Hung Up on You

She so needed him to hold her and tell her everything was going to be all right, that the institute would realize how valuable she was despite the tabloid coverage and tell her that her job was waiting for her whenever she was ready to start.

He strode in and as soon as she’d shut the door, he thrust a paper at her.

Uh-oh.

Feeling more than slightly sick to her stomach, and knowing that things might be worse than she thought, she looked at the headline on this week’s Rag Magazine.

Attack of the Deadly Phone Maze, just under it was a picture with the caption, “Simon Says…Study Stupid.”

It was the picture the reporter had taken of Ari and Simon when they’d opened the door last week. It was apparent that there was more than just a little tension between them.

“I told him it wouldn’t work,” she muttered.

“Told who?” Collin asked.

“Simon Masterson. He came here demanding I do something, write a letter to Rag Magazine refuting their article. I told him it wouldn’t work.”

“And yet you wrote it anyway, they quoted you.”

She skimmed the article, and the sinking feeling in her stomach sank even further. “Misquoted is more like it. They took everything I said totally out of context.”

“Ari, this is ridiculous.” Collin paced the length of her small living room, then turned back toward her and said, “The first article was bad enough, but now this?”

He started pacing again.

“Collin, it’s not as if I asked for this kind of publicity. This isn’t what I wanted.”

She’d tried to avoid this very thing, but would Simon Masterson listen?

No.

Just like a man.

“You didn’t ask for it the first time,” he said, mid-pace, “but you certainly provoked this second article.”

“I didn’t provoke anything. Simon Masterson provoked it because he wouldn’t listen to me.”

And it was obvious that Collin wasn’t listening, either, as he paced back and forth.

“I didn’t provoke anything,” she said again. “It’s not as if I thought a letter to that Rag would work. It’s all Simon’s fault.”

“Either way, this is unacceptable.”

“I—”

Collin stopped right in front of her. He looked pastier than normal. And for a fleeting moment, Ari wondered what she’d ever seen in him. He was a very hard man to love.

She quickly squelched that disloyal thought.

Collin was perfect. He’d never find himself in such an absurd, embarrassing situation.

“Collin, I agree. The situation is unacceptable. I wish I’d never written that thesis. To make matters worse, the institute called, and—”

He interrupted her and said, “I think we need a break.”

“A break?” she repeated.

She wanted to break down and be comforted. She wanted a hug and a pat on the back.

She wanted Collin to reassure her, to tell her that everything was going to be all right. That’s what fiancés were supposed to do…comfort you when you were down.

Jeez, you’d think someone as perfect as Collin—someone who prided himself in always doing the right thing—would know that.

But instead of comfort, he wanted a break?

“Yes,” he said. “There’s no way that we can be married under these circumstances. You need time to clear this mess up, and I’m afraid that’s going to take all your time and attention.”

“What you mean is that by calling off the wedding you’ll be able to distance yourself from me. From this fiasco. What’s the problem, Collin? A fiancée who’s in the tabloids might be detrimental to your career?”

“As a matter of fact, yes.”

He said it so coolly.

So calmly.

So matter-of-factly.

There was no trace of chagrin. No embarrassment that he was so shallow. Just the statement that her misfortune reflected poorly on him, and could affect his career.

Ari hadn’t expected him to admit it. She stood, totally dumbfounded.

“Mother and Father are just as distressed as I am. We discussed your situation and decided taking a break, putting the wedding on hold, was best for all of us.”

For all of them.

He didn’t care what was best for her, his fiancée, the woman he was supposed to love.

When he’d first walked into her apartment she’d wanted nothing more than to pour out her woes to him, to have him hold her and tell her it would all be all right.

And now, she just wanted to kick him.

Summoning her pride, she said, “I believe you’re right. It’s over.”

She tugged her engagement ring from her finger.

The gaudy diamond surrounded by little diamond clusters that had been in Collin’s family for two generations. Ari had never liked it. It had always been rather formal and ornate for her tastes.

“Here.” She handed it to him.