Settling the Score (The Summer Games #1) - R.S. Grey Page 0,82
tipping an easy smile in my direction.
I nodded and kept my eyes glued on my mobile, reading Andie’s messages as they popped up one after another.
…she cornered me in the bathroom…
…she has a photo of you and me…
…do not trust her…
“Who’s trying to reach you this late?” Caroline asked, scooting closer to try to get a look at my screen.
I pocketed my phone and tried to plaster on a genuine smile. I knew it wasn’t right. My muscles were strained and taut. “Just my manager. To her, workdays never end.”
She laughed. “Ah, the life of a famous athlete, I suppose.”
I kept my gaze on her as she looked out the window. I tried to see her as the villain Andie had just described in her messages. She was so delicate and kind. I’d never seen her raise her voice to anyone. If someone had asked me ten minutes earlier, I would have assumed Caroline Montague was incapable of killing a fly. Had I really misjudged her so much?
She turned to assess me with her crystal blue eyes. “What?” she said with a light giggle.
I shook my head. “Nothing, just taking in the view.”
“It’s magical, isn’t it?”
I wouldn’t know. I was too preoccupied to care about the coastline flying by us.
“Listen, Frederick…” She turned to me as the car rolled to a stop beneath a small portico in front of her hotel. “I know you’ve got a race really early tomorrow, but I do think it’d be good to chat for a minute about the betrothal and everything. Y’know, we should figure out how we’ll navigate the rest of the games so the media doesn’t catch wind of anything. I still think it’d be best if we keep it to ourselves for now.”
Of course she thought that. I should have realized she had ulterior motives as soon as she’d arrived in Rio.
“I’ve really got to get back to my flat,” I said, anxiety laced through every word. I didn’t care about sleep; I just wanted to get back to Andie as soon as possible.
“C’mon, just for a minute,” she said with a hopeful smile. “There’s a cute little bar right inside.”
I opened my mouth to turn her down but then Andie’s messages flashed through my mind. What would she do if I said no? Would she take it as a personal insult? It was better to go along as if everything was normal until Andie and I got a grip on the situation.
“All right, just for a moment,” I relented, sliding out of the back seat of the car and then holding open the hotel door for her.
She made a real show of it once we were inside. She insisted on ordering drinks, though I didn’t touch mine. I didn’t drink anything other than water this close to a race, but she didn’t seem to care. She sipped on her cocktail and then leaned close with an easy smile.
“This isn’t so bad, right?”
A chill ran down my spine. I should’ve realized earlier that her easy smile was something more manipulative.
I shrugged. “What is it you wanted to talk about? I’ve really got to get back.”
I wanted to text Andie and tell her it would be a little longer than I’d expected, but I wasn’t going to text her when I was sitting this close to Caroline. I’d already been able to tell she suspected something when I mentioned my manager in the car.
“I just know you’re under a lot of stress right now, and I want to make sure you’ve thought everything through—breaking off the betrothal, I mean.”
She played with the rim of her glass, slowly swirling her fingertip along the edge. It gave off a piercing ring, just barely noticeable. I reached forward and gripped her hand to force her to stop.
She laughed. “Sorry, old habit.”
I let go of her hand and sat back. “I’m going to be very honest with you, Caroline. I’m not ready to get married. Half of my stress is thanks to my mother insisting that we push forward with the betrothal without my consent. You don’t want to marry a man who’s not in love with you, do you?”
Her smile fell like I’d just wounded her. “We could fall in love.”
My gut clenched with the amount of sincerity in her voice. She really thought we could work out. How had I missed that before? That subtle desperation in her voice?
“I’m not—I won’t ever—be in love with you,” I said. Clear and concise.