“Wow, you started to decorate.”
Her eyes widened. He was acting as if this was nothing. “How dare you?”
“So, we’ll go right in, no small talk.”
“You lied to me. You had plenty of chances to come clean, to tell me you were who you were.”
“I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
He was so calm, so blasé about it. That was not okay. “It’s a huge deal. I’m giving all my trust to your organization, and we’re starting out on a lie!”
He rolled his eyes. “Would you have looked into my organization if you knew it was me?”
She pursed her lips. “That doesn’t matter.”
“It does. As soon as I heard your voice and knew it was you, I knew I couldn’t tell you who I was. I mean, you just hit me.”
She glared. “Because you lied!”
“No, Brie, your hatred for me would mask what I can offer Rodney. I wanted you to come in, get the tour by my property manager, and then I would have joined you—when I knew you couldn’t say no.”
“So, more deception!”
He rolled his eyes. “I did this for Rodney. I get that we don’t like each other, and that’s fine. But it isn’t about us, it’s about him. That kid that needs a life that’s worth living and not in some shit-ass old folks’ home where he can’t grow or even enjoy the amazing life he has. He is special. He needs a place he can mature in and discover who he is.”
“It isn’t a shit-ass home. It’s good, it’s all I can afford, and I sure as hell don’t want to discuss that with you.”
“See? That’s what I mean. If you came in and saw what I can offer, then you wouldn’t worry about our feelings toward each other. You would see that I can give your brother what he needs.”
“So you were gonna lie to me until I couldn’t get out of it. How is that okay?”
“It may not be, but I didn’t know what else to do because I knew you wouldn’t let him come.”
“You don’t know shit!”
“I know you hate me.”
“That’s a given. But still, I love my brother and will do what is best for him.”
“I’m the best for Rodney.”
“You don’t fucking know us!” she screamed, her eyes filling with tears. “You don’t know my brother, you don’t know me, and you sure as hell don’t know our situation.”
Exasperated, he glared. “Brie, I do know Rodney. Maybe not like you do, but I know what he needs. I’ve asked him, he told me, and I can give that to him.”
“Behind my back. I am his sister.”
“I know that, and I respect—”
She laughed. “Respect! Vaughn, you’ve probably never ever respected anything in your life. And you sure as hell don’t respect me if you’re going behind my back and lying to me to get my brother into your organization.”
He held her heated gaze as she fought back the tears. “Like you said, I don’t know you, you don’t know me. All I want to do is help Rodney. I couldn’t care less about our issues.”
“We have no issues. Well, except for Rodney. And let me tell you, he isn’t coming to your community. Not now. Not ever!”
His face filled with panic. “Brie—”
“No! I won’t put my brother somewhere where the owner lies through his teeth and to my fucking face. You could have told me when I got off the phone with you and saw you at the compound on media day,” she yelled, throwing the peas into the sink. Her hand was still throbbing, but he needed to go. Now.
As she stomped toward the door, he said, “I did it for Rodney, because I knew you would act like this. We have some crazy communication issues—”
“Communication issues? You’re a lying, assholey douche! You are our issue.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “Me? It’s two ways, baby. You’re a bitch who won’t let anyone even try to be nice to you.”
Gasping, she glared. She may be a bitch, but he had never been nice to her. “Nice to me? You’ve never in your life been nice to me. You tear me down, you ruin my interviews, hell, I don’t think you know how to be nice to anyone. Probably not even your mother!”
He paused, his face turning red as he looked away. “Considering my mom died when I was six, I really don’t remember if I was nice to her or not, but I hope so.”
A heated silence fell between them as her hand shook on the door handle. Instantly, she felt bad, but she wouldn’t let him know that. It was hard when you found out someone else was motherless. As someone who had lost her mother, she instinctively wanted to hug him, but there was no way. When he looked up, his eyes locked with hers as he swallowed visibly, his Adam’s apple bobbing with the motion. His face was a unique shade of red, his lips pressed together as his eyes burned into hers. His shoulders were back, taut. How could she find him sexy at that moment? He lied to her; he deceived her. While he was right, she wouldn’t have even considered taking Rodney to his organization if she had known it was him, it didn’t matter. He held back who he was, and that was unforgivable.
“Why?” she found herself asking, and he looked away. “Why do you go by this other name? Why didn’t you just tell me the truth?”
Blowing out a long breath, he looked back at her. “I stand by what I said. I did it because I knew this would happen, and I wanted to sell you on the property before I told you the truth. I didn’t like lying to you. I didn’t do it to hurt you—”
“But you have,” she admitted, holding his dark gaze. “Because now I have to explain to my brother why he won’t be able to move in or ever see you again—”
“Brie, please, like I said on the phone, I would never hurt your brother. Or you, for that matter. I didn’t mean to.”
Her lip wobbled as she shook her head. She hated that when she got so mad, she cried. It was something that really bothered her, but she had been that way since she was a kid. She was trying her best not to cry in front of him. It killed her that he just didn’t get it. She had trusted this Nate fucker, and come to find out, it was all a lie. It was him. Her archnemesis, Vaughn JoHo. How was she supposed to forgive that?
“You didn’t say why. Why do you go by a different name?”
Her eyes widened. He was acting as if this was nothing. “How dare you?”
“So, we’ll go right in, no small talk.”
“You lied to me. You had plenty of chances to come clean, to tell me you were who you were.”
“I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
He was so calm, so blasé about it. That was not okay. “It’s a huge deal. I’m giving all my trust to your organization, and we’re starting out on a lie!”
He rolled his eyes. “Would you have looked into my organization if you knew it was me?”
She pursed her lips. “That doesn’t matter.”
“It does. As soon as I heard your voice and knew it was you, I knew I couldn’t tell you who I was. I mean, you just hit me.”
She glared. “Because you lied!”
“No, Brie, your hatred for me would mask what I can offer Rodney. I wanted you to come in, get the tour by my property manager, and then I would have joined you—when I knew you couldn’t say no.”
“So, more deception!”
He rolled his eyes. “I did this for Rodney. I get that we don’t like each other, and that’s fine. But it isn’t about us, it’s about him. That kid that needs a life that’s worth living and not in some shit-ass old folks’ home where he can’t grow or even enjoy the amazing life he has. He is special. He needs a place he can mature in and discover who he is.”
“It isn’t a shit-ass home. It’s good, it’s all I can afford, and I sure as hell don’t want to discuss that with you.”
“See? That’s what I mean. If you came in and saw what I can offer, then you wouldn’t worry about our feelings toward each other. You would see that I can give your brother what he needs.”
“So you were gonna lie to me until I couldn’t get out of it. How is that okay?”
“It may not be, but I didn’t know what else to do because I knew you wouldn’t let him come.”
“You don’t know shit!”
“I know you hate me.”
“That’s a given. But still, I love my brother and will do what is best for him.”
“I’m the best for Rodney.”
“You don’t fucking know us!” she screamed, her eyes filling with tears. “You don’t know my brother, you don’t know me, and you sure as hell don’t know our situation.”
Exasperated, he glared. “Brie, I do know Rodney. Maybe not like you do, but I know what he needs. I’ve asked him, he told me, and I can give that to him.”
“Behind my back. I am his sister.”
“I know that, and I respect—”
She laughed. “Respect! Vaughn, you’ve probably never ever respected anything in your life. And you sure as hell don’t respect me if you’re going behind my back and lying to me to get my brother into your organization.”
He held her heated gaze as she fought back the tears. “Like you said, I don’t know you, you don’t know me. All I want to do is help Rodney. I couldn’t care less about our issues.”
“We have no issues. Well, except for Rodney. And let me tell you, he isn’t coming to your community. Not now. Not ever!”
His face filled with panic. “Brie—”
“No! I won’t put my brother somewhere where the owner lies through his teeth and to my fucking face. You could have told me when I got off the phone with you and saw you at the compound on media day,” she yelled, throwing the peas into the sink. Her hand was still throbbing, but he needed to go. Now.
As she stomped toward the door, he said, “I did it for Rodney, because I knew you would act like this. We have some crazy communication issues—”
“Communication issues? You’re a lying, assholey douche! You are our issue.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “Me? It’s two ways, baby. You’re a bitch who won’t let anyone even try to be nice to you.”
Gasping, she glared. She may be a bitch, but he had never been nice to her. “Nice to me? You’ve never in your life been nice to me. You tear me down, you ruin my interviews, hell, I don’t think you know how to be nice to anyone. Probably not even your mother!”
He paused, his face turning red as he looked away. “Considering my mom died when I was six, I really don’t remember if I was nice to her or not, but I hope so.”
A heated silence fell between them as her hand shook on the door handle. Instantly, she felt bad, but she wouldn’t let him know that. It was hard when you found out someone else was motherless. As someone who had lost her mother, she instinctively wanted to hug him, but there was no way. When he looked up, his eyes locked with hers as he swallowed visibly, his Adam’s apple bobbing with the motion. His face was a unique shade of red, his lips pressed together as his eyes burned into hers. His shoulders were back, taut. How could she find him sexy at that moment? He lied to her; he deceived her. While he was right, she wouldn’t have even considered taking Rodney to his organization if she had known it was him, it didn’t matter. He held back who he was, and that was unforgivable.
“Why?” she found herself asking, and he looked away. “Why do you go by this other name? Why didn’t you just tell me the truth?”
Blowing out a long breath, he looked back at her. “I stand by what I said. I did it because I knew this would happen, and I wanted to sell you on the property before I told you the truth. I didn’t like lying to you. I didn’t do it to hurt you—”
“But you have,” she admitted, holding his dark gaze. “Because now I have to explain to my brother why he won’t be able to move in or ever see you again—”
“Brie, please, like I said on the phone, I would never hurt your brother. Or you, for that matter. I didn’t mean to.”
Her lip wobbled as she shook her head. She hated that when she got so mad, she cried. It was something that really bothered her, but she had been that way since she was a kid. She was trying her best not to cry in front of him. It killed her that he just didn’t get it. She had trusted this Nate fucker, and come to find out, it was all a lie. It was him. Her archnemesis, Vaughn JoHo. How was she supposed to forgive that?
“You didn’t say why. Why do you go by a different name?”
