His Off Limits Best Friend - Vivian Wood Page 0,55

front door. She yanked it open to a scared-looking young kid holding a large package. “Oh, I was—are you… are you okay?” he asked.

“Fine,” she snapped, and snatched the box from him.

“You’re going fucking crazy,” she told herself out loud. Sam opened the box and nearly laughed at herself. She’d forgotten all about it. It was a carton of bachelorette party items she’d ordered right before Monaco. She’d figured she might as well enjoy a raucous night out if she was going to fake a marriage.

She remembered how she’d looked forward to showing it to Connor, and how he’d surely get a kick out of it.

Sam dumped the contents into the garbage bin. She only felt a little bad about not donating the goods. But screw it, it felt too good.

24

Connor

It had been two days since they’d returned from Monaco, and he hadn’t responded to her calls or texts. Even James was confused. “You have quite the light schedule this week,” he’d remarked, and Connor had jumped on him.

“How is that any of your concern?” he’d snapped. James had simply raised a brow and gone about his business.

It had been hard enough telling Sam they couldn’t continue. He’d spent the entirety of the flight trying to come up with the right words, but there were none. He’d settled on doing it hard and fast, but now he wasn’t sure that had been the right approach.

She’d looked absolutely devastated. However, he’d already been committed. Square your jaw and wipe the emotions off your face. That was the advice his father had given him when he was in fifth grade and upset he hadn’t made the basketball team.

He knew it had been a dick move to leave her at the airport. That hadn’t been planned. But when he realized how heartbroken she was, and how much it hurt him, too, he just couldn’t bear to be in a car with her and deal with the emotions.

It was an asshole thing to do, but probably better for both of them in the long run. Connor was sure he’d figure out his next move quickly, but he hadn’t. Instead, he’d gone through the motions. He’d showed up to work promptly the next day, and James had pounced on him for details about Monaco. “Did she like the gowns? The swimsuits?” he’d asked eagerly.

“It’s none of your business,” Connor had snarled at him. James had jumped back the first time, but he’d adjusted quickly. For the past couple of days, he’d largely left Connor alone.

For once, he was grateful his father didn’t give him any kind of actual work besides looking pretty and having drinks with clients. It gave him time to work on his plan.

When he saw her at the fundraiser at the Willard, he thought he’d be nervous—but he was relieved. Secretly, he thought she might not show up after the way he’d behaved. But she was there, right on time, and looked gorgeous. Clearly, James hadn’t dropped the ball at all. He spotted her as she entered the lobby, and broke away from the group he was with. Without saying a word, he offered his arm and she took it.

“Hey,” he said in a low voice. “You look great.”

“Thank you,” she said stiffly. She wore a Grace Kelly-inspired A-line dress with a sweetheart neckline and painstakingly intricate hand beading at the hem. She refused to make eye contact or her usual small talk with him.

When he touched the small of her back, he felt her cringe. Shit, this isn’t what I intended.

A ridiculous part of him thought they could go back to how they used to be. The flirting and fun. Why hadn’t I just let that be enough? Why did I have to go and mess it all up?

However, he couldn’t accuse her of not doing her job. When it came time to make nice with the guests, she played her part beautifully. She talked, laughed, and smiled right on cue. It was just when it was the two of them that it all fell apart. When nobody was looking, she seemed miserable.

Finally, Connor left her alone when it wasn’t required that they schmooze and look like the perfect couple. He needed to escape. He couldn’t breathe around her. But he found that no relief came—he just turned more anxious.

Connor made his own rounds. He mingled and chatted with donors, but kept a watchful eye on her. Sam circled around to the women in the room. He watched her hug those