When he paused Addison urged him on. “She?”

“Well, went a little wild for a minute. You know, to get over him.”

“So you think that’s what I was doing? Using you?”

“Maybe. I don’t know, but I don’t want to be that guy.”

“Oh.” Mortification started at her toes and worked its way up to her cheeks. What did she say now? Thanks? Embarrassment didn’t even begin to cover what she was feeling, and even though she supposed—no, knew—that he was just being a really good guy, she was humiliated, and it transformed into being super-pissed. Not that she was about to let him know it. Digging deep for a steady voice she said, “Well, then, I’m starving. Let’s eat those sandwiches. Whadayasay?” She kept her tone light and forced a smile.

“Okay, sure,” he answered a bit uncertainly, but she felt the sudden tenseness in his shoulders relax just a little bit. “Look, if you’d rather that I’d leave . . .”

“No,” Addison protested, trying to ignore her state of undress and the humiliation in her cheeks. “You’re right. I was just, you know, acting out because of, you know, my situation. You just happened to be the guy within reach. Lucky for me you’re a gentleman. Must be that Southern upbringing.” God, she was talking way too much.

“I’ll take that beer now.”

“Sure,” Addison replied, wanting so badly to zip up her pants. “You’re kind of blocking my way,” she said, and swallowed hard when he had to lean and brace his arm across her in order to get the leverage to push up off of the sofa. She got an eyeful of his very fine chest before he put a knee on the cushion and stood up. When he turned his back Addison quickly zipped up and fastened her jeans before sitting up. He turned back around just in time to see her fumbling with her bra, without any success. Great . . .

“Need some help?” he asked uncertainly.

“No!” she answered more sharply than intended, but damned if she couldn’t get the bra to hook to save her life.

“Stand up,” Reid gently requested, and for some reason it brought tears to her eyes. Maybe he was right. Maybe acting out was what she was doing. She obeyed and turned around only so he wouldn’t see the emotion threatening to spill down her cheeks. When he slid his hands beneath her sweater she inhaled sharply and she hoped he didn’t notice. His fingers brushed against her skin, and damned if her body didn’t betray her with goose bumps. She could feel his warm breath on her neck and oh, how she wanted to tilt her head to the side and have him kiss her neck, cup her breasts while she leaned back against him.

But she’d suffered enough humiliation for one night, and so when he hooked her bra she tugged her sweater back into place and walked toward the kitchen, pretending that the past fifteen minutes of hot making out never happened. She really wanted him to leave, but pride dictated otherwise.

Addison brought Reid a Kentucky Ale and herself a bottle of water. He reached into the paper bag, pulled out a sandwich and looked at the wrapper. “I think this one is light mayo and mustard, no onion,” he said. If she wasn’t mistaken he felt a bit unnerved as well.

“Thanks,” Addison said with careful politeness. She put the bottle of beer in front of him, trying really hard not to notice the three missing buttons on his shirt and his half-exposed chest. She removed the sandwich from the wrapper and started eating without really tasting it. “Oh, this is good.” Addison nodded with fake appreciation and took another bite. “Mmm. Really good.”

Reid nodded, chewing.

Addison chatted while they ate, and after they were finished she walked him to the door. After she closed the door she tried to remember the conversation but failed. She frowned, thinking it had something to do with baseball and one-hit wonders. She really didn’t know. “Wow . . .” She put a hand to her mouth and shook her head, not really sure if she should laugh or cry.

She walked on wooden legs into the bedroom, retrieved her toiletries from her smallest suitcase, and headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed. As she brushed her teeth she looked at herself in the mirror and shook her head, wondering what in the world had gotten into her. Was Reid right? Was she getting over her broken engagement by going wild?

She spit into the sink, rinsed her mouth, and sighed. She didn’t really know, but one thing was for certain: Rebound or not, in her twenty-eight years of living, no other kiss had ever made her melt the way Reid’s did.

After locating a soft cotton sleep shirt Addison slipped beneath the covers, hoping to fall right to sleep. Of course, when she closed her eyes all she could see was Reid’s face. Pissed, she punched the pillow, tossed and turned for a while before groaning. Sleep wasn’t going to happen. She leaned over and reached for the remote, wondering if her life could possibly get any crazier. With a sigh, she turned on the television, hoping to find a boring movie that would lull her to sleep.

When the screen came to life Addison gasped. There she was, embracing Rick Ruleman. She turned up the volume and listened with growing horror while some “reporter” speculated whether the rumor was true that Addison Monroe, daughter of finance guru Melinda Monroe, was having an affair with her ex-fiancé’s father, Rick Ruleman, promptly ending her engagement. Garret, who said he was headlining a new reality show about his life called House Rules, declined comment while being hounded with questions by paparazzi but pulled a sad face that hinted that the rumor was true. Rick Ruleman was unavailable for comment, as was his publicist, who was rumored to have been fired. Addison Monroe was also missing in action, leading to further speculation that she and Rick were hiding out together.

What?

Addison shook her head and sighed, wondering how Garret could be such a selfish ass. She also wondered if he had started the rumor, but, then again, she wouldn’t put is past Rick Ruleman’s camp to start something that would perpetuate the aging rock star’s bad-boy image. What better than an affair with his son’s fiancée? After all, Addison had never seen Rick without a blond bombshell on his arm, most of them young enough to be his daughter. “Disgusting,” she grumbled through gritted teeth.

Since it was still early enough in LA for her to call, Addison muted the TV, reached for her phone, and called her mother.

“Oh, honey,” her mother answered, letting Addison know that her parents had already heard the rumors. “I’m so sorry.”

Addison leaned back against the propped up pillows. “Mom, what should I do? Some sort of damage control?”

“Your father and I talked about this. We think it’s best that you keep quiet and let the rumors die down.”

Addison clutched the phone tighter. “Not likely with Garret’s stupid show. I’m sure he wants to bump up the ratings and this is the perfect vehicle.”

“Admittedly, it will take a while. Are you going to call him and tell him to back the hell off? I mean, Garret knows this isn’t true.”

“My guess is that both father and son are using this for their own purposes and I don’t think I’ll get help from either camp. And, Mom, I hope this doesn’t adversely affect your ratings. I’m so sorry about all of this,” she said, and felt tears coming on.

Her mother sighed. “Listen. The only fault you shoulder in this is being too trusting. We’ve talked to Mitch about the wedding boutique and I happen to agree that it’s a great idea. Go full steam ahead and I’ll work out the financial details.”

“Mom, I want to do this on my own, with my own money.”

She chuckled. “That’s my girl. Luckily, you’ve invested well. You’ll have to liquidate some stock and pay taxes on that as income.”

“Yes, but most likely I’ll show a loss for the first year in business and offset some of that income.”

“True, and your uncle Mitch offered the first three months lease-free.”

“No . . . no favors.”

“It’s not a favor but an incentive he would have offered to anybody. He was getting desperate to open the bridal boutique, which was supposed to be the flagship of Wedding Row. In fact, he and Nicolina were getting ready to reluctantly open it on their own and find someone to manage it if they didn’t lease it out soon. Seems like you arrived at just the right time. So, see, life has a way of working out.”

Addison managed a smile. “I just take a few crazy twists and turns along the way.”

“Keeps you on your toes,” she joked. “Listen, sweetie, you should pretty much fly under the radar there in Cricket Creek. This thing with Garret will die down. Sometimes denial after something like this only convinces some people of your guilt.”

“Wow, this sucks. I’d like to punch both of them.”

“Well, look at the bright side. You aren’t engaged to Garret any longer. Throw yourself into this boutique, Addison. As much as your father and I will miss you, maybe getting you away from this kind of thing is for the best. Who knows who you might meet in that cute little town? Someone with substance.”

“I’m off the market, Mom.”

“Like I said, throw yourself into this boutique and have fun with Mia. I love you, sweetie. This other nonsense will die down before you know it. I promise.”

Addison pressed her lips together and after clearing her throat said, “I’ll take your advice. I love you too. Give Dad a hug for me.”

“We’ll come for a visit as soon as I can get away.”

After Addison hung up the phone she sat there for a few minutes. Her mood became a strange mixture of emotions, and she put her face in her hands when she recalled grabbing Reid by his shirt. But oddly enough, Addison acknowledged that her spontaneous kiss was a step in the right direction. She was finally taking her life by the horns, doing what she wanted, moving forward, and pursuing a dream of her own.