Chapter 6
Smile For the Camera
Lindsay
The first thing I thought as the car pulled up in front of the Ashton residence was that we could have just walked the half mile from Fifth Avenue to 16 East 69th Street.
It was raining, but with an umbrella I was certain the five minutes it would have taken to get there wouldn’t have caused too much havoc to either our hair or clothes.
The second thing I thought was, Holy Shit! The stunning brick façade must have stretched at least thirty feet wide. And looking up, I counted three, maybe four floors. It was without a doubt, one of the exclusive mansions located in Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Wow. Okay.
If I thought adjusting to the fact that James lived in a co-op worth more than twenty-five million took some getting used to, this place blew his out of the water. I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride across billionaire row that was never going to end.
Then again, I should have known. James had, after all, just explained to me in the short car ride over here that his mother was a Vandermore. Before that, I had no idea his family held the same social status as the Rockefellers.
James got out of the car and held his hand out to me.
Staring up at him, I was struck mute. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and visibly fit, which was especially noticeable in the designer black suit he was wearing. It fit his body to perfection.
When he raised a brow, I looked away and my gaze landed on the house with all its windows again. I was about to enter his world, and suddenly I felt more terrified than I had in a very long time.
James stood patiently waiting for me.
I took a breath and then reached out to him. Our eyes locked in that moment, and my pulse was racing as I slid my palm over his upturned one.
Stepping out of the car, for a moment, and only one, I forgot everything but what it was like to be lost in his beautiful eyes.
The rain was light, but still James opened an umbrella.
I was wearing a sweater dress, but it certainly wasn’t casual my any means. James had insisted the family personal shopper run over this morning and bring a selection of items appropriate for the Ashton family photo. By then I was no longer in meltdown mode, and after eating a piece of toast, I felt up for the task.
I knew this was important to him.
After trying on more than a dozen different dresses, all varying shades of off-white, James insisted on the very last one I’d put on. With its halter neckline, column body, and just above the knee length, the cashmere creation was my favorite too.
The dress was simple yet elegant, and I think that’s what I liked most about it. It was my style, and I felt comfortable in it. I might have grown up wearing second-hand clothes, but over the past couple of years I’d acquired a rather nice wardrobe, some pieces purchased, some compt.
Still, nothing I had was anything like that one.
It was a designer from Paris, and I had no idea how much it cost, but I knew it must have been a lot. There were no tags, and I knew better than to ask.
The stylist paired it with a pair of nude booties and a light coat, and then James gave me a diamond bracelet with matching earrings that he’d asked her to bring.
The dressing me part didn’t bother me at all. I was used to that from all the photo shoots I’d been on. But when James gave me the diamonds, my palms turned clammy as my heart rate increased. Overwhelmed and thrown by his generosity, I started to melt down all over again.
It took half an hour before the stylist could finish getting me ready.
“Ready?” James asked, reminding me we had somewhere to be.
I drew in a deep breath, and slowly let it out. “Ready.”
He led the way through the small courtyard to the glossy front door surrounded by flowers and shrubbery, and once under cover he closed the umbrella.
It wasn’t winter yet, but the temperature had certainly been dropping, and yet the flowers were still in bloom. They must have been receiving some extra attention.
James turned the knob. But before he stepped inside the house, he stopped to dip his head, and his dark eyes went liquid with heat. “I don’t want you to be nervous. It’s a photo and lunch, nothing you haven’t done a thousand times.”
The statement was true enough, but I had a feeling it was going to be nothing like I had ever done.
James pushed open the door and we stepped into a massive foyer with a black and white checked floor. A large ornate gold table sat in the middle of it. The table had fresh cut flowers on top of it and a gorgeous chandelier hanging above it.
There were two equally as large rooms off of the foyer, although I wasn’t certain what they were, and a marble staircase with a black banister separating the areas.
“Come on,” James grinned, “Everyone should be upstairs.” His smile didn’t tempt one from me, but I did force myself to breathe.
He strode up the stairs with my hand in his and when we reached the top, it took me a few moments to scan the large space. I had never seen anything as extravagant as that. The parquet floors were covered with Persian rugs, the furniture was trimmed in gold, the fireplaces outlined with scrolled designs. The draperies were gold, the walls were white and the ceilings extremely high. The French provincial décor fit the dynamics of the room perfectly.
A thin woman with blonde hair pinned up in a chignon stood from a chair near an opened door that led to a terrace, and pulled her reading glasses from her face. She set them down, along with her book, and blinked a few times. “James,” she said.
“Mother,” he returned.
Both of their voices lacked any warm emotional infliction, and that’s when I knew she had no idea I was coming.
Then very nervous, I tried to smile. She did not. James ushered us toward her, The closer I got, I could see she was a beautiful woman, and I saw where James got his heart-shaped mouth, and his deep colored eyes, too.
We stopped when James had gotten close enough to kiss her on the cheek. Once he pulled away he said, “Mother, I have someone I want you to meet. This is Lindsay.”
I stepped out from behind him, finally managing to put that smile on my face.
“Oh…hello,” she said giving me only a quick glance before looking back to her son. “I wasn’t aware you were bringing a guest. You should have told me, I would have made arrangements to keep her occupied while the photographer is at work.”
“There’s no need for that,” he said, “she’s going to be in the picture with us.”
One of her hands flew to her thin neck and the other grasped the side of her perfect cream suit, and then the corners of her mouth turned down. I wasn’t expecting a warm embrace, and it’s a good thing, because what I got wasn’t even close.
Her gaze filled with disdain as she decided to give me another look. This time it traveled over my face and lingered on my hair, full and wavy. Then her eyes darted to my hand, caught tight in her son’s, and the disdain on her face only grew.
“Mother,” James said sharply. “I said this is Lindsay.”
She seemed to recover from her social misstep, and as if choking out each word, she said, “Oh…yes, of course. Nice to meet you.”
Mrs. Ashton didn’t have a first name to me, and even if I knew it, I don’t think I would have called her anything but Mrs. Ashton. “Nice to meet, Mrs. Ashton,” I said, extending my hand.
She did not take it.
I wondered if I should curtsy. Perhaps she preferred to be treated like a queen. But I refrained from doing anything but placing my hand back at my side.
James ignored her, and asked, “Where’s everyone else? Lindsay and I have some news we’d like to share when we’re all together.”
Just then, I heard the distinctive thump of tiny feet. “We’re all up here getting ready, brother dear, don’t worry, we’re on our way down.”
I swallowed hard and lifted my chin, preparing for more stunned looks from James’ sisters.
“Oh, good. There you all are,” his mother said, looking toward the staircase. “I’m going to get the photographer.” And then before she left the room she added, “And James, I’d like to talk to you in the kitchen, alone.” I’m not sure if James was ignoring her, or didn’t hear her, but he never responded. Instead he focused on the group of people coming down the stairs.
James had three younger sisters, none of which lived in New York. One was married and lived in Connecticut with her husband and two daughters. His other two sisters were still in college. One went to a school in Toronto and the other went to UCLA.
The two little kids were first down the stairs. The oldest stopped right in front of me with wide eyes. The youngest, a toddler in a gold dress, climbed up the chair beside me and touched my hair over and over.
A beautiful woman with long, honey blonde hair wearing a long, flowing cream dress and ballet flats hurried after the kids and spoke softly when she caught up to them. “Chloe, honey, don’t do that. It’s not polite.”
Chloe didn’t stop. “But, Mommy, she looks like Ariel.”
Those chubby little hands pulled on my hair until my gaze shifted back to her, and I smiled.
“Are you a princess?” she asked.
I laughed. “No, I’m Lindsay.”
James scooped her up and blubbered the side of her neck until she squealed. “She’s my princess,” he said, and then handed the little girl back to her mother, before grabbing the older child to do the same.
My heart instantly swelled at his words, and the sight.
His sister extended her free hand. “Hi Lindsay, I’m Natasha, and this is Chloe and Cassie, and the sleepy looking guy coming down the stairs is my husband, Calvin.”
I took her hand, and then after James greeted Calvin, I took his. “Hi, nice to meet you both,” I said.
The click clack of high heels brought all of our heads around. Two beautiful blonde girls came down the stairs, each wearing very short ivory dresses. One wore a chiffon baby doll, the other wore a satin off-the-shoulder style.
As soon as they reached the ground, they ran and threw their arms around James shouting, “We’ve missed you,” at him.
When he was able to break away, he introduced me. They were both polite, but they had a mischievous twinkle in their eyes.
Audra was the youngest and went to school in California. She brushed her hand over James’ head and said, “You know you’re going to be in a lot of trouble.”
“What’s new,” James laughed, ducking out of her grasp.
Olivia was the older of the two. She went to school in Canada, and according to James, wanted to stay there after graduation. Looking at me, she leaned closer to James and whispered, “Mom doesn’t allow boyfriends and girlfriends in the family photo, and you know it.”
He leaned closer too. “Well then, it’s a good thing she’s my wife. Isn’t it?”
“What?” Shocked voices filled the space. “When? Where?”
Natasha was the first to expel a full sentence. “Congratulations. My brother finally tied the knot, I can’t believe it.”
All three of his sisters hugged me, welcomed me to the family, and started asking all kinds of questions.
“James!” It was his mother, she’d come back in the room with the photographer trailing behind her.
Everyone went quiet, except the little girls, who were singing a song I had a feeling was from the Disney movie, The Little Mermaid.
“I want to speak with you now. Alone.” His mother’s voice boomed.
Audra and Olivia’s eyes shifted anywhere but at me. Natasha stood close and gave her brother a pat on the back. Calvin had the girls beside him, lowering himself to whisper to them to be quiet for a few minutes.
This was bad.
This was so, so bad.
James leaned toward me and kissed me. “I’ll be right back.”
I nodded.
I waited, my eyes darting nervously between everyone. They were all talking once again, continuing to ask me questions. It was a chorus of, “How long have you two been dating?” and “Why has he been keeping you a secret?”
Honesty was always the best policy, but just then it didn’t feel like it. Despite this, I told the truth.
The shouting coming from the other room made it hard to focus, though. Still, I did my best to carry on the conversations, until the words, “Money hungry floozy,” echoed through the main floor.
Now everyone shut up. No one said a word, including the kids. Even the photographer, who had been rearranging the furniture to accommodate the size of the family in one seating group, stopped with a chair in midair.
A cool breeze blew in the room, and the smell of roses wafted in. Fall was really in the air. I stared at the garden on the terrace. It was lovely. There were planters filled with flowers of all varieties and a furniture grouping with which to sit. The temperature was unseasonably warm, and with the rain as light as it was, it was barely noticeable.
The shouting continued, although no words could be deciphered anymore. Soon though, I heard another voice. It sounded like a woman. And then there were three people shouting. I had no idea who had joined in. The stylist perhaps? A housekeeper? A maid? Maybe even a cook? There was no way of knowing.
Everyone around me starting talking once again, like they were used to this, and the girls began playing with their dolls their mother had in a bag.
“Why don’t we sit down?” Natasha suggested.
“Good idea,” Audra said.
The photographer, who was now back to work building his set, turned around. “Do you mind coming over here and sitting. I’d like to see how my concept is going to look.”
The furniture had been newly arranged with one large gold chair in the middle, a small settee to the right, and a larger sofa to the left. All the pieces of furniture were centered on one of the Persian rugs and the space was framed by another set of French doors that must have led out to the same terrace I’d been distracted by just minutes ago. I blinked a few times when I shifted my gaze to the fountain. It was surrounded by dozens of pots filled with colorful flowers, also all still in bloom. It really was beautiful.
The photographer had a deep French accent, and he beckoned Audra and Olivia over first. There he posed them both on the settee. Next, he ushered Natasha and her family to the larger sofa, where he put Calvin on the farthest edge, the two little girls in the middle, and Natasha close to the center chair.
When he turned toward me, he said, “Please sit here,” motioning to the singular chair.
My eyes widened and I shook my head no.
“Just so I can get a view through me lens, madam.”
Having no idea what to do, I hesitantly took a step forward.
“Please,” he said. “I just want to check the symmetry.”
I did as he asked, although I knew it wasn’t a good idea.
“Perfect,” he exclaimed, and then went to his camera, which was on a tripod, and snapped a few frames before saying, “Okay now, everyone smile.”
“Do we say, cheese?” One of the girl’s said.
“Yes, sweetie,” Natasha answered.
“One, two, three,” the photographer counted.
I didn’t know what everyone else did, but I forced the corners of my mouth to turn up, and said nothing.
“This is very good,” he said. “When Mrs. Ashton comes in, she’ll sit in the chair, and her son will stand before her.”
Not that I wanted to be in the picture, but obviously he had no instructions to include me.
“Just a few more. Audra, turn a little toward Olivia,” he directed.
“Hey, Pierre,” she answered.
Pierre obviously knew the family, and he continued to snap some photos, changing the family’s positions or the angle of the lens with each one, I waited for James.
There was more screaming. I heard a loud crash, and then the slam of a door. Soon, I could hear footfalls coming down the hall.
My heart thumped in my chest. I knew it hadn’t gone well for James, and by the sounds of things, his mother had left.
When someone entered the room, it wasn’t James, though. It was Mrs. Ashton, and she was anything but happy.
I jumped out of the chair, hoping she wasn’t alone. My gaze swiveled from side to side, but James wasn’t anywhere to be seen. It must have been him who slammed a door. Where could he have gone?
Just then Calvin stood. “I’m going to take the girls to use the restroom.”
“Good idea,” Natasha whispered.
Olivia grabbed Audra’s hand. “We’re going to go upstairs and powder our noses.”
And that left me, Natasha, Pierre, and Mrs. Ashton.
“Excuse me, please,” Pierre said, “I must get a different lens from the bag I left downstairs.” And he too, scurried away.
Natasha had stood, but did not move.
Her mother glared at her. “Natasha, could you leave Linda and I to talk?” She said my name, incorrectly of course, like there was venom on her tongue.
“It is Lindsay, Mother,” Natasha corrected.
Her mother waved a manicured hand. “No matter. Could you leave us?”
Natasha stood her ground until her mother stepped toward her and sneered, “I asked you to leave us to talk.”
Then Natasha did so, glancing at me, and looking very apologetic.
It was just Mrs. Ashton and me. I thought about making a joke. Something about it being just the two Mrs. Ashton’s, but I knew that wouldn’t go over very well, so instead I raised my chin and looked directly at her.
Fury riddled her face. When she stepped slowly toward me, I knew fear flickered in my eyes. I opened my mouth to speak, to tell her I cared about her son, but she held a hand up to halt my comments.
She walked toward a desk and pulled out what looked like her checkbook. She scribbled something across it, and then turned back to me. “My son tells me the two of you met Friday night and wed that night. I want you to leave him and get the marriage annulled.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Mrs. Ashton,” I spoke, “Your son and I want—”
She slowly strode toward me. “I know what the two of you want. And it’s completely unacceptable. I’m sure you’re nice and sweet and I can understand why my son finds you very attractive, but I want to assure you, prenup or not, you will never see a dime of his money.”
The blood rushed from my face. “Mrs. Ashton, I assure you I don’t want his money.”
I was treated to a heavy sigh from her. “Look Linda or Lindsay, or whatever your name is. I’ve had to deal with women like you all my life. That is why you will make this easy on yourself and James, because in the end, I will get what I want.”
“That’s just it, I don’t want anything but him.”
She thrust the check at me. “I’m sure you are aware that James is a Vandermore. As the eldest male of his generation, he will inherit a great deal of money and power. And when he does, he needs a wife who understands what it takes to support a man like him.”
Any hope I had of convincing her James and I were attracted to each other enough that we wanted to remain married went flying out the window. I looked at the check. It was made out to cash for the sum of one million dollars.
“That should be enough to make you see the error of your ways.”
I took the check and ripped it in half, then I handed it to her. “You can’t buy me off,” I said, my voice hoarse. “I am truly interested in your son, and not because of his money.”
Her nostrils flared. “There won’t be another offer,” she huffed, taking the check from me, and then she gave me her back.
I sucked in a huge breath, trying to ease the tightness compressing my chest. I had no idea where James had gone. Had he left so his mother could handle the situation he’d gotten himself into? Could handle me? That seemed to be what had happened.
I didn’t want to believe that.
But I just didn’t know.
All I knew was I couldn’t stay there one more minute. I had to get out of there. So I gracefully walked toward the stairs, descended them, grabbed my coat, and then let myself out, where I rushed to the sidewalk.
Once I hit Fifth Avenue, I hailed a cab. Yes, James’s place was certainly within walking distance, but I wasn’t going there. I was going home.
Inside the quiet of the yellow car, I gave him my address and then leaned my head against the window. There, I finally allowed my tears to fall.
Not only had my husband’s mother called me to a gold digger, she also thought I wasn’t good enough for her son. Obviously, she didn’t think I was capable of charity work and black tie event party planning. And who knew, perhaps I wasn’t capable of such things. I certainly had never done anything like that.
Yet, that didn’t mean I wouldn’t have been willing to try. To do what I had to in order to make James happy.
I think I would have done almost anything for him.
I guessed I’d never know.
It hadn’t even been forty-eight hours since James and I had said I do…
And now we were over.