“I’m busy, Paige,” I say, on my way back to where I ditched the golf cart when I decided to check the beach in my search for Millie. “What do you want?”
“I just wanted to congratulate you,” she says, her tone overly sweet to hide the venom laced between her words. “You did it, Dean. You finally got what you wanted.”
“Oh yeah?” Climbing into the golf cart, I wedge the phone between my ear and shoulder while I push the button to start it. “Remind me—what was that, exactly?”
“Come on—” Paige says like she genuinely finds me amusing. “we both know you’re not half as stupid as you pretend to be, so let’s cut the theatrics—you know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“Sorry.” Shifting into drive, I guide the golf cart onto the cobblestone path and follow the markers back to the other side of the island, where our bungalow is located. “But I’m afraid I don’t.” Already regretting answering the phone, I contemplate hanging up. It’s sheer curiosity that keeps me on the line. “You’re gonna have to spell it out for me.”
“Millie.” Paige spits her cousin’s name at me like it’s poison. “You finally fucked her,” she says in that same sugary tone. “All your stalking finally paid off—I’m happy for you.”
I knew what happened between Millie and me would become public knowledge, sooner rather than later. I knew after what she did in that church, the world has been watching and waiting for her next coupe de ’grace. I knew and I thought I was prepared for it. That I didn’t care.
I was half right.
I don’t care what they say about me, I don’t care what they think. But I care about Millie—a hell of a lot more than I’d like to admit.
“You’re fucking delusional. I haven’t been stalking her,” I say even though it feels like a lie because I have, haven’t I? The only gigs I still work behind the bar for my business are the events I know Millie will be attending. I only agree to be Paige’s date when I know Millie is going to be there. I keep answering the phone when Paige calls because I know that if I don’t, I’ll lose access to her cousin and if I lose access…
“Are you sure, Dean?” Paige on a nasty laugh “Because we both know the only reason you fucked me in the first place is because you couldn’t get to her.”
“No.” Shifting into drive, I press the pedal and the cartstarts rolling. “The only reason I fucked you is because you lied to me—you told me that Millie and Allister werepractically engaged.I never would’ve?—”
When I say it, Paige laughs. “Who’s the delusional one here, Dean? Do you really think a woman like my cousin would give a guy like you the time of day, under normal circumstances?” She scoffs into the phone. “I mean, get serious—do you reallythink that once this whole revenge fantasy of hers plays out and the two of you are forced to come back to reality that she’sactuallygoing to choose you?”
No.
I don’t.
I know what this is.
I know what I am to Millie.
She’s made it abundantly clear what she thinks of me, over the last couple of years. Just like I’ve made it clear that I’m untrustworthy. That I don’t give a shit about her or anyone else. That fucking her wasn’t a big deal to me and no matter how many times I try to tell her it’s all been one big, fat lie, she’ll never believe me.
So yeah, I know how this ends.
“You know what I think,” I say, completely ignoring her question. “I think you’ve been jealous of Millie your whole,miserablelife. I think you’ve spent that life beating her down and convincing her that she belongs in your shadow—that she isn’t allowed to feel good about herself. She isn’t allowed to feelanythingthat isn’t manufactured and manipulated by you.”
“SoI’mthe master manipulator here?” She barks out another laugh. “You’re joking, right? You used me, Dean. You used my name to build your business and you used my pussy because fucking me was as close as you were ever going to get to fucking Millie. If you want to really get into it—I didn’t steal you from her. Isavedher from you and we bothknow it.”
“St. Paige?” I say on a humorless chuckle. “Is that the angle you’re gonna try to play? Really?” Pulling up to the bungalow, I stomp on the break hard enough to give myself whiplash. “You orchestrated that entire weekend in the Hamptons. You dangled me in front of Millie like a piece of meat. Arranged our little meet cute at the bar. Pushed her to come talk to me.”
Paige gives me a self-righteous scoff. “You sound crazy—you know that, right?”
“Yeah, I know,” I say. “It sounds completely batshit—but that doesn’t make it any less true.”
“Okay, I’ll play along.” She gives me another amused laugh. “And why would I do that? Why would I throw you at Millie? What could Ipossiblyhope to accomplish but setting the two of you up?”
“I don’t think you expected me to actually want to talk to her,” I tell her. “I think you thought I’d brush her off. She’d try to talk to me and I’d make her feel bad. Remind her that she’s all the things you’ve spent your whole life convincing her that she is—too uptight. Too rigid. Too boring for a guy like me. When that wasn’t happening—when it became obvious to you that I was actually into her, you sent Millie’s little sister and her bridesmaids over to break it up.” Remembering the way it all went down, I still get angry. Still don’t understand how I was stupid enough to fall for it. How ready I was to believe Paige. How easy it was for her to play me. “Millie slinks off to her room with her tail tucked because that’s what she’s been trained to do and you get the satisfaction of watching her get the rug yanked out from under her again. But then you saw I wasn’t behind the bar and after you did a quick head count and realized I wasn’t in a coat closet somewhere, banging one of the bridesmaids, you knew there was only one other place I could possibly be—and that wasn’t going to happen. Not on your watch. No way were you goingto let Millie get what she wanted because like I said, Millie isn’t allowed to be happy. And after you fucked it up between the two of us, you went for the bonus round and started fucking Allister behind her back because not only is Millie not allowed to be happy, she isn’t even allowed topretendto be happy.”
Paige makes an ugly sound in the back of her throat. One that tells me I’m right. I’m right about everything. “Dean Mercer—Millie’s knight in shining armor.”
Pushing the button to kill the engine, I don’t get out. I just sit here, so fucking angry I can hardly see straight. “I suppose I should thank you—if you weren’t so jealous of Millie and so hell bent on taking what belongs to her, she’d be married to Allister and I’d be stuck in New York with you, instead of here—which isexactlywhere I want to be.”
“Does she know that it’s not justheryou’re obsessed with?” She hisses into the phone. “That you’re obsessed with our whole fucking family?”
“Be careful, Paige.” I grind it out between clenched teeth. “Yourdelusional bitchis showing again.”
