Heartthrob by Katie McCoy

Author:Katie McCoy [McCoy, Katie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Katie McCoy Books
Published: 2017-11-27T18:30:00+00:00

15

Penny

Jax was nervous.

He looked cool and collected, but his knee was bouncing a mile a minute as we drove through the English countryside. He had been this way—fidgety and distracted—since we left the hotel, and I didn’t know what to say to soothe him.

“They’re not warm,” he warned me during the drive. “They really embrace the British stereotype of being distant and emotionally closed off.”

“I understand,” I tried to reassure him, trying to get him to relax during our several hours on the road. “I’ve survived many an awkward dinner,” I said. “Have I told you about the date I had with the magician?”

He turned to me, his eyes wide. “You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, but I am.” I grinned. “And don’t even get me started on the first date who brought his mother to dinner. I wish she had been distant and emotionally closed off. Instead, she was feeding him crème brûlée by the end of the evening.”

Jax cracked a smile, and for a moment, I could see him relax. “Good thing I came along when I did,” he told me as we turned off the main road. “Who knows what terrible situation you would have found yourself in next?”

He patted my leg, and I slapped his hand away.

“You never know,” I retorted. “Prince Charming could have been next in line. You might be keeping me from him this very moment—”

I fell silent as the trees parted and the house came into view.

Correction: the mansion.

I gulped. I had known his family was wealthy—the summer house on the shore with round-the-clock staff was a big hint back when we were kids—but this was like something out of Jane Austen all over again.

No wonder he seemed so comfortable on the movie set, lounging around the stately house. He’d grown up in a mini version all of his own.

“Wow.” I blinked. We drove closer, and the house got bigger. Much bigger. It was old and crumbling, with manicured hedges and rolling lawns, and a fountain out front. “So this is Casa Hawthorne?”

Jax didn’t reply. He was looking at the couple who had just emerged from the front door and stood waiting as we pulled up outside.

It was time to meet the parents.

I climbed out of the car and took a quick look. Jax’s mother, Kira, had her hair pulled back so tightly that I was amazed she was able to blink, let alone move any part of her face at all. His father, Peter, was wearing a fricking bowtie with his tweed jacket, everything buttoned up as high as it could go.

Suddenly, I felt underdressed, even in my best floral dress and sharp navy jacket. I could just feel them silently judging me as Jax grabbed our things from the back and joined me.

“Mother,” Jax greeted them, heading up the steps. “Father.”

“Darling.” Kira offered him a cheek, but extended it only far enough to get an air kiss. Peter shook his son’s hand.

“And who’s this?” he asked, looking me up and down.

My stomach was tied up in knots.

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