But the fact that Elijah only wanted to go because he thought it would meet with his father’s disapproval… that gave her pause. She was supposed to be doing things Oliver would approve of. She was supposed to be keeping Elijah in line, not helping him step out of it.
She looked at him, at the despondent expression on his face—and finally, the guilt that had threatened to well up in her since she had started all this made itself known, roaring to life in the pit of her stomach.
After tonight’s betrayal from his father, she knew that Elijah would be devastated to find out that Stephanie had been aligned with Oliver all this time. That she had only been seeing him because of Oliver’s request.
If she said no to his idea for the evening, she would be specifically choosing the option that would make his fatherhappy at the expense of what Elijah would want. And suddenly, this time, she couldn’t do that.
“I would love to go to the pier,” she said, smiling at him. “It sounds great.”
“Yeah?” His face brightened. “Would you like to go home and change first? We can stop by your place.”
She shook her head. “I think it would be fun to go like this,” she said, waving a hand in the air in front of her to indicate the clothes she was wearing. “I’ll be the most dressed-up person there—well, we both will.”
He shook his head. “You look a million times better than I do,” he assured her. “You’ll stand out like a star that fell to Earth.”
Then he looked away, as if embarrassed to have said such a thing.
Stephanie was a little embarrassed too—that had been so heartfelt, so sincere. What was he doing talking to her like that? Was that actually how he saw her?
No. Don’t fall into thinking like that. This is just another attempt to try to take things to the next level, and we’re not going there. We can have a fun night at the pier, but that’s it. It’s definitely not any indication of anything deeper going on.
Still, as he opened the car door for her, as she slid inside, she found herself daydreaming.
The pier might be a cheap place, but it was also a romantic one. It was the kind of place you went on a first date when you were a teenager. It was the kind of place adults went to recapture that wild, passionate feeling they’d had when they were young and everything about love felt fresh and uncharted.
To walk on the pier holding hands with a man who thought she was a star… it was something out of a girlish daydream. And for the man in question to be someone as handsome and gregarious as Elijah Norcross was enough to make her heart beat faster. As he pulled away from the curb, it occurred to her that she was lucky to be with this man, lucky to be going out with someone who was capable of showing her such a good time.
I might have done it even if there wasn’t a deal to benefit my company. I wouldn’t have taken him seriously as a partner. He’s too much of a playboy for that. But I could have seen myself spending time with him. Having a good time with him.
It could never be like that now. By accepting Oliver’s offer, she had given up any chance for things to develop organically between Elijah and herself. There would always be this scrap of dishonesty, always the reminder that she had built everything on a lie. He could never know about her agreement with his father—he would hate her if he did. And she would never be able to forget it. Not really.
She leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes, drawing a deep breath and doing her best to compose herself.
She could have a good night with Elijah tonight. That much, she could do. And there wasn’t any point in worrying about the rest of it.
It wasn’t as if they had ever had the potential to become anything real anyway—so none of these worries mattered.
CHAPTER 11
STEPHANIE
“I’ve got the tickets,” Elijah announced, holding them up. “You sure you want to do this?”
“Why?” Stephanie grinned at him. “You’re not afraid of Ferris wheels, are you?”
“No, but this is the second-largest one on the west coast,” he pointed out. “It is kind of a big deal. We’re going to be up pretty high. I wouldn’t want you to get nervous.”
His usual cocky smile had come back, and she was glad to see it. It was good to know that he hadn’t stayed upset about his father’s actions. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I love heights. And I love rides. Besides, we’ll be able to see all of San Valentino from up there, and doesn’t that sound fun?”
She pulled him into the line. She was flirting and she knew it—touching his hand, giggling at things he said even when they weren’t jokes. It felt good to cut loose with him a bit, to allow herself to stop worrying about appearances and what everything meant. If Oliver knew they were here, he wouldn’t approve, and in some way that had set her free. What happened tonight wasn’tpart of the agreement. What happened tonight was real, was between Elijah and herself. She wouldn’t even report this outing to Oliver. She would keep it between the two of them, and it would be only theirs.
They waited in line until the giant Ferris wheel stopped, and the ride operator beckoned them forward. He opened the door to the gondola, ushered them in, and latched it closed behind them. The world was whisked away.
Stephanie sucked in a breath. She had told the truth—she wasn’t exactly afraid of heights. Still, the wheel was moving faster than she had expected it to, and she clung to the edge of her seat for a moment as she got her bearings.
Elijah was staring out the window at the ground as it fell away. His good humor had left him as quickly as it had arrived. He was back in his head now, and she was sure he was thinking about his father, about the argument they’d had and the fact that his speech had been canceled.
She wished she knew the right thing to say to cheer him up.
