Chapter Eleven
Distinguished Arrogance
“I can’t believe you gave this up to come home for me,” Elle said as she basked in the sun on a lounge chair next to mine. We were at Remington’s pool because I liked it better than Hale’s.
“This isn’t exactly how I left things. Before I was working.” Which I missed very much. There was something to be said about the value of independence.
“Still, this is the life. It’s so peaceful here.”
Another reason why Remington’s pool was better than Hale’s, it was far away from Brynlee. I was glad to discover she didn’t dine with us, but she sure made Hale a lot of sandwiches. Like that was hard. I could make a sandwich.
I’d come to admit the girl was good with his daughter, but I wasn’t ready to say it out loud. Having a nanny made our evenings easier and assured Hale and I had plenty of time to date like a regular couple.
She was available for babysitting and tended to Elara during the workday, leaving Hale in charge overnight and in the mornings. I was really impressed with how easily he woke to feed his daughter and how naturally he took to things like dressing her. On the weekends Brynlee was only around if we went out. So, fine, I might have overreacted.
Elle had adapted well to a life of luxury and I was grateful Barrett hadn’t been around much. When he did pop up, Elle took notice. She was very self-conscious about her hair, being that half her head was just past bald. If she spent too much time in front of mirrors she got upset. Most distressing was the day I suggested she give me a trim, thinking it might help her confidence.
She stared at my hair for a solid ten minutes while I waited in the chair. Finally, she put down the scissors and cried, claiming she wasn’t in the mood to give me a haircut. I knew that wasn’t the problem. I’d watched her try to put on makeup and pluck her eyebrows. These were skills she’d misplaced and I was useless when it came to refreshing her memory.
When I told Hale how upset she got, he made an appointment for Elle and me at a spa. Our appointment was tomorrow and Elle loved the idea. I was happy to see her excited, but honestly, how could an appointment at a spa last four hours? I had no idea what we were going to have done.
Remington’s house was quiet. Alfonse wasn’t home and everyone else was away. I knew the codes to let us in, but it still felt odd being there alone. When I heard movement from inside, I sat up. The sun beamed off of the glass windows and the sliding door opened. I squinted, lifting my sunglasses as my breath sucked in on a gasp.
Without realizing I was moving, I stood and rushed toward the house as his silver hair came into view. He was standing. Walking! He leaned into a cane, but he looked great.
“Remington!” I squealed, prepared to tackle the man.
His gruff chuckle met my ears and then he grunted when I threw my arms around him, squeezing tightly. “You have the grace of a baby elephant, Meyers.”
“I missed you!”
His hand slowly lifted, not reciprocating the hug, but patting me awkwardly on my shoulder. “It’s good you’re home.”
I stepped back and looked at him, taking in the noticeable changes. His skin had some new color and he looked well rested. There was no doubt his time in the cast had grated his last nerve.
“You have a cane.”
He grumbled and lifted his sunglasses, raising a dark brow at my appearance. “This is a lot better than the crap you usually wear.”
I rolled my eyes and quickly moved to snag my cover up off the back of my lounge chair. Elle stood and did the same.
“Remington, this is Elle.”
He nodded. “I’m glad to see you’re up and around.” He turned and called for Marta to bring something cool to drink as he settled in at the glass table.
“I have to go say hi to Marta. I’ll be right back.”
As soon as I made it into the house she clapped in surprise and came to hug me. “Nena! You are back!”
Everyone was home, Remington, Miles, Marta and Raul, me, Hale, Elara. It was perfect and I never wanted anyone to go anywhere ever again.
We had lunch on the veranda and Remington told me about his latest business ventures. I teased him about getting in some exercise, which he defined as a healthy dose of living with a side of fornication. He didn’t deny it and I loved that about him. The man had no shame and his arrogance was so distinguished, people simply accepted it.
I was having so much fun catching up, I hadn’t realized how late it was. Hale appeared around five o’clock and it was hard to leave, but he’d made dinner plans for us and I didn’t want to miss our reservation.
“When will you return to work?” Remington asked, cutting through the chatter at the table.
“Um…” I’d given the matter some thought but wasn’t sure if my job was still available.
Hale cleared his throat. “She’s taking time off for a while.”
Remington waved away his son’s words. “Nonsense. She has a job.”
I glanced at Elle. She’d been adapting well, but I wasn’t sure if she could manage being alone all day. “I’m not sure,” I admitted.
“What’s the holdup?” Remington asked. “You’re here. Your friend’s better. It’s time to get back to life.”
“Cut her some slack,” Hale muttered, clearly opposing the idea.
Remington frowned at his son. “She wants to work. Don’t you, Meyers?”
“Uh…” Being stuck between two Davenports was no picnic. “I do miss my job.”
“There. Problem solved. I’ll expect you here tomorrow morning. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
When we returned to Hale’s I showered and got ready for dinner. He was quiet and I knew the discussion about work was far from over. Once we were alone and in his car, he said, “You have an appointment tomorrow.”
“I forgot about that. Maybe we could reschedule.”
“Or you could tell Remington you have a life outside of his needs and he’ll have to wait.”
Okay, he was definitely irritated. “Hale, I came here to work for him.”
“You came here to be with me.”
I scoffed. “And you’ve been working every day. What does it matter if I’m working for your dad or if I’m sitting on the beach? I don’t see you until five anyway.”
“How long do you expect him to stay nearby, Rayne? This is a pit stop for him. You have to consider Elle.”
He was right, but this wasn’t about Elle. “Is that all you’re concerned about? Elle?”
His mouth compressed. “I just got you back. I’m not ready to see you leave again.”
I might be able to talk to Remington about taking me on only while he’s local. Maybe Miles could handle the rest. “Let’s not worry about it now. Tomorrow I’ll talk to Remington—”
“Talk to me. I’m your goddamn boyfriend!”
I drew back in my seat, startled by his outburst. “Why are you so angry?”
He pulled into a parking lot and waited for the valet. “You let him decide for you when you’re completely capable of deciding for yourself.”
My door opened before I could respond. We shelved our discussion until we were situated at a table and the waiter had taken our drink orders.
“Hale, I need some sort of income,” I explained. “I know your dad isn’t your favorite person, but you manage to work together. What’s wrong with me taking back my old job? I was good at it.”
Despite having no experience in the business world, when Remington gave me a project I usually knocked it out of the park. I liked the challenges and the unpredictability of the position. And I liked learning from Remington.
He paged through the menu. “I’m paying for everything you need. If there’s something you want, tell me and I’ll get it for you.”
“I want a job.”
His eyes narrowed. “Then work for me.”
“As what? Your hooker?”
He arched a brow but didn’t touch the comment. “We have openings in the clerical department.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t want to do that. This is stupid. There’s no difference between me working at one of your companies and working for your dad.”
He let the argument go. “Elle seems to be doing better.”
Figuring our disagreement could simmer a while, I switched gears. Elle was doing better, but I didn’t want to talk about her either. We ordered our dinner and I picked at my fish, a nagging sense of unease spoiling my appetite.
Something wasn’t right. We’d been living together for a week and I had yet to feel the rightness I felt when we first returned and again this afternoon when Remington returned.
We held a polite conversation throughout dinner, but once we were on our way home the same lopsided awareness returned. I was pretty sure I was crazy. What sane woman took issue with living in her boyfriend’s mansion, passing her days poolside with her best friend, and having incredible sex each night? Me, that’s who.
Letting out a sigh, I made the huge mistake of muttering, “Maybe we shouldn’t have moved in together so soon.”
The air in the car chilled as Hale regarded me. “I beg your pardon?”
“Never mind.” Ugh. Can open, worms everywhere. Why the hell did I say that?
He scowled the rest of the way home and wasn’t it just perfect Brynlee was there to greet us at the door?
“How was dinner?” she chirped.
God, go home. I forced a smile and made my way up the stairs.
Hale got a run-down of Elara’s evening and then the house was quiet. Elle’s bedroom light was on, but the door was closed, so I didn’t bother her. Honestly, I needed a break from her. Mostly because I was getting the sense that she wanted a break from me.
I loved Elle, but I was running on empty, the last month and a half consumed with worry for her while my life spiraled out of control in the distance. I needed to put all Elle worries aside for a minute so that I could concentrate on my personal feelings and figure out what the hell was wrong with me.
When I reached our room, I took down my hair and changed into a T-shirt. Hale entered and watched me from the door. “What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing.”
“Damn it, Rayne. Every time I ask you what’s wrong you say nothing or fine, then we go through a tedious hour of guess the issue until we finally talk. Can we just skip the bullshit?”
I scowled at him because I didn’t like feeling pressured. Sliding under the covers I sat with my back against the headboard and crossed my arms. “Fine. I want to work for Remington. I don’t like your nanny. And I miss my best friend.”
“None of that has anything to do with us.”
I held out my hands, exasperated. “It has everything to do with us. Don’t you get it, Hale? We’re living together and everything’s too easy. We skipped a bunch of steps, because of unforeseen circumstances, and I’m irritated that none of this feels normal.”
“What are you talking about?” He pushed off the door and paced. “I thought everything was fine. We hardly ever argue. We’re incredible in bed together. You’re here. Elle’s here. What else do you need?”
“I don’t know!” I practically wailed, because if I had that answer I wouldn’t feel so hysterical at the moment. “I’ve never done this before.”
“This is being in a relationship, Rayne.”
“No, this is being in an arrangement. Everything seems to have a solution, but nothing feels right. My days are spent taking care of Elle and making sure she doesn’t break, but she’s getting annoyed because I’m always telling her how to do things, which is the total opposite of how things were between us. And then you’re at work and Brynlee’s taking care of Elara and how the hell does everyone else seem to be adjusting to this when none of it is how things were a month ago? Am I the only person who thinks this is strange?”
“I don’t know what you want.”
“Well, neither do I,” I snapped. There was definitely something wrong with me.
“Do you want me to fire Brynlee?”
Yes. “No.”
“Then what?”
“I just don’t like the way she talks to you.”
“She has to talk to me. I’m her boss.” He was clearly irritated and I was making it worse.
“I know! I’m being irrational and I can’t stop.”
“I’m sorry Elle isn’t making this easy for you.”
“Jesus, don’t apologize for her.”
“Well, what the hell do you want me to do? I’m trying to figure out a solution, but you don’t make it easy. If going back to work for my dad is what it will take, fine. Go! But I’m not going to be able to follow you across the globe every time he travels!”
He’d never yelled at me before and I wasn’t sure how we’d jumped from a simple disagreement into a screaming match. So much for never arguing.
On cue, Elara started to cry. Hale huffed out an exasperated breath. “I have to go take care of my daughter.”
When I was alone, the sadness kept me company. I hated feeling like this. Typically, this would be the moment I called my best friend, but she had been so distant with all things involving Hale and me, I wasn’t sure if she even liked him. Maybe I was being selfish, but after the last month of reorganizing my entire life on other people’s behalfs, I really needed it to be about me for a second.
Hale was willing to throw whatever solution was available at the problem, but that didn’t work for me. It felt too much like treating a symptom when we should really be identifying the problem. This was exactly why I was thrilled to have Remington back. He would make sense of things. And he would give it to me straight.
I heard a deep voice and frowned. Hale wouldn’t talk to Elara in that tone. Sliding out of bed, I cracked the door and stopped breathing.
Did no one pay attention to a single word I said?
Barrett turned from Elle’s door and stilled. “Hey, Meyers.”
I’d assumed she was alone when I saw her door closed, but apparently, I was wrong.
Pressing my lips tight, I glared at him and slammed the door. And then Elara started to cry again. Great.