Adonis in Athens - Page 61

Paige made a face. “Yeah, we need to talk about your new job.”

“I didn’t want you to have to bail me out again so I got a job dancing, just two nights a week. They said I could make 300-400 a night on weekends and I worked the rest of the week at the casino. I figured I could pay off the credit card in a couple of months and stop working there but now…”

“Now you have to decide what you want,” Paige said firmly. “I’m willing to do whatever’s necessary to help you, but if you choose Tom…”

“I would never choose Tom over you!” she cried. “But this is a huge burden for you. You’ve been taking care of me—one way or another—since we met. It might be time for me to take care of myself.”

“Letting Tom buy you is how you take care of yourself?” Paige shook her head.

“Can we talk alone for a minute?” Raegan asked softly. She glanced at Apollo and Mick apologetically. “I’m sorry, but I need a few minutes. Some of this is personal and I can’t…I don’t really know you guys.”

“No problem.” Apollo leaned over to kiss Paige’s cheek. “We’ll go get a cup of coffee and give you guys about 20 minutes, okay?”

“Thank you.” Paige felt an overwhelming urge to run after him and ask him to stay; the last thing she wanted was for him to run screaming from so much drama. He hadn’t come 7,000 miles to run away, though; she knew him well enough to know that. She was torn in several directions right now and wanted to handle all of them at once. Since that wasn’t possible, she decided to take care of Raegan first. They’d been there for each other since they were 17—but Raegan had a decision to make.

“I can’t believe you slept with Tom!” was all she managed to say once they were alone.

Raegan looked away. “Me either.”

“Wasn’t it spectacularly disappointing?”

Raegan nodded sadly. “Kinda. And then I felt guilty, like I was cheating on you.”

Paige burst out laughing. “I don’t think it works that way.”

Raegan smiled wanly. “I know. I was drowning, Paige. And now I’m basically underwater. I don’t know how you’re going to help me. Especially now that Apollo’s here. It’s obvious he loves you and you’re going to—”

“If he loves me, he’ll want to help you too. But you have to decide, girlfriend. Really. I hate being the kind of person who demands you take sides, but after the way he behaved earlier, I don’t want anything to do with him.”

“I don’t want to be with him either. After we went out a couple of times, I realized what you were talking about—he’s really self-absorbed and boring. All he talks about is work, his house and golf. The sex was okay…it wasn’t terrible, but there was no chemistry. I was really dumb. Please don’t be mad at me.”

“I’m not mad—I’m just worried about you. Your judgement lately, your issues with money, your relationship with your mom…at some point, Raegan, you have to take control of your life.”

“I know.” She looked down sadly. “I just don’t know how.”

“Look, I really, really need to talk to Apollo. I left without a word—I just told his sister to tell him I had an emergency and left. I overheard something that made me doubt our future, and we have to talk it out or this is never gonna work. Can you promise me you won’t say or do anything until I come back in the morning?”

“Can we ask the nurses to keep Tom out of here?” Raegan looked like a scared little girl. “Whenever I’m around him, he’s like a whirlwind. Money, solutions to everything, even the sex—it’s like he mesmerizes me with his plans until I can’t think straight.”

“I’ll talk to them. All you have to do is rest, okay?”

“Okay.”

“If Tom shows up, text me. Is your phone charged?”

“Yes.”

“Can you handle your mother if she gets here before I get back in the morning?”

“I think so. Yes.”

“I’m going to find Apollo, so we can talk. Then I’m going to get some sleep and I’ll be back in the morning. If Tom bothers you at all, though, text or call me.”

“Okay.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”