Pretend for Me (18 page)

“What? What are you talking about?”

“I’ve been keeping a lot of shit from you, Sara. You
were right. Your family would find some reason to keep us apart. You warned me
they’d do whatever it took.” His voice grew louder as his anger finally caught
up with him.

Staring past her shoulder he saw her family grouped
together with Dylan in the mix. The only person missing from the group was
Danny. He stood with his wife wrapped in his arms. “You were right. They only
want the best for you, and that’s clearly not me.”

“I don’t understand what’s going on, Andy. You never
said there was anything wrong with the club. Cube was your biggest success yet.”

His lies caught up to him.

“Since we stayed with them, my clubs have been facing
inspection for everything a club could face: food poisoning, the liquor license,
and even rodents.” He chuckled staring down at his phone. “Well, they won. I’ve
lost Cube. The chances of me getting it open again are slim. I’ve been warned
that the other four clubs will follow this one. It’s over for me.”

“You never said anything,” she said. Her eyes were
filled with tears once again. Andy hated being the one responsible for putting
the tears there.

“I kept it from you. I should have told you. I see
that now, but I wanted to handle this on my own.”

“What exactly is going on?” she asked, reaching out
for him. Andy took a step back. If she touched him now he’d fall apart. The
love he felt for her was too hard to ignore. In the step back he took, Andy saw
the pain he caused her.

She was clearly baffled by what was going on. “I don’t
understand.”

“The bank refused to extend my loan. I can’t afford to
keep Cube open. Then I was told the health department had received some
complaints about my establishment. They closed Cube down. It’s only a matter of
time before everything goes down.”

Now that he looked back at what was happening he saw
he’d never stood a chance of winning.

He felt his whole world crumble around him. The love
he felt for Sara consumed his every waking moment. He couldn’t care for her
when his future and security were down the toilet. Her money meant nothing to
him. Being with her was a pleasure he could no longer give himself. He’d failed
to be the right man for her. Andy couldn’t even fight the simplest things that
Dylan could do. Her ex wouldn’t need to go to a bank or worry about his club
being closed. No, this he’d lost. The anger inside him curdled and threatened
to get out. He looked at all the dancing faces and knew it was a lie.

Her family approached, and his anger refused to be
controlled.

“You’ve won,” he said, yelling for them to hear.

Sara gasped and turned on her family. The bouquet of
roses she’d caught was in her grasp.

“What’s going on? What do you have to do with his
club?” she asked. The hysteria could be heard throughout the garden. The music
lowered, and all the gazes of the people turned toward them.

“I think this should be taken inside,” Martin said.

“No, I’m not going inside. I didn’t cash the check you
put into my case, Martin. I care about your daughter, but it doesn’t matter
now. You’ve showed me more than once that Dylan can take care of her. I’m done
with this. You have no idea who your daughter really is.” He threw his hands up
in the air.

Andy walked away throwing his tuxedo jacket to the
floor. Another cost he’d have to bear when the time came.

“Andy, don’t go.” He heard Sara chasing after him.
“Please, stop.” The sound of her heels hitting the pavement filled his senses.
She shouldn’t be running after him.

He turned to her. Tears shone in her eyes, and they
broke his heart to witness. Andy caught her face between his palms. “I need you
to go back to that party, Sara. It’s over between us.”

“We can fix this. I can fix this for you, Andy. I
swear.”

Closing his eyes he rested his head against hers. “I
can’t let you do that.” He bit the words out. He needed to do this on his own.
No more help from others. It was killing him to walk away. The roses in her
hands stopped her from reaching out to him. He kissed her lips knowing it would
be the last time he touched her. It hurt to know he’d never see her again. Andy
loved her so goddamn much.

“I’ve got to go.”

Andy turned away and walked. He kept walking without
looking back.

Chapter Sixteen

Watching Andy walk away was the hardest thing Sara had
ever done. Every word he spoke echoed around her head. They’d ruined his dream.
Her family had ruined the dreams of the man she loved. His clubs were gone, and
the loan he’d never be able to pay back. She spun on her heel to stare at each
one of them. “I can’t believe you all did this. There was nothing wrong with
Andy. He didn’t have a clue about the money or who I was. He liked
me
. You’ve ruined his dream, and for
that I can never forgive any of you.” Staring at the bouquet of roses she
inhaled their sweet scent. She’d held so much hope when she’d caught them. Now,
she knew things were completely over. Sara threw the bouquet of roses on the
floor then stepped on them on her way down the driveway. She couldn’t be at the
house watching her family and acting like nothing happened.
 
They’d pushed away the man she loved.

“We did what we had to,” Martin said, shouting the
words to make her stop.

“No, I love him, Dad. You forced him away. I loved
him.” She took a step closer slamming her finger against her chest. “This is
what
I
wanted, and you can’t stand
it. Why can’t you let me live my life how I want?” she asked, yelling.

“He’s not the right man for you,” Jake said.

She looked among all of her family.

“No, he’s not right for you because his bank balance
doesn’t help yours. You all disgust me. Everything is about money, wealth and
money. You’re not the people I thought you were.” Gazing around at the wedding
she saw through the happy couple.
Were Danny and Bethany even
in love, or were they doing what they were told?

“Stop your yelling.” Her mother finally spoke up.
“We’re looking out for you, Sara.”

Sara growled at her words. All of her life that was
the excuse they gave her for stopping her doing something. “The only person
you’re looking out for is yourself. What you did has nothing to do with
protection or love.”

They’re looking out for her? Bullshit.

The world is full of bad people. So what?

“You’re killing me.” She shouted at them. For too long
she’d let them control her. “All my life I’ve been trying to do something on my
own, and you’re always taking it away from me. I’m not living. I’m doing as I’m
told with no way to fight back. Stay out of my life.”

Staring at each of them in turn she knew her words
were falling on deaf ears. They thought she was having a temper tantrum. Her
family only saw what they wanted to see.

She couldn’t handle what they’d done. Andy was a good
man through and through, and because he’d wanted more from her, her family had
gone out to destroy it. Turning on her heel she walked away. She was through
with her family. This time she wouldn’t be coming back. She was done with her
family. They’d ruined her life for the last time.

“Sara, wait.” Dylan called her name as he chased after
her. All of her family was watching the scene unfold. “He’s not worth it. Come
back to the party.”

“Why? So you can claim to be the victor? You haven’t
won anything here, Dylan. Why are you still trying?” Sara folded her arms over
her chest. Her anger was fighting to explode out of her like a different being
from herself.

“We were always supposed to be together, Sara. Andy
was in the way, and he could never look after you like I can. He was going to
use you and move onto the next woman.”

Shaking her head, she looked at her ex and felt like a
total fool. For years she’d been keeping this weasel’s secret. No more. He
really thought she wanted him back. Lashing out, she slapped him around the face
with one hand then with the other, hoping he hurt.

“You can’t talk. Why don’t you tell my parents why I
walked away from you? Let them all know how you proposed to me then intended to
sleep with another girl.” She shoved him hard, angry at him for ruining Andy’s
life. “Andy may not have had your money, but he was a million times better a
man than you’ll ever be.”

Before she gave them a chance to argue with her, she
stormed off. The floral pink dress she wore hindered her flight. Sara continued
running forward determined never to look back. For the first time in her life
she’d found love. She was in love with Andy Green, and her family had ruined
any chance of her experiencing it.

Grabbing one of the waiting taxis she gave the driver
her address then sat back. She watched the town where she grew up float away.
Sara closed her eyes relishing the feel of freedom. Her family would no longer
make any choices for her.

“Was it a bad wedding, Miss?” the driver asked.

She gazed down at the pink dress and smiled. “It
wasn’t bad.”

The party was a nightmare, but she was determined to
make the future a much better one.

Once the cab pulled up outside of her apartment she
paid the driver cash and ran up the stairs. She didn’t go to her room but went
straight to Andy’s room. As she’d left his keys with all of her stuff, she used
the spare key under the mat she to open the door.

“Andy? Are you home?” She closed the door. The silence
felt deafening.

He wasn’t home.

She went through to the kitchen, put the kettle on to
make herself a drink. When she’d made her drink Sara sat on the sofa waiting
for him to turn up.

After three cups of coffee, the sun had disappeared
from the sky, and Sara knew he wasn’t coming home.

The first tear fell as she made her way down to her
apartment. She saw her cases left outside her door. A single note in Andy’s
writing lay on the top.

Sara grabbed the letter tearing into the pristine
white paper.

Sara,

I went back to the wedding and you were gone. I brought these back for
you because I knew you’d miss them. I’m sorry about how this has played out.
I’ve taken Champion with me. He’s the only thing I have left.

Take care, Andy x

Collapsing against the door she felt the tears she’d
been keeping at bay start to fall. She loved Andy, and he was gone.

She pushed her cases into her room then left them to
go to her computer. Her publisher had left her an email. The book she’d sent in
they wanted to publish. The news should have made her happy. It didn’t. The
letter she held in her hand caused her more despair than she could have ever
imagined.
 

****

After walking around the town he’d decided to go back
and grab his things. When he’d seen the smashed bouquet of roses he’d figured
Sara had moved on.

Dylan sat on the step drinking a glass of scotch.
Tracy was waiting for him. Seeing Sara’s sister surprised him.

“Where’s Sara?” he asked.

“She left. You walked away, and she got in a cab and
was gone. We’ve been trying to reach her, but her cell phone is up with her
belongings and she won’t answer her apartment phone.” Tracy tapped her cell
phone against her leg. “She’s in love with you,” she said.

“Sara was always supposed to be mine,” Dylan said. He
no longer looked like the reserved man Andy had met several times but a man who
had lost everything.

“Shut it, you. She should have
ratted
you out to Mom and Dad years ago.”

Champion came running out of the house. “I’ll take her
things back to her apartment. You got what you wanted. I’m not going to be
causing any waves.”

Tracy stared at him for several minutes refusing to
let him into the house. “You’re going to walk away?”

He shrugged. “I’ve got nothing left to offer her. It’s
better this way, and I see that now.”

“You’re a fool.” Tracy moved aside and let him pass.

Andy spent a great deal of time gathering her stuff.
Someone cleared his throat, and when he turned around he saw it was her older
brother, Danny.

“What’s the matter? Have you come to gloat at how you
got rid of her boyfriend?” Andy asked, no longer in the mood to be nice.

“I had nothing to do with what happened. Bethany means
the world to me. I’ve always taken everything for granted. I’m the oldest, and
I’ve never had to put up with the shit that they throw the others. Even Jake’s
women get a security check on them.”

Danny walked in taking a seat.

“You’re telling me you had nothing to do with shutting
me down?” Andy stood holding one of Sara’s negligees.

“Nope.
No matter what people think I’ve always been in love with Bethany.
She’s the woman for me, and I asked her to marry me when we finished college.
She refused. I’ve spent the last few years giving her space and convincing her
I wanted her for more than her family.” Danny laughed. “I don’t think you’re a
bad guy. Sara, well, she’s the baby.”