Page 65 of Can’t Say No

His voice is full of its usual venom and I fight the urge to snap back in reply.

“Micheal and I have been friends for years. A whole group of us went out for drinks. It was nothing.” I keep my tone even, my eyes locked on Connor. There’s no way he hasn’t seen the pictures too.

“It’s time to get your head out of your ass and focus. That trip to L.A. was supposed to help your reputation, not damage it more. You need to crank up the good press, really lean into this thing with you and Majors. Get him to take you to Gustoso or something. Make it fancy. Fix this, or we can kiss our dreams goodbye once and for all.”

The line goes dead, but I don’t miss the way he says our.

Connor lets out a low whistle. “He’s always been a piece of work, hasn’t he? So how can I help you? What do you want?”

I laugh, dry and humorless. “That’s the million dollar question isn’t it?” I look out the window, “Sorry about that… what my dad was implying. Micheal is a friend. And I’m not sure he’s into girls anyway.”

The car rolls to a stop as we hit the first traffic light that signals our return to Ridgecrest.

Connor turns in his seat, pulling my focus fully to him. “Delaney, I’m not usually a jealous person. But seeing those pictures? I’m not gonna lie, they made me jealous as hell. And it’s not for lack of trust. It’s because I want it to be me. In every picture, at every party, on every red carpet. I want it to be me.”

I fight back the tingling sensation in my eyes. “I… I want it to be you, too.” The honesty has my palms sweating, the urge to duck and cover strong. This feels too close to something I’ve been running from my whole life. I quickly add, “But I don’t know what that looks like for us, long term. Maybe we just see where things go?” Walls firmly back in place, I swallow back the emotion threatening to spill out.

The light turns green, and Connor switches his focus back to the road, but I don’t miss the look of hurt in his eyes.

“I’ll take whatever you’re ready to give, Lanie Lou.”

Another shipment of clothes arrived from my stylist while I was in L.A., but still, nothing seems right. I called in reinforcements early, and Caroline and I have spent the better part of the last hour trying on every combination of outfits possible. Connor dutifully made reservations at the one fancy restaurant in town, an Italian spot that’s been here forever, Gustoso.

Flopping down on the bed next to Caroline, I let out a long sigh. “I need something that says respectable small town girl in love with her best friend, but also glam pop star who’s ready to get her career back on track. Is that too much to ask?”

Caroline raises an eyebrow, expertly honing in on the important piece of that run-on sentence. “Are you?”

My stomach flips. “Am I what?” I feign innocence.

Caroline sits up straighter. “Don’t play dumb with me. Are you in love with Connor?”

I start to answer, then snap my mouth tight, trapping all my honest thoughts before they spill out.

“Because he is. In love with you. Always has been. And it’s clear that this whole thing isn’t really fake.” Caroline shoots me another pointed look. “So maybe you don’t know where you stand, but he’s all in for you. This isn’t a game of make believe for him. This is his heart. Don’t break it.”

I blink back at her. With her arms crossed and brows knitted together in a scowl, Caroline looks venomous.

“You’re kinda scary when you’re in protective friend mode.”

She shrugs. “I’m big on looking out for the people I love.” Her gaze is unrelenting, and cracks me wide open.

I fiddle with the hem of a dress I definitely won’t be wearing tonight. “I do,” I whisper, admitting out loud something I’ve never dared to let my thoughts settle on for too long. “I do love him. All my favorite memories are with him. Every good and happy thing, every hard and painful thing. All of it circles back to Connor.” I look up, a softness returning to Caroline’s face. “But I don’t know if that’s enough.”

She reaches across the bed and pulls me into a big hug. “Sounds like a good place to start.” She holds me tight for a moment, and I let myself imagine this path. The one where I stay, not only for Connor, but for myself and the budding friendships I’ve found here in Ridgecrest, and all the happiness that could bloom here.

It’s such a pretty make-believe world.

“Now,” she says, hands still on my shoulders, “let’s get you dressed for your first real date with Connor Majors.”

I make no effort to hide the girlish giggle that bubbles out. “Never thought I’d hear that combination of words.”

Caroline matches my smile and gets to work, pulling together a few more outfit combinations for me to try. With our music blasting, I don’t hear the heavy footsteps until they’re right outside my door. A loud knock breaks the spell we’re under.

My dad walks in, tall and imposing, and I notice Caroline shrink back a little. He has that effect on people.

“I want some real good pictures out of this. No alcohol, no scowling. I called in some paparazzi. Let’s get back on track once and for all.” With that, he turns on his heels and stomps back out of my room.

“Well, he’s a real joy to be around, isn’t he?” Caroline scoffs.