Which would never happen unless I stopped her from leaving. I wove through the country club crowd, trying to be polite, but mostly pushing. Too many people wanted to congratulate me on the Forbes list, offer rich advice, or introduce their lovely daughters. I couldn't breathe, and I couldn't see Corsica.
I spotted her just as she dodged for the side door. Luckily, my parents were nearby and my father stepped in front of her. I was stuck behind an elderly couple and couldn't do anything. Corsica's hands fluttered in front of her face-was she crying?
My mother pulled out a handkerchief and tucked Corsica into a quiet corner. My heart was in my throat by the time I got close enough to hear what they were saying.
"It was all a lie. He's been lying to me from the very first night," Corsica said. She balled my mother's handkerchief up and shook her fist. "And I was so stupid. I should have searched the internet for his name, I should have known as soon as he arrived."
Xavier laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, my dear; I went along with it. It was meant to protect him, not hurt you."
Corsica's eyes flashed. "Penn didn't need protection from me. Until now. He turned me into the butt of a joke for all his fancy friends."
"Oh, Corsica, you aren't a joke. If anything, the joke's on Penn. He didn't tell you about his money because he wanted to see how you would feel about him, instead of it. And now that he knows, he's screwed everything up." My mother fixed me with a piercing look. "That doesn't mean you should call the wedding off."
"Wedding?" Corsica echoed. I waited for her to reveal the extent of my lies, but she didn't. "How can I marry someone I don't even know?"
Xavier patted her shoulder. "You know the important parts."
"Like he's a liar," Corsica spat. Then she saw me and struggled to get past my parents to the door.
"She's right, I'm a liar," I said. It was the only way to stop her. "Corsica and I are not engaged. We met the same night Xavier arrived in San Francisco. I made up our engagement, and she was nice enough to go along with it."
My mother's eyes glowed with the confirmation that she had known all along. Except for why. "Maybe you made up the lie until you could make it the truth?"
Corsica stopped dodging and fixed me with a laser bright gaze. "He said it was to make you happy. Like some sort of dying wish. I only went along with it because I knew what a hard road you all had ahead of you."
"And that is why we love you," my mother said. She wrapped an arm around Corsica.
Tears brimmed on the edge of her lovely, blue eyes again. "I took advantage of you. I'm sorry."
"Nonsense." Xavier straightened up and met me eye-to-eye. "One song from you and I would have given you Penn's old garage apartment as a thank you. And you helped us through the worst time."
My mother tipped her head and studied me. "I think maybe Penn should revaluate what his plan was all along."
"What plan?" I snapped. "It was supposed to be a fun one-night stand and then all of this happened."
Alice's expression turned sharp. "Now you're just lying to yourself, Penn. You need to think about the actual truth of your relationship."
"I should go," Corsica said.
"You're leaving?" I stepped forward to catch her hands, but she flinched away.
Then Corsica stepped towards me with a wave of fury that bowled me back on my heels. "I'm not leaving the ball, if that's what you think. I've been alone long enough; I don't have any problem being on my own."
She swept away in her midnight blue dress, looking regal. The tears were gone and Corsica's expression was set in a pleasant, aloof smile that had more than one head turning.
"I hate for her to be so lonely," Xavier said, "but, damn, she looks better off alone."
"Well, let's see how our son does on his own. Something tells me he won't pull it off," Alice said.
My parents drifted away into pleasant conversations. I heard crystal glasses tinkling as their engagement was celebrated.
I didn't know what my mother meant by me being alone because I couldn't go more than three feet without someone stopping me to chat.
"You know, my entire company changed once we hit the Forbes list," an older gentleman said without preamble. I recognized him, but in a vague way connected with my father. "Have you thought about how to preserve what got you there in the first place?"
"Avoiding events like this," I said.
I stepped around him and followed Corsica as she meandered through the dining hall. She was stopped here and there for introductions, and her smiling conversations were always effortless. People were seeking out her connections, and my parents happily nodded and waved when she pointed to them as her friends.
Corsica was at ease in the pretentious company, in a way that I started to envy. It occurred to me more than once as I stalked around the edges of the social event that she was much better suited to my millions than I was.
I stuck myself in a doorway where I could see her, but easily escape any conversation that came my way. Watching Corsica charm entire swathes of the room gave way to a wild fantasy. What if I just gave her all my money? I could disappear back into the wilderness and keep growing my company off the grid, just the way I liked it. She would probably create some amazing charity or scholarship and change the lives of countless kids with pasts like hers. Corsica could probably take my money and find a cure for cancer.
I kept reminding myself that the point of my daydream was that I was better off alone. I loved being alone. It didn't matter that twice that evening I overheard people talking about me as a confirmed bachelor or an eccentric solitary.
I tried to focus on the next trip I would take and how all of this pretentiousness and show would drop away as soon as I was outside.
That's why I loved camping. All the weight of other people's expectations, jealousies, and influences just fell away when I was out in the wilderness. Except for Corsica.
I'd practically fallen off a sheer cliff face because all I could think about was her. I hated to think what would happen on my next trip out. I would probably stumble off the trail and die from some horribly amateur accident, like a broken ankle.
"You should smile before people think you've gone feral." Alicia sidled up to me and slipped her hand through the crook of my elbow.
I refused to smile and tried to shake her off, but it didn't matter.
"What a lovely couple."
"Oh, what a dream wedding that would be." The older women sighed happily as they nodded to us and walked by.
"Alicia," a man's voice boomed behind us. "I was hoping you'd introduce me to your gentleman."
I couldn't escape. Alicia made the introductions, despite my curt nod. I had lost sight of Corsica, and it made my chest tighten. Still, I was trapped by Alicia and her upper echelon heiress status. I could practically see dollar signs in everyone's eyes as they smiled at us.
"So, you've finally met the one that can save you from bachelorhood, eh, Penn?" the man asked.
"What? Who?"
"Alicia, of course. She's your perfect match. No worries about uneven financials."