Page 56 of Quarter Miles (Runaway 3)

Cash huffed and shook his head. “You didn’t turn him down.”

“Please.” I rolled my eyes. “He was joking, Cash.”

“You didn’t turn him down.” He pinned me with that cold stare.

My feet were glued to the carpet and my heart raced. No, I hadn’t turned Mark down. A week ago, I would have politely declined and returned the business card instead of tucking it into my jeans pocket as I walked to the elevator.

“It’s flattering,” I admitted. “And maybe a bit tempting.”

At my confession, Cash’s face turned to ice. There was no easy smirk or warm smile lurking beneath the surface. His eyes flashed with betrayal. He looked at me like I was a stranger.

I opened my mouth to stay something, but what? I wouldn’t apologize for speaking the truth.

His nostrils flared and the fury emitting from his broad shoulders slammed into me like a tidal wave. “Why?” he asked through gritted teeth, then pointed to the bed. “Because of this?”

Yes. No. Maybe. I struggled to articulate an answer, so I threw out some questions of my own instead. “Haven’t you ever wanted something different? Haven’t you ever wanted more?”

“More?” He scoffed. “We’ve given you everything.”

“And I’m grateful but—”

“Are you? Because the fact that you didn’t tell that son of a bitch no on the spot doesn’t feel much like gratitude. It feels a lot like a slap in the face for everything my family has handed you.”

My mouth fell open. “Excuse me? Don’t you fucking dare make me out to be some charity case. I worked my ass off for your family. I earned what I’ve achieved. Me.”

Through blood, sweat and tears. The last time I’d been a charity case had been in California, sitting on a hot curb, begging for spare change. I’d vowed then to take control of my life and never be a beggar again.

“But you want more,” he shot back. An unspoken selfish hung in the air.

“I want . . . I don’t know. Can’t I at least explore my options?”

“For what? Are you going to move here and work for a fancy hotel that’s focused on turnover, not experience?”

That had been my marketing line. When I’d taken over as the manager at the resort, I’d made sure all of the Greers knew that in order to take the place to the next level, our marketing pitch had to be in sync. We weren’t selling a comfortable stay or plush hotel room. We were selling an experience.

For Cash to throw that in my face, I’d done my job well.

“I can’t fucking believe this,” he said before I could come up with something to say. Some of the fury vanished but the hurt in his voice intensified. “I can’t believe you’d leave us. You’re part of our family.”

“No, I’m not.”

He winced. “If you truly believe that, then I’m ashamed of us. Because you are. You are one of us.”

Ouch. Cash’s words were a slap across the face. But the guilt was what hurt the worst.

He wasn’t wrong.

I did feel like part of their family—most of the time. Liddy brought me flowers from the grocery store when she saw a bundle I’d like. Carol always managed to find the best birthday gifts, even when I didn’t know what I wanted. Jake and JR and Easton protected me. They doted on me but respected my opinion and position. They’d all treated me like a part of their family.

Was I really throwing them away? Why? So what if Cash didn’t love me. So what if we’d had sex. Yes, it would be miserable to see him fall in love with another woman and get married someday. Yes, it would be painful to see him teach his children to ride a horse or throw a ball. Hard to witness, but not unlivable.

I guess I hadn’t broken the habits of my childhood like I’d thought.

When the world got to be too much, when my heart and spirit were broken, I ran.

My chin quivered and I bit the inside of my cheek. But despite my best effort to thwart it, a tear dripped down my cheek.

“We never fight,” he whispered. The shreds of Cash’s anger vanished and he put a hand to his heart, clutching his chest like there was a wound beneath the skin. “What is happening to us?”