Page 78 of Nothing to Deny
“Mom and Dad are here, they’re upstairs. They met my guy already and want to meet yours too. Alan had a thing at work, so he’s not coming until tomorrow night.” The sisters’ sibling. Okay, maybe it was better to do this in stages. “How great is this? We’re all hooked up and settled down at the same time!”
Hooked up? Yes. Settled down? Maybe not so much. Her heart rate hadn’t slowed, but at least it wasn’t climbing. She’d calm down once the introductions were over. Baer would pull it off. No doubt. He’d charm the Pivens and deflect any awkward questions. Thank God for him, she wouldn’t be able to do it alone.
Except now there were more variables, more secrets. How did she feel about discussing it openly, even just amongst the six of them? What would she do if Nickson said something to her about it? Challenged her on paying for love? Maybe he’d threaten her to keep his secret. In that scenario, she’d tell Baer what happened at the first available opportunity. As to what she’d say in the specific moment…
Okay, so the key would be sticking with Baer, at all times. The guy would be sick of looking at her by the end of this vacation. So much for taking the chance to get to know each other in peace and without pressure. Neither was looking likely.
“Let’s go inside,” Kelly said, taking both their hands then calling back over her shoulder. “We’re going inside!”
Baer better be on her heels. Had the men had enough time for their conversation? Yes or no, there was no way to delay. Opening night was upon them. Each had to be at their best and give the performance of a lifetime.
TWENTY-FOUR
TOP OF THE STAIRS, take a left, those were her aunt’s instructions. She caught the newel post after the ascent. The square hall wrapped around three sides of the stairway balustrades. All the doors were visible to each other. Their room was apparently the furthest to the left. Easy to find.
Her bags were already in there. They’d seen the bedroom before her, this was her first time venturing up there. How did the luggage arrive at its destination? No idea. Could’ve been a bellhop, her uncle, Baer, she’d been too busy staring at her aunt to care about what happened to her clothes.
The Monopoly game going on downstairs had started not long after dinner. As expected. Board games, cards, dominoes all would be on the schedule for the vacation. Usually, she went with the flow. This time she just couldn’t relax, thank God for Baer’s hand on her thigh under the table. Already she was relying on his strength, she’d have to apologize for that.
Ready to give her adrenaline a chance to wear off, she wasn’t sorry to be the first out of the game. Yes, there were jokes about her being the richest in real life in the poorest in Boardgame Land. Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. She’d happily be the butt of the joke if it meant a reprieve. Her poor bones couldn’t take much more of the constant tension.
The bedroom wasn’t particularly big, or it could be the bed was too big for the space. Still, it sufficed, they had what they needed. A small closet, their own shower room, a dresser under the window, and a full-length mirror on the back of the door.
Her suitcase was lying on the stand between the bathroom and closet doors. Was that her first port of call? No. She threwher purse on the dresser and fished out her phone to dial fast. She needed a pressure valve to release the tension, or else she might explode.
“Freya!” Oh, just the sound of Roxie’s voice was enough to bolster the strength she’d lost since leaving Baer’s side. “How are you doing, honey? Ready to let me meet your guy yet? I’m waiting… Can you tell I’m eager?”
If she had a choice, right then, if a genie appeared and promised to grant her wish, she’d happily switch her and Baer’s location with wherever Roxie was right now.
She closed her eyes and slumped on the end of the bed, hooking an elbow over the footboard, using it to support the weight of the phone against her ear.
“Are you at the club?”
Roxie snickered. “I’m always at the club, honey. I live at the club. You want to come over?”
“I’m on vacation.” The irony of her tone hopefully conveyed how she felt about that truth. “Family vacation, with my aunt and uncle, cousins, and three men being paid to be here.”
“Three?” She quickly forgave Roxie her confusion. “How many boyfriends does your aunt think you have? Are you a polygamist now? ‘Cause I’ve gotta tell you, honey, I’m into it. Or is it your cousin? You have one? She has one? Two? Or do you share? ‘Cause I’m into whatever you’re into, honey.”
Wouldn’t be her version of living her best life. “Nope, no sharing, turns out Kelly’s fiancé’s Squires alumni as well.”
“Wow, your family sure have a type. How did that happen?”
She exhaled. “I don’t know. Not yet. I’m hoping Baer has answers. I haven’t had a chance to be alone with him since we got here. I feel like I’m balancing on a knife edge just waiting for the cut.”
“Baer? Is he your guy? Is that his real name or somehow related to his skills? ‘Cause that would be a story I’d be thrilled to hear.”
“Yes, it’s his real name.”
His real first name, his last name, not so much. At the time, using his fake last name prickled pins through her limbs. Maybe when this was all done, if she and Baer did get together for real, she could convince her aunt that she’d misheard, not that she was wrong, or had forgotten her own boyfriend’s name.
“How long have you been there?”
“We arrived this afternoon. There were pleasantries, dinner, games with the family. The mood is high so no one’s asking questions.”
How long would that last?
“All very wholesome. So what’s the problem?”
