Elastic Hearts (Hearts #3)(78)

“I think he left.”

She sighed. “My boyfriend is picking me up here, but Dad hates him.”

“Oh. Okay,” I said, walking into a stall and closing it behind me.

“So, what do you think of Victor’s date?”

I blinked rapidly, trying to sober up quickly. “Nothing. What am I supposed to think?”

“Corinne hates her.”

I half-laughed, half-snorted as I flushed the toilet and fixed my little black dress. I looked at Grace in the mirror when I went to wash my hands.

“Corinne hates everybody that gets near Victor. I’m sure she hates me too.”

Grace smiled. “I don’t think anybody hates you.”

She was so young and innocent, probably thinking I was the nicest person ever. I dried my hands and looked at her one last time. “Have fun tonight.”

“Thanks. Are you leaving?”

“Yep. My time is up. I came, I saw, I stirred up shit.” I shrugged. “Now it’s time to go home.”

Grace laughed as I walked out of the bathroom. Brent was standing in the hall, waiting for me.

“Ready?” he asked, offering me his arm, which I tucked mine into. Instinctively, I looked for Victor. He was off to the side, talking to the blonde. I was so not waiting to talk to him in private.

“So ready. My feet are killing me.”

“I can carry you.”

I smiled, but didn’t say anything. Brent was hot. He had an incredible body, a great smile, a nice personality, but I was his height when in heels. Not that it meant he couldn’t carry me. I was sure he could. But I didn’t even want him to try. I sighed. I should probably just have sex with this guy and see if I stopped thinking about Victor. Unfortunately for me and my vagina, I was just not that kind of girl. Once I had my mind set on one guy, it was set on that guy until I was over him. Despite walking straight into Gabe’s arms all those years ago, I had to move forward. I wanted to be cherished, but I wasn’t that needy girl anymore. I didn’t need a man to sweep me off my feet. Maybe I should go back to just having a little fun.

Whether Victor was over me or not, I didn’t know. What I did know was that he wouldn’t act on whatever he felt. I could read him enough to know that his resolve was steady again. Maybe because he got his promotion. Maybe because I gave him what he wanted of me. It hurt to admit that to myself. It hurt because I gave him more than just a hookup. I gave him me, and he didn’t even know it. Or maybe he just didn’t care.

I looked over at Brent again, who was there and available and willing to try to make me forget things that could be hidden but not forgotten . . .





WHAT BOTHERED ME most about Nicole going home with the guy named Brent was that she didn’t go home. I knew because I went to her house after I left the office and her car wasn’t in the driveway and all her lights were off. If she wasn’t there, it could only mean she was still with him. Spending the night with him. The thought made me crazy. Fucking crazy. I knew then, while I was standing outside her house, listening to the sound of the waves crashing, that I would willingly go insane for her love. It was more than just desire that I felt. It was deeper than that, more serious than that. In that instant, as I thought about her in bed with another man, the rage that ran through me was aimed toward myself for being an idiot. For not opening my eyes sooner. For not handing the case to somebody else when I should have. For not realizing the kind of woman I had and now had probably lost. No, f*ck that, I hadn’t lost her. Not yet. But worse than losing her, I was now sharing her. And I didn’t share. Ever.





“YES, DAD,” I said for the tenth time. I was definitely going back home. I’d stayed a week longer than anticipated because when I went to get clothes the day after the promotion event, the media frenzy outside my house had been too much for me to handle. Why were they still on my case? During my week at Dad’s, I managed to stay away from the cameras, aside from the day I went to the premiere with Gabe, which was when he asked me if I wanted to fly to Argentina. To visit your mom, he’d said. I’ll pay for your flights. It’s the least I can do. And I had agreed. It was the least he could do, and I was dying to see my mom.

“I just want you to be careful over there. Are you staying with your mom?” Dad asked. He knew I would. I never went to Argentina and stayed anywhere else. I responded anyway. “Good,” he said. “What time is Gabriel picking you up?”

“At four. No need to get up and ready your shotgun at such an ungodly hour,” I said.

“And you’re sure you won’t be with Gabriel?”

“No, Dad. We’re over.”

I told him I wouldn’t go to the actual press events with him, but I would go on the same flight. He seemed okay with that. Gabe was definitely being cautious around me. Good thing, too, because despite my agreement, I still hadn’t forgotten about our ice cream shop experience, or that girl’s tell-all. Despite that, I wasn’t going to turn down a free trip to go see my mom.

“Okay, sweetheart. Good night. Call me when you land,” Dad said.

“I will.”

I gave him a hug and went out to the guest house to finish packing. I couldn’t sleep, so I went online and looked through gossip sites, because I needed to see what they were saying about me now. I’d kept a very low profile since the night of Victor’s promotion, so I couldn’t imagine they had much to say, unless Darryl fed the media things about Gabe and me. One of these days I would wake up and not find anything posted about me, and no cameras following me. Goals. One day soon. I just needed to get through one last media frenzy first.