Chapter 19
MAKING A SPLASH
RORY
Rhodes had given me one hour to take Luke swimming, and I refused to waste a precious second. Maria had him packed with his suit, sunscreen, and snacks; I’d grabbed him, and we’d hustled directly to the pool.
“Wear these.” He handed me a pair of swim goggles.
I put them on and squinted at the little boy. “Like this?”
“Yeah.” He put his own goggles on—his were slightly crooked—and proceeded to run, full tilt, at the pool.
“Luke, wait!”
But he’d already cannonballed in. Maria told me he could swim, but I didn’t know how well. I sprinted after him and jumped in, still wearing my coverup.
Luke bobbed to the surface, doggy-paddling like a pro, watching as I spluttered and wiped the hair out of my face.
“You shouldn’t have jumped in like that!”
“Why?” He swam to the side, hopped out, and then cannon-balled directly at me.
When he surfaced, I scowled at him.
“Because I didn’t know if you were safe!”
“Why’re you swimming in your dress?” he asked, then cannonballed me again.
“‘Cause I jumped in to save you.” I hauled myself out of the pool, took off my soaking wet T-shirt dress, tossed it, and then did a cannonball of my own.
“Wow!” Luke rocked in the wavy aftermath of my splash. “That was a big one!”
“I’m pretty awesome at cannonballs.”
“Splash contest!” Luke declared.
One of the pool attendants was standing nearby at the ready. “Excuse me,” I said. “Can you please judge our splashes? Biggest one wins.”
“Of course, Miss Rory.”
Luke eyeballed me—his goggles were half-full of water—and declared, “Watch this!”
His cannonball was excellent, but I weighed more. Mine splashed higher, I knew it did, but once we’d both reached the side of the pool, the attendant pointed at the boy. “Luke’s the champion! I’m bringing out a popsicle as a prize.”
Luke grinned. “Told you!”
“I still think I’m champion material.” I grinned back. “Maybe I’ll get the ‘W’ next time.”
“Good luck.” Luke hauled himself out of the pool, accepted the popsicle, and looked happy as a clam as the attendant draped an enormous, fluffy towel over his shoulders.
I frowned at him as I got out, then did a shallow dive.
“Can you teach me how to do that?” Luke practically threw down his popsicle.
“Of course, but probably not today.” I swam to the side. “I have to get back soon.”
He stuck out his lower lip.
“How about tomorrow?” I asked.
“Okay.” His smile was like the sun coming out.
Maria arrived, wearing sneakers and an oversized sun hat, and Luke happily hugged her. “I won the splash contest! And Rory’s going to teach me to dive tomorrow!”
“That’s wonderful.” Maria rocked him back and forth. “You’re such a great swimmer, Lukey. You’re going to be an excellent diver.”
“I know.”
“Can you be a big boy and go get changed and wash your hands? We have to do our lessons.”
“Nooo,” he groaned.
“Yesss,” she teased, and he ran off like a good sport.
Maria turned to me as I dried off. “Thank you for playing with him like that. I can’t keep up with him in the pool.”
“Aw, I’m sure he loves swimming with you no matter what. But I’m happy to do it. I love swimming—I’ve never seen a pool like this before. It’s gorgeous, huh?”
“It’s very nice. They don’t use it much, but Mr. William made sure that Luke got swim lessons.” She tilted her head and inspected me. “I don’t think I asked you, Rory. Where are you from originally?”
“Upstate New York. That’s where I grew up, but I met Rhodes in the city.” Suddenly, I was desperate to flee. I hated lying. And I didn’t want to slip up again. Yammering about how nice the pool was wasn’t helping anything.
“I was surprised to hear that your family is traveling in Paris,” Maria said, not unkindly. “If they want any restaurant or museum tips, my daughter knows all the locals’ favorite places.”
“Oh. Thanks.” My cheeks heated. “That’s really nice of you. Okay, I have to go now. Rhodes and I are wedding planning.”
“Of course, Dear,” Maria said as I rushed away, water still dripping down my back. Why had I said my family was in Paris? Maria must know I was lying. I could’ve said anywhere in the world, but oh no, Paris was the first thing to pop out of my mouth—
“What the hell happened to you?” Miranda broke my reverie. She was standing right inside the door as I entered.
Gah. “I was just s-swimming.” I tightened the towel around me, wishing I’d taken another minute to dry off.
“You look like you got dragged out by the undertow.” Miranda was completely pulled together in a cream silk blouse, wide-leg cream trousers, designer sandals, and freshwater pearl jewelry.
“Well… You look nice,” I said.
She arched an eyebrow. “I am not seeking your approval.”
“Oh, I know.” I shivered—the air conditioning was blasting. “I have to go. I’m meeting Rhodes.”
“Why are you doing this?” She stepped in front of me, blocking my path. “That’s a stupid question, ignore it. I know why you’re doing this—money.”
“That’s not true,” I lied. “We’re getting married because we love each other.”
When she scowled, I jutted my chin out. “We love each other, and we want to get married soon so we can start a family. So that Luke has cousins to grow up with.”
“How dare you use that little boy as a pawn?” Miranda’s nostrils flared. “You are playing with fire, young lady. Your own greed is one matter. Using my grandchild to steal my family’s fortune? That’s quite another.”
She stalked off, scary as hell in her wide-leg pants, auburn hair flying in her wake.
I stood there, reeling. Fuck. But I didn’t wait around in case she decided to come back—I hustled to my room and dried off, putting on warm clothes.
As I dried my hair, Miranda’s words rattled around in my brain.
Your greed. My grandchild. Playing with fire.
The only information I had about Miranda was what Rhodes had told me, along with my own limited observations. I believed, based on what I’d seen, that she was cold, calculating, and had no natural affection for Luke.
But that didn’t make what she’d said wrong.
By telling everyone we wanted to start a family for Luke’s benefit, we were absolutely using the child.
He didn’t know. He would be shielded from what we were saying.
But still. We were rationalizing our decision to be married quickly based on a lie, one that predicated its existence on the vulnerability of a sad little boy.
It was wrong, and I knew it.
And once you knew something, it was impossible to un-know it.
Plus, I’d lied to Maria about my family being in Paris. I’d lied to the board member, too, but I didn’t know her, so it didn’t make me feel as bad. But lying to the nanny rankled. Not only was I bad at it, I knew it was wrong.
And I’d lied to my Grammy.
The shame hit me as I finished drying my hair. Forced to meet my own eyes in the mirror, I didn’t like what I saw. Yes, I’d signed a contract to marry Rhodes Barrington to protect my family. Would I do it again? Probably—there weren’t a lot of options for a girl like me.
But that knowledge was cold comfort as I fled my reflection, hustling to make sure I was on time for the man I’d traded my integrity to marry.