These people hadn’t offered even an empty promise of help or words of condolence then. My great-aunt Anabelle was the only one who came around with oven-ready home-cooked food and whatever little assistance she could provide.
She was also the one to kick those scheming bastards out of the funeral. It was every bit as dramatic as one would think and very much needed. It’s no wonder Aunt Anabelle got along so well with Ethel at the nursing home.
Birds of a feather.
That had been my first lesson on not being too trusting or getting attached so easily. But I was never good at school, which is what led to the incident Ray mentioned—the one thattotallynever happened.
Jamie wasa muchbetter actor than those people from the funeral and had me fooled for a little while. But I caught on eventually, and I learned from it.
I’m no longer the same, trusting Milo, even though I generally like people. I might still crave friendship and companionship with those around me, but I know the limits. I’m a better judge of people, and I won’t fall for kind gestures as easily as I did before.
That doesn’t mean nice won’t earn you brownie points with me, but I’m better about getting too attached now, I promise!
It helps that Rowan has a successful career of his own, and even from our brief conversations yesterday, he seems very uninterested in the entertainment industry. Well, he seems to have a general disinterest in the mega-rich in general, which isn’t a bad thing. At least I know he won’t try to use me to climb the ladder.
Things with Rowan won’t go the same as they did with Jamie. I know better now. I won’t get attached.
Maybe.
Probably.
With me being a better judge of character now and all, I can tell Rowan’s not the type of guy to cling to people with status, so Ray’s worries are unfounded because everything will be fine!
5
Milo
“Burgers or pizza?”
“Ugh, why do you always pick the best foods when we can’t eat them?” Linda comments with a groan. Her fingers wrap around my hair, working their magic to turn my blond strands into what she calls “soft tousle.”
I don’t thinkit looks much different from how I normally do my hair—which mainly consists of running my fingers through my hair in the morning to keep it tangle-free—but I also know nothing about hair, and Linda is a pro, so she’s in charge.
“Isn’t that what makes it fun? It gives us something to look forward to when our diets are over,” I laugh, making sure to keep still so the hair straightener doesn’t accidentally burn me.
Been there, done that, and I do not wish for a repeat.
“If I want to torture myself with things I can’t have, I’d rather we talk about the delectable new hunk hanging around you these days,” she says. Through the mirror, I follow her gaze to the man behind us.
Rowan is listening while Ray speaks a thousand words a minute. I’m tempted to go over and rescue the poor man. Ray’s not going to stop talking until someone interrupts him, and based on our interactions these last few days, Rowan’s too nice for that.
He may look intimidating and like he doesn’t give a flying fuck about anything, but he’s surprisingly easygoing. Or maybe he’s just nice enough to go with the flow?
He doesn’t look intimidating now, or at least not with his usual intensity. It’s probably the suit. Or the way he’s slicked back his red hair for the event tonight. Despite showing more of his face, the new style somehow softens him.
Or maybe you should just admit he’s handsome and stop kidding yourself?
“Handsome doesn’t even begin to do him justice,” Linda says, and jolts me out of my thoughts. For a second, I feared I was the one who’d spoken my thoughts out loud. It wouldn’t be the first time that happened, but Linda doesn’t need to know how hot I find my new bodyguard.
“He really is quite a sight, isn’t he?” she says without waiting for me to reply, and the look in her eyes tells me I’m not fooling anyone.
I roll my eyes because what else am I supposed to do?
“We both know he can’t handle me. No one can,” I say with a wink. She laughs, just as I expected.
“You are America’s darling for a reason. Everyone wants you, but nobody can have you.”
Her tone is lighthearted and teasing, but that doesn’t stop the ache that wells in my chest. I ignore it and smile.
