was no gold digger on the hunt for her latest meal. She was a wealthy heiress from a prominent Chicago family. He went on to read how her grandfather had made a killing in the finance world and as his sole granddaughter, she was due to inherit millions.
Vaughn leaned back in his chair and rubbed his beard. So he hadn’t been the only one not being completely truthful. Although she’d shared that she was from the Windy City, Miranda hadn’t mentioned she was an heiress. Was she just as cognizant as he of men’s less than altruistic motives when it came to dating her?
Who knew they had so much in common?
It certainly eased Vaughn’s fears about revealing his true identity to her, when she was clearly rich several times over. It made what he was about to do very easy.
* * *
“I’m so excited you’re in town,” Sasha Charles told Miranda when they met for lunch at noon. Miranda was excited to finally spend time with her dear friend. Since college, they’d only seen each other on the odd girls’ weekend, but to have quality time to seriously catch up was worth the trip to San Diego alone.
“Me too,” Miranda responded. “It seems like I haven’t seen you in ages.”
Sasha laughed. “It has been a while. The last time I saw you was when we went to that ski chalet in Colorado with our significant others.”
Miranda rolled her eyes. She remembered that trip and how she’d been besotted with Anthony, all the while he’d been looking at other women in skintight ski outfits. What a fool she’d been. And she was determined not to make the mistakes of the past. She’d narrowly avoided disaster with Vic, but luckily she’d led with her head instead of her libido. Otherwise, all she would have had to show for her efforts was a good lay. Now, she could continue her search for a husband.
“Miranda?”
“Hmm...” She glanced up from her reverie to see Sasha watching her suspiciously. Her large brown eyes drew Miranda in as they always did. Her best friend looked put together in a conservative pencil skirt and white button-down top. Sasha was a head taller than Miranda at five foot seven, with a shapely figure and the cutest pixie-like haircut she’d ever seen. Miranda had never done more than trim a few inches from her shoulder-length hair.
“What’s going on?” When Miranda began to protest, Sasha held up her hand. “And before you give me some song and dance, remember that I know you. You can’t keep secrets from me.”
Miranda inwardly cringed. She was keeping one now. She hadn’t revealed to Sasha the terms of her grandfather’s will. She hadn’t told anyone. It was embarrassing to find herself in the situation to begin with, let alone having people feel sorry for her that she couldn’t find a man. She didn’t want pity, not even from her best friend.
“I’m just trying to figure out my next move concerning my career,” Miranda offered, which was a half-truth. “You know I haven’t been happy for a while now. And I was hoping some time away would give me clarity on what to do next.”
“You know what to do,” Sasha replied. “Open your own B and B. You’ve been talking about it for as long as I can remember.”
“It’s not that simple. I need capital.”
“Can’t your parents loan you the money? Or what about a bank loan? I hate to see you giving up on your dreams.” Sasha was a much sought-after marketing consultant.
Miranda frowned. “I’m not giving up. Just deciding on the best course of action.” And once she had her hands on her inheritance, she would go after her dreams, full stop. She just needed a husband to get there. “Anyway, I was hoping maybe we could hit the town, maybe go to a happy hour and mingle.”
“Really?” Sasha’s brow rose a fraction. “Are you looking for a little vacation loving?”
Miranda laughed aloud. She could have easily have had that and then some last night. Vic had been one delicious male specimen who would have put a hurting on Miranda if she’d allowed him, but she hadn’t. “I wouldn’t mind a little company of the male persuasion.”
“Well, then, let me look around,” Sasha said, taking a forkful of her salad. “I’ll text you and we’ll make a night of it. Sound good?”
“Sure.” But Miranda’s brain drifted to Vic and the sensual smile he’d given her when he’d walked her to her hotel door. The way Vic had taken her in his arms and leaned into Miranda had her thinking about his hard length. Why was she even thinking about a man who’d lied to her? She needed to be sweeping him under the rug. So why did her heart burst with joy when his name came across her phone display several seconds later?
Last night, he’d taken her phone and input his number to be sure she wouldn’t lose it and had insisted she do the same. He’d even rung the phone to ensure she hadn’t given him a fake number. And now he was calling her.
She stared at the phone.
“Are you going to answer that?” Sasha inquired, inclining her head to the phone Miranda held in her palm.
She should ignore it, but another part of her wanted to answer and give Vic a piece of her mind. Swiping her thumb across her iPhone, she answered. “Hello.”
“Hello, Miranda.” Why did his voice have to sound like hot fudge poured over a sundae?
“Vic? Oh wait, I don’t believe that’s your real name, is it?” The words came tumbling out of Miranda’s lips before she could stop them. Sasha stared back at her in confusion. Rising to her feet, she stepped away from the table for some privacy.
At the silence on the other end, she continued. “Cat got your tongue?”
A sigh sounded on the other end. “So you found out?”
“Uh, yes, I did. In this day and age, did you really expect I wouldn’t discover the truth?”
“Honestly, I wasn’t thinking that far in advance,” he responded. “Another body part had taken over my brain.”
Miranda colored at his meaning. “What are you hiding, Vic?”
“My bank account,” he replied. “Same as you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Miranda Jensen, trust fund baby of the Chicago Jensens, a prominent family in the finance world. Or at least that’s what it said online.”
So he’d researched her too? “Did you know who I was when you met me in the café?”
“No, just the opposite,” Vaughn responded. “I knew nothing about you except that I’d met a beautiful woman that intrigued me, but I meet gorgeous women all the time. When you weren’t forthcoming with information about yourself, it made me cagey, so I decided to look into your background.”
“Why?”
“Because...similar to you, I’ve amassed a certain wealth and find myself watchful for gold diggers. I apologize that I wasn’t honest with you, Miranda. I admit I’m a bit jaded by my past experiences. In any event, it’s no excuse. And for the record, my real name is Vaughn Ellicott.”
An
