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I sipped my coffee and ate a whole chocolate chip cookie before I replied, “It started out as an agreement, almost a business deal. But then, well, I…”
Sam said, “You fell in love with him.”
My gaze shot to hers. Abby had said the same thing during our flight. “How does everyone seem to know this?”
“You’re not good at hiding your emotions. Oh, you think you are. And sometimes, you can manage it for a short while, like with the bully mean girls. However, we know you well, just like the BFF Circle. Your feelings for Nolan Wolfe were as plain as the nose on your face.”
I sighed. “Not that it matters. The world probably hates me—most of it, anyway—and if I thought I’d struggle with all the attention from merely being Nolan’s girlfriend, now it’s ten times worse. I don’t see how it could work between us.”
Cassie said, “But Katie…”
“No.” I paused, swallowed, and said the part out loud that I hadn’t been able to say to Abby. “The best thing for me and Nolan is to stay away from each other. With me out of the picture, maybe the scandal will die down, to the point people start forgetting about me.”
“Are you sure that’s what you really want?” Cassie asked.
“Yes, I’m sure. Can we drop it for now, please?”
My sisters looked like they wanted to say a lot more, but reluctantly nodded.
“Thank you.” After taking a deep breath, I stood from the bed and walked to my closet. “And the best thing for me to do right now is keep busy. So I’ll do the afternoon tours.”
Sam blinked. “What? Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“But people will probably stare or ask questions. Or, worse, hurl insults at you.”
I shrugged. “It gives me a chance to test out explanations and discover which one will shut people up the fastest.”
Cassie searched my eyes. “Maybe you should wait a day or two and get some rest. Sam can do them for today, at least.”
“No. I’ll do the tours. Otherwise, I’ll just sit here, under a blanket, and wallow. And I don’t want to wallow any longer. But there is one thing you can do for me.”
“Name it,” Sam stated.
“If Nolan shows up, tell him to go away.”
“What? Why? Don’t you want to talk to him?”
So he can let me down gently, be nice about it, and probably offer me something in exchange for all my pain? No, thank you.
And because I loved him, I knew what I had to do.
“No. Him associating with me will only drag down his image and maybe tank not only his career, but his fledgling business as well. And I can’t do that.”
They tried to argue, but I shut them down quickly.
Sensing I needed a bit of normalcy, my sisters chatted about what had happened over the last two days. Their presence, plus the sugar and caffeine, helped my mood a little. But only a little.
Because I kept thinking of Nolan, Wendy, and how messed up everything had become.
How getting over Nolan might take a lifetime. Because I’d never find someone as kind and sexy and thoughtful.
How Wendy had won, in the end. And I would be the one picking up the pieces.
How even showing my face in Starry Hills was going to take more courage than I had at the moment.
Strangers, though, from out of town would be a good distraction.
