Page 52 of Stranded with the Billionaire
“I like him, that’s all,” Sterling insisted. “It really isn’t anything more than that.”
“If he walked up here right now, ready to forgive you for your part and asking forgiveness for his part, how would you feel?” Dixby questioned.
“I don’t know,” she ventured morosely. She knew that wasn’t going to happen.
Dixby pulled back a little so that he could look her in the eyes. “You don’t know? That’s it? You wouldn’t feel relieved that this fight between the two of you was over? You wouldn’t be jumping for joy on the inside that he was back in your life? You wouldn’t want to wrap your arms around him, hold on tight and never let him go?”
Tears sprang to Sterling’s eyes. “You know I would even though I’m mad at him.”
“Then you’re in love,” he stated baldly. “Now what are you going to do about it?”
“Nothing,” she wiped away the moisture in her eyes and let him settle her against his shoulder again. “He’s mad at me. Justifiably so. He might have liked me as a friend, but I ruined it. Jake doesn’t want to see me.”
“How do you know? Did you ask him?” Dixby enquired calmly.
“He bought my paper, threw me out on my ear, and made sure I would never have another position like it ever again in this country,” she said wryly. “I think he hates my guts.”
“Hate is a passionate word. It’s a lot like love,” he remarked mildly.
“He doesn’t love me,” she insisted, wondering when Dixby’s head had become so swelled that he thought he was an authority on love. Then again, he was a Cooley and they had an opinion on everything.
Dixby paused, thinking about it. “For a guy who doesn’t love you, he went into overkill on your career. I think his feelings are involved.”
“It doesn’t matter. He’s not going to forgive me,” Sterling looked over the water, feeling hopeless.
“Did you ask him to?” Dixby asked. “Did you apologize and ask for forgiveness?”
“I didn’t exactly get the chance,” she closed her eyes as she remembered Jake’s rage over being deceived. “He wasn’t in any mood to listen.”
“I think you should write your story. The whole alone with Jake Ramesly thing, only without any exaggerations like you had a habit of putting in Dubious,” Dixby had read her articles. “You should publish it under Sterling Denver otherwise known as SaraLee Hawkins from the tiny town of Pendle, our claim to fame. Don’t forget to mention how sorry you are about the tabloid thing and that you’ve fallen for him. Maybe he’ll read it and come to our little town.”
“No thank you,” Sterling shuddered. “I’ve already put enough of the Ramesly’s private affairs into the limelight. I’m not going to do it again.”
“Then how is he going to know how you feel?” Dixby wondered at how people were so inclined to shy away from the person they wanted most. He supposed that everyone was always afraid of being vulnerable or making fools of themselves. Then again, being raised a Cooley, he’d never been afraid of making a fool of himself. That was one of the few perks in the family name.
Sterling shrugged. “I guess he won’t. Like I said, he hates me anyways. I’m not exactly pleased with him either.”
Somehow, Dixby doubted that very much. If he were a betting man, he’d place odds that Jake Ramesly was just as much affected by Sterling as she was with him. The question was, what was he going to do about it?
Dixby didn’t have long to find out. The very next day he was getting gas at the gas bar with his daughter Joy and watched as a shiny rental car pulled up.
“How’s it going?” Dixby eyed the stranger as he gassed up his rusting truck. The stranger was wearing an expensive suit and brand name sunglasses as he began to pump some gas. “New around town?”
“Yes,” the man looked at Dixby, assessing him in return from his worn work boots to Joy who sat on her father’s shoulders humming a song in her little sundress. “Are you local?”
Silly question. Everyone here was local except for this overdressed stranger. Dixby was surprised the man knew how to run a gas pump. He seemed the type who would have people do it for him even if the rental wasn’t overly flashy. “Yes sir. You lookin’ for someone or someplace around here?”
“I have an address and GPS. I’m sure I’ll be fine,” he gave a tight smile. Shutting off the pump, he put the gas cap back in place then went into the building to pay.
“Snob,” Dixby muttered. Good luck to Mr. Expensive Suit. GPS wasn’t known to be the most reliable here unless the address was directly in town. If he was searching for anything in the country, he might end up miles away from where he wanted to be. “Sweetheart, you want to share a sundae after Daddy’s done his rounds?”
“Strawberry?” Joy piped up with interest from above Dixby’s head in her little voice.
“Absolutely,” Dixby promised. He’d stick around town to see if the stranger came back. If he did, Dixby was going to have a prime time getting the fellow thoroughly lost. Finishing up at the pump, he went into the building to find the stranger at the till.
“There’s a bank down the street. You’ll have to leave the car here until you pay,” Judy informed the man.
“Thank you,” the stranger said curtly as he grabbed a gold credit card back and headed out the door.
