Let's Be Just Friends

  “Rose? She seems really nice.”

  “Of course you’d think that,” Georgiana snapped.

  Madison blushed again and lowered her gaze. While their cousin wasn’t watching, Vicky slapped the back of Georgiana’s head and mouthed, “Stop it,” in the mirror. Aloud, she added, “I like her too.”

  Madison lifted her head and gave a weak smile. “I preferred Alice, though.”

  Vicky’s eyes widened, making the lack of mascara in one even more obvious. “What’s so special about this Alice?” she asked Madison.

  “She’s my roommate and best friend,” Madison confirmed. “It would’ve been super cool if she’d joined the family. Anyway, she has a new boyfriend now, so all's well that ends well…”

  Georgiana rolled her eyes. “Quoting Shakespeare, Madison? Seriously?” She wondered how Alice could live with her cousin without shooting herself in the head. Madison was so boring. “Here.” Georgiana passed Madison the liquid concealer. “Start with those awful circles under your eyes. You spend too much time locked inside, reading poems.”

  Madison made a grimace in the mirror but did as she was told.

  Georgiana finished smudging eye shadow on her lids before she said, “Anyway, you’re both wrong. Rose is a horrible person.”

  Vicky sighed, exasperated. “What is it you have against her?”

  “For one, as soon as her ex dumped her, she was all over Tyler. Even though he was with me, she moved into his house right away and who knows what else she tried to do.”

  “Rose and Tyler seem pretty cold towards each other,” Vicky said, finally applying a thick coat of mascara on the missing lashes.

  “That’s true,” Madison said. “They barely spoke last night at dinner.”

  “Which only proves my point,” Georgiana continued. “Why did they argue? Probably because he’s with me and not with her.”

  “I don’t know.” Vicky shook her head. “To be honest, I don’t like the way Tyler glowers at our brother every time they cross paths.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “Just be careful,” Victoria said. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “So you think the stray is still after Tyler?”

  “Enough.” Vicky banged a hand on the shelf, making the makeup items bounce. “Stop calling her that. Or, at least, don’t let Ethan catch you.”

  “All right, I’ll call her by her full name, then, Rosalynn.” Georgiana smirked. “How quaint.”

  Vicky rolled her eyes. “Anyway, to answer your question: no. From the way she looks at our brother, she’s not after Tyler. Are you sure it’s not Tyler who’s after her?”

  Georgiana positively glowered at Vicky and noticed Madison shrink in her chair.

  “Excuse me,” Georgiana hissed. “You’re talking about my boyfriend. Tyler wouldn’t be with me if he was into her. We’re perfect for each other, and who knows? Maybe in a year’s time, it will be me getting ready for my rehearsal dinner.”

  Or sooner, if her new plan worked. France had not been the success she’d hoped for. They had had a lovely time in Paris, with no arguments or troubles. But their relationship lately could be summed up as lukewarm. Tyler was slipping away from her. And even if she’d never admit it aloud, she suspected Tyler still wasn’t out of reach from Rose’s claws. So, at least for now, she tolerated Ethan’s relationship with her, as it provided a sort of safeguard. But with a bit of luck, soon there’d be no doubts about whom Tyler belonged to. And Georgiana was confident Ethan would grow tired of Rose sooner or later. She couldn’t wait for the time she’d be rid of the stray for good.

  Twenty-two

  Rose

  Rose shuffled around the dining hall of the hotel, hating that Ethan was not by her side for this social apéritif. But her boyfriend had a lot of friends on the island who he hadn’t seen in months, and Rose couldn’t demand he babysit her every second of the week. Still, she found it hard to socialize with so many unknown people. Not to mention she was on edge trying to avoid both Tyler and Georgiana. The wedding party was a certified minefield.

  On cue, Tyler walked into the room, and Rose navigated the other guests to disappear into the adjoining hall. Too busy with her escape to pay attention to other people, Rose bumped into someone.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said.

  “Please don’t be. You must be the famous Rose,” a distinguished man with trimmed white hair said. “I’m Ethan’s father, Bradley Smithson. Nice to meet you.”

  “Rosalynn Atwood. Very pleased to meet you, sir.”

  “The pleasure is all mine. It isn’t often that our boy brings home a girl. Ethan tells me you’re in your second year at Harvard Law. Have you already decided what branch of the law you want to follow?”

  “I’d like to work in litigation in the area of criminal law, sir.”

  “Oh, interesting.” Mr. Smithson chuckled. “I have a soft spot for criminal law myself. Many interesting cases. In fact, a couple of years ago we had this case on our hands…”

  Mr. Smithson started outlining the grounds of the case, and Rose listened attentively. Was he putting her to the test? He must be. Why else would he discuss legal matters with her five seconds after introducing himself? Ethan’s dad finished his speech and stared expectantly. “What’s your legal opinion?” he asked.

  Yes, definitely a test.

  Rose collected her thoughts. In the particular case he’d outlined, textbook solutions would only get the defendant into deeper trouble, which was probably why he’d selected it. So what would a shrewd lawyer do? Was there a way out? Some aspect was escaping her. She concentrated, trying to get a firmer grasp on the solution. After closing her eyes for a second, inspiration hit. Jurisdiction! It was a jurisdiction issue. The crime had been committed on a federal enclave and it did not fall within the jurisdiction of the state where it was being tried. Her dad had told her about a similar case ages ago.

  Rose smiled and offered her response.

  Mr. Smithson smiled back, a new respect twinkling in his eyes. “Do they teach that to second year students these days?”

  “No, I don’t think so. But my dad has always been passionate about the law. As a child, he read me supreme court sentences instead of fairy tales.”

  “Hi Dad,” Ethan said, coming up from behind them. He stepped up next to Rose and slid an arm around her waist in a protective gesture.

  “Son,” Mr. Smithson said, acknowledging Ethan with a nod. Then he returned his focus to Rose. “Your father is a lawyer? I’m not aware of any Atwood law firms in the Boston area.”

  “Oh, no. He couldn’t pursue a career. When my grandparents died in a car accident, he’d barely finished college before he had to go back to Dallas to take care of his younger brother and sister.”

  “Dallas? What does your father do back in Texas?”

  “He’s in real estate.”

  Ethan tightened his grip on her waist, he clearly tensed at the mention of his profession in front of his father, even if they were discussing her dad’s work and not Ethan’s.

  “Atwood, Atwood,” Mr. Smithson repeated. “Are you by any chance related to David Atwood?”

  “Yes… he’s my dad,” Rose replied, embarrassed.

  Mr. Smithson’s eyes bulged for a brief second before he caught himself.

  “Well, I’ll let you young kids enjoy the party,” he said. “It was a real pleasure meeting you, Rose.” He smiled fleetingly, then turned on his heel and was gone.

  Ethan

  Ethan followed the exchange between Rose and his father with unease. Since he’d started his own business, his relationship with his dad had been hard, to put it nicely. To say his dad could barely stand to look at him would be more accurate. Smithson and Smithson was the number one law firm in Boston. And for one of “the heirs” to abandon it was a slight too serious for his father to ever forgive.

  Ethan wouldn’t have put it past him to make a sour remark to
Rose, making her uncomfortable just to get at him. Even if, so far, they seemed to get along well. Yet when Rose mentioned her father was in real estate, Ethan was ready to go on the offensive if his dad dared say something insulting about that particular line of work.

  Instead, his dad had stunned him by recognizing Rose’s father by name and winking at him just before he’d left. Bradley Smithson—winking! Dad had shown no comradeship toward him since, well, since he’d abandoned the law. What was up with him? Ethan looked at Rose, perplexed, and was even more confused when he found her blushing tomato red.

  “What was that about?” he asked.

  “Not now.” She looked mortified. “I’ll explain later.”

  “Rose, is something wrong? Did my dad say something to you?”

  “No, Ethan.” Rose shook her head. “Your dad was perfectly nice.”

  “What then? Why did my dad know your father by name?”

  “Can we do this later? I need a drink.” She skipped forward, away from him and toward the bar.

  Ethan followed, curiosity building. He wasn’t going to let this go. He’d ask her later, in private, when he had better ways of mollifying her.

  Twenty-three

  Tyler

  Tyler paced around his room, he was hiding from Georgiana and still hadn’t managed to speak to Rose. How had things come to this? He was trapped in a relationship he didn’t want, but somehow needed. The only reason he remained with Georgiana, ironically, was to be closer to Rose. Like this weeklong wedding—he’d agreed to come only because Rose would be here. Tyler had hoped he’d be able to talk to Rose, but Ethan stuck to her like a shadow. At least everyone was staying in separate rooms. Georgiana’s parents were old-fashioned like that.

  He picked up the room’s phone and dialed nine.

  “Reception, how may I help you?”

  “Hi, hello, I’m here with the Smithson wedding party. May I have the room number of a guest?”

  “Sure, sir. What’s the guest’s name?”

  “Rosalynn Atwood.”

  “Miss Atwood is staying in room 2405. You want me to connect you, sir?”

  “No, that’s all, thank you.” Tyler hung up.

  Damn. Room 2405 was on the same floor as Georgiana’s room, but he had to try. Tyler ruffled his hair in the mirror—yeah, the bad boy look suited him—and walked out of his room.

  After waiting for what felt like hours for the elevator to arrive, Tyler hopped in and pushed the second floor button. To his relief, there wasn’t a soul in the hallway on the next floor. So why the anxiety? He wasn’t doing anything wrong. And if someone caught him… ah hell, America was still a free country, wasn’t it?

  2401, 2403… there, room 2405. The door had a bell, but Tyler decided to knock since he didn’t want to risk someone from an adjoining room hearing the bell ringing. When no one answered after a minute or so, Tyler knocked again. Was Rose not in her room? Was she still downstairs in the dining hall? That wasn’t likely—when he’d left the party, Tyler had searched for her. Rose wasn’t downstairs. Rage seared his veins. Was she in Ethan’s room? Tyler knocked once more, louder this time, so that if Rose was inside, it would be impossible not to hear.

  “I think you have the wrong room,” a deep voice said from behind, making Tyler jump. “My sister is two doors down the hall.”

  Tyler turned around to meet a stare of manly hate. Ethan had a black expression that told Tyler the dude was more than ready to fight. He wouldn’t mind knocking out the old guy, but instincts suggested the move wouldn’t score him any points with Rose. The two men stared at each other aggressively for a few seconds, until Tyler finally broke eye contact and moved down the hall without saying anything.

  He paused at Georgiana’s door and looked back before knocking. Tyler watched Ethan go through the door that had remained shut for him, and a wave of resentment took over. He rapped his knuckles on Georgiana’s door in a loud, vindictive knock. Not that Rose cared about anything—or anyone—he did anymore.

  The knowledge made him livid.

  Rose

  When Rose heard the first knock, she assumed it was Ethan. Only her innate sixth sense prompted her to have a look through the peephole before throwing the door open. Seeing Tyler standing in the hall outside froze her cold. What did he want? Rose couldn’t go through another conversation like the one they’d had in January. Not here, not now. Even if they’d hardly spoken in a month and a half, it was too soon. Their friendship was still bleeding from a thousand wounds, and they couldn’t afford to add more fresh cuts. Plus, Ethan was going to be here at any minute, and the three of them standing in a confined space together was a hell-no situation.

  Even through the glass’s distortion, she could see Tyler’s pained expression, and it killed her. She backed away from the door. Rose couldn’t bear to see Tyler suffering like this. But what could she do? Nothing Rose could say right now would improve the situation—it’d only make it worse. The easiest thing was to pretend she wasn’t in her room. If she didn’t open the door, Tyler would go away, and they’d talk another time. Yes, this was the only sensible thing to do. But as another knock came, and then another, her heart churned. Rose willed Tyler to leave because it wasn’t in her nature to shove him away, over and over.

  “I think you have the wrong room.”

  Ethan’s voice sent a chill down her spine, and Rose glued her eye to the peephole.

  Ethan and Tyler were glaring at each other like angry beasts ready to attack.

  “My sister is two doors down the hall,” Ethan added, his tone as cold and hard as metal.

  Tyler’s expression was murderous—not that Ethan’s was all hearts and clouds. If Rose could magically dematerialize right now, she would. Her heart beat faster as the two stood there, glowering at each other. After what seemed like forever, Tyler finally left.

  A soft knock came immediately after, and she opened the door to let Ethan in. His stare was a wall of ice.

  “What did he want?” Ethan hissed.

  “I don’t know.”

  “I don’t like it, Rose. I don’t like it one bit.” Ethan nervously paced around the room. “I don’t care if he’s a big part of your life or your best friend; if he keeps this shit going, I’m going to whack the bastard.”

  “Ethan, calm down. Everyone’s going to hear you if you—”

  “I don’t give a shit if everybody hears.”

  “But your sister—”

  “It’d be about time she opened her eyes. Listen, Rose, I have to tell her. I can’t stand that he’s all over you while he’s still dating her.”

  “Tell her what, exactly?” Rose said icily.

  “About you and Tyler. Your history together. I have to tell her. It’s the only way she’ll be able to move on.”

  “Ethan, you can’t tell her that. When I told you, you said I wasn’t talking to Georgiana’s brother.”

  “But she’s obsessed with him, how else can I make her see the truth?”

  “Not by telling her about me and Tyler. You promised.”

  “I know, I know. But it’s killing me to see the way he’s hurting her. And I can’t stand him anywhere near you.” Ethan’s shoulders relaxed for the first time since he came into the room.

  “Come here.” Rose grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the bed, where they cozied into each other’s arms. “I know it’s hard,” she said, stroking his hair. “But I’m sure everything is going to be all right. Tyler and Georgiana will break up on their own. If Tyler doesn’t love her, he’ll break up with her. To be honest, I’m surprised he hasn’t done it yet.”

  “What if he doesn’t?”

  “Ethan, I don’t think he’s going to propose to your sister, so they’ll break up sooner or later. And when it comes to me… look, he’s been spoiled his whole life. He’s not used to hearing no. This is just a tantrum. It’ll pass. He needs some time. That’s all.”

  “I still don’t like it.
”

  “I know, and I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It’s not your fault.” Ethan kissed her forehead. “But don’t think you’re so easy to forget.”

  Rose scrunched her face.

  “You’re adorable.” Ethan showered her face and neck with tender kisses. “You even impressed my dad. I told you he’d want to adopt you.”

  “Oh, come on. He was just being polite.”

  “No, he wasn’t. Rose, he winked at me! You must’ve done something to really impress him. And why did he know your father?”

  “About that.” Rose flushed red. “Remember when I said my dad was in real estate?”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “I may have understated that a little. I mean…” Ethan looked at her questioningly. Rose hoped he wouldn’t see her differently after she told him. “Let’s just say his company is just shy of a Fortune 500…”

  Ethan stared at her. “What, you’re saying your dad’s a real estate mogul, and you’re a billionaire?”

  “Pretty much.” Rose’s cheeks flared hot. She was sure her face was about to melt.

  “That would explain my father’s approval. If I’d known you were an heiress, I wouldn’t have rented your place to you at half price.”

  “You said the owner didn’t want to have it go to frat boys!”

  “More the owner wanted to get in your pants.”

  “It’s your apartment, isn’t it? You sneak!”

  “Me, sneak? What about all that ‘I have a low budget’ crap you pulled, Miss Heiress?”

  “I prefer Miss Atwood. And my reasonable-rent need was true, I don’t like to flaunt my dad’s money around. I prefer to live on a reasonable budget until I can make a living of my own. And I don’t like people knowing about my dad, because no matter what they say, they look at you differently once they find out.”

  “I know the feeling. It was the same in school for me. Once my surname was public knowledge, I had a whole lot of new friends. I hated it.”

  “So you get it?”