Page 111 of Ten Rules for Faking It
She bit the inside of her cheek and willed her words to form coherent sentences. “Why? Why would you do that? Until six weeks ago, you barely saw me. Barely acknowledged me.”
His face fell. “Everly. You know why.” His hurt tone cut through her, but she couldn’t stop herself from finishing.
“You couldn’t even tell me who you really are. Your father owns an empire. You’re meant for more than a small town. You jumped through all these hoops because your career matters to you more than anything else. Youtoldme how important it is to you. We just… You can’t throw it all away for something that hasn’t even begun. For something that could end.”
He touched her arm, and she pulled away. “Don’t say that. I wantyou.We can make this work.”
Everly crossed her arms over her chest, wanting to move but afraid her feet wouldn’t carry her. “Can we? What if it ends up not being what you want? We know what your thoughts are on things that don’t seem to have an easy solution. Cut and run, right?”
“Damn it, Everly. Do not throw my divorce back in my face. You want to talk, I’ll tell you everything you want to know. But don’t use that against me.”
“Okay. Let’s talk.” She gripped the chair. “How long have you liked me?”
His brow furrowed, like he sensed a trap. “Since the moment I looked at you.”
“Then tell me why you suggested I date a bunch of strangers. Tell me why, if you liked me so much, you came up with that solution to save the station.”
His jaw tightened, and Everly’s heart spasmed.
She nodded. “Because business comes first. Always.”
“I thought I was leaving. I never planned on telling you how I felt. I thought I could help you find happiness before I had to go.”
She scoffed, her jaw dropping. “Oh.” Now she stalked away, nervous laughter bubbling from her throat. “Isn’t that nice. You turn the station around, make Dad proud, and do a little pity project on the side. How lovely.”
He huffed out an impatient breath. “Jesus. Stop turning my words around.”
She whirled, pointed at him. “The bottom line—that’s a term you understand, right? The bottom line is you were willing to let me be with someone else to prove something to your father. You held back because you never intended to stay. I get that there are no guarantees in life, but I need to be all in with someone who doesn’t hold back. Someone who will give meeverything—their heart, their trust, their honesty. That’s what I have to give. That’s what I deserve in return. I can’t be with you if in the back of my mind, I’m always wondering if you’ll be sorry you stayed.” Her voice cracked. “If you’ll be sorry you stayed forme.”
She stepped around him, desperate to escape before her tears did. The hurt and frustration etched into the lines around his mouth, his eyes, clawed at her heart.
“I’m willing to stay,” he whispered. “Once again, you’re the one running.”
She shook her head. “Self-preservation,” she said, throwing his words back at him.
Stacey hurried after her when she grabbed her purse and fled for the exit. She didn’t think about work or shirking her responsibilities. All she could focus on was getting out of the building, getting away from Chris, being alone.
Stacey had other plans. “Hey. Hey! Stop it. What’s going on?”
Everly hurried to her car, her hands shaking as she pulled her keys from her purse. She unlocked the door and yanked it open.
“Just go.” She slid in and started the car.
Stacey opened the passenger side and jumped in.
“What are you doing? Get out. I need to be alone.”
“Do what you need to do, but I’m not going anywhere. You’re in no shape to drive, so I’m okay if you want to just sit here and not get us into an accident. But I’m not leaving you alone. Cry, scream, do whatever you need, but you are not alone, Evs.”
She swallowed down the tears, put the car in Drive. “I’m fine.” She held the tears back and thought that she and Chris had something in common—they were both liars.
[37]
Chris grabbed one of the rolling chairs and rammed it into the wall. Yanking at his tie, he pulled it over his head and threw it on the boardroom table. The staff had scattered, and he had no idea what was being played on the radio right now, but none of it mattered.
Noah walked through the door and looked at Chris. “What the hell is going on, man? I saw Everly run out of the building with Stacey. Your receptionist looks like she saw someone get run over. Mason and Mari are running Stacey’s spot.”
“Go away, Noah. Now isn’t a good time.” He picked up his tie and wrapped it tightly around his fist.
