Free Wrecked (Crystal Book Billionaires) by Jessica Blake Page A

don’t know anything about boats. I don’t even remember what it’s called.”
    “That’s okay.” He smiled, looking amused at me.
    “Have you ever sailed?”
    “My brothers both love it, but I never really got into it. I used to row in school though. Does that count?”
    “That’s a water sport, so yes.”
    He smiled at me again and turned to look at something in front of us. We were at a crossroads and on the other side of the street was a building that looked like it had been made out of cobblestones.
    “That’s the town museum,” he said, pointing at it.
    “Cool,” I answered, feigning interest.
    “I know. Not very interesting.”
    I whipped my eyes back at him, trying to figure out if he was truly being serious. When I saw that he was, I laughed in relief. “No, it’s not.”
    “It’s not much like Los Angeles here, I’m afraid.”
    “Or New York.”
    He looked at me curiously. A quick heat overtook my face, and I dropped my gaze to the sidewalk. “My, uh, aunt told me a little bit about you. She asked me if I’d met anyone here yet and I told her your name, so…um…”
    I looked back up, hoping my rambling had been enough to convince him I hadn’t been digging around looking for the scoop on him.
    “Why did you come here?” he asked quietly. Something about the tone of his voice scared me. He couldn’t possibly know… could he?
    Pet Hop’s fall from the top had been in the news. But my name hadn’t. At least I didn’t think so.
    “I-I…” Think, Grace. Think.
    But I couldn’t. I felt frozen in place; exposed.
    “I’m sorry,” Luke said. “That was out of line. It’s none of my business.”
    Suddenly, I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to vent; let it all loose. And who better to do it to than someone from a similar background as mine?
    “My dad’s company went under,” I admitted. “And he sent me here because he thought it would be good for me. It’s awful though. I hate it. I miss my friends. I miss everything about California. I don’t belong here. And now my aunt and uncle want me to go to school and get a job, and I’ve never even had a job before. And all my friends are laughing at me. I know they are.”
    With the last word my voice cracked. I sucked in a sharp breath, afraid that if I said any more, I’d burst into tears. Biting my lower lip to keep it from trembling, I looked up at Luke. Instead of the look of sympathy I expected, though, I saw something entirely different.
    His face was as still as stone, and his eyes looked sad.
    So he was sorry for me.
    Slowly, Luke opened his mouth. “There’s nothing wrong with getting a job, Grace.”
    I reeled back, the words feeling like a slap. “I didn’t say that.”
    “I apologize if I misinterpreted your words… but it did sound like you feel that way.”
    “No,” I quickly said. “It’s just that I’ve never done it before. I wouldn’t be good at it.”
    He laughed, but unlike the joyful chuckle from earlier, this laugh was cold. “There are hundreds of different jobs you could have. Even without an education. As privileged as you are…”
    “I have an education,” I interrupted him, planting a fist on my hip. “I went to NYU.”
    “Ah,” he said as if he wasn’t impressed in the least bit.
    “What is that supposed to mean?”
    He sighed lightly and ran a hand through his sandy hair. The action called every bit of my body to attention. Even as annoyed with him as I currently was, the physical pull towards him was still magnetic.
    “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I wasn’t trying to suggest you came across as stupid.”
    “Well, that’s what it sounded like,” I responded and knew I sounded like a little girl.
    “Sorry again.”
    “Thank you,” I mumbled.
    I stared at the road. After a few more moments, he spoke again. “So you’re not going to get a job or go back to school?”
    “No,” I said a little too quickly.
    I looked back at him and now, instead of just sadness, there