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“You’re lying.”
“I’m not lying.”
“You’re really dumping me for an eighteen-year-old girl?”
“I’m not dumping you for anyone. I’m simply dumping you.”
“You’re not.”
“Oh, I am.”
“I’ll ruin you.”
I couldn’t help a laugh at that one. “You’ll ruin me? I don’t care how much money you and the guys make doing God knows what. I’ll always be able to buy and sell you.”
“Doesn’t matter. You can’t hide the truth, Brad. No amount of money can hide the truth. I’m top in my class. I’m going to be the best investigative journalist in the world, and I’m going to find every single thing the Steels are hiding.”
“Go ahead. Look all you want. You won’t find anything.”
I hoped I sounded more confident than I felt. The Steels did have things to hide—a few things.
She stood and drove into me, hammering her fists into my chest. “You bastard! You fucking bastard!”
Yeah, Wendy wasn’t above getting physical. Never in my life had I struck a woman—our bedroom antics notwithstanding—and I wasn’t going to begin now, no matter how tempted I was.
“Let it go,” I said. “Let us go.”
“Never. I’ll never let you go, Brad Steel. You and I will always be bound for life.” She backed away.
“If it helps you to think that, go ahead. I’m done caring.”
“You’ll never be done caring. I’ll see to that. I always get what I want. Always.”
Her words sent chills rippling down my spine.
I wasn’t sure why.
Chapter Nineteen
Daphne
“Daph? Are you okay?”
My mind was mud. Sludge and mud. Someone was calling my name.
“Daph? He’s going to be here any minute!”
I jerked back to reality. Patty was sitting on my bed, waving her hands in my face.
“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you dressed for your date with Brad?”
Oh, God. My date with Brad. What must I look like? I was going to shower, do my hair and makeup… What happened?
Why didn’t I remember?
No. No, no, no. I was not losing time again.
I stood quickly. “I’m fine. I must have dozed off.”
“Daph, your eyes were open.”
“Sometimes I sleep like that.” I hated lying. I really hated lying.
She pulled my dress out of the shopping bag. “He’s going to be here any minute. Come on. I’ll help. Thank goodness this doesn’t wrinkle much.” She eyed me. “Your legs look good. You can get away without shaving. We’ll brush out your hair and then rebraid it. Luckily you don’t need a lot of makeup. We can do this, Daph.”
I nodded, letting her take the reins. My mind was still a little fuzzy.
By five fifteen, I was ready, and I looked pretty darn good, all things considered.
I breathed a sigh of relief until something occurred to me.
It was five fifteen, and Brad wasn’t here.
He was late.
Or maybe he wouldn’t show up at all.
“Guys are late all the time, Daph,” Patty said. “Don’t worry about that. Be glad you had the extra time.”
Indeed, I was glad. Patty clearly knew much more about men than I did. Maybe they were always late. I had no idea.
“I’ve got to run,” Patty said.
“Plans with Sean?”
“Actually, no. Just some of the girls down the hall. I might meet up with Sean later, though. He said he might call.”
She didn’t sound overly upset about not having any solid plans with the guy she was sleeping with. If she was okay with it, I was okay with it. “Okay. See you later, I guess.”
“I won’t wait up!” She winked and dashed out the door.
Her comment made the skin on my arms tingle like electricity was shooting through my veins. I wouldn’t be sleeping with Brad Steel. Not tonight, and not anytime soon.
I didn’t particularly want to stand around, but I resisted sitting back down on my bed.
Fear edged its way into me.
I’d been about to get ready…
And then…nothing. I’d ended up on my bed with Patty waving her hands like a maniac in front of my face. What had caused me to freeze? I walked slowly around the room, looking for something, anything, that seemed out of place.
I found nothing.
I breathed in. Out. In again.
Relaxation exercises. Where had I learned them? Junior year, of course. I knew that much. I just didn’t recall the actual learning.
So I stood.
Waiting.
Five thirty came around.
Five forty-five.
Six o’clock.
Finally, I allowed myself to sit.
He wasn’t coming.
Brad Steel had stood me up. Given me the rabbit, as they said in France, according to my French teacher.
Tears formed in my eyes, but I sniffed them back. No reason to cry. I hardly knew the guy. Didn’t matter how sincere he’d seemed last night. How sweetly he’d held me. How he’d given me my first real kiss.
I’d spent fifty dollars I didn’t have on this dress, and then another thirty-five on the burgundy one for tomorrow.
First nighter.
Maybe there I’d meet the man of my dreams. At least he’d be tall enough.
Brad Steel was tall enough.
But Brad Steel was not—
