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He stared at me in bewilderment then clenched his jaw and nodded. “If that’s the way you want it.”
“It is,” I lied then walked to the door.
He followed behind me, hesitated like he might try to change my mind again, but then shook his head and reached for the doorknob.
“Hayley,” I reminded him. “You should really consider keeping her.”
Without a word, he left the room. I closed the door behind him, leaning back against it, pride at staying strong warring with frustration that I’d just sent the man of my dreams right out the door.
* * *
The next morning,Amber informed me Garrett had sent Hayley home. Because of course he had.
Pissed that he’d not only gone directly against my wishes but hadn’t followed protocol again, I had breakfast in my room. I didn’t trust myself not to give him a piece of my mind in front of everyone else. Today would be a day of classes and PT for the contestants, so I left it to the assistants to look after them, choosing to spend my day in the office, making sure everything was all set for the obstacle course competition that would take place tonight.
Willow would be overseeing this one, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want it to be planned down to the tiniest detail. Late in the afternoon, Kayden came knocking.
“Hey there.” She greeted me with a smile. “I haven’t seen you much this week. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything is great,” I said, a little too brightly.
Kayden frowned, too observant for her own good—or for my own good, at least. “Are you sure about that? You’ve been so busy lately. I think you’re working too much. Why don’t you come to dinner with us tonight? We’re going to Hazel’s restaurant. You need a break. Plus, we can catch up.”
“Who is we?” The idea was tempting but leaving during a competition might not be the best idea.
“Holden and me, Jenna, and some of the new soldiers. Jenna was complaining about how we never leave the estate, and she’s right.” Jenna was Kayden’s younger sister who lived here on the estate. I hadn’t seen her much since the Contention began. It might be nice to catch up.
“Garrett will have to stay behind, though,” I said. “Is that really fair to him?”
Kayden laughed. “You’re kidding, right? He’s going to be here with ten beautiful women vying for his attention. He’ll be right in his element. I don’t think he’ll be too sad.”
My stomach twisted at the thought. But that was stupid. Iwantedhim to spend time with the women. If I was gone, he would have no choice but to focus on them. A little voice in my head told me I was lying to myself, but I shut it down quickly.
“Yes, you’re right. That sounds perfect. Count me in.”
Kayden clapped her hands together, smiling. “Awesome. I’ll let Holden know, and I’ll invite that new guy, Ryker, as well.”
He’d been the one in the gym checking me out last week. Maybe it would do me some good to let another man shower me with attention. Garrett wasn’t the only eligible bachelor around.
After checking in with Willow to make sure she had everything she needed, I dressed in a flowy spring dress that draped over my curves in all the right places. I even curled my hair into bouncy waves. A distraction from life here on the estate was exactly what I needed.
* * *
“He’s totally checking you out,”Jenna whispered, though I was pretty sure everyone at the table could hear her.
“Jenna,” I hissed, holding my hand to my forehead and ducking my head, hoping my hair would cover my burning cheeks.
“What?” she asked innocently, refilling her wine glass, and then mine. I had a buzz going on, and she was well on her way to drunk. I’d forgotten how much fun Kayden’s little sister could be, and with the free-flowing wine courtesy of Holden’s family friend Hazel, she was enjoying herself even more than usual.
“The whole table can hear you,” Kayden said from my other side, peering around me to give her sister a look.
“Oops,” Jenna said, a giggle bubbling up. She’d come out of her shell a lot since coming to the estate last year. “Sorry.”
When I glanced across the long table to where Ryker sat several chairs down, he was looking right at me. From the grin on his face, I was sure he’d heard. I grabbed my wine glass and took a hefty sip before averting my gaze.
“Why are you being so shy?” Kayden asked, elbowing me in the ribs. Thankfully she knew how to keep her voice down. “He’s hot. You should totally jump on that.”
I nearly choked on my wine. “Maybe because I’m too busy to worry about men right now?”
