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“I didn’t want anyone knowing who I was because I needed to see the inn like a normal tourist. I didn’t want anything changing just because people knew who I was and why I was here. Please believe me, Meg, I didn’t mean to hurt you or for it to go this far.”
“You didn’t mean ‘for it to go this far’? You’ve been lying to me the entire time. What did you think was going to happen?” I snap.
“I didn’t think I would end up connecting with you the way we have,” he insists.
“So, when you said you lived and worked in New York, you meant you work for your family’s business?” I clarify. “Bellamy Hotels and Inns?”
“Yes.”
“And your family wants to buy the inn?”
“Yes, but it’s meant to make it better than it is right now,” he tries to assure me.
“Wait, so when you said you wanted to explore Seaside and see what it has to offer, it wasn’t because of me. It’s because you needed the intel for your work,” I realize. “You used me!”
“No, Meg, it was never like that,” he insists.
“That’s exactly how it played out!” I yell. “You said you needed to see this place like a tourist and you used me to get that.”
“Like I said, I didn’t think I would find someone like you. I got so caught up in how I feel about you that I kept trying to ignore the part about buying the inn.”
“Well, good luck with that. The place isn’t for sale.” I stand to walk away but he takes hold of my hand again.
“Meg, please believe me when I say I never meant to hurt you,” he pleads, his eyes heavy with desperation. “The last thing I want is to hurt you because I know how special you are.”
“Just because you crash your car into another and you didn’t mean for it to happen, it doesn’t stop it from being your fault. You still cause damage,” I hiss, yanking my hand from his. “You knew exactly what you were doing. You’re not sorry you did it. You’re sorry I found out and that I’m pissed.”
“I promise this isn’t a bad thing,” he tries.
“No, it’s a horrible thing, Drew! Do you really think you’re the only hotel chain to try to buy the inn? I’ve seen what Bellamy does to places like Seaside. Your family takes a property, puts their name all over it, and then the place becomes just another pawn in the hotel game, a carbon copy of the last place they bought. They suck the personality out of every place they buy!”
“Seaside Inn is unique and special and that’s why people come here. To get away from chain hotels that are cold and monotone. I know you’re probably going to say it’s just business, but Seaside is my home and I’ll be damned if I let you buy the place.”
I’m so upset at him right now that I’m shaking. Knowing his family is trying to buy the inn makes me feel like someone is stealing my home and destroying it, simply to make a quick buck. It’s cold and disgusting and I can’t stand it.
Instead of just walking away, I run. I run as fast as I can, all the way back home. I’m not sure if Mia knows yet but it’s only a matter of time.
I feel like my idyllic world is being shattered. Suddenly my life has turned gray and cold because Drew is taking the warmth out of it.
Soon his family is going to try to take the rest. Places that we’ve been together now feel like they’re tainted, stained by a man who once seemed like Prince Charming, but has turned out to be a lying bastard.
Drew and his siblings are the billionaire owners of Bellamy Hotels and Inns, and he played me like a damn fool. My throat tightens as tears fall down my cheeks, mixing with the salty sea air that brushes against my face.
My initial encounter with Drew was hostile. Then our relationship grew loving when I felt his warmth and tenderness. How did things change so quickly?
How could I fall for him so effortlessly and then have it all shatter right before my eyes? Was any of it real? Does he even really care about me?
When I think of our dates, our time spent together, I just can’t tell. He could have been keeping track of restaurants and other locations where we went just to see how they could contribute to his company’s evaluation of the inn. His interest in me could all have been a ruse for all I know.
But either way, he and his family have a big problem now.
He says I have a fire about me? Well, he hasn’t seen anything yet. Now I have turned up that heat in an entirely different way and will fiercely oppose the idea of selling my family’s property.
I can’t believe I was stupid enough to let something like this happen again. Of course, Drew was too good to be true. How could I not see that?
Not only did he play me like a fool, but he played everyone else too.
Chapter nineteen
