A Fool's Gold Wedding - Susan Mallery Page 0,29
very much.”
She didn’t know what he was going to say, but there was no way she wanted to hear it. She nearly put her hands over her ears and demanded that he stop talking. Only something in her gut warned her that would be a mistake. That one of the things she knew for sure was that her uncle adored her and would never hurt her. Never do anything that wasn’t in her best interest.
She glanced at Joaquin, who looked as if he wanted to speak, only he didn’t. When their gazes locked, she read worry and something she couldn’t define in his eyes. Guilt? Fear? Whatever it was, it wasn’t good.
Simon touched her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I told Joaquin to tell you or I would. Apparently he didn’t believe me.”
“It’s not that,” Joaquin began.
Simon silenced him with a shake of his head. “You had plenty of time. Abby, Joaquin isn’t here for the wedding. He came to Fool’s Gold to meet me and talk to me about the fellowship I run. He applied a few months ago and didn’t get past the first screening interview. He thought if we established a personal relationship, I would reconsider accepting him into the program.”
Abby took a step back and stared at them both. There was no way to make her uncle’s words other than what they were—a stark explanation about a situation that had never fully made sense.
She turned to Joaquin. “You used me to get to my uncle?”
“It started out that way, yes. My career is important to me, Abby. You know that. I lost a patient because of her burns. There was nothing I could do and I hated being helpless. I wanted to be a better surgeon, so I applied and was turned down. When I found out about the wedding being here, I decided to see if I could get to know Simon.”
Her entire body went cold as the truth settled over her. “So it was a lie. All of it.”
“No.” He moved toward her, stopping a few feet in front of her. “No, it wasn’t. Everything changed when I met you. Everything. You captured my attention and my feelings. I’ve liked everything we’ve done together. I’ve never known anyone like you, Abby. I didn’t want to say anything about why I’d come here because I didn’t want to destroy what we had. It’s important to me. You’re important to me.”
She wanted to say nothing made sense, only it did. She’d been busy falling in love and he’d been taking advantage of her. He’d been playing a game. No, he’d been playing her.
“You used me to get to my family. You pretended to care. You tricked me.” Tears burned, but she blinked them away. “Was any of it real?”
“Of course it was.” He reached for her. “Abby, please. I don’t want to lose you.”
She pulled away. “What else are you going to say?” she asked bitterly.
She turned to run toward the house, only to remember where she was. This was a party to celebrate her sister’s wedding. All their family was here. She couldn’t make a scene. She couldn’t scream or cry or run—not without ruining the night for her sister.
She looked at Joaquin. “Don’t say a word. I don’t want Melissa or Davis to know anything is wrong.” She felt her mouth twist. “Not that keeping quiet will be hard for you. It’s something you’re really good at.”
With that she walked toward her mother. When she reached Liz, she leaned in and whispered. “I think my period just got here early,” she lied. “I’m going to head up to my room for a few minutes to check and maybe take something for the cramping.”
Her mother smiled at her. “Of course. Should we hold dinner?”
Abby shook her head. “I won’t be long. I just need a second. Go ahead with the meal service. I’ll be right back.”
She started for the house, careful to not run and to keep smiling. She greeted people who noticed her, doing her best to act normal. When she finally reached her room, she sat on the edge of the bed and covered her face with her hands.
She’d been a fool. For the first time in her life, she’d given her heart to a man only to discover everything about their relationship was a fraud. Just as bad, she had to get through the next two days without anyone finding out what had happened. Saturday was Melissa’s special day. No matter what, Abby was