Snipping Up Love (Insta Love Shy Girl Romance 5)

“Mr. Whittaker, I am so very sorry for–”

“Laura, it’s not your fault. I didn’t tell her who I was.”

She looked at me strangely. “Forgive me for asking, sir, but why would you hide who you are?”

I shrugged. “I wanted to make sure that she liked me for me, not my money.”

She nodded. “I could see that. Should I push the meeting back?”

Katy stomped out of the bedroom, dressed, with her purse in hand. “Don’t cancel anything on my account. I am gone.”

“Baby, please… Let me explain.”

She turned to glare at me. “This isn’t even your real home, is it?”

“Well, it is. I own it. I sleep here when I want to stay downtown. But yes, I have a huge house about forty minutes north.”

“What do you really do for a living?”

“I inherited my father’s company, Whittaker Investments. I also run a technical foundation. There are also many real estate holdings, including the building where your salon is located.”

She nodded. “Anything else that you haven’t told me about that might be considered important? A wife? Kids?”

“No. I’ve never even dated anyone for more than a couple of months. Katy, please…”

She shook her head, obviously not wanting to hear any more. She opened the door, then stared at the handle for a second. “I’m an idiot for trusting a stranger,” she said softly, each word sounding painful to expel. Then she left, closing the door behind her, without even slamming it.

Slumping onto a stool, I felt completely gutted.

“Should I leave, sir?” Laura asked cautiously.

“No,” I said quickly. “I need you to help me figure out a way to win her back.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

* Katy *

As always, my first reaction was to blame myself. Maybe I should have seen it coming. Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up so high.

But I’d been lonely since I moved, and having Dan’s energy and attention straight out of the blue was everything I’d been looking for. I hadn’t exactly been looking for love, just friendship, companionship, and someone to make me feel more grounded in my life right now.

I should have known that Dan was too good to be true. I fell too hard too fast.

Maybe I shouldn’t have gone off about not understanding the lives of rich people. I mean, I’ve never been to any super fancy or formal events, so I certainly couldn’t guarantee how I feel about it. But it was just the sort of thing that since I had no details, it made me uncomfortable in advance.

I was completely aware of how illogical that was. But I didn’t have to make sense right now.

I was hurt.

My entire chest ached. The first man that I had really trusted, that I had given my heart, body, and soul to, hadn’t been honest with me.

Perhaps I was just too naive to be here in the city alone. Perhaps quiet girls didn’t belong in the big, loud city, and I should go home to my small town and live with my mother again.

I didn’t want to admit failure, but the only success I’d had so far was because Dan asked his coworkers to make appointments at my shop. And they weren’t even coworkers. He was the damn CEO. They were his employees.

I finally looked him up, which I suppose I should have done in the beginning.

Dan Whittaker replaced his father Henry Whittaker as the CEO of Whittaker Investments. He was a billionaire who ran several companies. And even though his passion was obviously environmental and education technology, he also ran a bunch of investment and real estate businesses.