The Billionaire’s Girlfriend Bet - Leslie North Page 0,52

realized that it was just a hollow filler that wouldn’t change a damn thing when it came to what truly mattered to him.

“So?” Grayson prompted after they’d whizzed around the freeway for twenty minutes. “What do you think?”

Blake squeezed the steering wheel. Part of him wanted to want it. Part of him felt like wanting it would be a way to prove to himself that he hadn’t been irrevocably changed—that he hadn’t truly fallen head over heels for Michelle, and possibly ruined the rest of his life that would be spent wanting her but never having her.

“I don’t know.” He downshifted, relishing the growl of the engine. This car was a work of art. It was sleek and sexy and everything luxurious.

But Michelle wouldn’t care about a car like this. She just wanted a good guy. Someone to love her. A man that she could share her life with.

“This would look good in the collection,” Daniel said.

“Yeah, but…” Blake finally shook his head. “I don’t need it right now. It’ll just collect dust.”

His friends didn’t say anything but Blake could feel the quiet surprise rippling through the car. But it was fine. Because now they knew the same truth that he did.

Blake was no longer the guy who filled his life with meaningless toys. Now, he wanted something with substance. Something that would last. He would never be the same…and not nearly as complete if Michelle wasn’t in his life.

18

A week and a half after Michelle discovered the truth about Blake, the dust still hadn’t settled.

It didn’t help that she was once again the new girl. Her new job—working with high-performance athletes at a specialty physical therapy center in the Mission District—was fine enough, with plenty of potential to turn into a decent career.

But she couldn’t deny how much she’d loved working with the Seagulls. Each day, she wished she could go back there to visit with her favorite baseball players. She remembered being nervous when she’d first started there, but everyone had soon made her feel at home. Now, she was back to square one. She was tired of having to start over.

“Mommy! You’re home!” Mollie raced to the door as soon as Michelle set foot inside the townhouse, her quick steps fluttering down the hallway. Michelle grinned, welcoming her daughter’s eager hug. Jenna, the babysitter, stepped into view, and after a quick rundown of how Mollie’s post-kindergarten day had gone, she tousled Mollie’s hair and left the house.

“I wanna show you this picture I drawed today,” Mollie said, rummaging in her My Little Pony backpack. “We made it with Ms. Thomas, and I loved it and I said I was gonna hang it up in my bedroom, and I want to put it right above my bed.”

Michelle set her purse down and settled on the couch as Mollie carefully removed the drawing from her backpack. Then she came over and plopped dramatically next to Michelle. Heaving a sigh, she brushed some hair out of her face before she displayed the picture.

“See right here, Mommy? It’s us!”

Michelle’s gaze washed over the crayon-scrawled drawing. Mollie had drawn, in vibrant red and orange, three stick figures in front of a tall, curved house. The scene was drawn under a big yellow sun with a one-toothed smile—Mollie’s trademark. Michelle tried to hold her smile as she absorbed the artwork.

“There’s three people in here,” she said carefully.

“I know! It’s you, me, and Mr. Blake.”

Tears immediately sprang to her eyes and she clapped her hands together, forcing a bright smile. “You should hang it in your bedroom. You did a great job.” She stood then, swiping away a tear before Mollie could see. Even though Michelle had explained several times that Mr. Blake wasn’t going to be showing up in their lives again, Mollie wasn’t ready to let go of him. Which was the worst sort of prolonged grieving. For both of them. “Now let’s go see about some snacks. What do you think of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?”

Michelle’s heart throbbed in her chest as she tried to busy herself in making the sandwich for Mollie. This wasn’t the first time Mollie had mentioned Blake since that embarrassing evening at his club. And each time, Michelle didn’t know what to say. He’d humiliated her. Deceived her. Used her. And then dared to act like he deserved a chance to explain himself.

These were things she needed to remind herself of, a bit more often than she liked. Because if the sting of embarrassment