Paige
ten
“Where in heaven’s name are you?” Mama’s screech is an unwelcome start to my day, but it’s time I called her back.
Turning my phone on after waking up in Hayes’s bed with his big beast curled up next to me was an unfortunate responsibility that had to be tended to.
So when I pulled on the flannel pajama pants Hayes lent me and padded down the stairs to let Cerberus outside, I finally found the courage to do it.
“I’m safe in Atlanta.”
Mama lets out a groan of despair. She hates Atlanta with a passion, avoiding the capital city with fervor, so it’s an extra slap to the face to know her only daughter has bolted straight for Satan’s very gates.
“Your father and I have been worried sick looking for you. Now we find out you don’t even have the decency to tell us you would be leaving town after you ruined our family dinner. We reported you missing, Paige!”
Alarm floods my system and I have to take a seat on a lounge chair by the gorgeous deep blue lap pool. Unfazed by the yelling coming through the phone, Cerberus trots around the acres of green grass, looking for the perfect spot to do his morning business.
“You reported me missing? Mama, I’ve been gone for less than twelve hours. It’s not like I would have been tossed in the river as soon as I left your house.”
“You took the Cobra. You could have been killed in an accident with that coffin on wheels,” she insists.
“And you weren’t at your apartment, and no one has seen you or the car.
What was I supposed to think? I cried my eyes out all night worrying about you.
The sheriff is out searching for you this morning.
I’m going to have to call him and tell him you left of your own accord trying to give me a heart attack. ”
The guilt trip is heavy, but it’s not a burden I should have to shoulder alone. Her actions pushed me to leave and refuse to tell her anything more, so she brought the worry on herself.
“Well, call off the dang search. I’m fine.”
I try to keep the snap out of my voice, but I’m finding it hard to feel the sympathy she wants.
“You went too far, Mama.”
“So this is all my fault once again? You always do this, Paige. There are certain customs you have to adhere to when you come from a family like ours. Like it or not, you have responsibilities other girls don’t have to assume.”
“I won’t marry a would-be rapist, Mama. Even you have to realize that can’t be one of the responsibilities and customs on my shoulders.”
She makes a strangled noise and I wonder if it’s possible to cause a stroke with a phone conversation.
“Garrison Daniels is a wonderful man from a good family. Your alleged assault story from years ago is the only time he has ever been bad-mouthed by anyone in our town. It’s about time you get over the fact you made a mistake and led a boy on at a party and were confused by the events that took place because of it. ”
Alleged assault? I led him on? Confused? I think I’m now the one at risk of an aneurysm. Hot tears prick my eyes as my own mother blames me for something I had very little control over.
“I can’t believe you. Your ambition to make something of the minor part of our legacy knows no bounds. You would rather marry off your only daughter to a predator to save what’s left of a dying industry. All for what? More money?”
“This isn’t about money, it’s about your future!
You need to be with a man who knows how to take care of you the way we have all your life, and Garrison can do that.
It’s just an extra blessing that his family can augment the legacy you will pass on to your own children.
You’ll understand, someday, how hard it is to give your children the best they deserve. ”
I pop up from the lounge chair like it electrocuted my behind and pace the stone pool deck in a rage.
“I deserve a lot more than Garrison Daniels, Mama. I’m staying in Atlanta until you realize that for yourself.”
“That’s it. You’ve pushed me too far. I’m cutting off your trust. You won’t get anything from the family you’re shaming with your atrocious behavior.”
I take a deep breath, knowing this was the likely course of action she would take to force my hand.
“Mama, I love you, but I don’t like anything about you at the moment.
Cut off the trust if that’s what makes you feel more in control.
I don’t care and it won’t make me come home any sooner.
I hope we can have a better conversation in a few days when you can see the cutting your hair with kitchen scissors crazy you’re being right now. ”
She makes a squawk of outrage as I end the call with shaking fingers.
I’ve never stood up to her like this before, and the unease I feel at going against my mother’s wishes is agonizing.
I stop my pacing and wipe my wet cheeks.
Cerberus sits at my feet, his back against my legs, his head scanning the yard around us.
“I’m glad you’re here, buddy,” I tell him, bending down to place a kiss on his head.
He rewards me with a few licks on my hand before getting up to walk to the house. He pauses and looks back to see if I’m following him.
“Yes, you bossy thing, I’m coming, too.”
I feed him breakfast and rummage through the refrigerator for something to eat. It’s fully stocked and fresh. Who does the grocery shopping for Hayes while he’s away in Savannah? Does he have a service, or maybe an assistant who keeps him stocked in organic oat milk and fresh produce?
I settle for avocado toast and eggs, using items from his stocked fridge and gorgeous kitchen that’s a dream to work in.
I lose no time in making myself right at home among the glossy surfaces and high-end equipment.
I’m not the greatest cook, and I always make a huge mess, but Mama and the chef at The Mansion made sure I knew my way around the kitchen like any proper Southern lady should.
I could probably make Hayes a five-course dinner with the food in the kitchen and a bit of Googling to figure out a menu.
I clean up after myself and decide it’s time to get started on that shopping I told Hayes I could accomplish on my own.
He left a note with instructions to use the Amex he provided for me and to take the Mercedes SUV in the garage for my driving needs.
He’s quite the accommodating host and full of Southern hospitality for an uncompromising billionaire.
There’s a part of me that feels a little too much like the women he’s been with before, who used him for his money.
Unlike them, I fully intend to pay him back for any purchases I make with the black card in my hand.
Just as soon as Mama gets over this coup I’ve staged and gives me access to my trust again.
But what if she doesn’t get over it, and decides I don’t deserve unfettered trust access, or she puts me on an allowance, like I’m still twelve?
I could really use a contingency plan should Mama not budge on her plans to marry me off.
Would dating Hayes be enough to keep her off my back about Garrison?
Hayes’s pedigree is pristine, he’s got the deep pockets she seems to think I need, and he’s a shrewd and accomplished businessman who could help me figure out another way to fortify her family’s agriculture interests.
Okay, new plan in addition to paying him back. Get Hayes to fall in love with me.
It’s a task unlike anything I’ve taken on before and will likely be the most difficult thing I have done in my twenty-one years.
I’m nothing if not ambitious and willing to do anything I have to do in order to achieve the goals I set.
But with this, it seems a little daunting.
I’ve never been in love, so I’m unsure what it takes to start.
All I have going into this is a raging crush, a flimsy goal, and the threat of marrying Garrison to keep me motivated.
That should do it, really.
A few keystrokes on a web search for high-end shopping led me to the Shops at Buckhead where I’m currently trying to decide what exactly I’ll need for a week in Atlanta with Hayes.
I decided against a quick Target wardrobe because, like his garage full of shiny supercars, Hayes probably has expensive tastes in dining and activities.
I want to be prepared for whatever he may suggest this week.
Also, the whole make him fall in love with me thing may require pretty underwear.
Thus, my first stop is at a lingerie store.
I have an armful of silk and lace panties, a slip, a silk robe, and bras hanging off my arm when a salesgirl approaches to help me.
“Girl, you better be going on your honeymoon or intent on seducing a man with that haul.”
I laugh nervously. “Something like that,” I offer. “I’m in town for a week without my clothes, so I have to make do.”
She takes the garments from me and leads me back to the dressing room with a knowing smile.
“Sure. How about I pick out a few racier pieces to compliment your ladylike choices, just for fun?”
I smile and nod shyly. “I guess I could use something a little outside of my comfort zone.”
She leaves me for a few minutes and returns with a new armful of items.
“Your coloring would look so good with red. Why you only had pale pink and white is beyond me. I added some super sexy black pieces, too. Tell me if you need additional sizes or anything. I’m here to help.”
I take in the selections she’s arranged in the dressing room and my cheeks heat.
I stare at myself in the mirror wearing a pink silk slip, then at the straps and lace bits that make up what she brought in, and feel like I need to sit down.
Is this what Hayes would want? Corsets and tiny thongs?
Bras that barely cover my nipples or are completely see-through?
I try on a few of her selections to see if any of them feel like me and get a good laugh.
Definitely not. But surprisingly, I do love a red lace babydoll nightgown and a black lace and mesh bodysuit.
I bring them out with the pale pink and white I had originally picked and pay for my new luxuries with Hayes’s card without incident.
I spend the next few hours collecting a small wardrobe for a bevy of scenarios; if needed I can come back for anything I haven’t thought of.
I keep all my receipts so I can pay Hayes back for my decadent splurge once I have access to my trust again.
I like designer goods, but the shopping here is truly upscale and there’s not much I’d consider inexpensive.
I wait at the valet for the car and smile when the Mercedes AMG G 63 rolls around the corner.
It felt positively pedestrian and safe compared to his Maybach and Mercedes supercars, but it works for me as I have my own smaller, less expensive SUV, which really isn’t in the same category when compared to this high-end G-wagon.
I cruise through Atlanta back to the house, singing along to the radio and feeling far better than I should for the events of the last twenty-four hours.
Cerberus greets me at the garage door when I come inside with my bags.
“What does your daddy like to eat?” I ask him after taking my bags upstairs and changing into leggings and a soft, cream-colored sweater.
He tilts his head at me, and I laugh.
“Thanks for the help. Guess I’ll have to figure it out on my own.”