Page 128 of Wicked Lord
AN IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE
Lorelei
A warm breeze sailed off the bluff, rustling through my hair. I dragged my fingers through it and grimaced at the dark roots already starting to show. Damn it. I stared at the brilliant diamond winking up at me, paralyzed at the front step of our summer home. The elegant Cape Cod that we’d be forced to sell at the end of the summer unless some miracle happened. And my dad thought this diamond was that miracle.
But it was all a lie.
Mrs. Vanderhart would need her wedding ring back before long. I couldn’t keep it forever.
Axel had only bought me some time, but there would be no grand dowry that came along with this fake engagement. I blew out a breath and forced my hand to the knob. I’d been summoned by the senator, no doubt to discuss the terms of my new engagement. Steeling my nerves, I twisted the ornate handle and stepped inside, shoulders back and head held high, ready for battle.
“Good morning, Miss Lorelei!” Gisella appeared from around the corner, a warm smile on her face. “How are you? You never come to visit anymore.”
“I’m sorry, G. Things have been kind of chaotic.” I gestured wildly, and her gaze traveled to the glittering diamond.
“Oh, my goodness!” she squealed, throwing her hands up. “You’re engaged!”
She lunged at me, curling her arms around my neck and squeezing me against her chest. Her hugs were the best, warm and comforting. The extra meat on her bones was like diving into a soft pillow instead of the cold embraces from my skeletal mother. Not that she hugged me much at all. Or was ever around. Even amidst the financial crisis she’d found a way to escape to some hot spring in Zurich.
“Congratulations, Lorelei, I am so happy for you!”
“Thank you.” I attempted my most heartfelt smile instead of wasting thoughts on my absent mother.
“It’s that Vanderhart boy, right?”
I nodded.
“I knew it. I could tell right away that night you brought him home to meet your parents. Ay, the way he looked at you. I could tell it was love.”
Unexpected heat flushed my cheeks as I took a step back.Love. Was it though? Sure, Axel had chosen me over Cordelia, but did he love me? Because I was butt-crazy in love with him, and it was scary as all hell. I’d never felt so vulnerable. All the walls I’d built over the years crumbled when he was around, leaving me naked and exposed. He literally held all the cards right now.
“Lorelei, is that you?” A deep voice echoed from across the foyer, and I barely restrained a groan.
“I better go, G. You know how the senator hates to wait for anyone.”
She smirked and squeezed my shoulder. “Yes, of course, little one. You will have to tell me everything about this boy later.”
“I promise.” With another forced smile, I marched across the great room to the sound of my father’s voice.
The sliding glass doors to the backyard were open, and my father stood at the edge of the bluff with his golf club in hand. All of Copper Cove stretched out below, glittering yachts at the marina, Stonewall University to the right and the white-capped waves of the open ocean beyond.
The views here really were the best on the coast. I could almost understand why Dad was going to such lengths to keep this place. Almost.
“Hey, Dad,” I called out right as he swung.
The shot went wide, sinking into the brilliant dark blue depths below. “Damn it,” he grumbled.
“So, what’s up?” I walked up behind him, and he dropped the driver, reaching for the bottle of water beside the bucket of golf balls.
He took a long sip, eyeing me over the rim. “Well, I suppose you’re expecting a congratulations?”
A knot of unease twisted my gut. “It would be nice.”
“As impressed as I am that you were able to trap young Vanderhart so quickly, I’m afraid it’s too little too late.”
Ouch. Also… “What, why?”
“Lorelei, our financial situation has become desperate. I needed this money yesterday, not a year from now or however long it takes for the wedding preparations to come together.”
