novelxo Faking Ms. Right: Chapter 28
With Everly gone for the evening, I went straight to my other condo instead of going home. I spent some time practicing. By the time I decided to go upstairs, I was relaxed, my mind clear.
I felt good.
Even the sight of Svetlana lounging on my couch didn’t bother me. I nodded to her, then went into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of whiskey.
“That was a great party the other night,” she said.
I hadn’t heard her approach, but I tried not to react. “It was. Where’s Dad?”
“He went out to get dessert.”
There was something in the tone of her voice that set off a warning in my mind. I put the cap back on the bottle, keenly aware that this was the first time she and I had been alone together since she’d started seeing my dad. Moving Everly in had worked well in that regard.
“Enjoy your evening.” I picked up my whiskey and turned to go to my office.
She stretched her arm across the entrance to the kitchen, blocking my way. There was fire in her eyes—a smoldering mix of desire and anger.
I met her gaze, keeping my expression blank. “Excuse me.”
“Shepherd, why don’t we both admit to what’s happening here.”
“How about you move out of my way.”
Her lips curled in a smile. “I know your engagement is a farce.”
I didn’t reply. Just took a sip of my whiskey.
“Aren’t you getting tired of this game we’re playing?” She dropped her arm and took a step forward.
Damn. She was using my father. Of course she was. I’d known it from the beginning.
“I’m tired of you taking advantage of my father.”
“Oh, Shepherd, don’t be silly. I’m doing no such thing. He’s not serious about me. I’m just a pretty distraction.”
“Indeed, although I doubt he sees you that way.”
She moved closer. I stayed where I was, refusing to give her any ground. This woman was not going to back me into a corner.
“Don’t worry about Richard.” She ran a finger down my chest.
“I don’t understand what you’re trying to accomplish. Have you been using my father as a way to get revenge? Or is this all a twisted attempt to get me to take you back?”
She splayed her hand on my chest. “A bit of both.”
I grabbed her wrist and removed her hand. “Don’t touch me.”
“Shepherd,” she purred. “I know you still want me. I can see it in your eyes.”
“Are you delusional?”
She surged in, invading my personal space. “Stop fighting it.”
I leaned away and backed up but ran into the refrigerator. My whiskey slipped from my hands, falling to the floor with a crash of broken glass. She pressed her body against me and grabbed the back of my neck. Popping up on her tiptoes, she slammed her lips against mine.
“Svetlana? Shepherd?”
At the sound of my dad’s voice, she pulled away. I dropped her wrist and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
“Damn it,” I muttered.
Dad stood a few feet away, a paper grocery bag in his hand. He stared at us, his brow furrowed. “What’s going on here?”
“Dad—”
“He kissed me,” she said.
“What? You just threw yourself at me.”
She crossed her arms. “How dare you. I did no such thing.”
“Yes, you did. I certainly didn’t want you to.”
“Then why did you say all those things?” she asked. “You’re a terrible person, Shepherd Calloway. You know I’m in a relationship with your father. How could you betray him like that?”
I rolled my eyes. “For fuck’s sake. Enough of this bullshit. Dad, Svetlana is my ex. When you met her in Hawaii, I’d paid for her trip to soften the blow after breaking up with her.”
Dad’s eyes widened, moving between me and Svetlana. They came to rest on her. “Is this true?”
She blinked a few times, her face draining of color. She’d probably figured since I hadn’t outed her yet, I wasn’t going to. “I can explain.”
“You lied to me?” he asked.
“This isn’t what you think,” she said.
“No, it’s exactly what you think,” I said. “She’s been using you to get back at me for dumping her.”
Svetlana recovered quickly—she was good, I had to give her that. Her features smoothed and her shoulders relaxed, the guilt disappearing from her countenance. “Shepherd is sadly mistaken. Yes, he and I did date for a short time. But the truth is, I was ready to end things when Shepherd did. I knew it wasn’t going to work out between us. When I met you, everything changed. I knew you were different. You were special.”
“Then why would you keep the fact that you’d been dating my son from me?”
“I was afraid you’d reject me. I didn’t realize the connection until later, and by then, I already knew I wanted to be with you. And then we saw Shepherd at the gala, and he pretended not to know me. I didn’t know why, but I went along with it. I was afraid you’d leave me if you knew.”
My dad was a softie, but he wasn’t a complete idiot. Not even when it came to beautiful women who were far too young for him. He straightened, his back going stiff. “You expect me to believe that?”
“Yes, of course. Richard, I care about you. I’d never do anything to hurt you.”
“Interesting, considering I just caught you trying to seduce my son.”
“He came on to me,” she said, feigning shock.
I stared her down, my gaze hard. “I wouldn’t come on to you if you were the last woman on earth and the fate of humanity rested on us perpetuating the species.”
Dad took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “Well, that’s it, then. Svetlana, it’s been nice knowing you, but it’s time for you to leave.”
“You’re going to take his word over mine?” she asked, the pitch of her voice rising.
“In this case, absolutely,” he said.
She balled her hands into fists, her lips pressing together. Her eyes darted between me and my dad a few times, her nostrils flaring. Without another word, she stomped into the other room, grabbed her things, and slammed the door behind her.
I let out a long breath and wiped my mouth again. Fucking gross.
Dad didn’t say anything. He turned and went to his room.
Fuck.
I decided to give him a little time to process, so I took a shower to wash off any trace of the harpy. When I finished, I dressed and went back to the kitchen to clean up the broken glass. Then I poured two whiskeys and went to face my father.
I rapped a knuckle against his partially-open door. “Can I come in?”
“Sure.”
He took the glass of whiskey I offered. I lowered myself onto the corner of his bed.
“I’m sorry I lied to you,” I said.
“What I don’t understand is why. Why would you keep that from me?”
I stared down into the amber liquid in my glass. “When I saw her with you at the gala, you were receiving an award. It was your night. I didn’t want to ruin it.”
“And after?”
“Come on, Dad. Then you dropped the bomb on us that not only were you facing the worst financial crisis of your life, you’d been diagnosed with cancer. Ethan and I figured Svetlana was just another fling. Maybe your way of dealing with the fact that you were facing your own mortality. We decided to let it run its course. It’s not like you haven’t had short relationships with younger women before.”
He sighed, turning his whiskey glass in his hand. “You’re right. I have.”
“I hoped you’d realize she wasn’t right for you and we could all move on. And you wouldn’t have to get hurt.”
“You were trying to protect me,” he said. It wasn’t a question.
“Yeah.”
“I knew something wasn’t right with her. I ignored it because… well, because she was very beautiful, let’s be honest. And because I’m an idiot. Here I am, sixty-three, and I’m chasing women more than thirty years younger.”
“You’re not an idiot.”
“It’s ironic. My first day in Hawaii, I’d resolved to stop dating. I decided I was better off alone. I guess I didn’t really believe that. Twenty-four hours later, I met Svetlana, and I threw that out the window.”
“You don’t need to give up. But if you’re dating women for the wrong reasons, you’ll attract the wrong women. Trust me, I know a thing or two about that.”
He nodded slowly and took a sip. “I suppose being with a younger woman isn’t going to make me live any longer. Probably the opposite.”
“You need a woman who wants to be with you because she wants to share a life together. Not because she’s good at being arm candy and wants to live in luxury.”
His mouth turned up in a grin. “Like Everly.”
That hit me like a punch to the gut. Fuck. “Dad, there’s something you need to know about Everly.”
“What?”
Damn it. I didn’t know what was worse. Having to confess to this, or telling him he’d been unknowingly dating my ex. “She’s my assistant.”
“I know that.”
“No, what I mean is, when you met her at the gala, she wasn’t my girlfriend. I saw Svetlana with you, and I had Everly come down to pose as my date. Then when you moved in, I asked Everly to keep up the ruse. I didn’t want Svetlana thinking I was available.”
His brow furrowed. “Are you saying you and Everly aren’t getting married?”
“No, we’re not.”
“And you’re not actually a couple? You’ve just been pretending?”
I glanced away. “Yes.”
He chuckled. I’d just told him I’d been lying to him. That made him laugh?
“What are you laughing about?”
“Oh, son.” He tossed back the rest of his whiskey. “If you haven’t figured it out yet, you will soon.”
“Figured what out?”
“You’re in love with that girl.”
I stiffened, feeling the emotion drain from my features. This was hitting far too close to the mark. Right in the center of the bullseye, actually.
He chuckled again. “Maybe your relationship started off as a fake, but it’s real now. There’s no doubt in my mind about that.”
I wanted to steer the conversation back in the right direction. “I’m sorry I let you go through with the party. I thought it might be a good distraction for you.”
“Don’t be sorry. You’re absolutely right, it was. I had a lot of fun putting that party together. Besides, now I don’t have to throw you another one when you and Everly actually get engaged.”
“Dad—”
“Denial doesn’t look very good on you, son. Trust me, the sooner you accept that you’re in love with her, the better things will be for both of you.”
I cleared my throat. “Don’t blame her for this. It’s not her fault. I talked her into it. She’ll feel terrible if you’re upset with her.”
“I’m not, and I’ll make sure she knows that. I probably should be upset with you. I was half an hour ago, and I wish you would have told me the truth in the beginning. But Svetlana was a mistake, and I knew it all along.”
“I’m sorry, Dad.”
“It’s all right. I’ll recover. I always do.”
I stood, still holding my whiskey. “Night.”
“Goodnight, son.”
I went to my office and sat down. Sipped my drink. It was over. No more Svetlana. That part was an enormous relief.
But what did it mean for me and Everly?
I heard the front door open and close. She was home. Her footsteps came closer and she coughed a few times.
She pushed the door open. “Hey, you.”
Did she seem pale, or was it just the light? “Hi. How was dinner?”
“It was good. I had a nice talk with Annie.” She turned and coughed again.
I stood. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I stopped by my apartment to check on things and it was a little dusty. I’m sure that’s all it is.” She coughed again.
“That cough doesn’t sound good. Let’s get you to bed.”
“I’m okay, really. It’s still early.”
Despite her protests, I gently steered her into the bedroom. She kept insisting she was fine, but it looked to me like she was getting worse by the minute. Her skin was pale and warm to the touch. I helped her out of her clothes and into a pink tank top and pair of shorts, then waited while she finished getting ready for bed in the bathroom.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine by morning.” She paused to cough again. “Maybe I just need some sleep.”
“We’ll see how you feel, but if you’re sick, you’re staying home.”
She crawled into bed and I helped pull the covers over her.
“I never get sick.” Her eyes were already closed.
I sat on the edge of the bed and brushed the hair back from her face. “I’m sure you don’t.”
She curled into a ball, her brow creased with tension. I rubbed slow circles across her back until her body relaxed and her breathing evened. When I was sure she was asleep, I got ready for bed. It was early, and I wasn’t tired, but I wanted to stay with her in case she got worse or needed anything.
I’d break the news about Dad and Svetlana later. And then we were going to have to have a serious talk about us.