Secrets from Her Past: Scandalous, Book 2 (6 page)

But Corinne wasn’t here to discuss the hunky construction worker.

“Good afternoon, Mary. I was hoping to talk to you for a moment,” Corinne said with a smile she hoped was hiding her fear.

Mary pulled her eyes from the door and focused on Corinne. “I have a few moments if you’d like to come to my office.”

Corinne followed the woman down a hall and went into her cozy office. After Mary took a seat behind her desk, Corinne eased into a cushy leather chair.

“What can I do for you?” Mary asked.

Shoulders straight, chin high, Corinne said, “I’m looking for a job. I was hoping you had something available, maybe to handle insurance or billing and filing. Anything really.”

Mary quirked a brow. “Are you serious?”

Corinne had expected surprise. “Yes, I am. I’m living back here now and I’d like to find a job.”

Mary eased forward in her seat. “I don’t know that we have any openings for supermodels. What else are you qualified for?”

Okay, so she wasn’t going to make this easy. Pride shoved aside, Corinne pressed on.

“I haven’t done anything else,” Corinne told her. “I started that right out of high school. Do you have anything that I could do? I was hoping to find a position here so I could be close to my parents.”

Mary sighed. “To be honest, I couldn’t hire you. You have a record and with all the pills and prescriptions we deal with here, I wouldn’t be comfortable.”

Corinne hadn’t even thought of that. She did have a record of being arrested, but the charges had been dropped…eventually. But the DA was still not convinced and continued to investigate.

Corinne grabbed her purse and nodded. She wasn’t going to defend herself to this self-righteous woman. She didn’t have the energy or the time. And Corinne planned on leaving with at least a little of her dignity.

“Thank you for talking with me,” Corinne said. “And for the record, I was innocent and I would’ve been an excellent employee.”

Mary smiled like she wanted to laugh. “We don’t really have a runway for you to strut down nor do we need to pay for a pretty face to sit around.”

Corinne glared down at the woman. “Have a nice day,” she said through gritted teeth.

As she turned and left the office, angry tears filled her eyes. She clutched her purse and her keys so hard they bit into her palms. She prayed to God she didn’t run into Dylan again because she just couldn’t handle all the emotions he conjured up in her on top of that harsh rejection.

After settling down for a moment in her car, she started the engine and pulled out of the lot before Dylan could spot her. Once she finished with her other stops looking for a job, she’d come back and visit her parents. If there were another place relatively close, she’d pull them out of this place and take them there, but Corinne knew their time at Best Care was temporary, just until her mother got some strength back.

Corinne hated the thought of running into Mary again. That smug little smirk on her face needed to be smacked off and Corinne feared if she’d stayed in that office too much longer, she would’ve shown Mary the nonsupermodel behavior.

Chapter Five

Dylan stood in his picture window and tried not to be obvious that he was watching for Cori to come home.

He’d heard the uncomfortable conversation between her and Mary. Had heard how heartless and cruel Mary had been to Cori, but he’d hidden around the corner when Cori had gracefully walked out like the lady she was. No matter how high up the society ladder she had climbed, the woman had always shown class.

Dylan had secretly been hoping for Cori to bitch-slap the woman who had so methodically tried to put Cori in her place, but Cori hadn’t even raised her voice.

He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but he’d needed to talk to Mary and happened to overhear Cori ask about a job. That right there intrigued him. Why on earth did she need money? Surely she had numerous accounts with all the cash flow she had. The woman was the face of so many ad campaigns there was no way she was strapped for cash.

But this was none of his business. Not her finances, not her lifestyle and certainly not what time she came home. But he was worried about her. It was nearly nine o’clock and she wasn’t home. He hoped she wasn’t out alone and still upset about the encounter with Mary.

Just as he was about to turn away and go out back to enjoy the ocean view, headlights tore through the darkness and Cori’s BMW pulled into her drive. Well, at least she made it home. Now he could go enjoy that beer and the soft waves. There was no better way to unwind after a hard day’s work. But, instead, he found himself pulling on his running shoes by the door and heading over to her house.

With each slap of his soles on the grass and concrete, Dylan cursed himself for being drawn into Cori’s tightly woven web. And getting caught was his own fault because other than being sultry, sexy and vulnerable, she hadn’t done a damn thing to try to capture his attention…save for the night in the silk robe, but that was the bat’s fault.

Dylan didn’t make it to her before she got into the house, so he stood on her porch and rang the bell. He worried she wouldn’t answer, but after a moment she opened the oak door and Dylan pulled the screen door so he could get closer.

“Dylan. What are you doing here?”

He shrugged. “Thought we could go run. You up for it?”

Cori shook her head. “I’m not feeling like exercise right now.”

Because he wasn’t a complete ass, he was not going to mention the encounter he’d heard earlier. But he also wasn’t going to let her sit in her house and throw a pity party.

“Come on,” he encouraged with a grin. “You look stressed and you know running is a great stress-reliever. I’m ready to go and I’ll wait on you to change.”

She opened her mouth as if she wanted to argue, but he tacked on, “Please?”

Cori opened the door wider and gestured him in. “Have a seat. I’ll change real quick.”

Dylan waited all of five minutes before Cori came back wearing a pair of those skimpy running shorts, a sports bra visible beneath her oversized tank and her hair pulled into a knot on top of her head. She set her shoes and socks by the couch.

“Let me wash my makeup off and I’ll be ready.”

Moments later she came out and took a seat next to him on the couch to pull on her shoes. Her face was pink and freshly scrubbed, making her look like the teenager he’d fallen in love with. But he couldn’t let himself venture back into the past. He didn’t have the same feelings as he had then. Years ago he’d been naive, now he was intrigued and well…he wanted her again on a physical level. And that little episode last night had played over and over in his mind—as had the exchange earlier between Cori and Mary. So here he was, trying to play the proverbial knight.

“Ready,” she said, coming to her feet. “So, how far you want to run?”

Dylan shrugged. “Up to you. I’ve had a stressful day and just thought we could unwind.”

Okay, so his day had been a cakewalk compared to hers, but he wasn’t going to call her out on it. Better let her think she was doing him a favor. He wasn’t about to damage her pride even more.

“Let’s run on the beach,” he suggested. She’d always loved it in school, and since he’d seen her there last night, he assumed that was still her favorite place to burn off some steam. “We don’t have to set a limit.”

“Sounds good to me.”

She headed toward her back door and once they were on her wide patio, she stepped her long, toned legs out wide and bent to stretch. Mercy, he should’ve gone out the door first. No way could he stand behind her, watching her bend at the waist like that, and not conjure erotic images, fantasies and a hard-on.

He moved to the other side of the patio and started stretching as well. Once she was done, he followed her down the steps toward the beach. He didn’t want to badger her into talking because he figured she was embarrassed and discouraged. If she wanted to open up, he’d listen, but most of all he just wanted her to know she wasn’t alone.

And wasn’t he just a glutton for punishment. The woman who’d ripped his heart out as a teen had resurfaced and he wanted her more than ever. Only now he was here to console. Yeah, this was not going to end well for him if he didn’t keep his emotions and his hormones in check because once the limelight started calling her again—and he had no doubt it would—she’d be running back to that world that had made her one of the most recognized faces in the world.

They set off at an easy pace and Dylan hung back just a tad to give her some space and the control. He wanted her to be comfortable because for some asinine reason, he wanted to be the one she opened up to. He wanted to be the one she used for that shoulder to lean on.

Apparently the mark she’d made on his life years ago was more prevalent than that made by anyone else. Maybe it was her vulnerability beneath that hard exterior, or maybe it was just the fact he’d never stopped caring for her.

“How’s your sister?” she asked.

Dylan watched the swish of her long ponytail. “Doing really well. She stopped by yesterday morning. She asked about you.”

“I’d like to see her,” Cori said, glancing over to him. “But I’d understand if she doesn’t want to see me…considering.”

Dylan kept his eyes forward, on the sand that stretched out before them. “She would love to see you, Cori.”

They ran their first mile and kept going in silence. But every now and then, from the corner of his eye, he could see her glance over at him as if she wanted to speak, but she never did.

After the second mile, she turned to head back and he kept up with her the easy pace. The moon was high overhead, lighting a nice path for them, and Dylan found himself instantly recalling what she looked like wearing only the moonlight and his touch. And it was those memories, those fantasies, that would get him into trouble.

“Why don’t you believe me?” she asked.

Dylan caught her gaze. “What?”

Cori stopped, rested her hands on her knees to catch her breath, and Dylan did the same. Her eyes lifted to his.

“About my charges,” she whispered into the night. “Why do you automatically believe the worst of me?”

Dylan sucked in a lungful of air and shook his head as he came to his full height. “I don’t believe the worst, Cori. But I don’t know you anymore.”

She dropped her head to her chest and sank onto the beach. Dylan watched as she pulled her knees up to her chest and stared out at the tide’s ebbing and flowing.

“You know me,” she said so softly. “You may know me better than anyone. Time hasn’t changed me, Dylan. I may be famous, but I’m no different. I still have fears, still have dreams. Still have feelings that get hurt too easily. And I still have the same morals I did when I lived here. I don’t lie or cheat.”

Dylan took a seat beside her, careful not to touch her. “You’ve changed, Cori. You may not want to see it, but you have. I have. It’s just human nature to grow into a different person than you were as a teen.”

Her misty eyes locked on to his and Dylan couldn’t prevent the clenching of his heart. Her eyes were like a clear window into her heart. All her emotions were laid bare: hurt, confusion, fear, hope. She had it all and he truly believed she was lost within herself.

“I may have changed physically, but I still have feelings for you. That hasn’t changed.”

Dylan called himself all types of fool for reaching over and stroking her cheek, sliding those few wisps of hair back. “You have feelings for the boy I once was and for what we shared. But you don’t know me, Cori. You don’t know the man I am today, just like I don’t know the woman you’ve become. I know what the media has labeled you, but that’s not the same.”

She laughed, turning back to gaze at the moonlit ocean. “Lately the media has thrown me under the bus as fodder for their latest gossip. I’ve seen that happen so many times to celebrities. The media takes a half truth and runs with it in the most negative direction because that sells more than positive stories or when celebrities do something good.”

He listened to her talk. Listened to the frustration, the defeat in her tone.

“And when you’re thrown under that bus,” she went on, “you are usually left alone. No one wants to stand with you, except for the lawyers, and that’s only because you’re paying them. And God forbid you try to get back on your feet. More mocking, more backs are turned.”

Dylan slid his hand up her back, cupped her neck and squeezed lightly. “Cori—”

“Corinne.”

He shook his head when she looked over at him. “Are we going to always fight about this? To me, you’re Cori. You’ve changed, but you’re still Cori in my heart.”

Her eyes searched his. “I have a place in your heart?”

Dylan removed his hand because this was getting too deep, too fast and he just…he couldn’t. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t slide into this level of emotions, true feelings, love…whatever…with Cori again.

“You used to and I guess a part of me will always carry that adolescent love around. You were my first in everything. Even I can’t dismiss that.”

“But you’d like to,” she told him with a sad smile. “It’s okay. I understand. Trust me, after today I fully realize what this town thinks of me and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. But that’s okay. I plan on staying for my parents. Once Mom is back home, hopefully my career can start back up and I can move on.”