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And now it’s going away. Living with Cassidy has been one of the best things in my life, but I’m supposed to give it up and move in with Carmine, a guy I don’t like at all. It’s not fair, not evenremotelyfair, and yet it’s happening.
“Tell me about the new house at least,” she says, trying to sound chipper. “Did he give you a tour?”
“Briefly during a video call, but I got a bunch of pictures from the realtor. Apparently, the Arc family is selling it?”
Cassidy’s eyebrows raise. “As in, Bradford Arc’s family? The rich cattle ranchers?”
“I don’t think they’re actually cattle ranchers anymore, but yeah, that’s them. And he prefers to go by Ford. I’m pretty sure they own barbecue restaurants now.”
“Weird way to stay ultra-rich.”
“Well, it’s barbecue places on the side, but mostly hedge funds.”
“Now that makes more sense. How’d you end up in a former Arc house?”
“Apparently, Ford and Carmine are friends.”
Cassidy laughs and shakes her head. She’s a couple years older than me and didn’t go to Blackwoods, but she’s from a family similar to mine, and she knows that whole elite blue-blood world. The Arc family is notorious in those circles: possibly the richest of them all but strangely enigmatic and tight-knit. I didn’t get to know Ford at all when I was at Blackwoods, but I heard plenty of other girls did. Which makes sense—he’s good looking, has a perfect name, and his family is richer than most small countries. There are a lot of people that would sleep with him on the off chance it leads to something more.
I tell her about the house, about the columns and the two pools, about the gold and the rugs and all thewhite, and how it all makes me feel so strange and tacky like I’m a little girl moving into my parents’ house and pretending to be an adult. The place is going to be in my name too, except it’ll never feel like my own, since Carmine’s the one that picked it out and is writing the check.
All I need to do is show up and smile and live there. Which basically describes the rest of my life.
“I have a lot of work ahead of me,” I say and cast an arm over my eyes. “God, Cassidy, I have to decorate an entiremansionsoon.”
“You love it, don’t pretend like that’s a burden.”
“Okay, so I’m looking forward to that part a little bit.”
“You’re gonna go nuts with scented candles. I just have this feeling.”
I glare at her. “Just because people think I love candles and keep giving them to me as gifts doesnotmean I’m going to fill the new place with them.”
“Except you’re probably going to anyway.”
“Fine, just a few rooms.”
“You know, you’ve talked a lot about the house and how you’re feeling, but you haven’t really talked about him. What’s Carmine actually like?”
I shrug a little and swirl the wine. How do I put Carmine into words? I don’t even particularly like him. “Arrogant. That sums it up.”
“That describes basically every guy you’ve ever met. Seriously, I’ve heard rumors about him. Does he live up to the hype?”
I pause and sip my drink and consider. Carmine’s got a reputation—and it’s not exactly a good one. The whispers say he’s dangerous, he’s deadly, he’s stupidly rich and handsome and a total grumpy asshole. Does he live up to that? “In some ways, yes,” I say softly, thinking of his lips on mine in the bathroom. “And in others, no.”
“Wow. Vague. You might as well tell me to fuck off. Seriously, Brice, are you going to be okay?”
“I’ll be okay,” I say and bite back the tears that suddenly shove against my throat. Knowing that Cassidy cares about me only makes this harder since I’m leaving her for someone I knowdoesn’tcare about me. Carmine wants to take me and corrupt me, but he doesn’t love me and he never will.
I feel like I swallowed a shard of glass and have to gather myself for a minute. Cassidy hugs me from the side and leans her head on my shoulder, and I stay like that trying not to bawl my eyes out. It’s embarrassing and I hate that I’m getting emotional in front of people—I never,everdo this—but if it’s going to be anyone, it should be Cassidy. She’s been my sounding board for so long now, the least I can do is cry in front of her and prove that I do have emotions after all.
“You’re not moving that far away. I can come visit you every day if you want.”
“You could probably move in. We have like ten extra bedrooms.” I laugh and dab at my eyes.
She sighs thoughtfully. “Carmine wouldn’t even notice. I can use the left pool and you can use the right one, and we’ll never have to comingle our swimming gear.”
I laugh at the idea of having one pool for me and one for her, but it’s notthatcrazy of an idea considering we really do have two pools, which is an absurd and needless extravagance. But I’m almost tempted to invite her for real: Carmine will probably spend all his time shuttling between Dallas and Philadelphia, and he’ll probably be too busy working to really pay that much attention to me, and maybe I reallycouldlet Cassidy live at our place without him even noticing, or at least without him caring. Carmine only wants me for my name, and we only want him for his money, and I bet he’d be just as happy to leave me to my life and my friends and reap the benefits of being married to a Rowe instead of having to actually bekindto me. Assuming Carmine knows what kindness means.
