Hero(41)

I did not want to spend another twenty minutes stuck in a car with him. “I said I’ll call a cab.”

Caine was visibly pissed as he took a menacing step toward me. “For the next two weeks you’re still my employee. If I say I’ll take you home, I’m taking you the f*ck home and it’s final.”

It was the most silent and uncomfortable car ride in the history of car rides.


After showering the smell of him off my body, I climbed into bed, hugged my pillow like a five-year-old, and then cried all over it. The sun was just starting to filter through my curtains when I eventually nodded off to sleep.

It was with tear-crusted eyes I woke only a few hours later to the sounds of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.”

I’d changed my ringtone before I’d gotten into bed.

“M’ullo,” I said into my duvet after grabbing the phone off my bedside table.

“Lexie?”

At the sound of Grandpa’s voice I groaned and pushed myself up into a sitting position. “Morning.”

“You sound like hell.”

“No comment.”

“Look, I’m calling to apologize for last night. I wish you’d told me you were going to be attending Dick and Cerise’s anniversary. If I’d known I would have come up with an excuse not to go so I didn’t have to put you in that position. Christ,” he said regretfully, “the look on your face, sweetheart, well, it made me … I felt like shit all night.”

I felt a pang of remorse for my resentful thoughts when he’d ignored me. I understood the situation. I couldn’t start pretending I didn’t whenever it suited me. “It’s okay, Grandpa. I understand. I even introduced myself as Alexa Hall all night so people wouldn’t ask questions.”

“I know.” There was a smile in his voice. “You made quite an impression. You looked beautiful. I just wish this family wasn’t full of malicious drama queens. If they were more understanding, this could all be out in the open. Anyway, I hope you didn’t disappear because of me.”

I flushed at the real reason. “Uh, no. Caine had a work thing.”

My grandfather was silent for a few seconds. “You slept with him, didn’t you?”

“How—” I lifted my jaw back up off my duvet. “How the heck did you know that?”

“Because he ignored his date all night as he prowled around the room like a jungle cat hunting my granddaughter. I thought at one point he might actually kill Henry Lexington.”

A thrill coursed through me at the thought of Caine’s jealousy. “He was watching me all night?”

“What do you think everyone was talking about?”

“Oh my God,” I muttered as a realization hit me. I remembered that weird little triumphant smirk on Henry’s face when Caine interrupted our dance. “Henry knew. He asked me to the party to push Caine’s buttons.”

“That sounds like a Lexington.” Grandpa’s voice lowered. “So, was this part of the plan?”

“I’m not sure I’m comfortable discussing this with my grandfather.”

“I’m not sure I’m comfortable with my granddaughter dating a known womanizer.”

The ache from last night returned. “Don’t worry about that. I don’t even qualify as a date. It was a onetime thing.”

“I’m going to kill him,” Grandpa immediately growled over the phone.

There was every chance he might actually consider something stupid like that. I put on my sternest voice. “You’ll do no such thing. It was my mistake. I stupidly forgot who I was to him and I thought there was something there that wasn’t … I gave him my two weeks’ notice.”

Grandpa heaved a sigh. “Lexie, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I did this to myself.”

“Well, you make sure he gives you a good recommendation.”

I smiled sadly. “I will.” I glanced at the clock. It was early yet, which meant many hours to kill. “For now I’m going to buy myself something to make me feel better before I start job-hunting.”

“Okay. You call me if you need me, sweetheart.”

For some reason that made me tear up.

I thought of how stupid I’d felt after putting myself out there to Caine and being rejected. But I also felt kind of free. For the last few weeks I’d had our attraction hanging over me and subconsciously I knew I’d been building it up in my head into something more than it was. Now, though, I had my answers and I could move on.