The Billionaire's Frenemy (A Small Town Billionaire Brothers Book 1) by Lauren Wood

Author:Lauren Wood [Wood, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-07-14T23:00:00+00:00

15

Delilah

I was in a deep, dark hole of embarrassment. I wanted to curl up inside of it and hide and never come out. I felt like I had made a fool out of myself by lashing out at Nick and Paige all day long, and now, to make matters worse, I was crying on his shoulder. Everything was slipping through my fingers, even my dignity.

Nick asked what was wrong, and I could feel the deep hum of his voice vibrate through his chest against my wet cheeks. I pulled back and wiped my eyes, bracing myself for everything that was about to spill out of my mouth. If Angel or Lizzy were there, I wouldn’t need to say half of what was on my mind because they already knew. I felt the need to tell an almost-stranger about it all, like therapy. I needed an unbiased pair of ears to listen. More than anything, I needed to say it all out loud and get it off my chest.

“My parents died in a car accident when I was in college,” I explained from my perch on a stool behind the counter. Nick lingered close...almost too close, and listened intently. “After that...nothing felt the same. This place that I knew so well, like the back of my hand, suddenly seemed unfamiliar. I just kept fighting to keep everything the same...how it was my whole life. And now...there’s no use in trying anymore. It’s changing no matter what I do.”

I was trying to keep my voice steady as I said the words. I had been emotional enough that day as it was, but I kept going and the tears started streaming all over again. “It feels like another lifetime when they were alive and walking through these streets with me. The more it changes...the more it feels like they’re disappearing. I have memories of them at every single place on this strip, and when the stores are gone or unrecognizable...it feels like I’ll lose them all over again.”

Nick nodded in understanding, and I was touched by how my story seemed to strike him. The lines in his face deepened as if he was feeling all the same hurt I was.

“I know it’s not entirely your fault,” I offered, wiping my cheeks again. “Like you said before...if it wasn’t you sweeping in like this, somebody else would be in your place. It’s inevitable. Ever since those stupid celebrities planted themselves here and started bragging about their quaint little lives in Cherry Falls. It’s just...overwhelming sometimes.”

He was quiet for a long time, and it surprised me to see him slink down to the floor in front of me. He seemed so snobby at times, I wouldn’t expect him to just plop down in the middle of the floor to be near me. I could see dark clouds rolling through his eyes as he stared into space.

“My dad wasn’t around when I was growing up,” he told me in a quiet, gruff voice. “My mom worked her ass off to support us on her own.

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