Page 17

CHAPTER 16

Phoebe’s phone buzzed and she glanced down at it, smiling as she saw it was Barren.

KiPP: Have you drunk the water I left you?

She glanced over at the bottle of water on the coffee table. Oops.

LG: Nearly, Daddy.

KiPP: Drink it up, little girl. And don’t forget that the driver will be there to pick you up at eleven-thirty.

KiPP: And that I love you.

LG: Love you too, Daddy.

KiPP stood for Knight in Pressed Pants. While LG was obviously Little girl. He was always doing this. Texting her during the day to make sure that she’d eaten or was drinking water. Or that she wasn’t lonely or cold or scared.

He really was the best Daddy in the world.

An hour later, the doorbell ringing startled her, and she glanced at the clock. Wow. This morning had gone fast! Was that the driver Barren was sending for her? For some reason, he didn’t want her driving to his office building to meet him for lunch. Seemed like such a waste to send a driver out here for her. But he’d gotten out his “Daddy voice” and she’d decided to give him this.

She’d been living here with Barren for a week now and she was ready to get out of the house for a bit. The only people she’d met were Sally, Barren’s cleaner and Melly, his assistant. Barren had also taken her out for dinner a couple of times, but she was getting cabin fever.

She couldn’t believe how beautiful his house was. Or how big and grand. She’d spent the first few days getting constantly lost. Barren had joked about putting a tracker on her. Although, when she’d caught him looking at GPS trackers later than evening, she’d started wondering how much of a joke it was.

He lived in a gorgeous two-story house out in the country. They were surrounded by green fields, white fences, red barns, and horses. So many horses. She was in heaven. Barren didn’t own any horses. He said he didn’t have the time to take care of them. But he leased out his land to other people and their horses.

Each morning, she and Snickerdoodle sat on the porch to drink their apple juice and watch the horses. It was heaven. Everything was perfect.

Or it would be… if she didn’t have one thing marring her peace.

Something that she still hadn’t told Barren.

You have to do it.

She grabbed her heart-shaped handbag and opened the door. To her surprise, there was a woman standing on the other side holding a large basket in her hands.

“Hello,” she said. “Are you my driver? You’re early.”

“What? No.” The smile slipped off the older woman’s face and she sneered for a moment. “Would a driver wear Chanel?”

“Hmm. Maybe?”

“I’m from next door. I was riding my horse the other day and thought I saw you sitting on the front porch.”

She must have been riding very close to the house. Phoebe eyed her with interest. A nosy neighbor, huh?

“I thought I would bring you a basket of goodies to say welcome.”

“Oh, well, thanks.” That was nice, if a bit odd.

“I’m Freida.” The woman who had a tight, black fitted dress with a gold belt around her small waist held out the basket of goods. It was filled with high-end hand cream, candles, and room sprays.

“Oh perfect! I just ran out of that hand cream. Thanks!”

“Um, you’re welcome.” Freida held out her hand for Phoebe to shake. “Nice to meet you…”

“Oh, I’m Phoebe.” She set the basket down on the hall table and turned to shake the other woman’s hand enthusiastically. Hmm. Freida had an odd aura. Kind of dark.

Careful, Phoebe.

Freida frantically pulled her hand back, nearly tripping over on her high heels.

“Nice to meet you too, Freida.”

“So, you’re living with Barren? Are you his niece or something?” Freida said bluntly.

Definitely digging for information.

“Hmm. Something,” she replied.

“Sorry?” Freida asked.

“Don’t be,” Phoebe told her.

Freida looked confused but rallied. “I thought I could come in for a cup of coffee.”

“I’m afraid I don’t drink coffee. I don’t want to stunt my growth.”

“Stunt your growth? Oh, are you still in high school, dear? Shouldn’t you be there now?” Freida gave her a condescending look.

Well, two could play at this game.

“Oh no. I graduated school a while ago. I don’t think they’d let me go back now. Should you not be at work?”

Freida laughed. “I don’t work, dear. I married well several years ago, then I divorced him. Now, I get to spend my days riding my horses, shopping, and visiting with friends. I guess you’re planning on doing the same, hmm? Barren is deliciously wealthy, after all. Although, you might find it hard to get him to propose to you. He’s still in love with his wife, after all.”

“You know Krystal?” Phoebe asked curiously.

“Yes. What a tragic love story. They were married for so long and Barren will always be in love with her. Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t hurt you, did I? It’s just the truth. But I’m sure he will take good care of you. Just don’t expect love and marriage. I’m only telling you this to be kind.”

Uh-huh. Sure, she was.

“Oh, you’re not hurting me. After all, if I’m only with him for his money then why would I care that he could never love me? Now, sorry, but I’m busy. Bye.”

She shut the door on the other woman’s protests. Then she stared down at her shaking hands, taking a deep breath in and letting it out slowly.

Okay. That wasn’t fun. What a… a… bitch! Yep, she’d thought it. And she wasn’t taking it back. She’d need to tell Barren about this at lunch.

Oh! Lunch! She glanced at her heart-shaped watch just as the doorbell rang again. This time, she checked who it was first. A man stood on the doorstep, wearing dark clothing.

“Hello,” she said cheerfully as she grabbed her handbag again.

“Miss Jones, I’m here to take you into the city.”

“Yes, please.” She shut the door behind her. It would lock automatically. She skipped down the stairs, something that Barren would scold her for if he’d seen her and climbed into the back of the car.

“Everything all right, miss?” the driver asked after climbing into the driver’s seat.

“Great, thanks. And call me Phoebe.”

“I’m James.”

“Sweet. Let’s go, James.”

She needed a hug from Barren.

“Hello. Can I help you?” A woman around Phoebe’s age gave her a small smile as she ran her gaze over her. She was sitting at the main reception desk and made it clear with the look on her face that she didn’t approve of Phoebe’s outfit at all.

Hmm. She thought she was looking extra cute today. She had on a red pinafore dress with a long-sleeved white shirt underneath that had ruffles at her wrists. She also wore white tights and cherry-red boots with a flat heel since Barren didn’t seem to like when she wore higher heels. Her dark hair was up in high pony tail with a red scrunchie around it.

Cute, but not too openly Little. Even though Barren said that he wanted her to be herself, she still didn’t want to embarrass him. Oh, and she’d also remembered a jacket. Mainly because Barren had reminded her three times this morning to bring one. He worried far too much.

“I’m here to see Barren,” she said cheerfully. “Can you let him know I’m here, please.”

“You’re here to see Mr. Rose?” she asked skeptically.

“Yep. We’re having lunch.”

“Oh. Right. Just let me call his assistant.”

“Sure thing. I’ll wait.”

She turned away and sat in a chair. Strange, was the other woman texting Melly? She had her phone out and was texting away furiously.

Hmm. She sure was taking her time letting Melly know she was here.

And her aura was a bit murky. Phoebe wasn’t too sure that the woman was doing what she said she would.

“Is Melly busy?” she asked after about five minutes.

“Oh, um, I’ll check,” the woman said.

Hmm.

The receptionist picked up her phone and spoke into it briefly.

Melly walked into reception a few minutes later. It was hard to work out Melly’s age. She had white hair that was in a short bob. Her skin was smooth and pretty much wrinkle free. Her clothes were always kind of edgy and dramatic and she wore a bright pink lipstick.

Phoebe loved her look. And she really liked the other woman. Her aura was sharp but with a softness around the edges.

“Phoebe! Don’t sit in here. Come with me.” Melly shot the other woman behind the desk a look. “Linda, from now on Phoebe is to be sent straight through. She’s very important.”

“Ooh. I am?” Phoebe said as she jumped up and moved over to Melly.

Melly smiled at her. “You are. Come through. Barren is still in a meeting that’s running overtime.”

“That’s all right. I don’t mind waiting for him.”

To her surprise, Barren walked into the reception area before they could head back.

“Sorry, sweetheart. I’ve been caught up with some demanding clients. I’m going to try and wrap things up quickly.”

Poor Barren. He seemed kind of stressed. “It’s all right. I can go away and come back if you want.”

“No, I don’t want. What I want is a hug.” He held out his arms.

Oh goody. She hadn’t been sure if he would want to be openly affectionate with her in his workplace.

He hugged her tight, kissing her briefly. “Do you mind waiting with Melly?”

“Nope. I’m happy to wait.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.”

He disappeared with a wink, and she followed Melly back to her desk in a daze.

“I’m going to make a cup of coffee; can I get you something?” Melly asked.

“No thanks. I’m good.” She sat in a chair in the small waiting area by Melly’s desk. She was reading a magazine when someone appeared in front of her. Putting the magazine down, she glanced up to see a very angry woman glaring down at her. She had her gorgeous blonde hair piled up on her head and wore a pair of tight jeans with a silky black shirt.

“Wow. Your hair is beautiful.”

The woman appeared startled for a moment. Her aura was kind of off. A bit jagged and dark.

“How do you get it so shiny? I need to do something with my hair. It’s a bit dull and boring at the moment. I was thinking of a cut, but maybe I need some new product. What do you use?”

“What? Why would I want to tell you how to care for your hair?” the woman asked.

“I don’t know. Seems like it would be a nice thing to do.”

“Why would I want to be nice to you when you’ve stolen my husband!”

Uh-oh.

“I haven’t stolen your husband,” Phoebe said quietly.

“Krystal,” Melly said sharply, returning and placing her cup on the desk. “What are you doing here? How did you get in? Did Linda let you in?”

“I’m entitled to be here. I’m Barren’s wife, not her.”

Melly picked up her phone as Phoebe stood. “I don’t want any trouble.”

“Then you shouldn’t have stolen my husband, you gold-digging whore! That’s why you’re with him, right? For his money. I know your type. Poor little damsel in distress, huh? What? Did you do your research on rich older men who had been recently divorced? How did you throw yourself into his path? Did you fall over in front of him? Pretend to be hurt? Or did you have a flat tire right when he drove by?”

Dear lord. Did people actually do that?

“Krystal! What are you doing here?” Barren walked into the small waiting area.

Relief filled Phoebe.

“I’ve come to save you from a big mistake.” Her voice changed, becoming sweeter and lower as she turned to Barren. “Oh, Barren, this girl isn’t with you because she loves you. She’s with you for your money.”

“Krystal, you can’t come in and make baseless accusations against Phoebe. You and I are no longer together and frankly, you’re embarrassing yourself.”

“I’m not the one embarrassing myself, you are. She admitted it all to Freida.”

What?

Barren frowned and glanced over at Phoebe. He wasn’t buying this, was he?

He’s known Krystal for twenty years… maybe he does still love her. He’s only known you a few weeks.

Phoebe felt her nerves fluttering in her stomach. She sensed some movement from the corner of her eye, but she couldn’t look away from Barren. She couldn’t figure out what he was thinking.

“Admitted what?” Barren demanded.

“To being with you for your money! She told Frieda that it doesn’t matter if you don’t love her because she’s only with you for your money! She’s going to suck you dry. She doesn’t want or love you. She’s a gold-digger.”

“Who the hell do you think you are to call my sister a gold digger.”

Um.

What the hell were they all doing here?