Chapter 13 Fresh Air
FRESH AIR
RORY
“Ready?” I asked, pulling the swing back. “Let’s gooooo!”
I pushed and ran behind Luke, giving him a classic “underdog”—when you ran under the swing while pushing it as high as it could go. The boy whooped, feet rising toward the sky, as he gleefully reached a new height.
Maria laughed nearby. “You’re so good with him.”
“I have a younger brother and sister.” My heart twisted because I missed Josie and Bo so much. “I think kids are fun.”
“They are fun.” Maria beamed at me. “Mine are grown, and my grandbabies live in France, so I don’t get to see them enough.”
“Aw, I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s okay.” The nanny smiled with pride. “My daughter works for a museum in Paris. She and her husband love it, and so do the kids. They’re living their best lives.”
“That’s awesome.” I got behind Luke and started pushing him again. The kid was happy. We’d had muffins, and Chef had snuck him some hot chocolate, which he’d guzzled.
When he asked me to take him outside to play, I happily ditched the stupid slip dress and put on some of the athletic clothes Elena had packed for me. I felt much more at home in my sneakers, shorts, and a T-shirt than I did in silk and strappy sandals.
“How long have you worked for the Barringtons?” I asked.
“I’ve been with Luke since he was born. When Mr. Barrington—Mr. William—and Luke’s mother divorced, I came here to live with them.”
“That’s amazing,” I said, still pushing the swing. “Luke’s a lucky little boy.”
Maria’s smile turned melancholy, and I winced. “I’m sorry,” I said. I didn’t want to say more in front of him. When he jumped off the swing to go down the slide—the playground at the estate was immense and brand-new—the nanny came closer.
“I shouldn’t have said that, about him being lucky.” I frowned as I watched the little boy climb the steps. “It’s so sad what happened.”
“It’s terrible.” Maria’s eyes filled with tears. “Luke is such a loving, special child. His father was extremely busy, but he was very dedicated to him. He always took weekends off and spent time with him.”
“It’s tragic. The poor thing.”
“It’s heartbreaking.” She watched Luke as he took another turn on the slide. “I’m sure you’ve heard about his mother. She hasn’t ever really wanted anything to do with him. So now he’s got no one—except for you and Mr. Barrington, of course,” she added quickly.
“Of course.” But this development surprised me. I didn’t know anything about Luke’s mother.
I longed to ask Maria a ton of questions, but I couldn’t. I needed to appear to be informed, part of the family, and on top of things. So instead I asked, “What does he like to do?”
“Anything outdoors,” she said. “He loves to play outside all day and to go swimming. And we read lots of books—he loves to read. And at night, after his bath, I let him put his jammies on and watch his shows.”
I smiled at her. “It sounds like you take great care of him. He’s lucky to have you, Maria.”
“Thank you,” she said, clearly touched. “He also wants a puppy.”
“Of course he does!” I laughed. “All kids want a puppy.”
“He might need one,” she said, her voice turning sad again.
“Yeah, he might.”
We watched him until Philips, who looked decidedly out of place marching across the lawn in his tuxedo, approached. “Miss Rory, Mr. Barrington would like an audience with you. He’s waiting in the library.”
“Okay, Philips—I’ll be right in.” I went over and hugged Luke. “I gotta go. Want to hang out later? Chef said he might have some ice cream for us.”
Luke’s eyes got huge in his face. “Okay.”
I gave him knuckles. “See you in a bit.”
I didn’t know how to describe it—but the kid looked at me like I was some sort of miracle. Knuckles, ice cream, Uniqua… these were not the province of the Mr. Barringtons. Luke and I spoke the same language.
I was probably just as relieved to realize that as he was.
Philips eyed me up and down as we trekked across the never-ending grounds.
I hadn’t had a proper tour yet, but the Barrington estate appeared to stretch on for miles in every direction.
The White Mountains rose in the near distance, tall and majestic.
The property was endless, with the enormous, state-of-the-art playground shaded by tall fir trees.
“Where’s the pool?” I asked, searching the horizon.
“On the south-facing lawn,” Philips said. He continued to scowl at me. “Weren’t you wearing a dress earlier?”
“Yes.” I looked down at myself. My T-shirt was smudged with dirt, my new sneakers were already scuffed, and I was sweaty. “I didn’t think pink silk was playground-appropriate.”
“I see.” He arched an eyebrow. “Would you like to change before you join Mr. Barrington in the library?”
“Um…”
“That won’t be necessary, Philips.” Rhodes appeared at the door, his tie askew, a tumbler of bourbon in his hand. “I’ll make sure that the future Mrs. Barrington changes before dinner, though, if that’ll appease you.”
“Quite.” Philips bowed and, after favoring us with a slight smile, vanished into the manor.
“You look sporty,” Rhodes said, voice thick. He sounded as if this wasn’t his first day drink.
“I was at the playground with Luke and Maria. It’s pretty amazing.”
Rhodes frowned. “There’s a playground?”
“Yeah.” I looked at him skeptically. “Are you okay?”
“No,” he said, taking me by surprise. “But I will be. There’s been some developments, I need to update you. Walk with me?” He started inside the house.
But the sun was shining, and the breeze was light and playful, and I didn’t want to run into his scary stepmother in a hallway or be chastised into changing my clothes just yet. “Actually, can you show me where the pool is? I can’t seem to find it.”
“I do actually know where that is,” Rhodes said, obliging. He finished his drink and put it on the ground, presumably for some staff member to pick up.
We started across the lawn. Rhodes’s tie flapped in the breeze.
“Did you grow up here?” I asked.
“When my father and Miranda married, they built this house. I lived here in my teens when I wasn’t at boarding school. When William got divorced, he and Luke moved in. They did significant renovations—including adding a playground, I guess.”
“I didn’t know Luke lived here,” I said. “You didn’t mention it.”
“In between signing a contract for a fake marriage and fighting off Miranda for control of my company, I didn’t exactly have time.” He shot me a look. “He seemed to like you.”
“He’s a great kid. I feel so bad for him—Maria didn’t say much, but he doesn’t see his mom often?”
Rhodes’s expression darkened, and he shook his head. “His mother’s never had much of a maternal instinct. She cares more about partying than she does about her son.”
Oof. I could relate to that. “That’s a shame.”
“Yes.” Rhodes stared straight ahead. “And it’s part of why I hired you.”
I stopped walking. “You might’ve mentioned it.”
Rhodes turned to me. “I know. It was an oversight on my part. I’m sorry—this has all happened so fast that my head’s spinning.”
I softened a little, even though it bothered me that Luke wasn’t my fake fiancé’s first and foremost priority. “It’s okay. I can’t imagine what you’re going through. I just wish you’d given me a heads-up that you had a little boy.”
“I don’t have him yet,” Rhodes said. He looked sour. “My brother named me as guardian, but he also stipulated that I get married. His provisions echoed my father’s.”
“So the stakes are even higher than I thought.” I felt a little sick. If I screwed this up, not only would Rhodes lose his fortune, he’d lose his nephew.
He sighed deeply as we rounded a corner. I spotted the pool, a glimmering jewel in the middle of another immense expanse of lawn. There was a gate, and what looked like a pool house, and loungers with umbrellas.
“The stakes are high, yes. And that’s why I wanted to talk to you,” Rhodes said.
“And is it why you were day-drinking?”
He nodded. “Exactly.”
“What happened?”
Rhodes loosened his tie some more. “I might need another drink before we get to that.”
We reached the pool, and an attendant came out, dressed head to toe in whites. “Mr. Barrington. Miss Rory. How lovely to see you.” He bowed, let us in, and promptly led us to a shaded lounge area. “What can I get for you?”
“I need a change of clothes, a bourbon, and some ice water,” Rhodes said immediately. “Rory?”
“I’ll have a lemonade,” I said, sounding like I belonged at the kids’ table at a holiday dinner.
Rhodes arched an eyebrow as the attendant strode off. “A lemonade? How charming.”
I shrugged. “I like it.”
“Do you not drink alcohol?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Ever?”
“No.” The way he was staring at me made me flush.
“Why not?”
I thought he didn’t want to know any of my personal business! “I don’t like feeling out of control.”
He assessed me as a different attendant, this one female, who returned with clothes for him and our drinks.
“Don’t move.” He hustled off, and I drank my lemonade in silence, ogling the pool.
It was glorious—rectangular, pristine, and sparkling.
There was a zero-entry end for splashing, seating in the pool at a bar, and the cool gray tiles that formed the deck were elegant and simple.
It was, in other words, the setting was straight out of a movie.
If Josie and Bo saw this, they would freak.
I wondered if I could invite them to Barrington Manor this summer.
I tried to picture them splashing in the pool, shrieking as they cannon-balled, but I couldn’t visualize it.
It seemed surreal, a collision of two worlds that shouldn’t exist in the same universe.
Josie and Bo, with their splashing, shrieking, and exuberance, would be out of place at Barrington Manor.
Just like me.
Rhodes returned, wearing shorts that showcased his muscular legs and a polo shirt that revealed his enormous biceps. I tried not to stare and failed.
“I didn’t know you could wear shorts,” I blurted, immediately regretting it.
“Excuse me?”
“I thought you only wore suits.” I sucked down my lemonade so I couldn’t say more idiotic words.
“Of course I wear shorts.” He slid on a pair of designer sunglasses, all the better to look like a super-hot badass. “What else would I work out in?”
I tried not to think about him working out, thigh muscles pumping as he ran on a treadmill, and again failed spectacularly. Rhodes Barrington might not be the nicest guy I’d ever met, but he was absolutely the hottest. I wished I had some sunglasses so I could stare at his biceps, undetected.
“Right. Got it.” I sucked down more lemonade. “So what are the developments you mentioned?”
He swapped his water for his bourbon, and my heart sank.
“I talked to my lawyer this morning. Miranda has already gone running to the board, telling them that our relationship is a sham, setting up meetings so that she can present her case to them. She is also threatening to petition to be Luke’s legal guardian, and lobbying his mom to support her. ”
“Oh boy. That’s a lot.”
He clutched his bourbon. “You think?”
“So what do we do?” I asked, starting to panic.
If this didn’t work—if Rhodes didn’t get his company and didn’t get his nephew—he’d throw me out on the streets.
Which would be fine, except for the clause in the contract that stated that if I didn’t perform and was terminated, for any reason, I would have to repay everything, including the amount of the mortgage payoff.
That was impossible, to say the least. The money was gone.
Which meant that my fake marriage was do or die.
“So we get married. Next week,” Rhodes said.
“Next week?”
He nodded. “I am putting a team of staff members on this. We’ll have the ceremony here while the board’s still here. The invitations, your dress, the seating, the food—all of that has to be handled right now. So I’m going to need you to be available at all times.”
“Of course.”
“I don’t think it’s appropriate to invite your family—do you?” he asked.
I shook my head. Even though it broke my heart, it would be too risky to bring my grandmother and the kids to Barrington Manor. They would be confused and asking questions, and that would be downright perilous for us right now.
“I’ll tell them we eloped. Maybe we can have them up later in the summer for a celebration?” I asked weakly. They were never going to forgive me for this. I only hoped I could forgive myself.
“Of course.” Rhodes nodded. “But I think we need a cover story to explain why they aren’t attending.”
I blew out a deep breath. Because they’re poor? Because my grandmother will object when I’m about to recite my vows?Because Josie and Bo would take one look at this pool, cannonball in, and refuse to ever get out?
“Let’s just say that they’re traveling,” I suggested. “Because we didn’t want to wait, they sent their blessings and said they understand.”
Lies, lies, and more lies.
“How are you going to explain why we’re getting married so quickly?” I asked. “Doesn’t that look suspicious?”
“I’m going to say that I want to honor my father and brother’s wishes. And also, that it’s best for Luke if he has a settled family.” He took a deep breath. “And I had another thought…”
Something in his tone made me nervous. My stomach tied itself into a knot. “And?”
He lowered his sunglasses and looked at me.
“What if you’re having my baby?”
The world seemed to tilt. I almost spit out my lemonade.
First, a fake marriage.
Now a baby?