Page 37 of Fake it for Keeps

“I’m sure he is,” I said instead, not feeling like arguing the point with her.

“Just don’t be mean to him, okay?” Frankie sighed. “He may be an asshole sometimes—okay, a lot of the time—but he’s also been through things no one knows about. Things that shaped him into who he is.”

“Haven’t we all,” I murmured.

“Yeah. We have.” She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I should head to bed. Big day tomorrow when we dock at Shelter Island. Colt has approximately seventeen events planned.”

“Of course he does.”

“Goodnight, Hallie. And thank you. For doing this. I know it’s not easy, pretending to be in love with my brother. But it means a lot to him. Even if he’d never admit it.”

She left, and I was alone again with the ocean and my thoughts.

Colt, a good man. The idea was laughable.

But Frankie had seemed so certain. So protective. Like she knew something I didn’t.

You only see what he lets you see.

I shook my head, dismissing the thought. Frankie was his sister. Of course she’d defend him. Of course she’d want to believe there was more to him than met the eye.

But I knew the truth. I’d learned it ten years ago on that beach.

Colt Jesson cared about one person: himself.

I headed back toward my stateroom, exhausted from the day and ready for the warmth of my bed. The yacht’s corridors were quiet, most of the lights dimmed for the evening. I was almost to my door when I heard voices.

I paused when I heard Colt’s name. The voices were coming from a small room with the door slightly ajar.

“I can’t stand him,” one voice said, male and frustrated. “The way he talks to us like we’re nothing.”

“He’s a dictator,” another agreed, female this time. “Ruthless. Everything has to be exactly his way or heads roll.”

“Easy for him to boss people around when he’s never had to worry about anything. His head is so far in the clouds he has no idea what it’s like to be a real person.”

“He pays us well. Don’t get me wrong. But it doesn’t matter how much you make when your boss treats you like garbage.”

“Remember when he made Sarah cry last month? Over flowers being the wrong shade of white?”

“Or when he fired Zach for being ten minutes late because of his kid’s doctor appointment?”

“He’s a nightmare. I don’t care how hot he is or how much money he has. I wouldn’t wish him on my worst enemy.”

A strange feeling rolled through me. I should leave. I should go to my room and pretend I hadn’t heard any of this.

But I couldn’t move.

“And now he’s got that poor girl roped into marrying him,” the first voice continued. “Did you see her face at dinner? She looked terrified.”

“She must really love him to put up with⁠—”

I shifted my weight and accidentally fell into the wall.

The voices stopped abruptly.

Then the door swung open, and I found myself face to face with three crew members, two men and a woman, all staring at me with expressions of pure horror.

“Miss Bellrose,” one of them stammered. “We didn’t—we weren’t⁠—”