A Not So Meet Cute(123)

I drag my hand over my face. “Listen, Dave. I can explain.”

“I found the whole thing quite comical, to be honest. How far would Huxley Cane go? Just how unethical was the man who wanted my business?” He pauses, and I think I’m going to be sick.

Unethical.

He’s not wrong. God, I feel ashamed. Especially that he’d known.

“Ellie kept finding these crazy things to do and thought it would be fun to drag you two along.”

I sit a little taller. “You mean, you invited us on purpose?”

Dave laughs. “Oh yeah. You’re probably the most uptight man I know and, granted, it’s gotten you very far in business, but there’s more than making a deal, Huxley, and I wanted you to see that. I thought that maybe if we carried on with the charade, that maybe something would come of it. There was a connection between you and Lottie, and Ellie and I were hoping to see it grow stronger.” He smiles. “And it has.” He laughs. “I can assure you, had I not met Ellie, I may have never known what true love was either.”

“Wh-what?” I ask, trying to comprehend and process everything he’s saying.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but you love her, don’t you?”

My teeth roll over my bottom lip, and I stare down at my connected hands. I nod. “Yeah, I do.”

“I knew it.” Dave slaps his leg. “Ellie thinks Lottie was the one to crack first, she seemed to be more into you, but I told Ellie you’re a professional at masking your emotions, and if I had to bet on it, I’d say you developed feelings sooner than she developed feelings for you.”

Since this is the conversation we’re apparently having, I say, “I think it started the minute I ran into her.”

“Which wasn’t in Georgia . . .”

I shake my head.

“Ellie was also struck by that. Lottie wasn’t very convincing about knowing much about Georgia.”

I wince. “She’s never been.”

“Then how exactly did you meet?”

“On the sidewalk in my neighborhood. She was lost; I was blowing off steam. Just so happened we both needed each other.” I grip the back of my head. “A not-so meet-cute.”

“You know, I beg to differ. Meeting on the sidewalk has its charm.”

“Not if you add in what we were both after. I needed a fake fiancée, and she needed a rich husband to impress someone. That doesn’t really scream romance.”

“Sometimes it’s not the beginning that screams romance, but rather the journey. And I have to say, your journey has been quite interesting to watch unfold.” Dave scratches the side of his face. “I do wonder, though . . . why did you do it?”

Sighing heavily, I lean back in my chair and say, “Because I’m a dumbass.”

“Well, this much is true, but give me the real reason.”

The real reason. Wasn’t that enough? That I was a dumbass? But Dave had taken every answer in stride so far, so even though this showed how manipulative I could actually be, how much of a liar, I was now all-in here.

“Breaker and JP said I’d never succeed in making a deal with you because you were a relatable guy. You honored the connection in a business deal, not just the money. They said I wasn’t relatable to you. I wanted to prove them wrong. When I saw you outside the deli and you introduced me to Ellie, the lies just poured out of my mouth before I could stop myself. I thought that maybe if we could connect on another level, you’d consider a deal with me.”

“And what happened if we did make the deal . . . what would’ve happened to Lottie?”

“We would’ve gone our separate ways. I probably wouldn’t have mentioned anything to you.”

“I see.” His smile fades. “Seems very untrustworthy.”

“I know.” I drag my hand over my forehead. “Trust me, I fucking know. My brothers, from the very beginning, told me it was a bad idea, and when I was able to look past my determination, I knew what we were doing was wrong, but I was so inflexible that I couldn’t look past the deal. I ended up hurting my brothers, and even worse . . . I ended up losing Lottie.”

“What?” Dave asks, looking concerned. “She left you?”

I nod. “Last night. I, uh, I spoke with someone who off-handedly told me you knew we had a fake engagement. I couldn’t possibly understand how you’d know, so I blamed Lottie, thinking she was the one who let it slip to Ellie. I said some shitty things, and she left.” I shake my head, completely disgusted with myself. “I fucking blew it because I was so caught up in my image, my reputation, that I forgot one thing—none of that matters if I don’t have someone to share my life with. She took off for her sister’s.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “She chose sleeping on the floor over sleeping with me. If that doesn’t tell you how fucked I am, I don’t know what does.”

“Let me ask you this, and look me in the eyes when you answer. If you could choose one, Lottie, or the acquisition with me, what would it be?”

“Lottie.” I look him straight in the eye. “Lottie. She is everything. I don’t know how it came to this, how I fell for a girl so fast, so hard, that I actually feel physical pain from losing her, but here I am, a desperate asshole willing to do anything to get her back.”