Of course she didn’t believe .
Catherine crossed her arms. ‘All just your tricks. You say you want out, but you’re clinging to him every chance you get. Now that he’s finally interested in , you’re pulling stunts to drag him back.’
I wanted to throw up my arms like a cartoon character. It was like talking to a wall.
‘Catherine,’ I said, gritting my teeth, ‘Rhys isn’t refusing to end it because he’s still obsessed with . He’s doing it because he’s terrified of what the tabloids will say. He’s doing it because he’s too much of a coward to tell his mummy no. The sa goes for you. You’re coming at because you’re too scared to pick a fight with Rhys or Louisa. You two really are a match made in dysfunctional heaven.’
‘It’s not like that! Rhys is just worried about his mum’s health. That’s why he won’t end things yet.’
‘Right. And you, standing here hissing at to tell Louisa about your little love story with Rhys—ans you’re obviously not worried about her health at all, right? Or are you secretly praying I piss her off so badly she ends up back in hospital—or, better yet, kicks the bucket—so I’ll be too busy being the villain to hang onto Rhys, and you can swoop in without her giving you side-eye?’
‘I... no, it’s not... I don’t—’
I shook my head. ‘You really should take up chess. You’ve got the scheming down cold.’
The flash of panic in her eyes was so fast most people would’ve missed it. I didn’t.
I leaned in a little and got into her personal space. ‘If you’ve got that much energy, maybe aim it at Rhys instead of . Whisper sweet nothings to him, play your cards right. Hell, if you can get him to ditch officially, I’ll owe you a drink. But even if he dumps , don’t get your hopes up. Rhys Granger might be a lot of things, but easy isn’t one of them.’
I didn’t wait for her coback. Just brushed past her and left.
Outside the hospital, I pulled my borrowed coat tighter against the morning chill and tried to flag a taxi.
A sleek black Cayenne rolled up to the kerb.
Window down. Ashton’s face appeared. ‘Get in. I’ll drive you ho.’
For a second, I just blinked at him. I thought he’d left ages ago.
I shook my head. ‘It’s fine. I’ll grab a cab.’
‘It’s too early. You’re not getting a cab here. I’m headed back to Oakwood Apartnts anyway. Might as well give you a lift.’
I hesitated a beat, then nodded. ‘Thanks.’
I slid into the front seat.
The bag in my lap felt ridiculously heavy. Inside were my heels and a blanket, reminders of what he’d done for without even asking.
Reminders of the fact that Ashton was being too nice. Way too nice.
Nicer than our little contract arrangent called for.
And I had no bloody clue why.
We drove in silence for a few minutes before he broke it. ‘Mrs Granger doing alright?’
I nodded, fighting off a yawn. ‘Yeah. Doctor says she can be discharged in a few days.’
‘So... Mrs Granger still won’t let you call off the engagent?’
My eyes snapped open. ‘You’ve been eavesdropping?’
‘The door to her room was open. I was just passing by.’
‘For such a busy man, you sure spend a lot of ti passing by places.’
He shrugged. ‘You don’t want to upset Mrs Granger. What’s your plan now?’
I flicked my eyes up and caught his face in the rear-view mirror. Sharp jaw, unreadable expression. He wasn’t even looking at , but sohow I still felt cornered.
Plan? The engagent was already off as far as I was concerned. Rhys just wouldn’t let go, and Louisa was clinging to the fantasy.
It was my turn to shrug. ‘No idea. I’m winging it.’
‘Don’t you find it troubleso to have to keep dealing with this issue?’
I sighed. ‘Yeah. It is.’
We hit a red light. The silence stretched. Then he turned to look at , full-on. ‘I’ve got a way to fix it.’
‘What kind of way?’
The light turned green.
He hit the accelerator and said, ‘Marry . Like I said before.’
Silence. Dead, awkward, what-the-hell silence.
He said it again, like he was offering a lift and not flipping my life upside down. ‘Marry . It’s your best option.’
‘Um...’ was the best reply I could co up with.
When I’d roped Ashton into fake-fiancé duty, it was pure survival mode. I’d figured he was doing it to get his parents off his back—just like I was.
But now he looked deadly serious. Like he’d always ant to turn our make-believe into a legally binding situation.
‘Why?’ I finally managed. Because honestly, what else do you even say to that?
‘Mrs Granger doesn’t actually care if you marry Rhys. What bothers her is the idea of you being alone, with no one dependable in your corner. She thinks your family’s useless.’
‘She’s not wrong,’ I muttered.
He kept going like he’d been rehearsing. ‘If you had soone solid, soone she could trust to have your back, she’d let it go. The Rhys matchmaking, the passive-aggressive guilt trips, all of it. And if you married ... that would tick every box.’
I stared at him. Anyone else saying ‘marry , I’m your best option’ would’ve sounded like a narcissist with a God complex.
But Ashton just made it sound like he was stating facts.
‘The Grangers seem the type to hold a grudge. Even if you manage to call off the engagent, no one in Skyline’s gonna want to piss them off by marrying you. No one but . I don’t care what the Grangers think. They wouldn’t dare cross . If I’m the one standing next to you, Mrs Granger can finally give up.’
He paused, then pre-emptively addressed my unspoken objection as if he’d already anticipated it.
‘If she’s not stupid, she’ll know I’m ten tis the man her son will ever be.’
Reviews
All reviews (0)