“He’s convinced maybe he sheltered me too much.”
“How so?”
She sits and reaches below her coffee table, bringing out a photo album. “How well do you want to know Greer Palmer?”
“As well as I know myself.”
“Then put those to the side. I have a whole album to share with you.”
I do as she asks, and she moves next to me.
For the next hour, she tells me about her life through pictures. Trips, experiences, and memories tumble out as I learn more and more about the real Greer Palmer. When she hits the last page, she slaps the book closed and deflates into the couch.
“So, that’s me.”
My subconscious is on overdrive, screaming that now is the time to spill my secrets. I could spin the truth, explain my family business. But if she asks too many questions, there’s a chance I’ll reveal too much.
“Say something.” Greer’s small voice tears me away from my thoughts.
“I’m soaking it all in. There are lots of questions firing off in my head.”
“I’d be surprised if there weren’t.”
“Come here.” I place the album on the table and haul her into my lap, trapping her in my arms. “What doesn’t make sense is why you’d be hiding it. Why wouldn’t you share this with me before?”
“Because it never came up?” She gives me the same lame excuse from earlier.
“Sure it did, I ask you about yourself all the time. We talk about your parents, your clients, and your friends, yet you glazed over some pretty major details.”
Her eyes meet mine and are full of hesitation and uncertainty.
“Greer, baby, don’t shut down now. You’ve come this far.” I trail my hand down her cheek and tuck her hair behind her ear.
“I was scared it would change things between us. There’s a reason my parents sheltered me. In the outside world, being Kevin Palmer’s daughter comes with insinuations and assumptions. People regard me a certain way publically. They see a very rich woman as a gateway. I learned the hard way that people are relentless and opportunistic. I prefer simplicity in my life. When we met, you had no idea of any of that. You liked me for me.”
Every fucking word she says is like a searing blade into my chest, carving a hole in my heart. I’m that fucking relentless and opportunistic asshole that saw her as nothing but a gateway to getting his career back on track and my hotshot promotion.
Here she sits, in my lap,
spilling her vulnerabilities so honestly. And I’m the sick bastard she should be running from.
My gut rolls with revulsion. I’m a predator, violating every ounce of trust she’s given me.
It doesn’t matter that the project is done. I turned in the final blueprints and scale model yesterday, leaving them for my uncle to review. With Greer gone all weekend, I worked tirelessly and finished ahead of schedule. The construction and planning pieces still need to be implemented, but my job is complete.
Now, I stare into her beautiful green eyes that are swimming with self-doubt and force myself to focus on her. “I don’t care about any of that. I’ve known for weeks about your riches. It was a shitty thing for me to bring it up on Friday night. I lashed out unnecessarily because I was being a dick.”
“I used the term asshole myself.” She cracks a smile.
“Asshole, huh?”
“Yes, the thought crossed my mind when you hung up on me like an imbecile.”
“Not my finest shining moment.”
“No, but I knew in the back of my head, I deserved some of the blame. I purposely let you believe my friends were laboratory associates and made them play along. It was silly and pointless. I’m proud of my friends and their accomplishments.”
“There’s a lot to be proud of, so why shield it?”