Billionairess's Dilemma: Reclaiming His Heart

Chapter 10: How Wrong

Polly

I left Kevin, my entire body numb. He was so cold and nothing like the Kevin I grew up with. Once home that day, I sat and played back those days and words. Archer came by the house banging on the door until Dad threatened to call the police. He left screaming that he knew I was home and couldn’t ignore him forever.

He was right but maybe I could come up with some good words to alienate him. I have talent for that….

Two days later, I’m dressing for a business meeting I’ll attend with Mom. This summer is a mini internship with her and today we are meeting with the head editor of one of the biggest fashion magazines. They want to showcase Mom’s new summer line and interview her for the cover story. My phone starts going off as usual with Archer’s name flashing. I stare at it finally deciding I feel in control enough to speak to him.

“You have two minutes.”

He shouts “Polly, babydoll! Look this is crazy! You can’t end things. I love you and I’m sorry. I just..it was just me being jealous. And that’s hard for me to admit but that’s how much you meant to me even then. I didn’t want Kevin to come between us when you were finally giving me the time of day. I only told him we were together and you had no time for him anymore. He needed to get some friends his age.” His tone ranges from sincere to pleading and desperately defensive.

I interrupt him. “You had no right! You were pushing us apart while lying to me and acting like you were upset for me. You are a lying, manipulative asshole. I can never trust you again. We are through.”

“He was smothering you! You said it yourself.” He fires back sounding annoyed now.

“Yet he always offered to back off. He listened to me unlike you who manipulated me. Kevin always protected me and if I hadn’t been so stupid, I’d have listened to him about you and none of this would have happened. I can’t change that but I can make sure I don’t make the same mistake twice. Which would be anything involving a relationship with you.” I end sadly.

“Polly DON’T DO THIS! I can’t live without you. Please, we can talk through this.”

“No we can’t. You’ll live without me fine. You made a decision for a change in my life I didn’t ask for. You lied to both Kevin and I. This is the last time I’ll answer you. Goodbye Archer.” I end the call and immediately block him. Maybe I should get a new number too. I take a deep breath knowing he will try again but I’m not going to make it easy.

Downstairs, Mom sits waiting for me. On the drive into her office, she steals a glance my way and I smile. “Mom you can always just ask. I’m ok. I finally answered a call from Archer and I told him we were through again.”

“He won’t give up easily I fear. Are you having any doubts?” She sounds worried.

“No doubts.” I answer quietly.

“I’m here if you need to talk.” She squeezes my leg and I cover her hand with mine.

“Thanks Mom.” I consider confiding in her about Kevin but decide to wait.

After making the remainder of the drive in silence, I follow her into the main conference room. I take a seat off on one side of the table next to a guy on his phone. He glanced up before doing a double take.

“Polly Barnes, is that you?” I come face to face with familiar blonde hair and blue eyes.

“Simon Williams?” I need to make sure. It’s been three years since I saw the former playboy quarterback.

“Yes. Small world huh? Are you a designer now?” He nudges his head toward the sketches on the presentation board.

“I’m training with my mom. She’s Susannah Barnes the owner of Jolie Dame. She created those.”

“She’s very good. Dad has me training too. Hands on summer school.” He flashes that grin of his. His father owns three large magazines; one of them in the top three for fashion publications, I slowly recall. “How have you been Polly? I heard you got engaged recently.”

I clear my throat awkwardly. “No, I uh, I’m not engaged. At least not anymore. I’m ok. Nothing remarkable. How about you?” I try to shift the focus to him. He always liked to talk about himself in high school. Strangely, I see the look of concern on his face.

“Doesn’t sound like it was an amicable break.” He takes a deep breath. “Listen, Polly, I need to apologize to you for something. You know I was a playboy in high school. Different girl every week kind of asshole. I went to college and ran into a petite ball of trouble who ignored me and challenged me. Naturally, I fell for her and had to clean up my act. Convinced her to marry me five months ago and we’re expecting a little girl.”

I stare at him amazed as he pauses. He eyes me knowingly as he nods. “I know you’re surprised. Finding your soulmate will change you. Anyway, I think about the way I treated girls and want to punch my younger self. I also know I’ll kill anyone who treats my daughter that way already. So I need to apologize for ever taking part in that stupid bet senior year. I owe Kevin Harris one too. It was awful, and I wish someone had called me on it back then.”

I stare at him confused. “What bet?”

“You never found out? I figured surely Kevin would tell you when you left prom early.” He’s shocked now.

I think back. Kevin wanted to tell me something, but I was upset with him and cut him off. “I was angry with him and wouldn’t let him talk. Being a b***h basically.” I admit honestly to him. “Did Kevin know about it all?”

“No, he didn’t know any of it at first. Someone tipped him off there was a bet for you, but no real details early on during prom night. I think he guessed, but probably farther along than our true intentions. He might have put me into a wall a few days after graduation when I saw him.” Kevin defended me even after what I did…how much more wrong could I have been?

“You haven’t told me what the bet was.”

He rubs the back of his neck looking ashamed. He starts off slowly. “Well, you know Kevin guarded you like an angry German shepherd all the time, and there was a bet to see if we could get around him to you. At first, it was for a date, but when we realized that would never succeed, we switched it to breaking up your date at prom and who could dance with you the most.” I can hear the regretful disgust in his voice.

“What was the prize?” My curiosity is warring with my anger. Along with my loathing for the way I acted. Kevin knew, maybe not the whole story, but enough of it to be on guard. He’d almost attacked Simon when he asked me at prom. At the time, I thought it was overkill. I recall his clenched jaw and hands as I danced with each of them. He’d been poised to attack all night. With just reason. Now my hands itch to travel back in time and shake my dumbass former self.

“I can guess that Todd Briles was part of it.” I frown as I think back to that night. “Your teammate, Ryan and I can’t remember the other two.”

“Drake and Peter. Football team mostly. We were d***s. Couple of them haven’t changed. The uh, prize was getting to reveal it to Kevin.” He glances down at his hands for a minute. “I really am sorry and ashamed, Polly. If I ever run into Kevin, I plan to apologize to him too.”

“Why even bet on something like that? Did you dislike Kevin and want to hurt him?” I’m bewildered why. Kevin never bothered anyone unless they instigated it and he was nice to almost all of them unless they went after me.

“Because someone suggested it and our undeveloped male brains heard the words ‘challenge’ and ‘bet’ which we apparently can’t ignore. We forgot about the victims.”

I let that filter through. “Who won the bet? I only danced with each of you one time.”

He narrows his eyes before answering. “The same guy who proposed the entire idea. Your former fiancé, Archer Thornton. You danced with him three times.”