Cherry Girl (Blackstone Affair) by Raine Miller

Author:Raine Miller [Miller, Raine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Raine Miller Romance
Published: 2013-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

16

I slammed into the house I’d grown up in and started yelling.

“Mum, how could you?” I demanded, throwing my purse down on the table and kicking off my heels. “You knew Neil worked at Blackstone Security, didn’t you? You set me up, and Ian too, the bastard.”

“Now, darling, please don’t be upset, but think about your new job and how much you’ve loved working there in just the short time you’ve been employed. It’s a marvelous opportunity for you. And I know you love Neil despite whatever happened between you two,” she admonished.

Yeah, and this is not news to me, Mum. I glared at my mother; totally unbelieving she’d done something so manipulative and underhanded to me.

“And he is so good to me…” she trailed off, taking a sip of her six o’clock gin and tonic while trying to look innocent. She was damn good at it too.

“Did Neil suggest to you to get me to apply for the job? Did he ask Ian to recommend me?” Realization dawned and I felt the urge to thrash somebody. “Wait—what do you mean Neil is always so good to you, Mum?” I was absolutely fuming with the knowledge I’d been duped by my own family to bring me back to England, and to Neil. But something didn’t ring true with my theory. Neil did not act like he was expecting me. In fact, he looked completely and utterly shocked at seeing me again. Nobody had told him I’d been hired, I would bet my bank account.

It all made sudden sense. My family was conspiring to get us back together.

Not. Going. To. Happen.

“Well, Neil’s always been a lovely boy, Elaina darling. You know that about him. Such a help, especially after your father died.” She took another healthy slug of her G&T and sniffed. “He—he checks in on me quite regularly, my dear, I just never said anything to you about him because he specifically asked us not to bother you with it.”

“Is that so, Mum? Are you taking me for a walk later? Down a plank? Set out over the shark infested ocean?”

I was in shock at what they had done.

“Oh, don’t be so melodramatic, Elaina.”

“MUM.” My mother really needed to take her own advice about the melodrama but she ignored me and kept right on singing Neil’s praises.

“He took care of the service on my car and helped me when that horrible storm knocked down the elm tree in the front. Why, I just don’t know how we’d manage around here if it wasn’t for Neil. You know I think of him as a son and I always have.” She sipped again and then peeked up at me with the raise of her elegant brow over the rim of her glass.

Unbelievable. I crossed my arms beneath my breasts and stared at my mother as if she’d grown a second head. Completely at a loss of how to respond, I gave up in disgust and headed to the bath for a very long soak in the tub.

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