My Fake Fling

REESE

Iwas wiped out. I had no more juice in the tank. The driver dropped me off at home. I wished I had a wheelchair to get my ass to the front door and then a stairlift to get me upstairs into bed.

I stripped out of my clothes without bothering to hang them. They stayed where they dropped. I climbed into bed and almost forgot to check my phone for updates from my dad.

As expected, there was nothing from him or the police investigating the case. The night had been a success without him, but I wished like hell he would have been there to see it. I wanted to celebrate my success with the man that had taught me everything I knew. He had been my mentor. Tonight was all about our hard work. It was the first time he and I had worked together with me as the head of the project. If he was out there somewhere, I hoped he was at least catching the press on the tower.

Despite my father not being there for the big night, it had been amazing. Things had been great. From what I heard from our salespeople, we were more than halfway to filling the units. I’d been dreading the night, but it had turned out to be enjoyable. Spending time with Thea had been nice. It was a lot like old times. I missed her.

Seeing her in that dress made me miss her in other ways. The woman oozed sex without even trying. She was so humble. I didn’t think she realized just how hot she was. I saw the many, many men eyeing her. They kept their distance because she was with me, but I saw them ogling her. It had sparked a bit of jealousy, which was an unfamiliar feeling.

I hadn’t felt jealousy since we were together all those years ago. It was both a good and bad feeling. I missed her. I missed having someone in my life I could count on. Getting back with her was appealing.

But it would never happen. She would never trust me again. Not after the way things went down between us.

Dad looked at me like I was crazy. “Are you sure about this?” he asked. It was the fourth time he’d asked me that.

“Yes,” I said. “I’ve made my decision. This is the way things have to be.”

He handed me the keys to the warehouse. “Okay. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I do. At least, I hope I do. This is the best thing for us. Thea and I are moving in opposite directions. She’ll slow me down and I’ll slow her down. It has to be this way. She can’t go where I’m going.”

“Here she comes,” he said.

I watched Thea get out of her car. She approached me and gave me a quick kiss. “This is it?”

“This is it,” I said. “Shall we go in?”

“Yes! I can’t wait to see it.”

I used the keys to unlock the door. The warehouse needed to be cleaned up, but we had gotten a great deal on it. She walked in and looked around. “This is incredible! It’s huge. I’m going to be able to do a lot with this space. I’ll be able to house so many animals!”

My dad, always the businessman, produced the paperwork that would transfer the property into her name. She signed every document with enthusiasm. “I can’t believe you did this. Thank you. Thank both of you. This is incredibly generous. I don’t know how I will ever repay you.” She wiped a tear from her eye.

My dad gave her a hug. “I know you’re going to do great things with this building. Good luck with your venture. I have every confidence you are going to do well.” He turned to me, and I was pretty sure I saw disappointment there. “I’ll be in the car.”

Once he left us alone in the warehouse, I felt the dread settle in on me. She was still holding the paperwork and smiling. I hated to ruin this moment, but it had to be done. “We need to talk,” I told her.

She went up on her toes and kissed me. “I was thinking we could do a little something other than talk. I want to thank you for this enormous gift. It’s huge. It isn’t just going to change my life. It’s going to change the life of so many animals.” She grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Thank you so much. I love you.”

I had to steel myself for what needed to be done. I loved her. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was I couldn’t do what I needed to do for me with her at my side.

The way she was looking at me was killing me. I knew I was about to break her heart. I was about to shatter her world.

“Thea, I don’t know how else to say this but to just say it. This is over.”

“What’s over?” she asked with confusion.

“Us.”

She stepped back. “What? I don’t understand. What do you mean we’re over? Are you breaking up with me?”

“Yes,” I answered honestly.

The look on her face killed me. “Why?” Her question was barely above a whisper.

“I’m going to be working with my dad,” I answered. “He’s taken me under his wing. I’ve been waiting for this opportunity. He’s going to show me the business and mentor me in real estate. It’s going to be fulltime. More than fulltime. I’m going to be busy. I won’t have a lot of free time. Any free time. I don’t have time for a relationship.”