Chapter 2

2

HEATHER

B aron Bishop has been the bane of my existence way before I understood what hatred was.

Everything I accused him of is true. He made my life miserable at school, but between him and Corinne, my twin sister, he was the lesser evil.

I know, deep in my bones, that I will regret agreeing to this crazy plan. Then again, what do I have to lose? Corinne took every opportunity to embarrass me, and this time was no exception. Even as kids, she liked to take everything that belonged to me. It didn't matter if our parents gave us the same thing. She would find a way to leave me with nothing.

As teens, she would bring home guys she knew I liked, and so maybe part of me knew she would try to pull off something like this.

Two weeks ago, she casually dropped a bomb on me. She was dating my ex, Alex. We were together for almost a year, but he dumped me in front of our friends because, as he said, I was too stiff and boring for him.

"We're just not on the same wavelength," was what he said.

And he ends up with Corinne who's his definition of fun.

Honestly, I have no idea why Corinne hates me. We look the same way. She has everything I do and more. She's more popular than me and has more friends than me. My social calendar has nothing on her.

The fake date idea came to me when I realized Corinne timed it perfectly for Mimi's 80th birthday. My grandmother loved throwing lavish parties, and everyone wanted to score invites. I knew without a doubt that I would be the laughingstock if I showed up alone or didn't show up at all. Corinne would make sure of it.

Baron standing in was the last thing I expected, though.

See, there was a reason he was popular in school. Baron was hot. Still is, if I'm being honest. More than that, he's witty and funny, and he always has a response to anything. In class, he had a ready answer for when teachers called him out, and ten times out of ten, the answer was hilarious but also made sense.

So what is this thing taking root in me? I've only ever seen him as an asshole. Nothing more, nothing less.

It makes me sick. Am I some kind of masochist? And why do I feel excitement thrumming in my veins at the thought of bringing him as my plus one? Whatever it is, I shove that sensation down deep.

Whenever Corinne felt like cutting them, all of my ex-boyfriends would cower in one corner and leave the first chance they got. They didn't want to get involved in my family drama.

But…

Baron won't be like that. He's not going to let Corinne throw him around like she does others. Besides, he loves drama. He lives off it. And if they do face each other? It's one bully against another. Here's just hoping they won't gang up on me.

I'm still not fully convinced Baron and I should push through with the plan until Corinne sends me a photo of her and Alex kissing on the beach. As if that's not enough, she follows it up with a short clip of them sucking each other's tongue.

Weirdly, it doesn't affect me the way I thought it would. It irks me that she's found a way to piss me off, but that's the end of it. No jealousy and definitely no wishing it was me.

Been there, done that, didn't like it.

My phone pings with a text message, and I brace myself for another disgusting and unwelcome insight into my sister and my ex's very public relationship. Surprisingly, it's not her.

Baron: What are you wearing on Sunday?

I send him a photo of my gown. The theme for this year is masquerade. Last year, it was The Great Gatsby. What can I say? Mimi never does things half-baked.

Baron: : (

Me: Why the sad face? Does it not live up to your expectations, your highness?

Baron: I want a photo of you IN it

Me: Fuck off, Baron. Not showing you shit.

Baron: What if I beg? I'm not above begging. Please x 1000

Me: Don't make me regret taking you as my date.

He doesn't respond anymore. Maybe he's out with his girls or friends. Whatever. It's none of my business.

Andrea has accompanied me to the atelier for last-minute adjustments. The party is in four days, and while I don't plan on standing out, I do want to look good. For myself and not for anyone else.

I've just changed back into my floral midi dress and black pumps when Andrea stares at me funny. She's sitting on the loveseat in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror and platform.

"What?" I ask, sitting beside her and staring at myself in the mirror.

"I want to say something you're probably not going to like."

Andrea leans forward and fixes her newly-cut blonde bob. She's a lot shorter than me at 5'2, but we're both curvy, so we like to shop together, often buying the same clothes in the same color.

"Out with it, Ands."

She twists at the waist to face me and takes my hands in hers. "I love you. Please don't hate me, but I think Baron is okay."

"You did not just say that. Don't you remember all the pranks he pulled when we were young?"

Andrea chews on her lip. "Most of them were harmless pranks, though. You didn't go home crying because of what he did." She pauses and pins me with an intense gaze. "Unlike your sister."

I sigh and cross my legs. "That's true."

"Listen, I've had several chances to interact with him. Our dads belong to the same country club."

"You never told me."

"We never talk about Baron anymore."

I lift my shoulders. "I mean, yeah. The last time we did was in senior high school." Intrigue wins over and I prod, convincing myself it's to add to my arsenal, "So what's he like?"

"He's not bad actually. He's funny and pretty smart."

I jerk back, my eyebrows almost reaching my hairline. "I get the funny part, but smart? Are we talking about the same Baron Bishop? The guy who submitted a blank paper in English Lit because he said he thought so hard his brain fried?"

Andrea throws her head back and laughs. "Oh God, I forgot about that and the look on Mr. Lawson's face." She wipes her eyes and smiles. "That's not the impression I got. He knows his dad's hotel business inside and out. And when I got around to talking about how difficult and frustrating it was in med school for me, he was sympathetic and had nothing but kind words."

"Right. Are you on his side now?"

"I'm always on your side, Heather. It's just that … give him a chance. I'm not telling you to make him your husband, but barring his crazy streak when we were young, he's a pretty cool guy. Who knows? He might change your mind. People change."

Those last two words are still ringing in my head when we leave the atelier. Andrea has her arm looped through mine, and we're laughing at something that happened in one of her classes.

We both slow to a stop when we spot Baron leaning casually against his Range Rover. My heart does a somersault for some unknown reason, especially when he stands to his full height, and I wrestle down the bizarre urge to show him how happy I am to see him. I don't even know why I'm happy to begin with.

I used to make it a point to avoid him, even when it meant crawling my way through the bushes to my next class.

The dark denim jeans, sneakers, and a striped polo shirt shouldn't look so good on him, and I hate that I notice his broad shoulders, the cotton fabric clinging to his body and emphasizing his hard muscles.

His dark blonde hair is swept to one side, showing his undercut.

"Hello, ladies. Would you both go to dinner with me?"

I'm about to say no, but Andrea tugs on my arm and smiles at Baron. "Thanks for the invite, but I need to go back to my apartment. I need to study for tomorrow's exams."

I cast her a questioning look, which she ignores. Andrea finished her final exams last week. She's on a month-long break.

"Ah, too bad. Need a ride? I can drop you off first."

Andrea waves him off. "I have my car right here." She turns to me and kisses my cheek. "Enjoy your dinner."

I keep staring at her back in stunned silence, still unable to grasp that she's leaving me, and she spins on her heel to face me, her fingers doing a text-me motion.

Did my best friend, whom I will catch bullets for, just feed me to the wolf? A ruggedly handsome but extremely cocky wolf in particular? And why am I equally nervous and excited?

Baron's intense gaze coasts over me, lingering on my mouth and making me swallow hard. I've never felt awkward around him, but then, we never really spent time with each other like this. Like we're about to go on a date.

A date with Baron. Just the two of us.

I feel something hold on to me, its tendrils winding around my chest, my ankles, my throat. It's not an unpleasant feeling, but it's new and unfamiliar, causing something hot to coil in my lower belly.

What in the world is wrong with me?