Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Isla

A dmittedly, the long day had left me feeling drowsy—even with the amazing company. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to talk to Luke, a man who was so far out of my social circle it was as if we grew up on different planets. But he was fun and down-to-earth and sigh-worthily handsome. Still, even with a tall, incredible, man sitting next to me, I managed to doze off for a few minutes until the car slowed and came to a stop.

I sat up higher and stifled a yawn. “Are we getting closer?”

“We’ve arrived.” There was a little tension in Luke’s tone.

It took me a second to clear my head and my vision. A massive, black wrought-iron gate spanned between two tall stone columns. Luke reached out to the keypad mounted to another stone column. Slowly, and with all the drama of a vampire throwing open his big, black cape, the gates parted and swung inward. A long driveway of dark and light gray pavers led up and around a curve and disappeared around a grassy knoll, hiding whatever was beyond it. Tall cypress trees, perfectly sculpted into columns, lined the long drive.

The electric car rolled forward silently, far enough for the gates to snap shut behind us. Luke stopped the car and held the steering wheel tightly. The swelling on his knuckles had gone down, but they were still red, and there was a small dent in the top of his hand where, we surmised, the guy’s tooth had landed.

I sensed a great deal of hesitation on his part. “Uh, I think I’m the one who’s supposed to be anxious. And trust me, there’s plenty of that right now. I suppose I have enough to spare, so go ahead and have your moment.”

I was far too mesmerized by his Adam’s apple. It moved up his long throat with a deep swallow. He turned to me with a faint smile. “It’s been a few months. My family always manages to sap all my energy.” Unexpectedly, he reached over and took my hand. It was warm and strong, and I hoped he wouldn’t pull it away too fast. “No matter how this weekend turns out, I’ve had a great time on this trip. Probably the best time I’ve had in a long time.”

“Me, too.” I turned forward. “Well, I think if we don’t get going soon, I might hop out, climb that fence and hightail it back to Whisper Cove. So, let’s go, dearest.”

He wrinkled his nose. “That sounds like something my mom would call my dad when she’s angry about something.”

“So, I’m assuming it’s a big no on dearest .”

“Let’s stick with names and see what comes to us naturally.”

We drove along a driveway that felt more like a mountain highway. We rolled past grassy knolls and boxwood shrubs and groves of flowering trees. There was even a small pond where several ducks floated aimlessly about, wondering how they got lucky enough to land in this place. I pulled my gaze from the scenery, and there it was—suddenly in view and more magnificent than anything my imagination could have conjured.

“Holy smokes—” I muttered. I grabbed my phone and took a picture of the sprawling manor. “Ella will fall over dead when she sees this house. The only thing missing is Mr. Darcy standing on the front steps in his black frock coat and tall boots.” The manor seemed to stretch from one zip code to the next. It was three massive buildings, each with dozens of symmetrical windows, stretched out across an incredible landscape. The two outer wings were each one story shorter than the center one. Massive stone steps led to a landing that was framed by carved stone balustrades.

A fountain as big as our cottage stood in the curve of a long circular driveway. The driveway was already filled with cars that were all too fancy for me to recognize. Luke parked.

“Just to be clear—this is your parents’ house and not some big fancy resort?”

“This is their country house,” he said.

“Oh, just their country house.” A nervous laugh burst from my lips. “I think me and my sticker-covered suitcase are just going to sleep out here.”

Luke smiled as he got out of the car. I’d finally figured out the car doors, but I was frozen to the seat. He opened the door, and the fragrance of fresh cut grass and roses swept in on the breeze. He lowered his hand for me to take. I took such a deep breath that I felt a little lightheaded from it.

I placed my hand on his, and he wrapped his long fingers around mine. “Come on, angel, it’ll be fine.”

I peered up at him, still glued to the seat. “Angel?”

“Trying it out for a test drive. I like it.”

I could feel my cheeks warm. I dropped my legs out of the car and stood up. I stared up at the house. “Oh my gosh, I just got that weird rush you get when you’re staring up at something really tall, like a skyscraper. Downton Abbey could be a garage for this place.” I turned to him. “I’ll get lost for sure. Does it come with some kind of map?”

Luke chuckled as he pulled our bags out of the car. “You can always text me coordinates, and I’ll find you.” He came up to me and stood close enough that I took a moment to take in just how handsome he looked in the waning daylight. “I promise I won’t let you get lost. You ready?”

“Never, but let’s do this. After the day we’ve had, I’m feeling kind of invincible.”

The front door opened, and a woman wearing a bright blue skirt and matching blazer stepped into view. “That’s Amy. She’s my mom’s personal assistant. She’s very efficient and has the personality of a piece of cardboard.”

Amy’s rigid posture crumpled temporarily as a big golden retriever bounded past her. When she realized there was no way to stop the dog, she returned to her rigid posture. Her lips pursed in annoyance as she lifted her hand and talked into a phone.

“Leo!” Luke called to the dog. He loped toward us with a massive smile and his tongue hanging to the side. Luke greeted the dog with a hearty rub and hug. “This is my dad’s dog, Leo.”

I stooped down to greet the dog properly. “I hope I can count on you this weekend when I need a supportive friend.”

The dog licked my face.

“I think that was a yes ,” Luke said. “Well, this isn’t going to get any easier, so let’s forge ahead.”

“You said that same thing just before we stepped through a hallway filled with bone shards and the world’s creepiest museum curator,” I reminded him.

“I promise there’ll be no bones on the floor, and while she has plenty of Tiffany lamps, my mom does not have any lampshades made of human skin.”

“That’s good to know,” I muttered as I willed my feet forward.

The entryway was a spectacular collection of imported tiles, lavish wallpaper, gilded mirrors and a chandelier dripping with crystal pendants. Amy, the assistant, met us as we stepped inside. “Sir, the staff has your rooms ready. Miss—uh, Miss—” The woman’s primly preened feathers were definitely ruffled when she realized she didn’t know my name.

“Miss Lovely, Isla Lovely,” Luke supplied.

“Right, Miss Lovely will be on the west wing in guest bedroom three. I’ll have someone take her bag—” She glanced down at my suitcase and paused to collect herself. She tugged at her coat as if my tattered suitcase had caused her some distress. A throat clearing followed. “We’ll take her bags up to her room. Cocktails are being served out on the veranda, but perhaps she’d like to freshen up?” The same disapproving nose crinkle about my suitcase followed her silent survey of my attire.

Luke looked at me. There was an amused twinkle in his eye. “How does that sound, dearest ?”

“I wouldn’t mind a quick shower and change,” I said. “If that’s your definition of freshening up,” I added awkwardly.

“I’ll have someone show you up to your room. It has an en suite, of course.”

“Of course,” I said with a fake smile.

“I can show Miss Lovely up to her room,” Luke said. “And I can manage the bags.”

“Sir, your mother would like to see you promptly on the veranda,” Amy said with a small show of emotion. Very small.

“Well, since I’m no longer ten years old and taking commands from my mother, tell her I’ll be there after I see Miss Lovely to her room.”

Amy’s lips stretched into a long, thin line. She hesitated for a moment. “Very well.” She turned. Her stout heels tapped the tile floor as she marched out.

“I think you’re doing a disservice to cardboard.” I peered up at him. “Why’d you resurrect dearest ?”

Luke shrugged. “Just seemed to fit the ridiculously prim and proper conversation we were having. I’ll take you to your room.” He motioned with his head. There were two arched doorways at the far end of the massive entryway. Amy had walked through one, and we took the other. We walked through what felt like a second entryway, a vast space with a Persian rug, benches upholstered with sumptuous fabric that would put the richest velvet to shame, and oil portraits of stuffy, grim-looking people standing with horses and falcons and other critters of the wealthy world.

“Are you also in the west wing?” I asked as I hurried to catch up to him. I had a feeling that was going to happen a lot this weekend. While I was seeing the magnificence of his family home for the first time and through the eyes of a woman who grew up in a small cottage, he’d seen it all many times.

“All the family rooms are in the east wing,” he said as we climbed a short set of marble steps, the precursor or launch pad to a massive set of elegant, movie-worthy stairs.

I stopped before making the big climb. “Great, so you’re just a hop, skip and a two-mile trek away.”

Luke had already started up the steps with the bags. He glanced back at me with a smile, a smile that quickly faded when he looked past me.

“Lucas, I guess Amy forgot to tell you. I wanted to see you on the veranda.”

I froze on the bottom step, suddenly wishing I had Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak. I was hoping I’d at least have a chance to “freshen up” before meeting Luke’s mom. I sensed her getting closer, like one of those weird shadows in a horror movie. Luke walked back down to meet her, and I had no choice except to turn around. I put on my best smile.

Margaret Greyson was tall and slender and her skin was flawless. That might not have been entirely natural. Her lips were stretched awkwardly across the bottom half of her face, and her eyebrows sat just a little higher than I considered normal. It seemed she’d had some work done, possibly recently. Her shiny blonde hair was layered and curled into a sort of rounded coif. Her ears and neck were heavy with diamonds. She performed the snotty air kiss on each of Luke’s cheeks. According to him, they hadn’t seen each other in months, and that was the most affection she could muster up for her son.

Margaret allowed herself to smile my direction, and allowed was a generous word. It seemed to take all her energy to convince herself to do just that, and even with all that effort, all she offered was a weak, almost condescending grin. “This must be your friend .”

“My girlfriend,” Luke said sharply. “Isla, this is my mother, Margaret.”

Her wrist was weighed down by diamonds, too. “Hello, nice to meet you. You can call me Mrs. Greyson.”

“Seriously?” Luke asked.

I shook my head discreetly at Luke. This wasn’t a battle I wanted to take on. She obviously disapproved of me, and that was all right because I already disapproved of her. Fortunately, the two of us would never meet again after this weekend.

“Thank you for having me, Mrs. Greyson.” I added in a sugary smile.

She returned her own saccharine smile. It was extra disconcerting with lips that were both stiff and stretched. “I’ll tell Amy we need someone to show you to your room. I’m sure you can spare Luke for a while.” The diamond bracelet sparkled as she lifted her hand toward Luke, her elegant way of telling him Come with me .

“Mom, I just drove eight hours. I’m going to show Isla to her room and make sure she gets settled in, then I’m going to shower.”

Her face tightened, and I wouldn’t have thought that was possible. “Well, join us on the veranda as soon as you can. There are some people I want you to meet.” She swept away with great flourish and an angry grimace.

I turned to Luke and finally managed to take a decent breath. It felt as if Margaret had kept all the oxygen in the space hostage while she was standing in it.

“Sorry, that was even more brutal than I expected,” he said.

‘It’s all right,” I said. “After all, we’ll part ways after this weekend, and I—she and I won’t ever have to meet again.”

Luke’s shoulders were tense by the time we reached the upstairs landing. I placed my hand on his arm. “I’ll play the part well enough to get you through the weekend. Don’t worry about me. I can handle it.”

He nodded and continued down a long hallway with forest green carpeting and antique gold wall sconces. The whole place smelled of something floral. It was almost too much. I sneezed twice before we reached a door. Luke had to count the doors in the hallway to make sure he had the right one. He pushed open the third one, and we stepped inside.

“No way,” I said as I glanced around at the vast room. It had vaulted ceilings that were embellished with dark wooden beams. A giant four-poster bed with a lacy canopy took up half the room. The rest was filled with an antique armoire, a tall dressing mirror, elegant green wingchairs and even a Victorian fainting couch. After my little chat with Mrs. Greyson (I even said the name in my head with aversion), I might just need that couch … and some smelling salts as well.

“There’s a bathroom through that door.”

“And my own bathroom,” I said. My sisters and I shared two bathrooms, and one was no more than a sink and toilet. “If I stay tucked inside this glorious room for the whole weekend, do I still get the seven grand?” I laughed. “Kidding, of course. Mostly.”

He set my suitcase down on the upholstered bench. It looked extra shabby and out of place on the lush damask fabric. Luke turned to me with a sympathetic smile. “I think we’ll both deserve a medal after this weekend. How long will you need to get ready?” He glanced at his watch. “I can have my driver swing by in—say—an hour?”

We laughed, and it felt good. For a second, we were back on our carefree, adventurous road trip, with no giant wealth and lifestyle chasm between us. We were just two people having fun.

“I think I can find my way to the veranda. I plan to take a long shower,” I said as I walked across and opened the door. I sucked in another stunned breath. “On second thought, I’ll take a long, hot bath in the pool-sized bathtub.” I turned back to him. “This is—what’s the word I’m looking for—surreal. That’s it.”

“Yeah, if only the reality behind all of it wasn’t so damn annoying. I’ll see you on the veranda. Enjoy the bath.”

“Oh, I intend to, Mr. Greyson. I intend to.”