A Case of Extreme Mistaken Identity - Victorine E. Lieske Page 0,59
it was surrounded by reporters and they had a terrible time getting anywhere. Dani was sure her face would be all over the news in a few minutes. Heck, it probably already was.
When they finally got back to the resort and made it inside where the paparazzi weren’t allowed, she sighed and ran a hand over her hair. “Thank goodness.”
“Are you okay?” Austin asked, joining her on the couch.
“Yes.” She lied. She wasn’t okay. She was bone tired, and just wanted to sink into nothingness. She’d been drugged, and now her father wanted to take her on some stupid publicity tour. She was just done.
“You don’t look okay.”
“I’m just tired of it all. I can’t stand the cameras. Paparazzi. They make me crazy.” She put her head in her hands.
Austin rubbed her back. “I still think they would ignore you if you decided to live a normal life. They would get bored and go bother someone else.”
“But I can’t.” She looked up at him. “I don’t know how.”
“Just run away with me,” Austin said, cracking a smile.
She couldn’t quite tell if he was joking or not, but she decided to play it up as a joke and poked him in the side. “How would that help? You’re famous.”
He chuckled, but something told her he was disappointed with her answer. She ignored the shift in mood. She couldn’t think about Austin that way. She needed to do as he said. She needed to disappear from the tabloids.
“I’ve decided,” she finally said after a moment of silence between them.
“What did you decide?”
“I’m not getting on the plane.”
Austin slowly nodded. “I’m proud of you.”
“It’s scary, but I don’t want to go back to that. I want my own life.” Even if it meant giving up all the things she was used to, the Gucci bags and the Jimmy Choo’s. The price seemed too high right now.
“You can do it.” He squeezed her hand.
Dani’s heart swelled. Austin truly had been a massive blessing in her life. He was so encouraging. Her chest constricted as she thought about how much he’d done for her. She wouldn’t ever be able to pay him back.
But there was also this nagging feeling deep in her gut that told her he wasn’t just being nice. There was something he wanted from her. Was that the truth? Or was that her paranoia seeping in? She wished she could take all of his kindness at face value. But it was so hard to do after what Raphael had done to her.
She simply wasn’t ready to jump into another relationship.
Austin looked up at the full moon. It was a quiet night. The resort hadn’t been as busy after the holiday weekend. Now, it was Wednesday evening and Austin was feeling the pressure. He was leaving tomorrow.
He’d made the offer to get Dani a plane ticket again, but she refused. She was not ready to leave. She wanted to do it all on her own, which he understood and admired. He just wasn’t sure where that would leave them.
He took in a deep breath. The salty sea air made him itch to go into the water. He’d been good the last few days, relaxing and letting his knee heal, but right now all he wanted to do was let the waves hit his feet.
“Want to take a walk with me?” He waited to see what Dani would say.
“Sure.”
“I want to wade in the ocean.”
Dani smiled and stood. “That sounds like fun.”
They walked around the resort to the boardwalk, and then down to the sandy beach. Austin pulled off his shoes and socks and placed them by the sign that reminded people there was no lifeguard on the beach. Dani took off her sandals and placed them beside his shoes. For some reason, looking at their shoes together like that made a wave of emotion swell in Austin.
It was kind of dumb, but the shoes sitting together made them look like they were a family. He could imagine a small pair of shoes sitting there as well. The mental image made his heart thump in his chest. It was sappy, but he didn’t care.
Having Claire almost take away what he’d had with Dani had made him see that life was too short to sit back and let things happen. He didn’t want to stay silent anymore about his feelings. If Dani wasn’t ready for a relationship, then he’d wait for her. But he was done pretending he wasn’t in love with her.