The look on his face made her pause. He looked hurt. He had jumped into freezing water for her. Inwardly, she cringed. She’d hurt him again. When Tom had broken her heart, she was determined not to let that change who she was, but it had. She’d hidden from the world. It was easy to be kind when you were alone. This whole situation had thrown her out of her comfort zone, and now she found herself being cruel and mean.
Penelope scooted closer to him and held his gaze. “I’m so sorry. I’m not deliberately being mean to you. I’m just…” She sighed. “Regardless of who you are or what you’ve done, you don’t deserve to be treated as horribly as I’ve treated you since the show started.”
His mouth parted as though he was shocked. “I am trying to be a better person.”
“I know. Or I think I do. It’s so hard to know.”
Angus nodded and continued to keep eye contact. “I guess I can see your point.”
“You said you have four standard poodles. Was that true?”
“Aye. They live with me in LA. I have an acre for them to run on.”
“A whole acre…” Her tone was soft and wistful. “George would love that. My house is small. About a thousand square feet. I live on the beach. When my parents died, they left my sister and me the house. Paige lives in Pensacola, but I wanted to stay on the beach.” She sighed. “George wouldn’t know what to do with an acre. I take him for walks and so does my neighbor sometimes.” Her mouth had hit the autobahn at a hundred miles per hour.
“I think I like you drunk.”
“Me too. I’m not so uptight.”
He grinned. “You said it. Not me.”
She took a deep breath. “I wasn’t always like this. I was funny and outgoing, and I had friends. I cared about how I dressed. I carried myself differently. I was confident. I had plans, and―” Penelope caught herself and stopped.
“What happened?”
“It doesn’t matter. I am who I am. Sometimes when a person gets broken, they can’t be fixed.”
“Aye. No disagreements from me.”
Penelope moved even closer as she studied him. Now she was nearly shoulder to shoulder with him. “That’s why you behaved so badly. You got your heart broken, and I bet you didn’t have anyone who cared enough to help you through it. I can’t begin to imagine what it would be like to have my mistakes shown to the world. All those stupid tabloids. Not that I read them, but you can’t exactly escape them when you’re in line at the grocery checkout.”
Angus nodded, and when he spoke, his voice was thick. “I have a mate from my childhood, but Finn isn’t what I’d call a roper. He lets me do what I want.”
“Paige was left at the altar by a guy named Tyler. It crushed her, but she had me. For months, I held her while she cried.” She chuckled as she thought back to that six months. “I even went out and bought china at the thrift store so she could throw it. I didn’t realize breaking plates could be so therapeutic.”
He held her gaze and smiled. “Guess I should’ve had someone like you.”
“You don’t mean that. Angus, I might be drunk, but I’m not stupid. I’m a nobody. Amber, Jeanie, and Zora…they’re…your speed. They’re poised and beautiful. Arm candy. When you arrive at red carpets, they’ll smile for the camera and make you look good.”
“What if I don’t want to look good?”
Penelope snorted. “Too late.”
One corner of his mouth twitched up, and he chuckled. “Is that so?”
“Like you don’t know.” As she yawned, she put her hand over her mouth. “Drinking makes me sleepy.”
“Do you drink often?”
“First time ever. I’m diabetic.”
Angus’s eyes widened. “I had no idea. Are you going to be okay?”
“So far, I’m fine. I’ll pay for it tomorrow, but I don’t really care right now. I hate this place.”
“Hawaii? It’s beautiful. How could you hate it here?”
“There are ghosts of Penelope’s past here. Everywhere I look, I see her laughing and happy, and then it just shatters.” Her voice trembled. The tears she’d staved off all day trickled down her cheeks.
“I’m sorry.”
She took a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter. I’m here. I can’t go anywhere.” In the process of talking, they’d gotten closer, and she was inches from him. He wasn’t even touching her, and his warmth was a magnet, making every one of her nerves hum. “And you seem insistent on proving to me that you’ve changed. I wish you’d direct your energy to one of the other girls. They’re desperate for your attention.”
“Maybe I don’t care for the other girls.”
“Right,” she said softly. Why was he so persistent? She was a fish, and this reality show was a barrel. Once it was over, he’d have his choice of women. Even if something were to happen between them, the second he had the opportunity, he’d find someone else. Penelope looked away and then back at Angus, locking gazes with him. “I don’t know what happened to you, and I don’t want to know because I certainly don’t want to trade stories. But I’d love it if you’d leave me alone. You don’t want my friendship or anything else. I know you don’t. You want your career back.”
“You really hate me, don’t you?”
“No…I don’t hate you at all.” She was terrified of him. “You want me to believe you’ve changed. Fine. I believe it. But, please, I’m begging you, stop directing your charm in my direction. I’ve had enough heartache, and I can’t handle another notch on my belt.”
Even in the dark, Angus had an effect on her. The way he smelled, the way the wind tossed his hair across his face, and the way he was looking at her made her tipsy heart race. There was something about him, and there was no way he didn’t know he was something special.
The proximity of his lips to hers was too close for her comfort. Penelope shifted away to put distance between them.
He closed the distance. “You seem to make a lot of assumptions about me when you’ve not even taken a moment to get to know me.”
“I don’t need to know you.”
“We could be friends,” he said softly.
She scoffed. “Right. I suspect all your friends come with benefits.”
“You’d be wrong.” His voice was gruff.
Penelope had never liked fighting, and the past six weeks had left her feeling emotionally spent. She was never going to get rid of him. He wanted the world to see that he’d changed, and she was what they’d use to measure it. He wouldn’t leave her alone until he’d accomplished his goal and won his career back.
In that moment, all her fight dissipated. She surrendered.
Penelope wilted and sighed. “Okay, Angus. You want to prove you’ve changed. We can be friends or whatever.” Penelope stood. “You got what you wanted. Tomorrow when I wake up, and after I’ve recovered from whatever consequences this bender costs me, we’ll be friends. I won’t fight you or Barb or this show anymore. I’ll pretend it doesn’t hurt to be here. I’ll be the good little compliant girl everyone wants me to be. I’ll smile when told, go on dates, and do whatever is asked of me. No complaints. No fighting. You win.”
Angus stood and faced her. “I don’t want that. I don’t want you to be like that.”
“Then what do you want, Angus?”
“I want a chance to be your friend. And not because I want the public to see me as different. I want you to see me as different.”
“Isn’t that what I just said?”
“Not if it’s you playing a part.”
Tears threatened to spill again. “Why? Isn’t that what you’re doing?” She spun in the sand and walked to the house, leaving Angus behind.
Despite the tabloids’ showcase of his outlandish behavior, when she’d looked at him tonight, there was no doubt she could fall hard for him. She wasn’t sure why she even trusted herself, but she had the feeling he was tender and kind. He was charming and good-looking too. Being his friend would end with her heart broken and his career renew
ed.
She plodded through the house to her room and crawled onto the bed. For once, she wasn’t setting an alarm.
Chapter 22
Zora held Angus’s arm tightly. “This is amazing!”
Angus tried to keep his thoughts corralled, but his conversation with Penelope the night before had kept him up most of the night. He knew she’d been hurt, but he never expected her pain to feel so much like his own. It made him wonder who had hurt her and how.
“Angus?”
“Yes, I’m sorry. I had trouble sleeping last night,” he said over the whir of the helicopter. They were taking an aerial tour, and Zora kept pointing out things she found interesting.
She gave him an exaggerated pout and palmed his cheek. “I’m sorry. Maybe we can sneak away somewhere and grab a nap.”
The way she said it gave him the impression that a nap was the last thing on her mind. “We’ve got dinner reservations we need to keep.”
“I’m not that hungry.”
That wasn’t happening. And even if it was, it wouldn’t be with her.
“I am.” He declined the invitation as gently as he could.
Zora nodded. “Okay.” She snuggled up against him and continued pointing and talking.
Angus’s thoughts drifted to Penelope again. She’d called herself common, but he wasn’t finding her all that common. When she’d sat so close the night before, the temptation to kiss her had thrown him.
He’d dated a few women since Clara, but there’d been no real connection. He’d only used it as a way to forget how much he hurt. Then he’d begun tearing up hotel rooms, spitting on photographers, and yelling at anyone he thought had slighted him, including a young fan that had really done nothing more than ask for an autograph.
From that moment, the press hounded him, following him everywhere he went. Every little thing he did was blown up, making him miserable and his fans hate him.
When the helicopter landed, he waited for Zora to step off and followed her out. They dashed to the limo, and in the quiet of the car, his ears buzzed from flying so long.
Zora fussed with her hair for a moment. “That wind was insane, but the view was so worth it. It was incredible. Have you ever done that before?”
“I did a long time ago.”
“With a woman?”
“No, when I was filming my first movie. I’d never visited Hawaii. My co-star, Sam Minkus, and I took this tour. It never really gets old.”
“So, I have to ask. What are your thoughts about each of us so far? Is there one of us making a bigger impression than the others?” She crossed her legs and leaned back in the seat across from him, attempting to be sultry, he suspected.
“We’re only halfway through. I don’t know any of you well enough to make that determination yet. I’ve enjoyed my time with each one so far. I do know that.”
Zora smiled. “Well, except Penelope.”
“She’s harder to read, aye.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Harder to read? Try impossible. She should be sent home. It’s not like she wants to be on the show. Why keep her here?”
He didn’t like the direction this conversation was going. “I don’t make that call. She won the contest, so the producer has the decision where she’s concerned.”
Zora tilted her head. “But she frustrates you.”
“I didn’t say that. She’s just different.”
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “You seem to be trying pretty hard to win her over. Are you sure there isn’t a bit of a ‘chase’ reaction there?”
Angus bristled. “What do you mean?” Chasing Penelope?
“Oh, you know, she doesn’t want you, so you have to have her?”
“That’s not my personality at all.” If anything, what drew him to Penelope was how down-to-earth she was. She’d never tried to be anything but herself.
But chasing was his personality. Maybe that’s why he was irritated. Zora had hit too close to home. He’d chased Clara. Pursued her until he got her, but once he got her, he was hers to the point that she’d turned him to ash.
Did he want to make that mistake again? No, but Penelope wasn’t Clara. She might be running from him, but it wasn’t because she thought he was a toy to be played with. She’d been hurt, and she was trying to protect herself.
What if he caught her? What would he do then?
Zora narrowed her eyes. “Okay, if you say so.”
“Why don’t we talk about something else.”
“Okay, tell me about growing up in Scotland.”
No. “I have a good family. I usually go back a few times a year to see them, but this last year I haven’t been back at all. Mum and Pop are hardworking people. They taught me to do the same.”
“How did they react when they saw all that publicity?”
Inwardly, Angus deflated. They’d been disappointed. “They handled it well. Gave me an earful and told me to straighten myself up.” He needed the conversation directed away from himself. “Did you have patients when you left for the show?”
Zora blinked. “Patience?”
“Patients. Nursing. Did you have any patients you had to leave when you came on the show?”
“Oh, no. I’d just lost an elderly man to Alzheimer’s and was actually in between patients. I was really close to his family. His daughter and I were pretty close in age, and we spent a lot of time together.”
He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something about Zora didn’t ring true. It almost seemed as though she pretended to hear him wrong. He was going to ask Barb to do another check on her.
Angus had figured sitting through dinner with her was going to be exhausting, and his suspicion was right. He listened to her babble on about this and that during their meal while his thoughts remained on Penelope. If he’d had his choice, she’d be the one he was having dinner with. She may not like him, but for some reason, he liked her.
If nothing else, Penelope struck him as the type to be a loyal friend. Was she actually going to be his friend from now on like she’d said on the beach? And if she was, was it only going to be an act for the show? He didn’t know if there was even a way to tell the difference. Now he understood her reluctance to trust him. He’d been in the industry for years, and he was questioning reality.
Once dinner was over, they rode back to the house and ended the date on the back deck. Jeanie and Amber were there sipping on drinks. As Angus and Zora joined them, they became animated.
“How was the date, you two?” Jeanie asked.
Of course, compared to Amber, Jeanie seemed like she genuinely cared. Something about Amber put him off. Like Zora, she was trying too hard. Being too polite and too sugary sweet when it didn’t fit her personality at all.
“It was informative and fun,” Angus said. He was finding conversations with these women dull and predictable. It was no wonder Penelope distrusted him. If he’d come across like this, he couldn’t blame her.
“It was so great. The helicopter ride was unbelievable. The views were…indescribable. And,” Zora flashed a smile at Angus, “he’s a complete gentleman.”
“Good to know,” said Amber as she shot him a flirty grin.
The conversation drifted from topic to topic until it landed on Penelope. Angus wasn’t paying attention until they mentioned her name. Suddenly, the conversation wasn’t as dull as he thought.
“Penelope didn’t come out of her room all stinking day. It was so nice. No grumblings. No complaining. No nothing. The house was so peaceful,” Amber said.
Penelope didn’t come out of her room? What if she was sick? He tried to keep his concern from showing.
“Do you know why?” asked Zora.
“I don’t know.” Jeanie shrugged and took another sip of her drink.
Angus cleared his throat. “Uh, well, I think I’m turning in for the night.”
“Goodnight, Angus,” Jeanie said.
“Aww, don’t go.” Amber batted her lashes.
Angus said goodnight and went directly to Penelope’s room. He knocked on the door twice before it opened a fraction. She looked terrible with dark circles under her eyes and pale skin. The previous night hadn’t sat well with her.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “They said you haven’t been out of your room all day.”
She cracked the door a little further and leaned her head against the frame. “I’m okay, but I don’t feel good.”
Underneath her oversized, loosely hanging blue bathrobe, she wore a faded t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Her hair was pulled up into a bun that looked like it was closer to falling down than it was to staying up.
“Didn’t anyone check on you?”
“No, but it’s okay. I’ve been difficult and moody. I don’t blame anyone for keeping their distance from me. I deserve it.”
He stepped closer. “Could I make you some hot tea? It might help.”
“No, I’m going to go back to bed. I’m going to pay for my stupidity for a few days.”
He leaned in, resting his shoulder against the doorframe. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
He wasn’t certain if it was the talk last night or if she was sick, but something felt different about her. Like her heart had been broken again. “I’m sorry if I hurt you last night. I promise I wasn’t trying to.”
“I don’t think you can break what’s already broken,” she said softly. Penelope peered up at him through a fringe of lashes, looking tiny and fragile.
Her vulnerability made his stomach drop. For the first time in a long while, Angus hurt for someone else. It took all his self-control not to take her in his arms and hold her. “What can I do to help you?”
Penelope answered with a heavy sigh.
“I promise I’m not pretending.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” She stepped back and shut the door.
* * *
The idea of giving an interview didn’t sit well with Angus. His emotions were in turmoil. Zora’s accusation of chasing Penelope had hit him even harder after checking in on her. The haunted look in her eyes. The sadness clinging to her words. She’d lifted her gaze, and he realized that maybe he had been chasing her, but for reasons he’d been unwilling to face.
Mending The Billionaire Movie Star (MacLachlan Brothers Romance Book 1) Page 11