Page 140 of The Girlfriend Clause
Kelly:Don’t know, I already missed a couple of car payments, so I’ll have to find something fast. Mum says I can’t move back. Dave’s nephew’s in my roomnow.
Me:That doesn’t sound all right, Kel.
Kelly:Jason said I could move back in to his if I haveto.
Me:You can’t stay with Jason! He tracked your location, remember??
Kelly:He says he’schanged.
Me:Kelly… he smashed yourphone.
Kelly:Only because I didn’t answer it. Anyway, I won’t have much choice if I don’t make thecut.
Me:Okay, we’ll figure something out together, hon. Don’tpanic.
A cold chill ran over me and dropped straight into my gut. This was Liam’s fault. Nobody else’s, his.
And here I was, playing girlfriend in a fairy tale château like a Disney princess. I looked around the room. All this beauty—the painted walls, the herringbone floors, the white linen—felt like scenery painted carefully over something rotting.
Was this how a man like Liam lived with himself? He surrounded himself with money and beauty so he didn’t have to think about it?
Liam walked back in, drying his hands with a white towel. “Feels like it’s got some history. Not just another expensive hotel.”
I turned to him. “I thought this would be standard issue for you. Didn’t you holiday in places like this as a child?”
“Not quite.”
“No?”
“We didn’t have that much money growing up. We didn’t go without, but—” He laughed lightly. “My mum would have thought she was in heaven here.”
Hard to believe from a man whose father was a billionaire real estate mogul. Liam’s idea of not having much money probably meant the swimming pool didn’t have a heater.
I walked into the bedroom. Not a wall-mounted hair dryer in sight. There was a delicacy, a fragility to the decor, as if the room might shatter if you breathed too loudly.
My stomach churned. Monish might have to pull his kids out of school, and Kelly was seriously considering moving back in with her toxic ex. It was grotesque. And now, I was part of it too. Ignoring what was really happening because, on some level, I wanted it.
I wanted him.
“So… you’ll take the bedroom?” He hadn’t left the salon, like he sensed he didn’t have an invitation to my quarters.
Well, good. As far as I was concerned, he didn’t.
“That’s what was agreed.” I walked over to the second balcony and pushed open a door, looking for a distraction. The late afternoon air was warm, scented with flowers. I could hear a fountain somewhere in the gardens below.
“Okay then,” he said. “I’ll sort something out with the rollaway when it shows up.”
Back in the salon, Liam flicked through a folder on the desk—Things to do inChantilly.
“Liam,” I said. “I don’t get it, how you ended up at that posh school on your CV… Westchester, was it—?”
“Winchester.”
“Right. Winchester—if your parents didn’t have any money.” I frowned. “What’s with theI grew up poorstory? I know you didn’t crawl out of the slums of Hackney.”
Did he really think I’d buy it?
“Oh. Right.” He sat down on one of the velvet armchairs. “You’re correct. I most certainly did not crawl out of the slums.” He looked up at me from below a crumpled brow.
