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“When we’re together, yes. But before we sat down, when you were in the other room, your mother asked me a million questions. And I’m sure that as soon as we walk in there with the others, your uncle will ask you things too. And we won’t know what the other has said.”

I take a step closer, catching her scent. Oranges and something else, something floral. “You’re saying we need to get our stories straight.”

“Yes,” she says. “Our first date was skiing?”

“You would have let me win, too, wouldn’t you?” I brace my hand on the back of the same chair as hers. Only inches away. “Just like you said yes to a shit movie yesterday and ate candy you didn’t like.”

Her eyes narrow. “Tonight isn’t about me and my… issues. It’s about you and yours.”

“What did my mother ask you? Before dinner.”

“How serious we are. If I’m planning on living in the US permanently.” Nora’s voice lowers even further. “If we’ve spoken about marriage.”

My hand tightens on the back of the chair. “She asked you that?”

“Yes.”

“What did you answer?”

“I said no. We’ve only just started dating,” she says. “But I said that I could see a future with you.”

The words sink like a stone inside me. She’s looking at me with narrowed eyes, annoyed at the situation I’ve put her in. She doesn’t mean the words. Didn’t mean them when she said them. And I’m certainly not fit for marriage.

And yet.I could see a future with you.

“You’re the prettiest little liar I’ve ever seen,” I tell her, and lean in closer. Like I did the other day, when she didn’t push me away. When she looked at me like shewantedmy lips on her.

Like I wasn’t alone in wondering what it would feel like.

Her eyes narrow. “Save the compliments for our next practice date.”

“Tomorrow,” I say, “we go over our stories. We get them straight, and we’ll do it while we box. We can work on your issues while we work on mine.”

CHAPTER15

NORA

The estate has a gym.

I hadn’t seen it on the tour Ernest gave me, but that shouldn’t surprise me. Fairhaven has everything.

Tucked into hidden corners of the sprawling estate, the house reveals itself slowly. The manicured gardens, the tennis court, the pool at the base of the tiered gardens. Only a stone’s throw from the ocean itself.

I read the booklet Ernest gave me, flipping through pages that detail its storied history as the jewel of King’s Point. According to the story, West’s ancestor, the Maverick, built it as a love letter to his wife. I wonder if that was true, or if it was as a testament to his own wealth. I wonder if he asked her beforehand.

Maybe she would have preferred flowers.

Ernest showed me a spare room on the top floor with a tall slanted roof and a giant round window overlooking the gardens and the oceans.Your atelier, Miss Montclair,he had said. It took me a moment to remember to breathe.

It’sstunning.

I spent most of the day setting up my workspace and cutting fabric before going in search of the gym. West texted me to meet him there.Wear workout clothes.I haven’t seen him since the other night at dinner with his family. Fairhaven is so big, it can swallow up anyone. Does he work from here? Does he go into the city during the days?

I push open the door to the bright space, and he’s already there.

He’s curling his right arm with a heavy weight in hand, but stops when he sees me. A gray T-shirt stretches across his chest, and he’s in a pair of black shorts.

“Hi,” I say, hating that I’m still affected by the sight of him. That I can’t help noticing how good he looks.