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“True, but I’m not going to let that little shit, Marcus, drag your name through the mud.”
Nicole tossed her laptop on the bed. “I think it’s too late for that. They’ve both decided to throw me to the wolves.” Her voice cracked.
Maggie stopped packing. Staring at Nicole, she could see the stricken look on the girl’s face. “What is it, Nicole?”
She bit her lip to keep from crying. She wasn’t going to burden this woman with her stupidity. “I need to leave, but I don’t know how to get back to London. I don’t even know where we are.”
“Colin has to go back . . .”
Her eyes widened in fear. “No. I don’t want to go with him.” She couldn’t be near him right now. “I need to leave. Is there a train I can catch or something?”
Sensing her panic, Maggie came around the bed, hugging her. “What happened?”
Nicole shook her head. “I overheard them talking.” She paced away from the bed and back again. “I never meant for any of this to happen, Maggie. I honest
ly didn’t. I guess I got swept up in the fantasy. I should have remembered things like this don’t happen in real life.”
The woman gave her a probing glance. “Do you mean with you and Colin?”
She nodded sadly. “He told me he was . . . it doesn’t matter what he told me. I shouldn’t have believed him. I shouldn’t have . . .”
Maggie rubbed her arms. “You fell in love with him, didn’t you?”
With her lips pursed, Nicole looked away. “It doesn’t matter now. He admitted to Marcus he was only using me to pass the time.”
The older woman snorted. “Don’t you believe that for a moment, girl. I know Colin better than anyone besides his mother. I raised that boy like he was my own. If he said he was falling in love with you, believe him. There’s not a more honest person in the world than Colin Woodhouse.”
“Well, Reece Collins is a lying sack of shit. I never want to see him again,” she swore.
“That’s the hurt talking.”
“The hurt is all that’s left, Maggie. Did you know he has a fiancée? He neglected to mention that the entire time he was fu . . . never mind.” She grimaced, turning away.
“If you mean Melanie Daniels, that’s just industry gossip. They dated, but he was never serious about her.”
She threw up her hands. “I don’t care. I just want to get away from here.”
“I think you should wait. Talk to Colin.”
Nicole shook her head. “I don’t want to talk to Colin or Reece or whatever character he’s playing today.”
Maggie knew she wasn’t going to win the girl back by arguing. “Let me get the car. I’ll drive you to the train station and get you settled.” She glanced at Nicole’s head. “Do something with your hair. It’s too noticeable.”
Nicole tucked her locks up under a baseball cap, donning a pair of sunglasses. It was the best she could do on short notice. She’d try to keep a low profile until she got to London. She’d then pack the rest of her stuff and get the hell out of England.
~ ~ ~
Reece glanced around the library. “Where’s Nicole?”
“I haven’t seen her. You should keep your distance from her right now.”
“I can’t do that, Marcus. I’m to blame for this fiasco, not her. I asked her to come here, not the other way around.”
“Yeah, and she was willing to comply. Don’t be surprised if she sells her story to the papers. She’ll make a lot of money dragging your name through the mud.”
Reece pursed his lips. “Nicole’s not like that.”
Marcus’ eyes focused out the window as a car sped down the drive. He couldn’t help but see the girl in the passenger’s seat. His brother’s piece of ass was already running for better climes. Good riddance to her.
