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I was dismissing her, and she knew it. I could see her slight hesitation as she walked out of my office as if she wanted to protest, but she quickly thought better of it. She might be good at her job, but the company and what it was all came down to me, who I was, and what I brought to the table. She had good sense when it came to real estate, but she didn’t have my gift, and she knew it. It was why she was so good at staying in the shadows and behind the scenes.
Before she had even walked out the door, my mind was already thinking about my day, and I had forgotten about her. Which was why it shocked me when she spoke from the doorway.
“Make sure that you’re doing this because you want to. Because she’s the right woman for you. Not because you’re trying, as you have since we were kids, to be bigger and more famous than our father.”
I didn’t answer her, and she didn’t wait for me to but quietly closed the door. She didn’t need my answer; she had gotten the desired effect just by asking the question. It made my blood chill just thinking about it.
Was she right? Had I been doing this all along just to get back at my father? Had I gotten involved with Victoria even after I knew who she was just so that I could get ahead of my father? It was a goal of mine, since I was a child, to be more famous than him. I had never thought it was possible, but as he got older and his popularity waned, mine grew.
Being with Victoria would be just the type of scandal that could make a name for me. Even if it were bad publicity, it would still get people to watch the show, know who I was, and be curious about what I was doing or who I was dating. If I really wanted to become famous, there was no faster way to do it.
But all I had to do was think about Victoria, to look down at the picture I had on my phone of her sleeping this weekend, to know that it wasn’t the case. I wanted to be with her because of who she was, not because of who her mother was, my father, or what we could give to each other. I wanted her and only her. And as I looked at her picture, I knew that I would do whatever I had to do to keep her at my side. Even if I had to face down my father or anyone else who got in our way.
Chapter 19
Victoria
I shut down my computer and let out a long sigh. Closing my eyes, I leaned back in my chair and took a moment to just be. The day had been a taxing one. The kids had been unruly all day, hardly listening to me and not wanting to stay on task. I knew it was because the next day was the start of a three-day weekend. I had been teaching long enough to know that they wouldn’t be able to concentrate, but I hadn’t counted on it being that bad.
Even with the kids gone, I still had emails to answer, a stack of papers to grade, and a lesson plan I needed to go over before I could go home. I had finished the emails and should be starting on the papers, but as I sat in my chair with my eyes closed, I couldn’t muster up the energy to open my eyes, much less grade papers.
It had been a long week, not only with the kids but with my personal life. My mother had been seen with another man, and the tabloids had pounced and had a field day with it. It had gotten so bad that a few paparazzi had come to my house wanting a comment. I had no idea how they had gotten my new address, but I was working on making sure it was unlisted.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Zach had been so busy closing a deal and having a few meetings about his reality show that we hadn’t had any time to see each other. I knew I shouldn’t have missed him, we had only been together for a few weeks, but I did.
We had worked out a system where he could come to my place and stay the night. Usually, he didn’t come until late in the night when we knew no one would be watching. And up until a week ago, it hadn’t been a problem. But with my mother’s latest stunt, Zach and I knew we had to be careful, and he hadn’t come around.
I told myself it wasn’t a problem. I had spent the weekend getting settled and situated in my new place. I really didn’t have the time that I wanted to give to Zach and us. Still, I missed him, and I thought it would be fun if he could sit and help me unpack or give me advice on where to put things or how best to decorate.
Even though we had only been together a short time, I had already started to think of my place as our place. He had helped me find it, he had helped to make sure I got it, and he was helping to make it feel more like a home than I ever thought it could be. Which was all the more reason why I missed him when he wasn’t there.
We still talked, texted, and even emailed if we had to. It wasn’t like we weren’t in contact with each other or that we weren’t as committed to each other as we were after our first weekend together. It just was harder and lonelier when he wasn’t there right next to me at night, and I knew with his work schedule, it was going to be days before I actually saw him.
I tried to look at the good things in my life. I was at the tail end of the school year and about to have a three-day weekend. I had plans to do some antique shopping to see if I could find a chest of drawers for my guest room and anything else that might strike my fancy. Liam had been trying to get me to go and get a drink with him and even go to a movie. I had been neglecting him the last few weeks and knew I needed to make up for it. What better way than the weekend that my boyfriend was busy?
Not that Zach had ever called himself my boyfriend, but in my mind, that’s what I considered him. He was the only man I was sleeping with. He was the only man I wanted to sleep with, I wanted to be the only woman he was with, and I knew I was. He certainly made me feel that I was his girlfriend, but we just had never discussed it.
I was sure it was as much because it wasn’t the right time to. Our lives were still up in the air; there were so many things happening that could affect not only our lives but our relationship. I was happy that Zach wanted to do the reality show, but I still wasn't sure how much I wanted to be involved. If I even could, or how it would look. We had discussed him doing it, and I had been supportive, but we hadn’t discussed what my role would be if any. And I didn’t want to until it was a done deal. I didn’t want to influence his decision if he decided to do it and I didn’t want to be a part of it. I didn't want my choice to be a factor in his. In the same way, I didn’t want him to be a factor in mine, at least not right now.
When things had settled not only with our work and careers but also our parents, then we could see how involved we were going to be in each other’s lives. I felt and hoped that we would be there for each other for a very long time, but I thought it was too presumptuous of me to simply think it because I wanted it. I wanted to take things slow when it came to our relationship, which included being a part of major life decisions. I was sure that Zach felt the same way.
Zach was the one who liked to be the center of attention, he liked the spotlight being on him, and I was more than happy to let him have it. He was like my mother in that he needed people looking at him and adoring him, but he was not like my mother in that he didn’t let it go to his head. He was level-headed and understood the publicity was just a means to an end. It didn’t define him or make him who he was. He used social media to help his career, not make his career, and I was glad he could see the difference between the two.
We had gotten to know each other when I was buying my house, which gave us a wonderful foundation for the start of our relationship. It had only grown in the last few weeks, and as much as I admired and understood his career and appreciated his support of mine, I wished he wasn’t busy the whole weekend. I wanted to see him, and I hated that he was gone. But I knew it was something I was going to have to get used to being with him.
The knock at the door had me sitting up at my desk and looking at my phone. It was late, and there shouldn’t be any students or even fellow teachers on campus. My first thought was not to answer it and hope that the person would go away, but I knew I couldn’t do that. All it would take was one parent saying I had ignored them or a co-worker saying I was rude to ruin my chances of getting tenure. I didn’t think it would come down to that, but I didn’t want to chance it.
“Come in.” I tried to sound more chipper than I felt.
“I was hoping to have a conference with the teacher,” Zach said as he walked into the classroom.
Immediately, I perked up and got out of my chair. “Zach! What are you doing here? This is such a wonderful surprise.”
He smiled as I walked into his arms, and we hugged. His arms felt strong and sure around me, and I pressed my head into his chest and wrapped my arms tightly around him. His being there was so unexpected I almost didn’t think he was real, but he felt very real with his body pressed up against mine.
“What? How? Why?” I asked as I leaned away from him.
He didn’t let go of me but leaned back so that he could look down at me. “I missed you. I hated not seeing you the last few days, and I needed to. I hope that’s okay.”
