know the half of it. My family wasn’t just poor. The family business Freddie so casually mentioned? Sooner or later someone will get around to asking, so you might as well know everything. My father’s been in and out of jail for as long as I can remember. I just found out that my brother is back in jail. They are convicted felons who seem to pride themselves on being repeat offenders. And my mother has been married four times. I’m not from a respectable family. Freddie was ashamed of me and broke things off because of it. Their family didn’t want a person like me bringing their good name down, either.”
“He was wrong,” Gabe insisted. “You’re not like that.”
“Look—they haven’t even found out about my past yet. All your family knows is that I’m the kind of person who makes bad decisions. Your family all assume I’m a cheater and a liar. Don’t tell me they didn’t—I saw their faces when Freddie made his announcement.”
“I’ll smooth things over.” Gabe stepped toward her. “I’ll talk to them. I’ll figure all of this out.” But he didn’t sound nearly as confident as he had before, the knowledge was enough to send her over the edge.
“Why?” Tears burned at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “You brought me here for one reason and one reason only—to impress your family. Because you were tired of them making you feel like you weren’t good enough. Do you really think that’s going to happen now?” Her throat tightened painfully. “If they were disappointed by you, a billionaire tech mogul who dates Oscar-winning actresses, just how thrilled do you think they’re going to be that you’ve brought home a potential gold-digging daughter of an ex-convict?”
Gabe took a half-step back, and she could see his thoughts flying through his eyes, making them more a dark gray than green. He had to be desperate to win their approval. With the Elkin family, there would be no greater prize than earning a spot in their ranks. Gabe would want their good opinion of him far more than he’d want to spend his life trying to convince them that she was also worthy. Lines of tension deepened across his forehead. He’d come to the same conclusion and knew she was right.
“Why would you go to bat for me in the face of all that?” she asked when he remained silent. Anna braced for the final blow now that the question hung in the air between them. She knew it was coming. On some level, she’d known all along this was how it would end. Eventually, there came a point when people could no longer ignore all that her family represented. It was the end of the line for her.
But it didn’t stop Gabe’s hesitation from hurting. Painfully so. Like a knife in her heart. She put a hand to her chest before she could stop herself. “I’m leaving, Gabe. Please step out of the way.” He stepped back, but the movement was stiff. Her skin ached for him to touch her, or to reach out and stop her—but he didn’t. She twisted off her ring and handed it to him. “We won’t be seeing each other again.”
The walk down to the lobby was the longest walk of her life. Her heart thudded wildly, as she waited for him to run after her, to shout after her, but nothing of the sort happened and the holiday cheer of the reception area continued all around her. The huge tree in the middle of the lobby twinkled and shone with all its decorations. Soft Christmas carols played over the in-house sound system, moving into all the empty spaces like water. She barely noticed Freddie and his family on a set of low couches at the opposite end of the room, mumbling to each other and exchanging dark looks.
Anna had pushed open the door by the time she realized she hadn’t put on her coat. She shrugged it on, snowflakes landing on her eyelashes, and cast around. Okay—so she hadn’t thought this part through. It would have been smarter to call for a car first thing before she started packing. It was cold outside, but she wouldn’t let that stop her. The last thing she wanted was to feel the Elk Lodge’s warmth wiping away the chill that was already settling on her cheeks and into her feet. And asking the front desk for help getting a ride