Chapter 10

Ruffled Feathers

The Talbot Mansion sits in the middle of acres of land, its grand architecture towering over the trees.

I’ve never seen it with my own eyes before, only on the cover of a magazine. I take a moment to appreciate it now, taking in the marble balustrades of its balconies, its brick chimneys and French windows before walking around the grounds with my camera.

It’s the birthday of Virginia Talbot, the matriarch of the Talbot family. Mattie and I have been invited not only because the Talbots are a family of philanthropists and politicians, but also because Carlisle Talbot, the second eldest son, happens to be my boss’ good friend.

There aren’t too many people yet, but I can already spot some familiar figures.

The peacock and his wife, the hen under a tree. The vulture by the fountain. The hyena by the refreshments table.

Or the camel.

I shake off that comparison, suppressing the memory of that conversation.

No, the hyena. And the mink. And…

Casey Rockford.

Shit.

Slowly, discreetly, I back away, taking pictures here and there so that the camera can conceal my face.

It’s no good, though. As soon as I put down the camera, she walks toward me with a slender redhead in tow, her eyes narrowed in disdain.

She’s noticed me.

Worse, she’s recognized me.

You stand out even when you don’t want to.

Shit. So far, her father hasn’t made any requests to have me fired but that could change tonight.

Time to make a not-so-discreet escape. I look around quickly then make for the gap in the hedge.

“Where are you going?” Mattie asks, noticing me fleeing. “I’ve heard Mrs. Talbot is about to come out of the house. And her daughter told me her outfit is worth a quarter of a million dollars, and she’ll auction it off afterward.”

“Restroom break,” I hastily mumble, not stopping. “I’ll be right back.”

Mattie frowns. I can tell she’s considering accompanying me to make sure I do come back and in time but then the hen talks to her, making her discard that idea.

Now, I just have to worry about Casey.

I go through the gap and make my way through the hedge maze. At the end, I reach a pool and I sit on a chair, out of breath.

Well, it seems I’ve lost Casey.

Why am I even running away from her? I didn’t do anything wrong. Nathan kissed me without my permission. I didn’t want him to.

And what about the kisses after? And the sex? You didn’t want those, either?

I sigh.

Right. Even though I shudder to think of it now, no matter how much I regret it, I ended up being one of Nathan’s women.

Whereas Casey never was.

And she probably blames me for it, so it’s best to stay away from—

“There you are.”

Casey emerges from behind the hedge with her friend right beside her.

I quickly stand up, a lump forming in my throat.

“M-Miss Rockford?” I say, stuttering.

“This is the woman Nathan dumped you for?” her friend asks with raised eyebrows.

Dumped?

I swallow. “I think there’s been some misunderstanding, Miss Rockford.”

“Really?” Casey puts one hand on her hip. “Are you saying you weren’t the one Nathan was kissing at that gala earlier this month? And don’t you dare say you didn’t enjoy it.”

“I was but I didn’t—”

“She doesn’t even deny it.” Casey’s friend steps forward, interrupting me. “What? Do you actually have feelings for Nathan?”

“I don’t. I—”

“Do you think he’s going to marry someone like you?” Casey’s friend stops right in front of me, grabbing my ID. “Samantha Willis, huh? Prima Vida magazine. Archibald Media.”

“Archibald?” Casey asks.

Shit. Now, she knows who I work for. Not good.

I snatch my ID away.

Her friend just chuckles, her nose turned up as her gaze sweeps me from head to toe.

She’s a snooty hawk — no, a duck pretending to be a hawk.

And she’s starting to get on my nerves.

“You’re not from a rich family, are you?” she asks.

Are you? I want to ask. I don’t even know who she is, after all.

I hold myself back, though.

Calm down, Samantha. Show some class. Don’t stoop down to her level.

“No, but—”

“What’s with this thing around your neck?”

Duh? “Um, it’s a camera.”

“A camera? You’re a spy?”

Um, spies don’t have big cameras hanging from their necks. Besides, didn’t she read from my ID that I work for a magazine? Either her short-term memory is much shorter than average, or she didn’t understand what she read.

She’s even stupider than a duck.

“No, I’m a photographer.”

She snorts. “So you say.”

Bitch.

“For all I know, you’re just using that camera so you can get close to Casey and Nathan.”

So, she admits she’s not one of the rich and elite.

“You mean like you’re pretending to be rich, smart and classy just so you can be friends with people like Casey?” The words slip.

I can’t help it. A person can take only so many insults.

Once I start, I can’t stop.

“You’re just trying to impress her, aren’t you? That’s why you’re acting all sassy with me. Why? So she’ll keep taking you on shopping sprees? So you can keep getting manicures and massages for free?”

She gasps.

Yup, she’s not the only one who knows how to say something insulting.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I actually am a professional photographer,” I continue. “If you want, I can take a picture of you right now. Not that I think it will get published. After all, I’m not really sure anyone knows who you are.”

She puts her hands on her hips. “I’m Denise Glenn, Casey’s friend.”

I mirror the gesture. “Oh, is that all?”

Her arms fall to her sides, her fists clenching along with her jaw.

Boy, is she mad now!

What? Is she going to slap me? Pull my hair? If she does, she better be ready because I’m not going to back down.

This squirrel is going to bite and scratch.

She doesn’t do any of those, though. Instead, she takes a deep breath, her gaze going to my camera.

“Give me that thing.”

I step back, my hands instinctively shielding my camera.

Anything but my most prized possession.

“No.”

“Come on.” Denise steps forward. “I just want to make sure it’s working. What’s there to be afraid of? Unless, of course, it’s not working and you’re really lying about being a photographer.”

Lying? Didn’t she see my ID?

“Well?” She extends her hand.

Liar or no liar, there’s no way I’m going to hand over my camera, especially not to someone who doesn’t even know what a camera is.

“No,” I repeat. “Surely, you’ve had enough education to understand those two letters.”

Again, she seethes. “Give it to me.”

“No.”

“I said give it to me.”

“And I said no.”

“Why, you…”

She reaches for the camera around my neck, and I do my best to hold on to it while freeing it from her fingers.

“Give it to me,” she demands, tugging.

“Let go.” I pull back, holding my camera tighter.

That goes on for a few seconds — her pulling and me pulling back harder.

You can do anything you want to me but no one, and I mean no one, takes away my camera.

She sure isn’t giving up. Shit, she’s strong.

But I’m smarter.

Suddenly, I stop pulling, sending her reeling back. She falls ungracefully to the grass, her arms getting dirty.

Oops.

Casey rushes to her side to help her, then glares at me. “My father and my brother will hear about this, Samantha Willis.”

I smirk, savoring my victory for a moment, but stop once Casey’s threat sinks in.

Oh, shit. I’m in a load of trouble now.