The Deep Sea Tea Artiste

My moms advice was simple: Date the hot ones, marry the reliable ones.

So, at 24, I started dating Declan Ford.

Declan was a notorious player. His motto: Of all of them, you're the one I love.

And me? I was a master of the game myself. My motto: The only thing keeping me up at night is the thought of you.

Everyone who knew us thought we were a perfect, chaotic match.

But a month ago, my mom was diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer. At the hospital, surrounded by so much loss and loneliness, I was suddenly struck by the desire to build a real home.

I decided it was time to break up with Declan.

Declan rarely answered his phone, but finding him was never hard. He had a private booth at a downtown lounge, and out of 365 days a year, you could find him there on 360 of them.

He was tall and devastatingly handsome; I could spot him in any crowd. Tonight, hed just lost a drinking game and was sharing a drink, arm-in-arm, with some girl at the next table.

When the girl saw me, she put on a sweet, innocent voice. "Oh, hi. We're just playing a game. You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not," I purred, matching her tone. "You're adorable. Why don't you just move in with us?"

My enthusiastic invitation earned me a dirty look.

I turned to Declan, my voice trembling with faux hurt. "Declan, I think she hates me. Maybe I should just go." I sighed dramatically. "But it's raining, and I don't have an umbrella. Maybe maybe this young man could give me a ride?"

I pointed to a college kid sitting nearbysharp features, clear skin, and a tank top that showed off a pair of very solid biceps.

Declans gaze shifted to the kid, scanning him from head to toe. The poor guy paled and started waving his hands frantically.

"Whoa, no way. Don't mess with me. Everyone knows Declan loves you more than anything."

Hearing that seemed to soothe Declans mood. He downed his drink, pushed the girl away, and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me close.

"I'm heading out, guys," he announced to his friends. "My girl's getting jealous. Gotta take her home and calm her down. Drinks are on me tonight."

"Long live Declan and Isla!" someone shouted.

Amid the cheers, Declan led me out.

In the car, he kept glancing over at me.

"Are you really mad? You know it's all just for fun. Of all of them, Isla, you're the one I love."

He said that line at least once a month. I was getting tired of it. If I weren't so obsessed with his looks, we would have been over long ago.

He turned those eyes on methe kind of eyes that could look at a dog with soulful devotionand leaned in close, his voice a low murmur in my ear. "Baby, what perfume are you wearing today? It smells incredible. Baby, I want"

"I want to break up," I said, cutting through his spell.

He blinked, a slow smile still playing on his lips as he raised an eyebrow. "Alright, baby. What role are you playing this time?"

We had a habit of role-playing. When I didn't answer, he continued, his tone playful. "CEO and his naughty secretary?"

"Passenger and the flight attendant?"

"Patient and the nurse?"

""

"Declan, I'm serious." My face was deadpan.

His smile finally faded. He toyed with his lighter in one hand, the other draped casually over the back of the seat. He was the very picture of a rich, careless playboy.

"Fine, Isla," he said. "Give me one good reason."

"You have too many women."

"Has anyone showed up at your door? Did you catch me in the act? Isla, I need hard evidence."

Thinking back over the last three years, I realized I didn't have any.

"I want to get married."

It was a well-known fact that players feared the chains of marriage. I expected this to be my trump card.

Instead, he looked completely unfazed. "Pick a date. I'll meet you at the courthouse."

To him, marriage was just a piece of paper. The whole 'in sickness and in health' thing was a joke.

I had to press on. "My mom wants me to find someone reliable."

He tossed the lighter aside, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Then I'll just have to ask your mother what part of me isn't reliable."

My mom was just out of the hospital. I didn't want him bothering her. "No, no, don't! I was just kidding."

He pulled me back into his arms, planting a satisfied kiss on my lips. "I knew it. I knew my baby was just playing with me."

Later that night, his phone buzzed on the nightstand.

I glanced at the screen. Serena.

His old flame. The one that got away. His friends had told me that I only got my chance with him because Serena had moved abroad.

"Declan, your phone."

He came out of the bathroom with a towel knotted around his waist, droplets of water still clinging to his skin, tracing a path from his neck down his chest

It wasn't just his face. His body was incredible. It was the reason I'd been stuck on him for three years.

I swallowed hard, burrowed under the covers, and pricked up my ears to listen.

"Hello?"

"Tonight?"

"Okay. I'll come get you."

He hung up and leaned over to kiss my cheek. "Baby, something came up. Be good and stay here, okay?"

A man getting a call from his old flame at one in the morning and then leaving? There was no way I wasn't going to catch him in the act.

The moment his car left the garage, I was right behind him.

I waited for a full hour outside the apartment before knocking on the door.

A girl in a white slip dress answered, a single braid falling over her shoulder. She looked pure and innocent. In contrast, I felt like a villain, shoving my phone in her face, camera rolling.

"Isla, are you that desperate to catch me cheating?"

Declan emerged from the bathroom, still wearing the same clothes he'd left in, not a single crease out of place.

I frowned. This wasn't right. Declan's usual "sessions" lasted at least two hours.

Seeing my phone, his expression darkened. "Isla, delete the video."

He reached for my phone. I clutched it to my chest and shook my head.

"You're the one who said you needed hard evidence."

"And this is your evidence?"

"It's the middle of the night. You can't possibly be using her bathroom."

At my accusation, Serena burst into tears.

Seriously? I was the official girlfriend. If anyone should be crying, it was me.

Serena clutched Declans sleeve, her voice a small whisper. "Declan, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to cause you trouble."

I almost laughed. Honey, I was playing this game when you were still in diapers.

I grabbed Declan's other sleeve, my own voice dripping with hurt. "Declan, you can hit me, you can yell at me, but I just need to know. Between her and me, who do you love the most?"

He pulled his arm free from Serenas grasp and wrapped it around me, his hand tight on my waist as he whispered in my ear. "Baby, stop it. Delete the video. Be good."

For a second, I thought I had won. But no, he just wanted the video gone.

I forced a few tears from my eyes. "So you choose her. Is that it, Declan?"

I could see his patience wearing thin. "Just go home. I'm busy."

I pressed my advantage. "I'm sorry. I'm too clingy. Don't worry, it won't happen again."

His grip on my wrist tightened.

Serena stepped in. "Declan, maybe you should go. I'll be fine on my own."

At her words, he turned to me, his voice low and sharp with warning. "Isla, we can play games, but you've gone too far tonight."

So much for being a master. A single word from his old flame, and I was nothing.

I shook his hand off and deleted the video right in front of him. Then I walked out without a word.

That night, I moved back to my own apartment. But there was a heavy feeling in my chest. Maybe after hearing him say "I love you" a hundred times, the magic had started to feel real.

But now it was clear. He loved Serena. At least, he loved her more than he loved me.

My mom was thrilled that I'd broken up with Declan.

After her surgery, all she wanted was to see me settled down. She dragged me to a matchmaking service the very next day.

"Miss Pierce, we have the 0-0,888 package, the $3,888 package, and"

"Give my daughter the most expensive one," my mom declared.

"Mom, you still have chemotherapy. We need that money."

"At my age, life and death are out of my hands. Your happiness is what's important. We'll take the best package you have."

The matchmaker's face lit up. After taking our payment, she handed me a stack of files. "Miss Pierce, these are our most premium clients."

The photos were uninspired. All I could see in my mind was Declan's infuriatingly handsome face.

"Miss Pierce, your phone is ringing," the matchmaker said.

The screen lit up with his name: Declan.

"Hello?"

"Isla, what the hell! I thought you deleted it!"

Hearing the fury in his voice was surprisingly satisfying. I had deleted the video. But then, out of spite, Id recovered it from my recently deleted folder and sold it to a tabloid for two thousand dollars.

Now it was the headline on every gossip site.

#Ford Heir's Late-Night Rendezvous#

#Scott Family's Illegitimate Daughter Makes Her Move#

So Serena was illegitimate. No wonder Declan had been so desperate to get rid of the video.

I put on my sweetest voice. "Declan, I just saw the news. I don't understand, I'm sure I deleted it. How could it have been leaked?" I sighed. "I'm so clumsy. I can't even do a simple thing right. I'm sorry to cause you more trouble."

He actually laughed, completely forgetting we had broken up the night before. "Where are you? I'll come get you."

I reminded him, "Declan, we're not together anymore. Besides, I'm really busy right now."

"Isla, I never agreed to a breakup."

Typical player. Pining for his old flame while trying to keep me on the hook.

When I didn't say anything, he asked, "Busy with what?"

"A blind date."

I hung up and pointed randomly at a file in front of me.

I chose the location for the date: Declan's favorite lounge.

No reason. I just wanted to annoy him.

The man sitting across from me was handsome, easily on par with Declan. He even had a similar vibe.

"Hi, handsome. I'm Isla."

He smiled and shook my hand. "A pleasure. I'm Grayson."

Grayson? The name sounded familiar.

He stood up gallantly and pulled out my chair. His manners were impeccable.

As soon as I sat down, I got straight to the point. "Isla Pierce, 29. Single mother, own my own house and car, decent savings. I've had three prior relationships."

"So Declan wasn't your first?"

How did he know about Declan? And how did he know Id told Declan he was my first?

Before I could figure it out, Declan appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Grayson by the collar, the veins on his hand bulging.

I tried to stop him, but he was already shouting. "I already explained about Serena! I'm handling the video!"

Damn it. And here I thought he was being impulsive for my sake. It was still about his precious old flame.

I had officially lost interest.

I went back to sipping my coffee, watching the drama unfold. It took me a moment to realize what had happened.

I had gone to the wrong booth. My reservation was for 608. This was 806.

And Grayson was Declan's older brother. That's why the name was familiar.

What a disaster.

I grabbed my bag to sneak away, but Declan caught me.

"Declan, what are you doing? I have to go!"

He ignored my struggles and practically shoved me into his car.