Love Arranged (Lakefront Billionaires, #3)(18)

“Did you force her to talk about it?”

“No.”

“Then she clearly didn’t have a good enough reason to break her NDA.” I keep my attention focused on the road ahead while ignoring the alternating lawn signs supporting either Ludlow or me. Trevor has more, which isn’t a surprise, but I’m pleased by my growing number in Willow’s neighborhood.

“You can’t fire her.” Lily turns to look at me.

I don’t return her stare. “I can do whatever I please after she broke our agreement.”

“No.” She grabs my arm. Usually I find people’s touch repulsive, yet whenever Lily lays a hand on me, my body doesn’t shudder with revulsion. It craves more, and that kind of obsession is exactly why I stayed away from her once we met face-to-face after talking on Eros.

When I tense at the contact, she lets go and clasps her hands together instead. “If you fire her, I’ll make you regret it.”

I can’t help laughing. “Are you threatening me?”

She lifts her chin. “Yes.”

“And pray tell, what will you do if I fire her?”

“Make your life miserable.”

Not a hard task given the state of it, but I’m curious enough to ask, “How so?”

Lily is the type of woman who will get upset over killing a bug, so I can’t picture her doing much harm.

“I could ruin your campaign like that.” She snaps her fingers.

An amused huff slips out of me. “I’d love to know how.”

“You’re not the only one who could run for mayor.”

“Since when are you interested in local politics?”

“It’s a relatively new discovery.”

“How new are we talking?”

“Thirty seconds, give or take.”

I’m more entertained than annoyed, right until she opens her mouth again.

“Imagine what would happen to the gap between you and Ludlow if I join the race.”

I bite my tongue from sharing how I feel. “No one would take you seriously.”

“Maybe not everyone, but I only need enough people to pick me over you to do some damage. And who knows. Maybe the town prefers me over you and that other asshole.”

“Trevor?” I’m more surprised by Lily calling him an asshole than her flawed plan because I’ve never heard her speak ill toward anyone, let alone call someone an asshole. What does she have against the Ludlows, or better yet, what did they do to her?

Her nose twitches. “Yes. Him. It’s not like he’s a good candidate either, so I’d be doing everyone a favor by jumping into the race.”

My hand chokes the steering wheel. “You’re bluffing.”

She smiles. “Do you want to risk it?”

I stew in silence for a minute before speaking up. “What has Willow ever done to deserve this kind of loyalty from you?”

“For starters, she didn’t pretend to care about me when she only wanted a fake fiancée, so I automatically like her more than you.”

“I…” I what? Yes, it’s true I joined the app to find a fake fiancée, but I ended up liking her more than I should’ve, which is why I cut her out of my life.

I had ignored the warning signs—like the urge to constantly check my phone or the worst-case scenarios that played out in my head whenever she didn’t answer my messages quick enough—until it was too late.

All it took was one meeting and I became paranoid about growing obsessed with her, like my father was with my mother. They both taught me obsessive thoughts only lead to an early grave, and I refuse to leave this world without stopping Trevor from becoming mayor.

“You what?” she asks, annoyed.

“Nothing,” I reply.

“Classic Lorenzo, avoiding questions like a real politician.”

“I’m avoiding hurting your feelings.”

“You’re a little too late.” The way she slurs her words makes me think she wouldn’t have admitted that under any other circumstance.

“You’re drunk,” I say instead.

“What I am is sick of all this and you.” Her voice cracks. “Were you ever interested in a relationship? Or was it all a part of your bigger plan to become mayor?”

The way I press my lips together is answer enough.

She laughs to herself, the sad sound coming out soft yet no less powerful. “Got it.”

I want to tell her that yes, there were fleeting moments where I wondered if I was capable of a relationship like the one she desired, but I wasn’t in the mindset for one.

I’m still not in the right headspace. Not when I need to focus on my plan to protect the place my parents loved, and definitely not while I still struggle with being surrounded by memories of my father’s obsessive need to make my mother’s dream of living in Lake Wisteria come true.

With my right hand on the wheel, I tuck my other one into the front pocket of my pants and touch my father’s dice to remind myself of what matters. Of whom I’m doing this all for, and why I can’t allow myself to get distracted by a beautiful woman with the most alluring brown eyes I’ve ever seen.

Lily is quiet for a few minutes before she talks again. “Why not ask Willow to pick a fiancée from the start? Why try finding one through an app?”