Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
PIPER
“Piper Francesca Andrews,” Aunt Bess drawls. “When were you going to tell me about your new billionaire boyfriend?”
I press my phone to my ear and groan. What am I supposed to say to her?
Of course, she saw the papers. Any hope that my news would be contained in New York while my aunt was camping was practically non-existent.
I feel worse when I look around the beautiful room I slept in last night.
I’m in one of the guestrooms in Levi’s house.
He all but marched me in here when we got in. I was so shaken by the incident at my apartment and the fact that I was back at Levi’s house, it took forever to fall asleep.
I woke about an hour ago, showered and got dressed, then Aunt Bess called.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Bess.” I sigh.
“Sorry? Oh no, darlin’. I’m a happy woman over here. Please tell him I said thanks for the wine collection. Those pretty babies were waiting for me when we got home. Rob and I have been drinking all night.” She laughs.
My heart lifts. Levi remembered. I totally forgot he was going to send the wine. He must have organized it yesterday. Aunt Bess got back from camping last night.
“I’m glad you like them.”
“Girl, I am over the moon. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Her voice has that warm slur to it. I picture her in her kitchen with one of the wine bottles half empty and within her reach. “I cried when I opened the box, Piper. I actually cried.”
“Oh my gosh.”
“Sweetie, the Barolo alone—God, the Bar-o-lo.” She puts on an Italian accent, which sounds terrible in her rich Southern drawl.
Despite myself, I laugh. She laughs, too, in her usual hearty way, and I wish I were there to see her. “Oh, Aunt Bess. I miss you.”
“I miss you, too, baby girl. I’m halfway through a bottle right now. You should see me tryin’ to get a good helping before Rob wakes up.” She chuckles, pleased with herself. “Don’t tell anyone. Or do. I don’t care. I’m a real wine connoisseur now.” Another round of laughter follows.
“There is no one like you, Auntie.”
"And don’t you forget it.”
“I won’t.”
“So, Piper Francesca Andrews, what is going on with you girl? How am I only now finding out about this guy? I go camping for two weeks, lose signal in God's country, and I come home to find out my little niece is dating a billionaire. All that from a newspaper on my doorstep.”
“I didn’t mean for that to happen. I was going to call you when you got back.”
“Well, I’m here now. Spill the tea.”
I sigh and sit on the edge of the bed. The mattress sinks under my weight, luring me back to the comfort of the bed.
As much as I would like to crawl back under the covers and escape in sleep, I can’t.
For one, I have to figure out what I’m doing, because realistically, I can’t stay here.
Right now, though, I have to give my aunt some much-needed answers.
The problem is, I don’t want to lie to her.
The tabloids have done enough embellishing and filling in the gaps of our story. She should hear some elements of the truth from me.
“I’ve only known him for a little while,” I begin.
“It must have been a good amount of time from the look of these pictures.” The flicker of pages reaches me through the phone. “He’s handsome. Piper. You did well.”
“Thank you.”
“Where on earth did you two meet?”
“Through Alexis.” That’s not technically a lie. “We went to his club.”
“His club?” Her excitement is almost tangible. “Not only is the man a Vale, he owns a club, too? That sounds juicy to me.”
Juicy.
I’m definitely not telling her just how juicy Levi’s club really is. Or anything about my experiences there.
As grown as I am, Aunt Bess would lose her mind if she knew I’d had a one-night stand.
She’s a devout Baptist. The only time she misses church is when she’s on vacation, and even then, she still makes time for Bible study.
“He’s a real entrepreneur.”
“I can tell. And you sound truly smitten with him.”
Do I? I’m pretty sure that’s the what-am-I-going-to-do tone coming through.
But… honestly, she’s not wrong. And that’s the other problem I have.
How am I not supposed to be smitten with a man who opened the door for me to accomplish my dreams and moved me into his home when he saw I was clearly in trouble?
“It’s new,” I tell her. “It’s— We’re figuring it out.”
“Mm.” She smacks her lips. “Okay, darlin’. I’m just happy we’re having this conversation. I prayed you’d find somebody good. Somebody who could make you believe again.”
Her words grip me, and for a moment, I hold on to them. Maybe she’s right. Even if it’s in a roundabout way.
“God forgive me, but that nasty Reece can go rot in hell,” she bites out. “I hate even mentioning his name. Thank God he’s behind bars, where he belongs.”
“Yes, thank God.” My ex’s imprisonment is the only retribution I have, even though he ended up there for bigger things than what he did to me.
“Anyway, Baby girl, I’m gonna love you and leave you. I have a hair appointment in an hour.” She chuckles. “You should see my hair. I look like a mad wet hen.”
“I’m sure you don’t look that bad.”
“Oh, I do. And you know how Rob likes to laugh at me when I can’t get my hair right.”
Because she’s a perfectionist. “Alright, Aunt Bess. Have fun.”
“There’s nothing else you need to tell me, is there?”
Oh, like how I can’t go back to my apartment because a bunch of perverts stole my underwear, and I’m shacking up with Levi? “No. There’s nothing more.”
I close my eyes, hating the outright lie.
“Alright, my love. Speak later. And let’s arrange something. That man needs to come over for dinner.” She makes it sound as if we live down the road.
"Dinner?"
“We have to meet him. Make sure he’s good enough for our girl.”
I roll my eyes. “He’s a billionaire.”
“And you are my angel.”
Again, my heart warms. “Thank you.”
“Love you, sweet girl.”
“Love you, too.”
We hang up, and I let my hand holding the phone fall to my lap. My eyes find the window, and I gaze out at the beautiful view of the sea. A person could lose themselves in that view.
I look away and stand, dragging in a breath.
The clock on the wall tells me it’s eight.
I have to speak to Levi before he leaves. I would have gone out before, but it was too early to disturb him.
I tuck my phone into my jeans pocket and leave the room.
The landing is quiet, and morning light spills through the huge windows, lighting up the dark wood floors and pale walls.
During the day, the house feels less intimidating somehow. Or maybe that’s because this is my third visit.
My bare feet sink into the runner as I walk toward the staircase. I’m hoping Levi is downstairs. I don’t want to go looking for him in his room. If he’s not up yet, I’ll wait in the living room.
I descend slowly, my fingers trailing over the smooth black railing. It feels grounding in a strange way.
The second I reach the bottom floor, I hear movement nearby—cabinet doors opening, the clink of dishes, soft shuffling coming from the kitchen.
Oh, good. He’s up.
I pause at the foot of the stairs, trying to figure out what I’m going to say to him. Especially after the weirdness between us.
I don’t want to seem rude when I tell him I can’t stay here, and I definitely don’t want to make the tension between us worse.
I move again and round the corner into the kitchen but stop in the doorway when I find a woman standing by the marble island who definitely isn’t Levi.
She’s short and elegant, dressed in cream slacks and a pale blue sweater. Her silver hair is swept away from her face while she organizes fruit into a giant bowl.
She notices me, and her face lights up. “Good morning,” she greets me warmly. “You must be Piper.”
“Yes,” I answer. “I’m Piper.”
The woman smiles wider and wipes her hands on a dish towel. “I’m Marie. Levi’s head housekeeper.” There’s pride in the title when she says it. “I take care of everything around here.”
“Oh. It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too, dear.” Her eyes soften as she looks at me. “Can I get you some breakfast? Coffee? I was just about to start.”
The thought of food twists strangely in my stomach. With everything going on, food is the last thing I want.
“No thank you. I’m not really hungry. Is Levi around?”
“Oh, he was.” Marie gestures vaguely toward the back of the house. “Today’s one of his mindset days.”
My hopes sink. I didn’t want to stay here all day before speaking to him. “When did he leave?”
“He should still be down by the dock.” She points toward the windows overlooking the water.
“The dock?”
She chuckles softly at my question. “He sails. Whenever he needs to clear his head, he takes the boat out.”
Somehow, that totally fits him.
“If you hurry, you’ll probably catch him.”
“Thanks.”
I turn and head for the back doors, feeling her curious gaze on me. I ignore it. I’m sure she has questions.
The salty ocean air hits my skin when I step outside, along with the warmth of the sun. Levi chose a good day to go sailing. It’s the perfect, lazy weather for relaxing. A breeze sweeps through my hair as I hurry across the stone patio behind the house.
The property stretches farther than I realized. Perfectly trimmed grass rolls toward the water, lined with swaying beach grass and pale stone paths.
I follow the wooden walkway leading down toward the shore, my pulse picking up the closer I get.
By the time I reach the end of the path, my pace slows. Then I see it...
The dock stretches out over the glittering water, and at the very end sits an enormous sailboat rocking gently with the tide.
My eyes widen.
Okay… maybe boat is an understatement.
I imagined something much smaller, a pocket cruiser or some little sailing boat.
This is a luxury sailing yacht.
Sleek white panels gleam beneath the sun while towering sails ripple softly overhead in the ocean breeze.
I step farther onto the dock, the wood creaking softly beneath my shoes.
The closer I get, the bigger the yacht seems.
I reach the end of the dock and see him.