Page 24 of Escorting the CEO
“No, Grammy, I can’t. I’m getting married. Rhodes and I love each other,” I lied. “This is going to work out for the best—I promise you.”
“Honey,” she said, sounding weary, “don’t make promises you can’t keep. I have to go, the kids are calling me. I love you. Just remember you can always come home—no matter what.”
“I love you, too.”
I dissolved into tears as soon as I hung up the phone.
GAUNTLET
RHODES
There wasa knock on my door at precisely nine a.m. Excellent—that meant the message about being punctual had sunk in.
“Come in,” I commanded.
Rory stepped inside. She wore a rose-colored silk dress that flattered her figure, and her auburn hair was pulled back into a tasteful bun. Minimal makeup completed her look—clean, elegant, and refined.
“Good morning,” I said formally.
“Good morning.”
She came and sat across from me. On closer inspection, I could see that beneath her makeup, her eyes were slightly red, like perhaps she’d been crying.
“Is everything all right?” I asked.
She nodded.
“Did you sleep well?” But I already knew that she had—she’d been snuggled up next to me.
“Yes, thank you.”
When she didn’t say more, I hesitated. Something was wrong. “Did you have breakfast?”
“Yes, I did. Thank you.” Her voice was lifeless. Rory looked lovely, but her eyes were filled with misery.
I didn’t know what to do. I’d told her yesterday that I didn’t care about her personal life, and I didn’t. But the girl was clearly unhappy.
“Is something wrong, Rory?”
“No.” She cast her gaze downward.
“Did something happen with Miranda?”
“No.” She looked back up at me, eyes wide. “I haven’t seen her again, thank goodness.”
I nodded. “Listen, I know I was harsh yesterday when I said that I didn’t want to hear about your issues. But I can tell something has you upset. Because of our situation, I need to know what’s going on.”
“I talked to my grandmother this morning,” Rory said. “Her bank called to tell her the mortgage was paid off—thank you for following through, by the way.”
“You don’t sound exactly ecstatic about it.”
“My grandmother was upset. She didn’t understand why my new boyfriend, whom she knew nothing about, had been so incredibly generous. When I told her that you weren’t just my boyfriend—that we were getting married—she was beside herself.” Rory looked at me with her big eyes. “Because she didn’t know about you. Because I never told her about you. Because you didn’t exist, as far as I knew, until yesterday. When I signed a contract to marry you.”
I sat back in my chair. “Is this going to be a problem, Rory?”
“No,” she said, but she sounded gutted. “Iamgoing to be able to see my family, aren’t I?”
“Yes. But not anytime soon. We need to be present at Barrington Manor. There’s a board meeting next week, and I need to introduce you as my fiancé.”
