He stepped closer. “Whatever game you want to play, I’ll win. Don’t play against me, Ness.”
“You’re insufferable.”
“So you keep saying.”
The realization hit me like a freight train. “There wasn’t a real auction, was there? You planned this. You couldn’t accept that I said no, so you staged the whole thing—manipulated me into it.”
“I’m mildly disappointed you didn’t see it coming.”
I slid dramatically down the wall, curling into the fetal position. “I’m sick. I can’t go. Please don’t make me.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you act like you’re a child?” He tossed the apple core into the trash.
“No, but would it get me out of this?” I looked up at him from the floor.
He didn’t answer. He just crouched, slipped his hands under my arms, and hauled me to my feet. Suddenly, we were too close. I tried to step back, but his grip was firm.
“Pack your bag. You’ve got thirty minutes.”
“Pack my bag?!” I blinked. “Cabo isn’t for another few weeks.” Morgan and Richard were having a joint bachelor/bachelorette party and it was going to be in Cabo.
“You’re staying at my place for the next thirty days. No distractions. No excuses. I’ve already set it up with everything you need.”
“Everything I need? For what?”
“You’re designing a capsule bridal collection for me. Thirty days. Since I heard you’re jobless, you’ve got the time.”
“I already told you I’m not doing that. I don’t even know if I’ll keep designing.” The situation with Javi still cut deep. He and Ava had taken my work and turned it into something ugly. What used to feel like love now felt like shame.
“What a waste,” Elliott muttered.
“Excuse me?”
He stepped closer, right in my face. “You heard me. You’re talented. Wasting that because of two idiots would be pathetic.” Then he went for the jugular. “My mom invested in you. She believed in you.”
My throat tightened. “That’s a low blow, even for you.”
“I play dirty. You know that.” He winked, instantly disarming the bomb going off in my chest. “Pack fast and I’ll buy you a doughnut, you hellion. Time’s ticking. Fifteen thousand dollars for thirty days. The sooner you start, the sooner it’s over.”
I pushed past him to find my mom. She was standing right there—almost like she’d been listening at the door.
“Mamá,” I said, but before I could continue, my oldest nephew, Logan, barreled in with his iPad.
“Tía,you’re on the internet. You’re famous.”
Mom snatched the iPad first. She swiped through the screen, her eyes widening, until she muttered, “Terca. You didn’t wear the heels.”
I grabbed the iPad back. There were dozens of pictures of us plastered across gossip columns. Elliott and me dancing. Getting in and out of the car. The shots were tame, except for one: Elliott, Jorge, and me frozen in a standoff.
The tagline:
Love Triangle: Javi Mendez wants his ex back.
The last photo was everywhere—me and Elliott together. This one asked:
Elliott James’s new flame?
“Tía, is he your boyfriend?” Logan asked.
