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“Oh, Charisma. I really need to get out there and ride her soon or she’ll forget me.”
“She’ll never forget you.”
She felt horrible for not having gone to the farm to see her horse lately. Luna, the neighbor girl, came by four days a week to take the horses out and make sure they had the proper exercise, and she was afraid Charisma would start to think Luna was her person. She missed riding. It was her time to think and enjoy the outdoors and bond with her horse, but she hadn’t ridden as much since Daddy passed away. Now that Charisma was getting up there in years, Genevieve knew she should be spending more time with her, not less. She hoped she’d have more opportunities to visit now that she had a job that wasn’t as demanding of every extra minute of her time.
“I’ll have to take her out for a ride on Sunday.”
“I think it’s supposed to rain.”
Genevieve wrinkled her nose.
“Don’t forget to bring a dessert.”
“Mom will just make a comment about my weight.”
“Well, it wouldn’t be Sunday dinner if Mom didn’t insult us for our choices, now would it?”
“Insult me, you mean.”
Rhonda rolled her eyes. “Thanks for tonight.”
“Love you.” Genevieve hugged her sister tightly.
“I love you too,” Rhonda said with a smile. “See you Sunday.”
When her sister had gone and the apartment was quiet, she settled in on the couch and thought back over her day and her mind immediately settled on the exchanges with Kurtis. It was strange and foreign, this strong connection between them. A smile here. A look there. And she was positive it wasn’t one-sided. He seemed to like her as much as she liked him. She’d never looked forward to going to work more in her entire life.
NINE
It had been far too long since Sebastian had visited his parents. They usually had a meal together once a month after church, but he’d skipped it as well as church this month in favor of work. If someone were to ask him if he was religious, he’d describe himself as a man of faith, but he knew at times he didn’t act that way. Being away from church for long periods of time always affected him. Lying to Genevieve probably proved that point, and the more he thought about this charade, the more guilt started pushing its way in, making him think the whole pathetic situation made him unworthy of Genevieve in the first place.
But when he thought about his family, he chose to ignore those feelings, because he wanted so much more out of life. He wanted what his parents had. Love. Marriage. Children.
He knew his father, who grew up with little to nothing in the way of money, had built the company to make a better life for his family, but at times he wondered what life would have been like if the business hadn’t become as big as it was.
Could anyone ever really get to know Sebastian outside of Schultz Chocolate—the ordinary, everyday guy, not the heir to a billion dollar company? He wanted that more than anything, and he knew it was why he’d kept his true identity from Genevieve. The Mercedes, yacht, private jet, family winery, beach house on Lake Michigan, and homes in Hawaii and California would surely make her see him differently.
As he drove to his parents’ house, his mind was a mess, thinking about his good fortune meeting her that day, but waffling back and forth between coming clean and letting this play out. Being with his family would help. It was where he could always be himself. Not President of Schultz Chocolate. Just Sebastian.
When he pulled through the wrought iron entrance gate and up the historic cobblestone driveway they’d had imported from Europe, he released a contented sigh. Just the sight of his childhood home made him relax. Coming home was always a good thing. He really needed to do it more often.
Sebastian parked his Mercedes and walked past his sister’s Porsche on the way in, hoping she wouldn’t say anything about “Kurtis” around their parents. He entered the house to the sound of laughter from the kitchen and a smell he was all too familiar with. Excitement had him stepping more quickly through the wide open foyer, past the table with the giant floral arrangement in the center, and on into the expansive kitchen. Their eight-bedroom home was large by anyone’s standards, but his mother had always decorated in a way that felt cozy and welcoming.
Harriet Schultz’s eyes lit up at the sight of her son. “You’re just in time.”
He practically skipped across the kitchen and planted a kiss on his mother’s waiting cheek. “Hi, Mom.”
She wrapped her arms around him, and he brought her in, holding her close.
“I feel like I haven’t seen my baby boy in months.”
Sebastian pulled back enough to look down into the hazel eyes his resembled. “I know. I’m sorry.” He hugged her again. “I missed you too.”
His attention turned to Skylar, who was stirring a bowl filled with shaved premium Schultz Chocolate, heavy cream, and butter to make a silky ganache for truffles. Whenever truffles were made, he felt like a kid again. “Want me to start on the coating?”
“Sure.” Skylar gave him a look, but said nothing more.
He placed a block of chocolate on the cutting board and began shaving it down and chopping until it was fine so it would melt easily.