luxury bed and breakfast. Or something like that.”
Chris smiled. “Really? Hospitality isn’t the same as real estate, bro. Way longer to make a profit, and you have to basically wait on people’s whims. We’re only an hour from LA here. Youcould make good money off this buy if you fix it up. Even with the costs of hiring a crew and renovations.”
“Now you sound like him. Buy, fix, sell. I want to build a legacy. My own. I think. Something he can’t get in the way of. Something that, even if it crumbles, will tell a story a hundred years down the road.”
“Like this house.”
“Exactly.”
The drive back gave Chris time to think about what Noah said, about building his own legacy. He believed he’d be doing that very thing. Once he took over as head of communications for all his father’s companies, he had plans that would unite and strengthen every one of them. His brothers pushed back more with their father than Chris did. Mostly because he worked better if he had a tangible goal set in front of him to reach. He was almost there.
Switching on the radio, thinking about what he could grab for dinner that would be quick and filling, he pressed the button for another station. He liked to see what the other guys were up to.
Ads. Ads. “You’re listening to 102.9 CALI. Up next, we’re talking to Simon Westwood of Westwood Paper Products. Some of you might know him from his store, which is having a massive blowout sale this weekend. Any kind of paper for all your paper needs.”
Chris’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel.Is that…
“Some of you might know him as the jilted former lover of one Miss Everly Dean of 96.2 SUN. Did you guys hear her outburst a couple of weeks ago? Smart people that we are, one of our deejays recorded the audio before they took it off their website. Listen to this.”
Everly’s voice filled the interior of his car like anger filled his gut.
“I found Simon in bed with his personal assistant this morning. You do not want to know how she was assisting him.”Backgroundsound effects cut in and then,“If you happen to find a man who looks like Chris Pine, acts like Chris Hemsworth, smiles like Chris Pratt, and has a body like Chris Evans’s, I’ll rethink things. But until then? I am officially off the market.”
The deejay came back live. “All I can say is, ‘Poor Simon.’ I mean, this guy gets his life aired out in the most public of ways without being able to share his side of the story, and then his ex announces she’s done with men only to turn around and become the star of her own dating game show. Well, we’ve got Simon’s back, and he’s telling his side right after this next music break. You can count on us to give you the goods and the tunes.”
Chris smacked the steering wheel. “Son of a bitch.”
They’d had a contingency plan for Simon worked out with the legal department so he couldn’t come at them for defamation. Everly had not said his last name, which was a huge saving grace. Chris hadn’t considered the loser would not only find a way to make the public feel sorry for him but use the momentum of the contest to pump up his own business. His jaw tightened. “You should have.” He definitely should have thought about the guy striking back.Shit.
He also hadn’t considered anger he’d feel on Everly’s behalf. As if the jerk hadn’t already embarrassed her and treated her poorly, he was still using her for his own personal and professional gain.
The car ahead cut him off, making Chris slam on the brakes and jolt forward. He swore even as he forced his breathing under control. He might not have anticipated this move by her ex, but he’d be strategizingtheirnext ones.Ifthat was what she wanted. He needed to see her and talk to her, because there was no way he’d put ratings above her mental health. If there was any chance of her letting Simon get under her skin, he’d call the promotion off and just deal with the consequences.
[14]
Everly had emptied her entire closet. Every article of clothing she owned was scattered around her small bedroom. Lifting the bottle she’d set on her nightstand to her lips, she finished off what was left of the cranberry vodka cooler she’d opened. It tasted bitter and warm.
“I see you’ve been busy,” Stacey said, walking into Everly’s bedroom.
