Page 66 of Bittersweet Legacy

“I didn’t know you played sport,.” I said, stopping in front of him suddenly quite giddy about this day out and not only because of my note for Ben.

He shrugged. “You never asked. I play for the baseball team.”

I nodded. I didn’t know much about sports other than football. “I hope we won’t get into trouble for ditching school.”

Caleb laughed. “You’re Forbes, I’m Astor – we’ll be okay.”

I sighed and frowned looking at the car he was leaning on. “It’s not your car.”

He shook his head. “No, you wanted the normal person’s experience, so I borrowed a poor person’s car.”

It was my turn to chuckle. “Yeah a Mercedes A200… poor indeed.”

“I did the best I could. This is one of the two cars we keep for our domestics to run errands.”

I touched his arm. “I’m joking, I really appreciate it.” It was genuine.

He looked down at my hand touching him, as if it was something he couldn’t process. He finally looked back up at me, extended his hand.

“I’ll need your engagement ring.”

“I… why?” I asked suspiciously. This was around $200,000 from my runaway pot – it was basically my whole runaway pot.

“We’re poor, remember? I’ll give it back at the end of the day.”

I nodded, handing it to him reluctantly.

He reached for a little square box in his pocket and opened it.

I couldn’t contain my gasp when I saw the ring in it. It was the engagement ring I really liked, the white gold ring with the small pink diamond nestled between angel’s wings. It was the ring I would have picked if it had been real, if I’d wanted this marriage. But it was the cheapest of the lot and I needed the money.

“I only borrowed it for the day,” he said, sliding it on my ring finger and putting the big, ostentatious ring in the box.

He raised my hand and kissed the ring, making me shiver.

He smiled up at me. “You look absolutely gorgeous today, Esme, putting make-up on this face should be a crime.”

I was taken aback by the compliment, the gentleness in his voice, the laughter in his eyes until I remembered it was all an act.

I smiled. “You don’t look bad yourself.” I removed a strand of blond hair from his forehead, which made him flinch ever so slightly. “You should wear jeans more often; they really suit you.”

He looked up behind me and his eyes turned colder, wary. I turned my head to see Archie glaring at Caleb, what was that all about?

I looked back at Caleb, who still had his eyes locked on Archie, his nostrils flaring. He finally let go of the silent war he was having with my brother and concentrated on me. “Ready to go?”

I nodded, sitting in the passenger seat.

“Is everything alright?” I couldn’t help but ask as Caleb started the car and left the driveway briskly.

“Yes of course, why wouldn’t it be?” He was so dismissive, there was no point insisting on this subject. I knew a lost battle when I saw one… just like my life here.

“I didn’t think you would do it,” I admitted as we merged onto the highway.

“Why not?”

I glanced his way but he was concentrating on the road, stopping me from seeing if his face expressed anything. “Because you said it was stupid.”

He shrugged. “I’ve done a lot of things I thought were stupid.”

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