Page 167 of Savage Suit
“He did not,” Reid said tightly. “I thought Quinn once mentioned you wanted to retire by forty. I suppose I was mistaken.”
“You were not,” I conceded. “Half the world believes either Quinn or me or both of us fucked Noah and you for me to get the position here.” The idea horrified me because I knew what my parents would’ve thought about me if they’d been alive.
“Youknow that isn’t true, Niobe. Fuck what everyone else says.”
I glared at him. “I don’t have excessive pride like she did. She lost fourteen children because of her arrogance. A mortal placing herself above the divine. I’m not doing that. I’m just trying to be fair to everyone, including myself.” I was on the verge of tears. If I didn’t believe my father had already planned what he did before my parents confronted me, I would’ve wondered if my behavior drove him to his extreme act. But from the time he sat at the breakfast table and announced they had an errand to run, he’d declined Quinn’s demand to accompany them. He’d awakened, knowing what he’d do. The last thing he’d called me was a dirty slut. I sniffled but blinked back my tears before they escaped. “I’m not a whore. I’m not sleeping with Noah to swell my bank account or inflate my paycheck.”
“You’re not a whore by any means, Ryan,” Reid said gently.
I nodded. “Th-thank you.”
He allowed a couple minutes to pass in silence. “By the way, you no longer have to worry about the school loans.”
In control of my emotions again, I squinted.
“When Quinn was talking to me, she mentioned you were repaying her loans. I took care of it. While I was at it, to thank you for being such a marvelous big sister, I also paid off what you owed.”
I fell back against my chair, unable to think clear enough to offer a simple thank you. “It’s too much. All of it.”
“Your pay?”
“No. I appreciate that.” It was so much more than I expected. Now that I was over my shock, however, I was so appreciative. “I’ll be able to rebuild my savings account. I’m referring to everything else. Do you know how much I owed for my loans alone?”
He grinned. “Indeed I do, since I paid them. What do you mean by everything else?”
“Everything else,” I said wildly.“The designer clothes and the personal stylist and the driver. Spending a day on a yacht being pampered and not having a care in the world. It’s so, so lavish, but I know it isn’t going to last. I don’t have Keegan money to bring into a long-term relationship.”
“This isn’t old-time Britain where a dowry was required to make a good match.”
“I know. I also know you can’t understand what I mean. That if I let my guard down, I’ll be lost.” I was already lost. For him.Tohim. “Reading about the Keegan wealth and experiencing it are two different beasts. I can’t get used to that. It would be an impossible lifestyle to maintain, attending galas in ten or twelve thousand dollars’ worth of clothes. That blue chinchilla coat is the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever worn. Do you know he just gave it to me? It had to cost at least three thousand dollars.”
Reid frowned. “If it is the coat you had on when you arrived at the Amage function, it wasn’t three thousand dollars.”
“How did you know—”
“Society pages.”
“Right,” I squeaked. Last week, I’d been so hellbent on ignoring Noah, Reid, and Quinn, I hadn’t looked for photos from that night. “H-how much was the coat?”
“I’ll text you a link for one in a similar style.” He got to his feet and headed to the door. “See you later, Ryan,” he threw over his shoulder, walked out, and closed the door.
Five minutes later, his message arrived. When I clicked the link, it led me toNeiman Marcus, and a replica of my coat, as he’d promised. Then I saw the price and almost slid to the floor in a dead faint.
Although Quinn benefited from confirming my slightly altered truth about the night of the ball, she had gotten the courage to confess to me, however roundabout it might’ve been. Without her last letter toAsk Ida, I never would’ve known the real story. Quinn had also allowed me a glimpse into Ryan’s head when she’d let me listen to their conversation.
Designer clothes were the least I could give her. While Ryan had been engaged in conversation with Lemon, Reid, and Logan, I’d whispered my intentions quietly to Quinn. Since I never wanted Ryan to find out I was repaying Quinn for her little white lies, I’d had no choice but to accompany her on her shopping expedition to pay for her purchases. I didn’t want to call Celine and risk her accidentally revealing anything to Ryan. I didn’t know what the hell Quinn wanted, so I couldn’t call ahead with instructions to the boutique my sisters once frequented. Rosa couldn’t handle it because she might let something slip, too. Besides, if Quinn went alone and I was invoice, the bill might somehow fall into Ryan’s hands. Then she’d discover the truth before January 2nd…Fuck. Paranoia had me in its grip.
So, here I was at one o’clock, still at a fucking boutique with Quinn. After the shop owner took away yet another six outfits without Quinn choosing anything, I sat down and glared at her. She was sitting on a plush couch, after enjoying a light lunch and a glass of wine.
“You have one more fucking shot to select clothes, Quinn,” I said in exasperation. “I’ve been here the entire fucking morning and we haven’t made one bit of headway.”
She made a face at me. “I-I was kind of joking,” she said softly, and tipped her head back to stare at the ceiling. “God, Ryan must be having fits.I’mextra. If this is a lot to handle for me, it’s awful for her.”
“You’re an extra what?” I asked in exasperation.
Breaking out into laughter, she lifted her head and looked at me. “I’m an extra nothing. It just means I’m high-maintenance. Ryan isn’t…well, she isn’t basic,” she said, thoughtful. “Maybe she’s extra and I’m extra-extra?”
I blinked at her, clueless.
