I busy myself collecting my purse from the floorboard. “Unfortunately, I have to get back to Ryder. I have quite a few things to take care of before next week.”
He’s nuts if he thinks I’m going anywhere with him right now. I’ve seen this behavior before—hell, I’ve lived it with Brad—and I won’t let him tote me around and show me off like a new plaything.
“What? Why?”
We exit the car, and I make my way to the front door. As soon as he unlocks it, I march past him. “I have schedules to work on. We’re bidding for a new job this week, so Donny needs some numbers from me.” I’ve already done all of those things, but he doesn’t have to know that. I’m not really sure why I’m lying and not confronting this head-on, but it’s how I’ve always handled things.
That thought stops me in the middle of his enormous living room, and I face him. I’m not that person any longer, and I don’t handle things like this by running away anymore. “Actually, I’m leaving because I have no intention of going anywhere with you tonight, and maybe ever again.”
He skids to a stop like he’s run into an invisible wall. “Why?”
I cross my arms over my chest and let my left eyebrow do the talking for me.
The snort and eyeroll he performs is just a little too dramatic. “Is this about the Miss Texas thing?”
My expression and stance remain the same.
His hands splay across his hip bones. “Really?” He cocks his head at me like I’m some new specimen of woman. “Really?”
“Yes, Cash, really.” I turn and head to the master bath to gather my toiletries and bag.
His heavy steps trail behind me on the hardwood floor. “Tiger, I don’t get it. Those people were nothing but nice to you. Hell, April asked you to lunch tomorrow. She’s very picky about her friends. In fact, she’s never invited any of my girlfriends to socialize with her.”
I grab my overnight bag and begin to sling things into it. “First, how wise do you think it is to introduce the subject of your past girlfriends into this conversation? And second, she only asked me because her friend Millicent is a supporter of the current Miss Houston, and she wants to one-up her by bringing a former Miss Texas to lunch.”
“Did it ever occur to you that she thought you might enjoy being with people who are familiar with what you do?”
“Did.”
“What?”
“That’s something I did, Cash. I’m not involved in that world anymore.” I catch his eye in the mirror. “What in the world would make you think I’d be interested in spending a long lunch discussing ballgowns and tiaras?”
He yanks at his tie to loosen it, then pulls it free of his collar. “And what’s wrong with those things?”
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
His big arms go across his chest. “See. I—”
“This isn’t about those things, and you know it,” I continue, before the smug, I’ve won this argument grin forms on his face. “This is about the fact that you used me.” I scrape my makeup into my overnight bag, not even bothering to put everything away in the little pockets. I grab several tissues from the box to wrap my loose jewelry, the adrenaline in my body making my movements jerky and uncoordinated.
“That’s ridiculous. You’re so overly sensitive about that stuff.”
My frantic collecting stops, and I slowly turn to face him. But it hurts too much to meet his beautiful eyes. The ones that looked at me with such understanding and empathy when I told him how Brad and my parents hurt me. My gaze drops to the little pocket I’ve made with the tissue for my earrings and bracelets. I use my finger to straighten one of the chains that has gotten kinked in the reckless gathering of my belongings. “You know, Cash, those are the exact words Brad and my parents used to say to me when I didn’t fall in line and do what they wanted me to do. I thought you were different from them.” I do meet his eyes then. “I was wrong.” I drop my homemade pouch into the overnight bag and leave the bathroom.
He follows me into the bedroom. “That’s not fair. This was completely different.”
“Was it? Because from where I’m standing, it feels exactly the same.”
“Hell yeah, it’s different.”
I grab my jacket and shake it out, then shove my arms through the sleeves. “Oh, really, then please, Cash, enlighten