Page 59 of Scandal
Would she, though?
“Um…sure.”
“Brilliant,” she exclaims. “Give me your phone. I’ll plug in my number, and you can ring me for a girls’ night!”
I stand there momentarily stunned. This woman’s mood swings are giving me a headache. But instead of asking any questions, I wordlessly pull my phone out of my coral pink clutch and hand it over.
Because here’s the thing. The idea of having a friend in this country, even if it is Isobel, does sound appealing.
Now, I just have to hope she means it.
Chapter Fourteen
ASHER
As I try to plan a “lesson in fun” for Mercury, I have come to the conclusion that I am, in fact, quite a bore.
You’re a world-famous rock star, Asher. You should be the life of the party!
But as it turns out, when fame becomes too intense, and you isolate yourself from the world, you end up quite the opposite. I don’t think I’ve truly had fun in years.
Well, not since Merc showed up.
And that’s what’s bothering me. This woman—this radiant, clever woman—doesn’t see herself the way I do. She doesn’t realize she’s perfect just the way she is. She doesn’t need lessons on how to have fun. She’s already the life of the party, as far as I’m concerned.
But if this is what she wants, I’ll gladly give it to her. Regardless of what she says, I do feel indebted to her for what she’s doing. Having her by my side makes this whole nightmare bearable.
Having her by my side makes everything better.
Leaning back in the chair, I toss my phone on the table and glance at Mac, who’s been silently writing notes for next week’s schedule now that he’s back to working for me full-time.
“So what do the kids do for fun these days?” I say, doing my best American accent.
Mac raises an eyebrow at me. “If I may be so bold, my lord,” he says with a slight smirk. “Your accent has already suffered enough from your time away. Let’s not tarnish it any further, shall we?”
I chuckle. “Mercury likes it well enough still.”
“She’s American,” he says, as if that’s all the explanation needed. “As for your question, if you need assistance coming up with fun activities for you and Miss Creed to participate in, I’d be happy to help.”
My head lolls back in frustration, and I feel even more like a tosser. “I can think of plenty of things to do, Mac. That’s not the problem.” I’ve considered taking her on an aerial tour of the Isle of Skye or hiking to a remote stone circle I love. I even briefly considered taking her to the British Library so she could see racy love letters Henry VIII wrote to Anne Boyelyn.
But it all seemed a little showy and perhaps a bit touristy, and the last one was downright morbid, considering how it all turned out for Anne in the end.
While I’m sure she would have enjoyed all those things, none of them feels right. Which is why I am sitting here in the middle of my afternoon planning meeting, feeling defeated enough that I’ve asked my sixty-five-year-old valet for assistance.
“She wants to feel spontaneous,” I say, tapping the back of my pen on the table. “Adventurous.”
“Now I may be an old coot, but I’ve always been under the impression that one cannot plan spontaneity.”
“I know, but how can we be spontaneous when we can’t leave the grounds without an entire security team?”
His brow arches. “Who said you have to leave the grounds?”
Once the idea comes together, it doesn’t take long to prepare everything. Since it’s already afternoon, I take advantage of the timing and go to the sitting room to meet Mercury for tea.
Except we’re not having tea today.
When I open the double doors, I find her sitting on the velvet sofa, one leg tucked behind the other. In her pale-yellow dress and cream cardigan, she looks like a proper lady. She’s stunning in it, but the sight of it makes me long for those simple days in the cottage when she would bury herself in her hoodie and read all day.
