Blackmailing Belle (The Lost Girls, #4)

by Holly Roberds

"You run a romance bookstore, I understand," she starts hesitantly. "So I imagine you might be suffering a great deal of disappointment at ending up in a marriage that isn’t a love match." She rears back slightly when I laugh. Even I’m surprised any humor can break through the numbness pervading me. "Sorry, I just. . ." I pause to figure out how to succinctly explain. "I don’t believe in love." Mrs. P blinks rapidly, struggling to comprehend. "I know, I know. The irony of someone who doesn’t believe in love running a romance bookstore is pointed out to me on a regular basis. But romance, true love, all that stuff is fantasy. I seek out that fantasy between the pages of a book, but I’m far too pragmatic to think that any of that can be found in real life." Mrs. P studies me with an unerring focus that makes me wonder if her powers extend to being able to probe my mind. "You love your father. That much is clear." I twist to look over my shoulder to where I can see a tiny sliver of my father cozied in a chair by the fire. "That’s different. Loyalty, duty, companionship, and care are very real, and we call it love. But the out-of-control, passionate romantic love is nothing but layers of chemistry and biological attempts to create that bond. People use romantic love to get what they want." "If the basis of love is manipulation, what are you using your father for then?" she challenges, leaning forward slightly. "It’s not the same thing," I say, gripping my cup tighter. "I didn’...