Chapter 11 – Nicholas
NICHOLAS
My plane kissed the Washington ground at exactly three o’clock, tires hissing against the snow-covered runway.
Mr. Reaves clapped like this was a show.
“Do you mind if I get off first so I can take a few pictures of your jet in the snow?” he asked.
“I would love for you to get off first.” I tried not to roll my eyes. “Please, be my guest.”
He moved toward the front, waiting for the pilot to pull open the door.
Jenna looked as annoyed as I felt, her lips pressed tight as she shook her head.
As I was unbuckling my seatbelt, my phone sounded with a video call.
My mom.
Terrible timing…
“Hello, Mother,” I answered. “I meant to call you back a few days ago, but—”
“Let me get this straight.” She interrupted me with a look on her face that could kill. “You can visit your fiancée’s family for the holidays, but you can’t visit your own?”
“How did you find out about this?”
“I can’t believe you have an entire fiancée—who lives in Washington—and you were just going to bypass your beloved mother and family without so much as a hello.”
“It’s not personal,” I said. “There’s a reason behind it—and it’s not one I want to get into.”
“Well, thank you for not denying it.” Her face reddened. “Thank you very much.”
“Who told you about this?”
“Your assistant,” she said. “The very woman you’re marrying…”
“I see.” I glared at Jenna. “I’m firing her the second I get back.”
“You can’t spare a few hours for us?” she asked quietly, her expression shifting from anger to something quieter—and worse.
“I’ll see what I can do.” I held back a sigh. “I’ll call you within an hour.”
“Please do.”
I ended the call, still looking at Jenna.
“It’s just a few days of play pretend.” She smirked, mocking my words from the other day. “How hard could it possibly be?”