The Cinderella Arrangement (16 page)

A savage grin filled his face as he looked at me. “I couldn’t believe that he hired that girl just to fool his dad—spent tens of thousands on her and even after all that, his dad only left him five hundred grand. What an
idiot
.”

The backyard rang with his laughter. It was such an infectious laugh that I couldn’t help but smile. The shock of something so rude being said out loud and the layer of truth within it softened how offensive it was. A small giggle escaped my mouth.

“I assumed that it was something rich people did. Don’t have a girlfriend? Buy one!”

His lip curled. “Not this skinny Guinea.” He shook his head. “But I guess it gives you insight on how screwed up some rich people are.”

Like you?
I rolled my eyes and blushed hard when he caught me.

His gaze zeroed in on me. “You’re jealous.”

Guilt stabbed my insides. “I am not!”

“You so are. You’re practically seething with jealousy. It’s okay. I mean, I know Luke is jealous of my brothers and me, even though he’s a bastard.”

Luke was many things, but he was not a bastard. The charm of his bluntness was wearing off. “Luke’s my best friend’s boyfriend.”

William looked at me. “Oh, sorry,” he said, sounding insincere as if he said it thousands of times a day. “That explains it, though. I was wondering why a chick like you would be here.”

Did he insult me?
“What does that mean?”

He smiled at my outrage. “You’ve never been to one of these parties. I can tell because of how nervous you looked when you were in there. That means you don’t work for us. Hot girl alone at a party, it raises questions.”

Hot girl? He was watching me?

The compliments flooded my chest with warmth, but I wanted to run away from him. He was so…
forward.
We were standing close enough to kiss and I could smell the magnetism from his body. The loose tie dangled in front of my face and I grabbed it. I slid the blue silk up and readjusted it so that the knot was back on his throat. I couldn’t look away from him. Not even as I took his collar and folded it over his tie. His eyes burned like coals, shifting and falling.

“Sorry,” I said quickly, going a bit pink. I stepped back from him, overwhelmed by his presence.

"No need to be sorry." A smile staggered over his face. “We should get coffee sometime.”

Is he joking
? “Are you serious?"

"Dead serious."

"For what?"

"What kind of a question is that?" he said, laughing.

He's asking me out on a date. "I didn’t think you liked me at all.”

His mouth parted and for a moment he looked abashed. “I don’t mean to come off like an asshole.”

Well, now what should I say?
“I'm not interested. No offense.”

“None taken.” He was staring at me like I was a sea urchin. “Okay, I lied. I’m a little miffed.”

“Why’s that?”

He smirked. “Usually women jump at a chance with me.”

What an arrogant ass. “Poor baby.”

A smile lit up his face as if I paid him a compliment. “You’re cheeky. I like that.”

He caught me on a bad day. “I’m not looking for a relationship.”

A part of me knew that I was stupid for saying that. Even if I weren’t looking for a relationship, wouldn’t it be worth it to give it a shot? Just to say I was young once, and I did something wild—I went out with a billionaire.

He closed in on me, trapping me against the rail. Whoa, this is too close. My heart hammered when I glance at his smiling face. He wore a faint sprinkling of cologne that made my skin flush with heat, or perhaps it was his dark eyes looking down at me as if I were a dessert he was dying to taste.

No one ever looked at me like that.

“Who said I wanted a relationship? I was just asking you out for coffee.”

“Meeting for coffee is a date. Dating implies relationship.”

“We can skip the coffee and get dinner instead. Dinner implies
fucking
.”

Jesus Christ this guy is forward
.

My cheeks blazed with heat. “Gee, thanks for spelling out the facts of life.”

The smile tugged at his lips. “I get it now. You’re still getting over some guy.”

I sighed. “Yeah. So?”

He looked satisfied that he had finally pinned me. I was recovering from a breakup. I made sense to him. “I can make you feel better, Natalie. Come home with me.”

A stroke of his finger against my cheek set my nerves ablaze. It was hot, but I had no desire for a one-night stand. I wasn’t ready for this. He’s just going to throw me away as soon as he’s done with me.

Men like him don’t want me.

I ducked under his arm before he could tempt me any more, his laughter making me cringe as I fled back to the party. When I glanced back, he was standing with his arms crossed, still smirking.

“I’ll see you again, Natalie.”

His eyes licked up and down my body like flames.

He’s just an asshole who wants to get laid.

Forcing myself to turn, I fled back inside the warmth of the house, and realized with a hot blush that I still had Will’s jacket draped around my shoulders.
I’ll see you again, Natalie.

Damn it
.

“Natalie, there you are!”

I recognized Jessica’s voice and fixed a cheery grin on my face. A soup of emotions mixed inside me as she walked over with a beaming smile on her face. Her golden hair, normally straight, bounced on her shoulders.

“Are you having fun? Whose jacket is that?”

My cheeks burned. “Oh, it’s some guy’s.” I pointed toward the dark figure brooding outside. “Yeah, great party. Really great.”

I took in the white glove waiters offering trays of obscure hors d’oeuvres, the live jazz band playing in the living room, the flowers, and the balloons.

“I know. It’s too much. I’m still getting used to all this.” She gave me a knowing grin. “Who’s that?”

My heart knocked on my ribs. “Well, he says he’s Luke’s cousin. Weird guy. His name is William.”

Jessica’s eyes went round. “Oh, him. Yeah, Luke talks about him a lot. He’s the youngest of his brothers. Apparently, he’s a dick.”

Yeah, I think that I got that impression.

I didn’t want to tell her what happened outside. It had been such a strange conversation.

“Come say hi to Luke. He’s been wanting to see you.”

I was dragged back into the suffocating crowd. I really doubted that Luke cared whether he saw me. He looked immaculate in his pinstripe suit. Jessica raced forward into his arms.

“Natalie, how’ve you been?”

I hated the undertone of concern, the wrinkles creasing around his eyes.

“Fine.” I knew that Jessica told her boyfriend all about how I spent my nights sobbing into my pillow. “Congratulations on your deal.”

His face lit up. “Thanks. I never thought it would take off like this. We’re expanding the campaign worldwide, you know.”

“No, I didn’t!”

Jessica squeezed Luke’s waist, and he looked at her with an adoring expression that made me cringe.

“I wish my dad could have seen this.”

“Your dad wouldn’t have given a rat’s ass.”

A reedy voice suddenly joined the conversation, and I looked to my left to see William looking mad in his gray shirt, like a handsome demon. He sneered at Luke, who looked like he smelled something foul.

Oh, God.

“William, so nice of you to join us.”

“You all can relax, I was just joking around.” His voice suddenly matured, and the sneer dropped from his face. “Seriously, Luke. Congrats. I can’t wait to begin the campaign. It will be great.”

Luke hesitated before he took Will’s hand, which he shook with a slight frown on his face. William, apparently at ease, looked at me and smiled.

“There you are! I was wondering if I’d get my jacket back.”

“Oh, sorry,” I mumbled as I slipped it from my shoulders.

He helped me take it off and when I glanced at him, he winked.

Wipe that fucking smirk off your face.

Luke wore an uncertain smile. “You know each other?”

“I’m taking her out to dinner tomorrow night,” Will said matter-of-factly.

All of them gaped at me.

“What?” I stammered.

The background music sounded like it was too low. Our small circle ignored the party to stare at Will and me. He in turn ignored the bemused looks around him and addressed me with a scorching look. Blood careened through my veins.

Will leaned in. “Bring your portfolio. I want to see your work.”

“No,” I muttered. My cheeks were like embers and I walked away with Jessica close on my heels.

I stopped near a table with a row of glasses and I took one, frowning as Jessica cornered me, looking excited.

“He asked you out on a date?”

“Yeah, but I’m not going.” I looked back at the group. William and Luke were exchanging words and Luke looked serious. I couldn’t imagine what they were talking about.

I don’t want to be hurt again.

And he looked like just the man who would do such a thing.

I tried to forget about Will on the way home, but he kept popping up in my head. I couldn’t get over how weird the whole thing was—how he looked drunk but wasn’t, and his wildly inappropriate behavior.
He has issues
.

What kind of rich guy goes to a party looking like he had just been mugged? There was something refreshing about his open honesty, even if it was rude as hell.

As I dove into bed, yawning, I decided that the night hadn’t been so bad. It had been worth it to meet the strange man who asked me out minutes after insulting me.

No way, buddy.

Then why couldn’t I stop thinking about him?

I
went
to work on Monday, my mind churning with the bizarre encounter at Luke’s party. It was one of the weirdest conversations I ever had with a stranger. I walked to my cubicle and caught a faint tinge of cologne and suddenly Will’s fingers were at my neck, making me hot all over.

“Stop it,” I muttered to myself.

“Stop what?”

My coworker, Janine popped her head from our shared wall.

“Oh, I was just talking to myself. One of those days.”

I grimaced at her and she returned the smile reluctantly.

My gaze flicked back to the email from my boss requesting a meeting at three. My heart pounded.

What does she want to talk about?

I knew what it would be about. Lately, my job performance wasn’t at its best. She sent my designs back multiple times, telling me they lacked inspiration. They were too derivative.

She will probably talk about it
.

I made the finishing touches on my tablet and sent the graphic to her, hoping that she would find it acceptable. Two fifty-five.

Might as well walk over there.

There was someone already in her office; I could see their bodies behind the frosted glass. The door flung open and Mark, one of my colleagues, sped out without a backward glance. I closed my hands to relieve some of the coldness and opened my boss’ door.

Mary waved me in from behind her desk, looking uncharacteristically serious.

Uh-oh. Does she hate my last design?

“Hello, Natalie. Have a seat.”

I sat down painfully.

“Natalie, as you know the aquarium has been experiencing declining profits.”

This was my cue to nod, but I couldn’t move.

Oh God
.
Am I being fired
?

“Our department’s budget has been cut. I’m really sorry, but we’re going to have to let you go.”

I am being fired
.

Why?

A horrible emptiness gaped in my chest. “Why me? I’ve been here way longer than Carrie and Janine.”

“You’ve lost your edge. You’re frequently late and you don’t pay attention in meetings. I can’t use anything you send me.”

I couldn’t find the words—my world was falling apart. My voice stumbled to salvage my job.

“I’ll redo the design right away—”

“Natalie.”

“I
promise
I can get the work done. I just need another chance!”

“Natalie, I can’t give you another chance. We don’t have the budget, and that means I have to make difficult decisions like letting someone go.”

A little of anger ground into my voice. “And that someone had to be me?”

Her face creased. “I’m sorry. I would keep you, but we don’t have the budget.”

First my relationship, and now my career. Devastation crashed over me like huge stone walls.

Ignoring her outstretched hand, I turned around and bolted from her office like a coward. What else was there to do but empty out my desk and go home? I didn’t want to face my coworkers and hear their sympathies. I wanted to drown myself in a bottle of tequila.

Don’t be stupid. Your designs are good. You’ll find another job.

“Natalie? What are you doing?”

A photo of Ben and I sat on my desk, its metallic frame grinning.

It’s all your fault.

I hurled it into the trashcan, along with all the other unnecessary trinkets. The only thing I kept was my coffee mug, which I shoved into my purse.

“Natalie!”

Janine poked her head around my cubicle.

I dissolved when I saw the concern on her face. “I—I was laid off.”

“Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry.”

I waved it off and dried my eyes on my sleeve. The box of tissues was buried deep in the trash. Another surge of violent heat seared through my veins. I was so sick of tissues, so sick of crying all the time.

“You’ll find something else.”

She placed a tentative hand on my shoulder, which I ignored.

In this economy? Good fucking luck
.

I ripped open my drawers and crammed the files I wanted to keep into my already overfilled purse.

“We should go out for a drink.”

“No.” I didn’t think I could handle dozens of people saying how very sorry they were, and how they were sure I would find another job.

Not today.

“I want to get out of here.”

Maybe there was too much bitterness in my voice.

Her eyes shined with nauseating pity. “You’ll come back, won’t you?”

Shouldering my purse, I shrugged at her and walked out of the office. I slammed the elevator button as I thought what I should do.

Telling my best friend what happened was my first instinct, but I knew it wouldn't comfort me have her look into my eyes with the same pitying expression I used to give her. It was embarrassing.

Maybe I would just go home and visit my parents for the weekend. I thought of San Ramon: the oak trees, the ranch-style house where I grew up, the sparkling pool, the sunshine pouring through the kitchen, the comfortable beds, and Mom’s cooking.

What will Mom say?

I chewed my lip the whole way home.

Dad will be pissed
.

He never supported my decision to major in graphic design. Graphic designers were a dime a dozen, and competition was fierce. It didn’t pay well, but that wasn’t the point. I majored in it because I was
good
at it. Because making art was what I wanted to do for a living.

I shot off a quick text to Jessica, explaining what happened and where I was going. My phone vibrated and lit up with a call I knew was from her. It blared with its merry tune until it fell silent and died. I didn’t feel like talking about it. I picked it up and my face reflected in the dark glass. Then I called my mom.

* * *

“
I
don’t understand
. Why did they fire you?”

The fork clattered against the ceramic plate. Frustration boiled my blood, but I didn’t raise my voice.

“I was not fired.
Laid off
. There’s a difference.”

Mom and Dad sat around me on the dark, rectangular table; their aged faces basked in orange light. The kitchen was unique because half of its walls were made of glass. As a result, it gleamed with light even though it was five in the evening. The whole house was always filled with sunshine and I preferred it for that reason. It contrasted against my gloomy apartment. The change in scenery did nothing to ease my mood.

Dad gave me a doubtful look that made me grind my teeth together.

“You did something wrong if they got rid of you and not the newer hires.”

I shoved the doubt away. “I’ll find something else.”

My mother swiveled in her chair to talk to Dad. “Maybe it was because she took so many days off for that girl.”

Bored, I looked up from my plate to glare at her. Her tactics were as subtle as a flying brick. It took me years to understand them.

“You know her name—Jessica. She’s only been my best friend since I was thirteen. And no, it wasn’t because of that.”

“Maybe if you weren’t spending so much time helping her, your life wouldn’t be such a mess.”

“Tom!”

The snappy comment took me off guard. I could feel Dad’s disappointment rolling from him like heat lamp.

Both of them took to Ben very well. He was a hotshot lawyer with a good salary, successful, handsome. He was everything they wanted for me. It was plain from the look on Dad’s face he thought I would never find someone like him again.

“I don’t regret helping my best friend.”

“That girl was always a bad influence. I never liked that you hung around her so much.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“She used you to help herself. How is she helping you now?”

The beef stir-fry was subject to my rage. I stabbed the food and popped it into my mouth. “She is setting me up on a date.”

“Well, it’s the least she can do after destroying your relationship.”

“She destroyed nothing!”

“You were engaged, and now you’re not. And I still don’t understand why—”

“I broke up with Ben. I will not rehash it. Get over it.”

“Don’t raise your voice like that. It’s not our fault you went into art instead of applying to dental school.”

“Waste of money.” Mom muttered under her breath.

It felt like a gut punch. The air vanished from my chest.

“Twenty grand a year, and what did it amount to?”

“Stop it, Dad.”

“For you to make as much as a guidance counselor!”

How could my father be so hateful? “Dental school was your dream, not mine! Don’t make me feel bad because I did something that would make me happy!”

“You think jobs are supposed to make you happy? It’s a job! People your age are all the damn same.”

“What are you talking about?” I roared.

“You think the world owes you something.”

What
?

“Natalie, you were not happy at the aquarium. You’ve wasted your education on a job that didn’t even pay well—”

I didn’t want to hear anymore. Grabbing my purse from the granite countertop, I stormed outside and got back into my car. The tires squealed as I backed out of there, determined not to come back for a long time. I could almost hear the conversation they must be having:
She was always so spoiled, so ungrateful. We did everything for that girl, and she’s acting like such a baby.

The car soared on the highway. My phone screamed the whole way home, and I fought the urge to hurl it out of the window. If being right meant being miserable at my day job, I would choose wrong over right every damn time.

I was in a crappy mood by the time I arrived at my apartment—an apartment that always lowered my spirits whenever I crossed its threshold, because it was so dark and dingy. Little natural light made it through the windows and the carpet was disgusting. There was carpet everywhere, even in the bathroom. It drove me mad.

We need to move out of this place.

Jessica was perched on the leather couch that sat in our living room. It was brand new. Every time I saw it, I blinked at how out of place it looked. Her blonde hair gathered in a ponytail and she turned her head to look at me with a shrugging, sympathetic grimace on her face.

“Hey.”

Sighing, I joined her. “I went to my parents’ house.”

“Oh,” she said in a knowing voice.

“I don’t know why I keep going back there.”

“Sorry about your job.”

I waved her off in the same way that I waved off Janine at work. “I don’t care too much. Yeah, it’s a blow to my ego, but it’s not the end of the world.”

“Well, that’s good.” Her tone suggested that she didn’t believe my indifference. “Luke came through. You have a date tomorrow in Berkeley.”

Oh, God.

The last thing I wanted was to go on a date.

“I don’t know.” My fingers plucked the leather armrest.

“I think you should go. It’ll take your mind off things. His name is Charlie. He’s really nice.”

“I’m sure he is.”

 “You’ve got to force yourself to get out there. You’ll feel better eventually.”

“I’m going to look for jobs. You can text me his number.”

Exhaustion settled in my limbs.

Eventually
.

Damn, was I tired of that word.

* * *

I
chewed
my lip as I searched the small, Ethiopian restaurant for Charlie. Having no idea what he looked like, my heart kept a frightening tempo behind my ribs.

What if he’s boring?

There was still the old standby in case things got unbearable, the transparent ‘my friend has a crisis and I must leave immediately’ routine. Jessica promised to call me with an “emergency” if I gave the go ahead.

The aroma from all the food was mouth-watering. Steam swirled into the air from hot plates like calligraphy and the ceiling held sweeping, colorful drapes of cloth.

This feels more like a richly decorated tent than a restaurant
.

“Excuse me, are you Natalie?”

A chubby man extended his hand, and I took it. He was decent looking. Brown hair and eyes. Unremarkable.