The Dare (26 page)

None of it was real.

I'd gotten exactly what I'd asked for.

Something fake.

My money was even on Grandma putting Jace's
parents up to the task of making him feel guilty. After all, he'd
very openly written down on a piece of paper that he never wanted
to let them down. Not marrying me would let them down.

I was a smart girl. I'd always been smart.
Sadly, during the last week all I'd done was ignored my feelings
and my gut when it had told me something wasn't right.

Jace and I, back in the real world? With
cameras flashing and people all around us? The fairytale would fade
into the blackness, and I'd be left
—
exactly how I'd started off. Alone. Only this time I'd have a
broken heart on top of everything else.

I was letting my insecurities take control.
But I couldn't help it, because it still didn't make sense. Why
would he want me? Why would he look at me as if I was his long-lost
love?

Jace stirred next to me. The blanket fell off
his golden skin. It wasn't real. He wasn't real. Because in what
world would a guy like him actually be interested in me?

I was about to break a promise.

Being as quiet as humanly possible, I went
over to my suitcase, pulled out my phone, and grabbed my charger. I
tiptoed into the bathroom and locked the door.

My phone wasn't completely dead, so I plugged
it in and only felt a twinge of guilt when I typed in Jace's
name.

Senator Jace Brevik.

Most of the pages that popped up described
his perfect childhood, loads of money, and ability to charm the
pants off just about anything that walked.

A few brief paragraphs about his ex-fiancée
who'd accused him of cheating on her with paid escorts.

And then a news article from yesterday…

Sources close to Senator Brevik say he had
this trip planned for months and is vacationing with family while
he enjoys a brief respite from his busy schedule. His parents are
expected to join him. Sources say last week the senator was seen
going into a hotel with an alleged prostitute. Friends of the
senator identified the girl as Beth Lynn, a friend in town for her
sister's wedding. The senator also attended the wedding, serving as
a groomsman for Travis Titus of Titus Enterprises.

That was it.

The rumor had died down.

Clearly, it had been fixed.

So why were we still in Hawaii faking a
marriage? And why was Grandma still urging the cover up?

I clicked the link to the next article, this
one from an entertainment blog.

This week's polls show that Senator Brevik's
approval ratings are likely to take a jump if he settled down and
got married. Sources say he's just sly enough to pull off a wedding
in the near future. After all, the man isn't nicknamed slick for no
reason.

Lies. They had to be printing lies. Right?
Was Grandma in on it too?

Suddenly unable to breathe, I turned the
phone off and started pacing the bathroom. What if he and Grandma
were in on it? Was I just a pity case? Available? Easy? The crazy
cat lady!

I stomped back into the bedroom and flicked
on the light. "Get up."

"Wha
—
"

I threw at pillow at his head. "Get up."

"You better be dying…" Jace grumbled in a low
voice as he sat up in bed and glared. "What's wrong?"

"Everything." Panic welled in my chest as I
clicked open the article and threw the phone at his face. He caught
it before it nicked his perfect chiseled jaw. Damn him. "Read."

"Okay." Jace held up the phone. "And didn't
we say no technology?"

"We did," I agreed. "And now I know why you
were so eager to put everything away."

Jace's eyes about bugged out of his head as
he read through the article. Finally, he set the phone down and
rubbed his face with his hands. "You believe this?"

"Of course I believe it!" I knew I was
shouting but couldn't help myself. "Why else would you have stayed?
You saw an opportunity and took it! You even have our parents in on
it!"

"What?" Jace roared. "What the hell are you
talking about? You think I planned this? You think I lured you here
under my fairytale-voodoo magic and decided that, hey, you'll do?
My polls really aren't that important. Geez do I look that
desperate?"

I reared back as if I'd just been slapped.
"So you'd have to be desperate to marry me?"

"No!" Jace yelled. "Of course not! I told you
today how I feel. I mean it. I like you. I want a second chance
with you. What do I have to do to prove it to you?"

"Let me walk away."

"What?"

"Let me. Walk. Away." I shrugged. "Out the
door. Let me catch the next flight."

"Why the hell would I do that? Why would I
let you get away again?" He looked panicked as he held his head in
his hands. "I just found you again and… you want to leave?"

"Because, it's the only way I'll believe you.
If you make me stay, it means you had it all planned out. If you
let me go
—
"

"I can't do that." Jace shook his head. "If I
let you go, you may never come back." He looked absolutely
petrified.

But I was too! I needed to know I could trust
him!

"Am I worth the risk?"

"I don't know if I could survive it, Beth."
He rubbed the back of his head. "Something's off. Something's
wrong."

"Am I worth the risk?"

Jace was silent, his eyes wide and
thoughtful.

"Guess we're lucky you didn't fall in love,
right? I guess you were right all along. In the end, one of us is
walking away. Only this time, you're going to be the one watching,
while I do what I should have done the first day I got here."

"What's that?" His voice was hoarse.

"Leave."

"Don't," Jace whispered, taking a step toward
me. "We'll figure it out. Just don't walk away." His eyes flickered
with uncertainty.

"Give me a reason to stay. Give me something.
Give me truth."

Jace opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
That was the part that hurt the most. He was able to give me the
words when it was for his benefit. He was ready to do the big
gestures, but when I needed him the most, he didn't pull through.
He froze, because in the end he still wasn't sure about us, and if
he wasn't sure now, he never would be.

"Let's talk about this," he tried again.

His smile made me sick.

"Come on, Beth, don't do anything rash. Just
give me a few minutes to gather my thoughts. You did wake me up out
of a dead sleep, you know."

He looked so disoriented I almost felt
guilty.
Almost
being the key word.

Ignoring him, I walked into the bathroom and
started putting all of my belongings into my suitcase.

"Beth
—
"

I stepped around him. "Jace?"

Again, he had no words.

"Enjoy the rest of your vacation." I threw my
clothes into my suitcase and zipped it up. The clock near the bed
said 5:15 a.m. If I was lucky, I could catch the first flight out.
Then again, I hadn't been lucky in a very, very long time.

"If you go
—
" Jace's
voice cracked.

"If I go, what?"

"If you walk away, it's your choice. You're
choosing to be afraid. You're choosing to walk away from us."

"Meaning?" I whispered, my back to him.

"I'm not going to chase someone who doesn't
want to be chased. I'm not going to pursue a girl who doesn't even
realize why she's worthy of a pursuit. I care for you, Beth, but in
my line of work, trust is the number one factor that builds a
relationship, and if you already don't trust me, we're doomed
before we even start."

Warm tears spilled onto my cheeks. "I
know."

The door clicked shut behind me.

"Are you crying?" Grandma leaned forward over
the table an offered the agent a Kleenex.

"Gnat, it, uh, flew into my eye."

"Both of them?"

"So she left?" The agent sniffled. "And it's
your fault."

"Yes. To all of the above."

Jace

I about banged the door down before it
finally opened.

"Three seconds before I murder you," Jake
whispered, his voice hoarse.

"She left."

"Who did?"

"Beth."

"So what the hell are you doing standing here
in front of my hut ruining my sleep?"

"I panicked." And I'd had a nightmare about
prom, one where there was blood and I was in that same damn car.
Where the hell had I been going anyway? And why was I saying her
name? It made me sick to my stomach that I couldn't remember. I
wanted to punch a wall. And then to be woken up in the dead of the
night and see tears in her eyes? It had about destroyed me.

"Oh, dear Lord." Jake opened the door wider
and let me in.

Char was still sleeping. I grinned when she
made a little mew in her sleep.

"
My
wife," Jake growled.

"Easy tiger. You won, remember?"

"Damn straight." Jake yawned again. "So,
explain, what did you do to Beth to make her leave?"

I gave him a run down. "And she woke me up
out of a dead sleep."

"I know the feeling."

"And expects me to be able to form coherent
thoughts?"

"How dare she," Jake said dryly.

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

I swore. "I don't know what to do." I wanted
to chase her down and punish her for leaving then kiss her
senseless for doubting me.

"Well, at least now you know what you
shouldn't ever do. Don't ever stare at a woman like she's crazy
when she asks you to give her a reason to stay and don't tell her
to her face
—
"

"It was her back," I pointed out.

Jake rolled his eyes. "Don't tell her in any
way that you aren't going to chase her. What the hell is wrong with
you? Do you wake up this stupid, or does it develop throughout the
day?"

My stomach dropped down to where my balls had
conveniently disappeared. "This morning, I'd have to say I woke up
that way." Either that or the thirty-foot jump jarred something in
my head.

A loud bang was heard on the door.

Swearing, Jake ran to open it and came
face-to-face with Grandma. She was wearing leopard silk pajamas and
had a creepy green mask covering her entire face, except her
eyes.

"What did you do?"

"Me?" Jake sputtered. "Try him."

He pointed at me. He may as well have put a
giant-ass target on my back and handed Grandma a shotgun.

"You." She joined in the pointing.

I started sweating.

"I basically handed you happiness on a
platter!"

With a groan, I hung my head in my hands.

"And how do you thank me? You let her just
walk away."

"She's already gone?" I jumped up from my
seat. "But how did she get on a boat so fast? How
—
"

The slap sounded like a crack of thunder. Did
she? Had I just been slapped by Grandma?

Jake winced as if he knew firsthand how hard
that eighty-six-year-old woman could hit and took a protective
stance, covering his man parts. Yeah, I'd probably never father
children. That slap killed sperm; it made my balls recoil so far
into my body I was pretty sure I would walk funny for at least a
week.

"You. Are. A. Jack. Ass. Jack. Ass!" Grandma
shouted.

More laughing from Jake.

"You're worse than Shit!"

Jakes laughter turned to confusion.

"She means the donkey," I explained.

"Was your plan just to let her walk away when
things got too hard? When things got difficult? Now look what
you've done! All my hard work, for nothing! I flew your parents
here. I staged your wedding! I dropped crumbs every few minutes so
that you'd follow the trail, and what do you do?"

"I crapped on the trail?" I offered
lamely.

"You did worse than that."

"I really don't know what could be worse than
crapping on the crumbs you're supposed to be eating," Jake
said.

"Not now, Jake!" Grandma shouted.

"Someone crapped in trail mix?" came a
gargled voice from the bed.

"Char!" Grandma wailed.

Char closed her eyes and ducked under the
covers.

"Char!" Grandma tried again.

"What?" Char sighed.

"You can't let Beth leave."

"She's leaving?" Char jumped out of bed.
"Why? What happened? The plan was working perfectly!"

"YOU KNEW?" I yelled.

"Whoa!" Jake held up his hands. "Don't get
your panties all twisted. We all knew. Well, I mean, we knew once
Grandma told us, and to be fair, Travis has known since the
airport, but since he's a selfish bastard, he figured if Grandma
concentrated on you guys, she wouldn't be texting him every five
minutes asking if Kacey's pregnant yet."

"Nothing wrong with a little enthusiasm and
encouragement." Grandma sniffled.

"No offense, Grandma," Jake rolled his eyes,
"but having your eighty-six-year-old grandmother texting you about
sexual positions kinda kills whatever enthusiasm said grandson may
be experiencing. It's like sword fighting with noodles. Nobody's
going to get poked, and you'll sure as hell get bored real
fast."

"Noodles?" Char smacked Jake on the arm.
"You're comparing sex to noodles?"

"Keep up!" Grandma stomped. "We have to fix
what Jace ruined."

"I can fix it," I raised my hand, "if one of
you or all of you tell me what the hell is going on."

"These plans," Grandma began to pace, "they
take months to come up with. I can't simply snap my fingers and fix
it."

She stopped pacing and smiled, the same one I
had come to recognize as the all-knowing smile. People should run
when that smile appears; countries should just give up
—
it's not worth the bloodshed.