Page 53 of Accidental Fiancé

Along unpaved road wound through an orange grove to reach the Black family property. When the trees parted from the roadside, I caught my first glimpse of the mansion. It was grand, its architecture reminding me of pictures I’d seen of Greece. Many of California's older mansions were inspired by Spanish style—red terracotta roofs, stucco walls, arched doorways and windows with decorative wrought iron elements.

The Black family home looked like it belonged in Athens, built for the mythological Greek gods.

Surrounded by several acres of private land, the mansion was a testament to the Black family fortune. It was no wonder that when it fell into disrepair, they needed a lot of money to fix it. I couldn't imagine attempting to repair this place with some glue and duct tape—my father’s go-to fix for most household problems.

Everywhere I looked there were columns and arches. The walls gleamed white and the front door was a brilliant blue, similar to the deepest parts of the Mediterranean Sea.

An appreciative whistle came out of me as we pulled up to the entryway where a group of uniformed men waited. “Your mom has a valet?”

“Only for special occasions,” Julian said. “They’ll take the bags for us, too.”

There were details of his world that still astonished me and this was one of them. But I brushed past it to keep the peace.

For the past few days, things had been tense between us though not as bad as when he first brought up the idea of keeping things strictly business. I kept myself in check and so did he. There were no inappropriate incidences of groping, grabbing, or anything else, and we both found excuses to avoid being left alone in the same room with each other.

Here, we would get no such reprieve. Here, for all intents and purposes, we were a couple. An engaged couple, which meant we would be sharing the same room. I was fine with that. I could keep my hands off of him. I just hoped that he could do the same.

At least, that was what I told myself. But days of closeness with no real connection had started to wear on me. Though, at this point, I was afraid to ask him what he actually thought of me. It was strange to play the role of an escort for a friend, and I wondered if he even considered us friends anymore. Things had gotten so muddled in the past week that I didn't know what to think. All I knew was I needed to get a job done, get paid, and get the hell out of here.

Things like friendship and romance could wait. I had bills to pay.

We had a contract in place, and it listed very clear boundaries between us. But we were also adults with urges, and that made things a little less than cozy at home. Here, with one fewer boundary between us, I didn't know how I would handle things. Plenty of people would be around us in the mansion most ofthe time. I hoped that would be enough to distract us and keep things amiable.

A smiling older woman stood in the doorway. She was generously proportioned and elegantly dressed in red. Her silky salt and pepper hair had been pinned into pretty waves near her face to frame it. When she spied Piper, it was as if her whole being came alive. “There’s my baby girl!”

“Yaya!” Piper squealed as she ran to her, arms wide.

“Pipsqueak!” she replied lovingly as she crouched and hugged her.

I sensed Julian’s anxiety as we joined the two of them at the doorway. I wasn't sure how much of his nervousness was an act but I certainly couldn't blame him for it. One wrong word, and this was all over. Thankfully, Nora had told me to have it written in the contract that if things went tits up with his family, I still got paid for the full month. He hadn't balked at that, adding if things went well, I’d also get a bonus.

He cleared his throat to interrupt their hug. “Hey, Mom.”

“There he is,” she said, smiling warmly and embracing him. “Nice of you to make time in your day to come see your family.”

His lip curled in annoyance at that slight. “We're here for the week. Just like everybody else.”

She lowered her sunglasses and looked me over with the same piercing green eyes Julian had. I knew the first meeting would be tense, and considering who she was, I needed her to like me. I’d done what I could to look as presentable as possible, but I had no idea if I’d pass the sniff test.

I was dressed in a cream blouse with striped navy slacks. Nothing flashy, nothing too trendy. My makeup was minimal, my jewelry simple. I'd even gotten my curls to go in the same direction, so they looked purposefully arranged. It was the best I could do without an army of stylists, which Julian had offered to hire.

But we were here for a week, so unless he wanted all those stylists to tag along, it seemed like overkill.

“Aren’t you lovely. Julian, is this your lady friend?”

“Maggie Bryant, this is my mother, Artemis Black.”

I shook her hand, and it took her only seconds to clock the ring on my finger. She glanced up at her son. “Is there something you need to tell me?”

He kneeled next to Piper. “Sweetie, go find your cousins and play, okay?”

“Okay!” She ran inside.

Once she was gone, he put his arm around me. “Yes, there is, but we’re trying to keep things lowkey for Piper, given the sensitivity of the situation with Britney. So please, no big announcements this week. If people ask about the ring, that’s fine, but I don’t want this week to become about our engagement. This is still new.”

“Far be it from me to want to make a big announcement about my only son’s engagement. You must think I’m a monster for wanting to celebrate such an occasion. If you want to break your mother’s heart by forcing her to keep all of this happiness bottled up inside, I’m not going to stop you.”

I wasn’t sure how, but I felt as if we’d fallen into a trap. But Julian merely laughed it off. “Mom, cut the theatrics. I’m hoping Maggie likes our family enough to still want to join it by the end of the week, and you’re not helping.”

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