Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 105850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
THE BASTARD: Don’t go out with them.
My heart skipped.
ME: I never do.
THE BASTARD: Good. Make sure you don’t.
***
“Chloe!” Aunt Fizz wrapped her arms around me, squeezing me tightly against her. “I missed you!”
“I missed you, too, Aunt Fizz,” I said, patting her back. “But I can’t breathe.”
“You don’t need to breathe, my darling, my love, my little sweetie pie.” She rocked me from side to side. “How could you be away from me for four whole weeks?”
“Take it up with Theo,” Harvey said, rocking his chair on the back two legs. “He’s the one who whisked her away to the romantic Lake District for six weeks.”
Aunt Fizz stilled and cradled me, touching her hand to the back of my head like I was some fantasy novel protagonist on the cusp of danger. “He and I will fall out. How dare he take my precious Chloe from me?”
Harvey stared at her. “You do realise you’re my mother, don’t you?”
“It’s a well-known fact aunts prefer their nieces and nephews.”
“I don’t think it is.”
“It should be well-known by you that this aunt prefers her niece. Even that aside, she’s like a daughter to me, so get over it.”
“Aunt Fizz.” I gently poked her back. “Please. I can’t breathe.”
“Let her go, Felicity.” Uncle Jay extracted me from her enthusiastic embrace and pulled me out of her reach. “And don’t provoke Harvey. You know he’ll just bully her.”
I pressed my lips together as Harvey turned his glare on his father.
“Why am I the black sheep of the family?” he grumbled. “It’s the same at work. Everyone loves Chloe more than me. Do you know how peaceful it’s been while she’s been off on her romantic rendezvous with Theo?”
Uncle Jay froze. “What romantic rendezvous?”
Oh, Jesus Christ.
“Stop being a brat!” I gave Harvey a quick smack around the back of the head. “There’s nothing romantic or rendezvous about our business trip,” I said to Uncle Jay.
Look.
It was only partially a lie.
It wasn’t romantic—technically—but there was quite a lot of the rendezvous-ing going on.
At least there had been over the last week.
Uncle Jay ran his fingertips over his goatee. “Mm. I don’t trust that one. He’s rich and handsome. That’s always a combination for disaster.”
Harvey grinned. “Keep not trusting him. I’m sure it was a scheme cooked up by him and his grandfather to ensnare our innocent Chloe.”
I smacked him again, but there was nothing quick or light about this one. “You can talk shit about Theo all you like, but I’ll fight you if you slander the duke.”
Aunt Fizz narrowed her eyes. “She’s right. The duke wouldn’t do something like that. Charles is a lovely man.”
Well.
I wouldn’t put it past him, if I was being entirely honest.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Uncle Jay said dryly. “Anyway, Chloe, tell us. How is it living with Theo? He’s treating you well, isn’t he?”
That was one way of putting it.
“It’s much better than I thought it would be,” I said, sitting next to Harvey at the kitchen island. “Turns out he’s not a demanding arsehole all of the time; just most of it.”
Harvey buried his face in his hands. “If that’s your opinion of him after four weeks of being together almost every hour of the day, he’s doomed.”
Uncle Jay fixed his attention on Harvey. “Why is he doomed?”
“No reason.”
“Harvey Edward Park,” Aunt Fizz said menacingly, planting her hands on the island and leaning forwards. She glared at him with her chestnut brown eyes. “Why would Theodore be doomed if Chloe thinks he’s a demanding arsehole?”
“I’m thirty-one-years-old. Why am I being interrogated like I’m a teenager who snuck out of their bedroom window?” he grumbled. “It’s none of my business.”
“Then stop talking about it,” I muttered. “Honestly, it’s fine. It’s far from the worst thing I’ve ever done, and six weeks isn’t so long in the grand scheme of things.”
Aunt Fizz softened. “I just get so worried about you all the way up there by yourself. It’s not as though I can rush to you if something happens.”
“Of course, you can,” Uncle Jay said. “I’ll just charter a helicopter.”
Ah.
How the other half lived.
This particular ‘other half’ was my beloved family, but we still lived vastly different lives.
Uncle Jay turned to me and sniffed. “I told you that you didn’t have to do this. I could just hire you a lawyer to force him to accept your resignation.”
Although it wasn’t for a lack of trying on their part.
I held up my hands. “It’s fine. Honestly, I don’t dislike my boss, and I want him to succeed in his position, so it’s okay.”
“Since when you did not dislike him?” Harvey asked, side-eying me. “All you ever did before you left was complain about him.”
“I still complain about him. Just not to you,” I pointed out.
“I’m offended by that.”
“Why? All you ever do is tell me to shut up about him.”