Page 67 of BillionHeir
“How obscene?”
“Five million dollars.”
She gasps. “You are kidding.”
I shake my head. “Nope. So I took the job,” I continue.
“You would be a fool not to.”
“That is what I thought as well. I went with him to his summer estate in Maine and have been caring for him for the last several weeks as he has recovered from a helicopter accident.”
My mother’s eyebrows rise at the mention of Maxwell’s estate, but otherwise she stays quiet. Waiting for me to work out what I am going to say next.
“But then we started to fall for each other. Or at least, I started to fall for him. One thing led to another and . . .” I pause wondering if I am really going to tell my mum about my sex life. “We slept together,” I confess.
She reaches out and covers my hand with hers, but still stays quiet, somehow sensing that the story isn’t over.
“I thought that we had something special, but then he started pulling away. His friends came to visit a few days later, the same day you called actually. When he had the chance to tell them about us, he lied and said that there was nothing there. Not only that, but he swore he would never sleep with ‘the help’.”
I roll my eyes at the memory that comes to mind, more to keep myself from crying than anything else.
“Oh, darling. That happened just before we spoke?”
I nod, trying to keep control of the emotions I am barely holding in.
“He is now trying to get back in my good graces,” I say once I am sure I am not going to cry. “He bought a ticket for my same flight and flew across the Atlantic with me. Now he won’t leave me alone. He swears he is sorry, and that he didn’t mean it, but I just can’t trust him.”
I sigh, relieved to finally have the whole story out.
My mum is quiet for a few seconds, seemingly taking it all in. “I bet he is sorry, darling. Very sorry indeed. Any man would be a fool to let a woman like you go. I suspect he regretted his words the moment they left his lips.”
“That is very sweet, Mum, but you are just a little biased, don’t you think?”
“Of course, I am biased, Chloe. But I am also right. I don’t know much about this man, but I know just how good you really are, and just how easy you are to love.”
“This doesn’t have anything to do with love,” I argue.
“Doesn’t it?” she asks, cocking her head to the side.
I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket with an incoming call. I pull it out, half-expecting it to be Maxwell, but feeling all kinds of foolish when it isn’t. Of course it isn’t going to be him. He just told me how much he missed me, and I literally ran away.
I am pulled out of my self-loathing by a picture of my cousin Colin.
“Hey, there, stranger!” I answer, my attention instantly shifted by his call.
“Your mum was talking to my mum and let it slip that you are here at the hospital. That true?”
Our mothers are sisters, so Colin was more of a brother than a cousin when we were growing up. If we weren’t getting into trouble together, we were fighting like cats and dogs. Regardless of any disagreements between the two of us, we have always been very close. It has been difficult being so far away from him for so long.
“Of course. You know my mum wouldn’t lie. We were just sitting here talking.”
“How is she, then?” he asks, concern in his voice.
I look over at my mother before answering. “A bit tired, but fine. How are you?”
“Feeling a bit peckish. Fancy having a drink tonight?”
I look down at my watch. It is getting rather late now, and I had planned on just going straight back to my hotel. “I suppose one drink would be alright,” I answer looking back over at my mum who nods encouragingly.
