Page 36 of To Steal a Heart
“You could say that.” Arden tightened her hold on the phone, bracing herself for what was sure to come when she told the rest. “There’s only one teensy complication.”
Wariness edged into Olivia’s tone. “Uh, oh. What’s the complication?”
She almost hated to speak the words out loud. Once she did, Olivia would come unglued.
“What—is—it?” Olivia demanded.
She spit it all out in a ball of flurry. “Crew thinks my name is Arden Croft and that I’m an aspiring writer.” She sucked in a ragged breath.
“W—what?” Olivia exploded. “You haven’t told him who you really are?”
“No.”
“Arden,” she chided, “this is pushing it, even for you. Why would you not tell him your real name or that you’re a professional writer?” She barked out a short laugh. “No, not just a professional writer, but A New York Times Bestselling Author.”
Heat blasted through Arden, roasting her insides. She didn’t know if the sweat beads popping over her nose were caused by her physical exertion or nerves. Probably the latter. “After the fiasco with Hector, I wanted to make sure that Crew valued me for me, not for my last name.”
“Okay, I can understand that. On the upside, you now know that he wants plain ole’ you. Why are you putting off telling him the truth?”
“Things are going so great that I hate to muddy up the water.”
Olivia’s voice went shrill. “Do you hear yourself? The water is already muddied. He thinks you’re a different person.” She paused. “Think about it like this … how would you feel if Crew was pulling the wool over your eyes? What if he were a different person?”
“I’d be ticked,” Arden muttered.
“Of course you would. Understandably so. That’s why you need to tell Crew the truth. Don’t waste any more time.”
Arden rubbed a hand across her forehead. “I know you’re right. I’ve got to tell him. I will … tomorrow.”
“Why not today?”
“Crew’s taking me somewhere special tonight. It’s a surprise. I’m supposed to get all dressed up. I don’t want to ruin the occasion.”
Olivia sighed. “Promise me that you’ll tell him tomorrow.”
“I will, I promise.” Her mind jumped ahead. “If all goes well, then I’m going to invite Crew to go with me to Sylvia Laramie’s party at the Hamptons.”
Olivia’s intake of breath was the only sound that came over the phone.
Arden frowned. “You don’t think that’s a good idea?”
She clipped out a chuckle. “I think you need to start by telling Crew the truth and then go from there. If you do manage to salvage your relationship, do you really think it’s a good idea to throw him into the fire?”
If you manage to salvage your relationship.The words were knives that sliced Arden’s insides. She clenched her fist. She had to salvage the relationship! She couldn’t lose Crew! She jerked, realizing that Olivia was waiting for her to answer. “I think Crew could handle the situation without any problem.”
“Really?” Olivia sounded doubtful.
Arden chewed the inside of her cheek. “Yeah, Crew’s sophisticated and suave.”
“Will your grandmother be there?”
“She will.”
“Heaven help him.”
Laughter sputtered in Arden’s throat. “Amen! According to Mom, Sylvia’s party is the event of the summer. You know Mom. She said that anyone who’s anyone will be there.”
“That’s saying a lot, considering we’re talking about the Hamptons.”