Page 43 of Falling for the Billionaire Best Man

I shrugged, picking at the crust of my sandwich. “Just helping out with the wedding stuff. You know, the usual.”

Cullen raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. “Uh huh. And what about Dorie? You two seem to be spending a lot of time together.”

I froze for a second. “What about her?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

Cullen smirked, his eyes narrowing. “Come on, Kaisen. I’ve known you long enough to know when something’s up. What’s going on with you two?”

I sighed and tried to shake it off. “Nothing’s going on. We’ve just been working together, like you all insisted.”

Cullen’s smirk widened. “Working together, huh? Is that what they’re calling it these days?”

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help smiling. “Shut up, Cullen.”

He laughed, shaking his head. “Seriously, though. What’s the deal? You like her?”

I hesitated, my mind racing. Did I like her? Yes. More than I wanted to admit. But the idea of saying that out loud, especially to Cullen, made my stomach twist. I’d spent my entire life avoiding anything that even remotely resembled love or commitment. My parents’ marriage had been a disaster. I’d seen firsthand how much it had hurt my mom in her final months. I wasn’t about to open myself up to that kind of pain.

But Dorie was different. She was kind, hardworking, and frustratingly stubborn. She didn’t care about my money or my status. She saw through all of that, straight to the person I tried so hard to hide. And that scared me.

“I don’t know,” I said finally. “She’s complicated.”

Cullen chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Complicated, huh? Sounds like you’ve got it bad.”

I shot him a glare, but there was no real heat behind it. “Drop it, Cullen.”

He held up his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. But seriously, if you do have a thing for her, just be careful, okay? Dorie’s not like the women you usually date. She’s not going to put up with your usual crap.”

“How long have you known her?” I asked.

Cullen shrugged. “Couple of years. She and Eliza are really close, so she wanted me to meet her before things got too serious.”

I nodded. “Is Dorie seeing anyone?”

“Not that Eliza knows about,” Cullen said confidently. “And Eliza would definitely know. And Eliza would tell me. We tell each other everything.”

I nodded, oddly satisfied.

“So what are you going to do about it?” Cullen asked.

I shook my head, taking a sip of my water. “Nothing. Dorie’s not interested.”

“How do you know that?”

I gave him a pointed look. “Have you met her? She’s made it pretty clear she can’t stand me.”

Cullen laughed. “That’s just her way of flirting. Trust me, I’ve known Dorie a long time. She’s not as tough as she tries to act.”

I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I’m only here a couple more weeks.”

“You two are a lot alike. You’re both stubborn as hell and have this weird aversion to letting anyone get close.”

I checked the time, done with the conversation.

“Don’t we have a lesson to get to?” I asked. “I’ve got ants in my pants and I want to dance.”

He laughed. “Alright, alright, I get it. No talk about women or relationships.”

We finished our lunches and I followed him to the dance studio. Despite what I had said, I wasn’t looking forward to ballroom dancing. Waltzing wasn’t exactly my forte—but I figured it couldn’t be that bad. Cullen was no Fred Astaire either. We would look stupid together.