Page 33 of Heartless
“Ask me something.”
“How old are you?” I repeated my question from a few minutes ago. I figured I could set the tone of the questions, since I was the first to ask.
“Thirty-five. What was your mother doing on your date?”
My hope of keeping the questions light went out the window. “She’s trying to set me up with someone. Did you build and develop the hotel on your own?”
“No,” he said nonchalantly, but I saw the muscle that ticked on his jaw. “Why is your mother trying to set you up with someone?”
“She wants me to get married and start popping out babies like my siblings,” I said and didn’t feel an ounce of embarrassment. I liked this game. “What’s the story with The Gem?”
“What do you mean?” He cut short our quick exchange, which only meant one thing. There was something he didn’t want to discuss, and it involved the hotel.
“You don’t fit the stereotypical image of a wealthy, entitled man born into privilege. And you seem too young to have achieved such financial success.”
“You have a weird way of making a compliment sound like an insult. And your mother wonders why you’re still single.”
“Oh, she doesn’t wonder, believe me.”
There was a beat of silence before he answered my question. “I inherited The Gem.”
There was something in his tone that made me wonder if he was lying, but I couldn’t prove it even if he was, so I let it slide and reminded him. “Your turn.”
He acted like he hadn’t heard me for a while. I guessed I really had stepped on a minefield with the questions about The Gem.
“Don’t you want to get married and have babies like your siblings?” Parker asked, eventually.
“No.”
“Why?”
It was my turn to ask a question, but I didn’t care. I answered anyway. “I don’t believe in marriage.”
He snorted. “You’re a wedding planner.”
“It’s just a job I’m good at.”
“Good at? Annie freaking Foster wants you to plan her wedding. I’m not an expert, but it seems like you are more than just good at it.” He shot me a look. “And that’s how you make a compliment.”
I finally allowed my lips to curve into a smile. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
He said nothing, but I felt the need to fill the silence after all the nice things he said about me.
“There is a difference between a wedding and a marriage.”
He thought about it for a moment, then said. “That is quite true.”
We didn’t speak for the rest of the drive back to The Gem. He parked the car, and we both exited it.
“Do you sleep in the main building, too?” I asked.
“No,” he cleared his throat before continuing. “I’m in The Blue Diamond.”
I nodded in understanding. “That’s how you caught me in the hot tub.”
“And that’s why I keep the Pink Diamond empty. I like my privacy.”
