Beautiful Illusions (25 page)

“What the hell are you wearing?” Warren snaps me out of my funk before it can properly set in. His eyes round out over my questionable attire as if I had come down naked. “Go throw on a dress and some pearls or something. Make yourself presentable. Important people are showing up for this.”

Warren McCarthy is an uptight asshole. I smile briefly into him because it pleases me to have that fact sail through my mind in front of both him and my dad. Speaking of which, I tilt into my father and wait for him to put Warren in his place because God knows if I do it we’re looking at an awkward evening that will start with expletives and probably end with a kick in the balls.

“He’s right.” Dad’s features sag as if he were disappointed that I wasn’t smart enough to figure this out for myself. “Sorry, sweetheart. I’ve got a lot riding on tonight. Warren understands because he’s been in the thick of things down at the office. It’s just one of those days where you can’t afford a single thing to go wrong.”

I glance down at my flag inspired bathing suit top, my Daisy Dukes that glow against my summer tan. “I get it.” I glare over at Warren in his upturned polo, his signature khakis and penny loafers. “I’ll change for you, Dad.”

I trot back upstairs and that stupid picture of Warren and I encapsulated in a silver heart catches my attention. I pick it up and rub my hand over him through the glass. Without thinking, I toss it right into the trash.

Dad is right. Tonight can make or break a lot of things.

I, for one, am about to make something beautiful with Ace and break things off with Warren forever.

Loveless shines like a beautiful woman. She wears her best party dress with glittery shoes, her hair and makeup done to the nines for the night.

Kennedy wraps an arm around me as the crowd bustles in every direction on the McCarthy’s lakefront estate. It’s hot as hell, and I haven’t seen one sign of Ace.

“I have to tell you something.” She’s got that evil twinkle in her eye because whatever the hell she’s about to say is going to rock my world and not in a good way. I can tell.

“Wait.” I pluck Brylee away from Gavin a second and pull her into our circle. “Sorry,” I shout to him before he melts into the crowd. “I have something to say, too.” I crimp a smile. “And I want you both to hear it.” I fill them in on my faux honeymoon with Ace, and my face fills with heat just verbalizing it.

“A week?” Brylee looks impressed as hell—as she should be.

“A
week
, alone with Ace Waterman?” Kennedy deadpans. “Your dad is never going to let this fly.”

“That’s why I’m not going to tell him.” I dot a finger into her chest. “You are.”

“You want me to tell him you’re sleeping with the woodcutter while his pipe dream of you getting laid by a McCarthy goes down the company drain? No thanks.”

“Eww—and no. Tell him I went camping with a couple of friends from school. Ten bucks says he doesn’t even notice I’m gone for the first three days.”

“And what about Warren?” Kennedy nods behind me as he fast approaches.

“I’ll take care of Warren,” I whisper just as he circles his arms around my waist.

His skin glows a deep bronze from logging all that time down at the water. Warren has always been tall and lanky so his body feels leaner, less muscular than Ace’s. And oddly I don’t feel any sexual ache for his arms to linger around me. It’s like having a family member hold me, an older brother.

“What’s this I hear about you taking care of me sweet cheeks?” He thumps his hand over my thigh and his breath bowls over me with the strong scent of whiskey. “I got something you can take care of.” He lands a sloppy kiss on the side of my face.

“Whoa.” I try to ease out of his grasp but it proves impossible.

I scan the crowd, and, sure enough, I catch Ace looking over at the two of us from the white picket fence at the base of the property. He glances away and continues his conversation with Gavin as if nothing ever happened.

Ace is the one I wish was holding me right now, not Warren—never Warren.

“Hands off, please.” I try to pry his arms from around me but he only strengthens his grip. Anger rips through me like a fire. “Warren, I’m serious, let
go
.”

His arms tighten like a vice. “Ooh, you like it rough, huh baby?” He whispers, sticking his tongue in my ear and flicking it around.

Dad and Beverly pop up in our little circle.

“All right you two.” Dad winks approvingly at Warren’s barbaric display of affection. “I’ve got a group of people I’d love for you to meet. In fact, why don’t you sit with us at dinner and they can really get to know you.”

Kennedy shakes her head just barely, as if she’s seen the bear trap I’m about to fall into and doesn’t approve.

Beverly links her arm in mine and walks me briskly over to the formal section of the property with its congestion of white tablecloths, waiters in full dress, champagne served in crystal flutes. The McCarthy’s hired a decorator to come out and festoon the place with all things Americana, not to mention the expensive floral arrangements dripping in the center of each table—white lilies mixed with blood red roses. It all reeks ode to country club, and I want nothing more than to ditch back into the crowd and find Ace.

Beverly leans in with the mint julep she just downed exuding from her lungs. “I can’t underscore how important this is to your father.”

Maybe I should get ripped. God knows I’d do just about anything to melt away the next few hours. I’m ready for the real fireworks to begin, and I’m not talking about the ones that are about to shoot over the lake at dusk.

Beverly throws on her overzealous smile as we approach a table full of Dad’s prospective clients, the McCarthy’s, and Warren himself. I land in the seat next to Warren and pretend to listen as an entire whirlwind of conversation drones on around me for the next solid hour. Try as I might, I can’t seem to pay attention. Instead, I find myself sneaking glances at Ace who stands far away at the other end with Gavin, Kennedy, and Brylee. Joanna Knickerbocker slithers her way over and tries to climb Ace like a pole, and, honest to God, I can’t blame her. He deflects her efforts time and time again but she’s proving staunch and most likely wasted. I think it’s high time I intervened.

“Um”—I push my plate back and offer a polite smile to Dad, interrupting his conversation—“I think I’ll go out and mingle a bit.” I pan the table with a smile that says you will never see me again. “It was really nice getting to know all of you.”

I hardly have time to scoot my seat back before my father holds up a hand in protest.

“Warren?” Dad nods into him with a knowing look. “Why don’t you bring Reese over to the podium for a moment? Your father and I have something we’d like to say to you.”

Warren leans in. “I bet they want to reward me for all the bullshit I’ve done this summer.” He slinks his hot hand around my waist and pulls me over to the makeshift dance floor where there’s a glorified pulpit and microphone at the ready.

Dad taps the mike like he’s spanking its bottom and sets off some serious feedback, effectively settling all eyes and ears upon us.

Perfect. In the event I was worried Ace didn’t get the best view of Warren clutching onto me like a koala bear, we’re now front and center with DJ Daddy ready to drop a beat. At least it’s getting dark, and we’re sort of melting into the evening shadows.

A series of twinkle lights go on overhead and to my horror a bona fide DJ starts in on a slow song that’s thankfully turned too far down to dance to. A giant ten-foot screen pops up against the house, and the next thing I know I’m staring at an oversized version of myself, Warren and his father. Crap. Nothing but the best for Westfield and McCarthy.

I twist uncomfortably in my heels. Swear to God, as soon as they reward Warren with a new Corvette or whatever the going rate is for being their lackey, I’m kicking off my heels and dragging Ace to the Forbidden Falls.

I give a private smile at the thought.

“Warren—Reese.” Mr. McCarthy looks lovingly at the two of us as if I’ve somehow added to Warren’s success at the office. “It was years ago at the same university the two of you attend now that a good friend of mine and I decided we’d start up a law firm one day.” The crowd quiets as he readies to share the rest of his budding bromance with my father. “If we only knew then that one day our friendship would blossom into a legacy, we’d have been a little more sober-minded on the outset.” A few random chortles break out in the crowd.

Really? Legacy?

Someone should have suggested Warren senior here check his ego at the door. I’m pretty sure it’s never a good idea to make yourself sound like an egotistical maniac when the entire lake is flooded with prospective corporate clients, but whatever. He could recite his grocery list, and I couldn’t care less as long as I make it to the falls within an hour. I’m hoping to make a legacy myself.

“Legacy, family…” he continues with tears in his eyes. “Reese, when your father and I first noticed there was a genuine spark between you and Warren, in all honesty, we weren’t sure how to feel.”

Spark
? My insides go rigid. Who has a fucking spark?

Holy shit. I glare into him.

Balls are going to roll if he keeps this up.

I scan the crowd for Ace.

Dad snatches the mike from Mr. McCarthy’s obnoxiously wasted hands, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

“I knew damn well how I felt.” Dad gives a stern look to Warren and the crowd erupts with laughter. “But, in all seriousness, you’ve been nothing but a perfect gentleman with my daughter.” Not. “And as your love has grown for one another these past few months it’s become apparent to everyone around that not only is our business in the process of expanding but so is our family.”

Family? Is Warren having a baby?

I shoot a look up at Warren but he’s too caught up, nodding at my father like he knows exactly what the hell he’s talking about.

“That’s why.” He pauses. Beverly joins my father and hands him a shiny gold key with a red, white, and blue ribbon dangling from it. “When the Nicholson’s home came on the market both the McCarthy’s and I knew what needed to be done.” He gives a warm laugh. “Warren, Reese, we know you’re still off at college and, after that, graduate school waits for you, but because we love you both dearly, and we hope to glean many grandchildren from you one day, we wanted to give you an early wedding gift of sorts.” He hands the key to Warren. “Hope you won’t mind the neighbors. We’ve put both your names on the deed.” The crowd erupts with cheers as Warren pulls me in and lands a kiss over my lips.

Beverly leans in. “Your mother’s table is already in it.”

Crap.

I try to maneuver out of Warren’s vice grip and run the hell off the makeshift stage—maybe knock some sense into my father, by way of my shoe before I jump in the lake in an effort to forget this nightmare.

“That’s very nice of you.” Warren takes up the mike, and for a fleeting moment I’m hoping he’ll set the record straight—let them know that even if we were to get married one day—which we won’t—we would never be insane enough to live smack in between the two of them. Who does that? And who the hell gifts their kids houses—especially in front of the entire community and prospective clients? I think dad would have done better with his corporate contenders if I kept my bikini on and he kept his mouth and wallet shut.

Beverly stands alongside Warren’s social hungry mother and they gaze at us approvingly. You can practically see them drumming up a thousand neighborly reasons to drop by unannounced.

“Reese.” Warren turns to me, and I can feel my face turning colors. It couldn’t get any redder if you pressed it in a hot skillet.

Okay. Breathe. We got this. Warren and I are simply going to decline the gesture. We’ll raffle off the house for charity and make both our fathers look like stellar philanthropists in the process.
God
, it’s pure genius. I only wish someone would have let me in on the game plan right from the beginning.

I glance at the crowd to look for Kennedy, but Ace snags my eye instead. Just crap. I shoot him a pleading look but I get the feeling he wants nothing to do with me or my leap into real estate right now.

“The first time I said I love you”—Warren starts, and in the wrong fucking direction, might I add—“I think maybe we were six and you had just shoved a stick of gum in my mouth.”

The crowd melts in a choir of sighs.

“It was a Popsicle,” I stupidly correct. If I knew that sweltering August day would come back to haunt me, I would have shoved it in a far more interesting location.

“Whatever.” Warren shrugs it off. He never could stand being corrected. “The point is, I had no idea that the girl I was saying it to would be the exact one I’d be saying it to for the rest of my life.”

My stomach lurches and suddenly the prime rib and potato salad I wolfed down a mere fifteen minutes ago are begging to make their reprisal.

“What I’m trying to say…” Warren drops to one knee and the crowd gives a collective gasp.

Oh sweet mother of God.

My entire body freezes. Warren has crossed the last fucking line. My mind tells my feet to carry me the hell away from here, but I catch the expression on my father’s face, and not one muscle in my body obeys.