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“I don’t know. I just met him,” said Arabella, frowning. “Excuse me, um, Ma’am. But who are you?”
“A jealous ex,” said Ross.
Tina smiled but it just missed her eyes. “Ross, I understand your brother is selling land?”
“Pardon?”
“Excuse me — ” Arabella tried. Tina ignored her and said to Ross, “Your brother Roman. Myhusbandis buying about a hundred acres from him.”
“I didn’t know Roman was selling anything. I’m sure you heard wrong,” said Ross.
“We could be neighbors!” Tina laughed. “Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Quinton, who had fallen uncharacteristically silent, looked back and forth between them.
“Nice isn’t the word,” said Ross.
“They’ll be cutting the cake soon,” said Arabella.
Tina paid her no mind. She was jealous of Ross even if she had rejected him to marry Charlie Goldfinger, the California billionaire.
But in some ways Tina regretted ever choosing Charlie over Ross. Charlie might be richer, but he gave her a taste of her own medicine. He was a cheater who embarrassed her at every opportunity. Tina’s social standing had fallen ever since and in her usual way, she blamed everybody but herself.
Ross refused to forgive her for the abortion and it wasn’t fair. The facts were that he’d got down on his knees and begged her not to have it. She promised she wouldn’t, but then she did. Her only mistake was getting it done in Rowanville. She had tried to pass it off as a miscarriage, but Ross got nosy and found out the truth. In the end it wasn’t that she had killed their baby twins. It was the lie, he said. He could never forgive her.
But Ross should have seen it from her point of view. Charlie’s money went long, and ever since Tina’s father had gambled away her trust fund with that fraudulent horse breeder, she needed to go with a husband who could support her lifestyle. If he wasn’t so stubborn he could have had her anyway; they could always have a discreet relationship while she stayed with Charlie. But Ross was greedy about women.
“Ross is getting set up with a hot Korean chick, Tina,” said Quinton.
“What?”
“Look, there’s the cake,” said Ross.
“Ross, I want to talk to you,” Tina said. “Miss Ghastly, would you please give us a minute?”
For a second it seemed like Arabella would stand her ground. But the girl saw the crazed look in Tina’s eyes and backed down. Well it saved him the awkwardness of a rejection, but he felt bad. She seemed like a sweet girl.
He looked down his nose at Tina. “I don’t think we have anything to say to each other.”
In response Tina grabbed Ross’s hand and steered him away from the crowd, and from Quinton, who just shook his head. Her long nails dug into his flesh.
“What the hell does Quinton mean?” Tina demanded once they entered the deep shadows under one of the staircases. Ross stared down at his ex girlfriend. She seemed flustered and irritated. He felt nothing…
“Exactly what it sounds like,” said Ross. “None of your damned business.”
“You look at me all night, then you act like you don’t want to touch me,” Tina whined.
“How is Charlie?” Ross demanded.
“He doesn’t make me feel the way you do,” Tina said. She touched his chest, stepping closer.
Ross felt himself getting sucked in. Her perfume was the same. Like a poison flower. When he made no move to reciprocate the gesture Tina’s eyes went wide and watery— fake tears, always fake. “You still won’t let it go? Are you getting a Korean woman now? I don’t understand.”
“How is that any of your business?”
She slapped him, her ring opening his cheek. Pain, blood. He grabbed her by the throat, but immediately found the controls to his temper and released her. McCall rage. Ross blinked furiously several times, trying to clear the red haze forming over his brain.
She stumbled back, wheezing, overdoing it. “Ross,” she whimpered in that little-girl voice he had always hated. “Ross, how could you?”
