One Long Embrace (Eternal Bachelors Club #5)

“That our friend Jay here isn’t the poor waiter she was sleeping with.”


“Poor waiter?” Paul stared at Jay in disbelief. “Why would she think that you’re a poor waiter?”

Jay raised his hands. “Why don’t I let you two sort this out, since you’re both obviously so interested in my private business?”

Paul’s hand on his forearm stopped him from stepping away. “Not so fast, my friend. What did you do to Tara?”

Jay went toe-to-toe with Paul. “Nothing! I did nothing to her. She mistook me for a waiter at your parents’ damn party, and I played along.” He stabbed Paul in the chest with his index finger. “And then you have to destroy it all by helping her figure out who I am. Thanks a lot!”

Deep ridges formed on Paul’s forehead. “What do you blame me for? Why didn’t she know who you were anyway? What were you playing at?”

Zach jerked his thumb toward Jay. “Lover boy here thought he could win Tara’s heart by pretending to be poor and ordinary.”

“That’s just sick,” Wade chimed in from the sidelines.

Jay huffed. “Well, that’s just great. Why don’t we air my dirty laundry in public so that everybody can voice their opinion on what a jerk I am?”

Because he did feel like a jerk. He wasn’t proud of what he’d done, how he’d deceived Tara. But at the time it had sounded like a good idea to find out if a woman could develop real feelings for him without being blinded by his money. Well, the joke was on him.

He tuned out as his friends exchanged the pieces of information they each had and filled each other in.

Hunter had joined them. He put a hand on Jay’s shoulder. “So, what now?”

Jay shrugged. “Nothing. It’s over. She doesn’t want a rich guy, okay? She’s made that abundantly clear to me. End of story.” However, it was easier said than done.

Paul hummed. “Mmm, that’s odd then that she would accept an invitation to the Willamotts for the weekend.”

Jay spun around. “What?”

Paul motioned to where his parents sat talking to Holly. “Yeah, Mother mentioned earlier that the entire Pierpont family is going to be at a house party on Shelter Island. And Mrs. Pierpont has made it her mission to find a suitable match for Tara. It appears Tara is finally giving in to her mother’s wishes.”

Over his fucking dead body!

“Do you know the address?”

Paul grinned and exchanged a conspiratorial look with Zach, Wade, and Hunter. “Looks like our friend hasn’t lost interest in Tara after all.”

Lost interest? Not fucking likely!





22


“Why won’t you tell me what’s going on?” Veronica asked as she sat on the bed and watched Tara through the open bathroom door, putting gel into her still-wet hair and styling it into place.

Tara met her sister’s inquisitive stare in the mirror. “I don’t wanna talk about it. It’s done.”

“But you were so into him. You practically glowed.” She flicked her wrist at Tara. “And look at you now.”

Tara pivoted and walked into the bedroom. “You don’t like my outfit?” She glanced down at herself. She’d changed into a short, figure-hugging red dress suitable for the cocktail party that was about to start. The Willamotts had invited half of Shelter Island.

“Your dress is fine, though a little more risqué than I’m used to from you.” Her sister rose and walked toward her. “But I’m worried about you.”

“There’s nothing to worry about. I’m fine.” How many times she’d said that last word in the last week, she couldn’t recall. But in every single case it had been a lie. She wasn’t fine. She was hurt. Hurt that Jay had lied to her.

“Maybe you can fool Mom and Dad, but you can’t fool me.”

“Why can’t you just let it go?”

Veronica took Tara’s hands in hers. “Because you’re my little sister, and I don’t want to see you unhappy.”

Tara pressed her lips together, ashamed. “Oh, Veronica, I’m so sorry. I never really gave you credit for what a good person you are. I always thought you were like Mom, just interested in the superficial things in life. I judged you wrongly.”

“That’s not important right now. Tell me what happened with this guy, with Jay.”

Tara sniffled. “He wasn’t at all who he said he was.”

“Oh Tara, most men aren’t. That’s part of the deal. They show you one side and then you discover another, and yeah, sometimes you might not like it. But that’s life.”

“It wasn’t like that at all. He was nothing like he pretended to be. Nothing at all. He was a fake. A big fake. And I fell for it. I believed everything he said.”

Veronica stroked her fingers over Tara’s cheek. “Oh, kiddo, I’m so sorry.”

Tara shrugged, trying to brush the sadness off, but it was a futile attempt.