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I cringed away from his words. “So it was just about sex for you then?” I asked, keeping my tone flat. “You don’t have feelings for me?”
He looked away from me awkwardly. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t say you’re sorry,” I snapped. “Don’t do that. I don’t want your apologies. I want your honesty. Do you remember that kiss between us six years ago?”
“No,” Tristan replied without missing a beat.
He answered quickly, but I saw something flicker in his eyes. It looked like recognition, and it sounded like a lie. “You’re lying,” I said accusingly. “I don’t why you’re lying, but I know you are.”
“Molly—”
“What was all that jealousy about if you didn’t care about me at all?” I demanded, talking over him. “Why did you care that I was on a date with Gregory? You had no right to come up to us and interrupt our dinner, but you did because something about seeing me with him upset you. What was that, Tristan? Explain that to me.”
“Gregory’s not the right guy for you.”
“Who are you to make that judgment?” I demanded as my voice rose dangerously. “I don’t know why I keep having to repeat myself with you. I am not a child, Tristan. I’m not the fourteen-year-old girl you met ten years ago. You have no right to decide who is best for me. You’re not my brother, you’re not my boyfriend, and apparently, you’re not even my friend. You’re nothing to me—and you’ve made that very clear.”
“I never meant to hurt you,” he said quietly.
“And yet, here we are,” I said, unable to compose myself. “You want to know what I think? I think you’re a weak and spineless coward. You do have feelings for me, no matter what you say; I felt it last night, and I know I’m right. You’re just too afraid to admit it. You’re scared about something, and you’ve convinced yourself that staying away from me is the safest option for you. But all you’re doing is lying to yourself.”
Tristan just sat there, taking my rant with his eyes hooded and his head tilted away from me. He looked lost, and I wasn’t sure if my words were hitting him or if he simply wanted to get me out of his office. I stared at him for a long time, waiting for him to say something—anything really, but he just kept silent.
It dawned on me that perhaps I had been the one lying to myself this whole time. Maybe I had created a character around Tristan and built a man in my head that didn’t really exist. Maybe I had spent the last ten years of my life chasing a daydream that never really existed in the first place. I pushed back my hurt and anger and forced my voice into a tone of calm.
“Thank you for allowing me to stay at your resort,” I said without meeting his eye. “But I think I’ve overstayed my welcome. I’ll pack my bags and be out of here soon.”
“Molly,” Tristan said, standing up. “That’s not—”
“You don’t have to worry about Jason or your friendship with him,” I said, cutting him off. “I don’t intend to tell him any of this.”
With that, I turned and walked out of Tristan’s office, wondering if it would be another six years before I saw him again.
Chapter Nineteen
Tristan
The bourbon burned my throat, but it was a nice, comforting burn. I wanted to numb myself against everything that had happened between Molly and me, but the more I drank, the more I seemed to feel. I put aside my glass and tried to figure out how to get on with my work, despite the conflict raging inside my head.
I knew that Molly had already called reception to inform them that she was checking out tomorrow morning. I looked towards the calendar standing on my desk and realized tomorrow was Christmas. It was also the official opening of the resort. There were a ton of things I needed to check on, but my mind just wasn’t capable of focusing on work.
When Ben walked in, I looked at him gratefully, hoping that he might be able to distract me. “Is everything on schedule for the ribbon cutting ceremony tomorrow?”
“Everything’s fine,” Ben nodded. “Just a few last-minute adjustments I need to take care of.”
“And the staff?”
“They’ve been briefed, and they’re ready.”
“Have you had a word with senior staff members?”
“They’ll be overseeing everything,” he assured me.
“And things are in order for the ribbon cutting ceremony?”
He frowned. “You already asked me that.”
“I did?”
