Page 14 of Sugar Coated Lies
He removes his wallet and passes me a business card. “I think you should call me if you need anything.”
Daire Prescott Livingston III
Vice President Livingston Farms
What a name. It screams wealth. But then I knew that about him already. He’s not the douche I believed him to be, either. His eyes are as kind as his actions—offering me a job with good pay, benefits, and respect.
I could float out of the seat. He’s my savior. Who’d have thought?
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m glad your friends dumped you here last night.”
He frowns for a moment, then his mouth hikes up at the corner again with that panty-melting grin. “Me, too.”
Chapter4
Daire
I get in my car,put it in drive, but hesitate to pull away for two reasons. The first, if she puts in her notice, will that asshole of a boss mistreat her? I don’t like him, and I sure as hell don’t trust him. The second, should I rescind my offer and stop her from putting in her notice? I didn’t come here to give her a job. I was going to leave a hundred-dollar tip and call it a deed well done for the trouble I caused her. But then she—or someone—realized who I am and next she was asking questions that had me offering her a job.
I don’t know why I did. Part of me wants to see if she’s as bad as Benedict claims she is. Another part wants to see her blue eyes without the dark circles underneath. There’s stress behind that cobalt gaze, and a longing for something. Help? A better life? Sleep?
Again, I wonder why she went out with a guy like Benedict. Women love his looks, but this girl doesn’t seem to care about that. She doesn’t even care about her own appearance. If she did, she’d wear makeup, style her hair, and look less…frail. Although, I was caught by how pretty she looked in the sunlight coming in through the windows versus last night in the fluorescent lighting, which gave her pale skin a green tint.
Today, pink brightened her cheeks and her skin seemed more porcelain than sickly. Those eyes and the way they sparkled, like sapphires, took me by surprise, too, as well as those thick raven locks. Benedict had said when he met her in Savannah, she had curves and a tan. She reminded him of a famous actress we all were infatuated with back in high school.
This girl is far from that now, but she could be more if she were cared for. What happened that changed her so much? Why is she working in this dump of a diner? She’s not dumb. It’s clear in the way she speaks; she’s educated to some degree.
I’m too curious about her, and that’s dangerous. If Benedict knew I was here and gave her a job, he’d go ballistic. It’s my fault we were even in this area. I invited the guys to my parents' annual summer gala at my family’s estate in a nearby town. Otherwise, we’d have been at my condo in Atlanta.
Maybe it’s time I take a break from the city and stay at the house for a while. Mom would love it. Dad would be ecstatic that I’d be working at the farm offices instead of remotely. My future might be tied to the pecan farm, but I made sure where I lived wasn’t.
I could work remotely from Atlanta and have a life that isn't small-town. That was how I pitched the idea to my dad, and he was gracious enough to agree. I was already living in the family penthouse in Atlanta, finishing my last month of college online. It was all part of my plan to convince my dad to let me work remotely. I’m methodical in that way. But the agreement came with stipulations, like me visiting the farm and office there once a month. I could live with that. It’s only a two-hour drive.
A call shows on the screen to my BMW. I tense at the number and glance around as I press the touch screen to answer the call.
“Hey, man.”
“Where’d you take off to after the gym?” Benedict asks.
“I told you I have business to take care of.”
“In town or back home?”
He doesn’t know where I am. He can’t know. Still, I throw the car in reverse and hurry out of the parking lot, driving toward the farm about twenty minutes from here.
“At the farm.”
“This just came up today?”
“What’s with the twenty fucking questions? If I wanted to be nagged this much, I’d get married.”
He laughs. “You always get bitchy when you visit the farm.”
“Did you call for a reason? I have work to do.”
“Relax, man. I’ve got a girl coming over tonight, and I want to know if I’m going to have the condo to myself.”
“What girl?”
