She tangled her fingers in his. “Thank you.”
“Retta sent me to find you. Lunch is ready.” He pulled his hand free and waved them ahead of him. “Isabeau will show you to the dining room. I’ll be there shortly.”
Izzy caught his arm. “You’re not coming?”
He gave her a hard look. “No, but tell Retta you can start without me.”
“Oh, okay. You won’t be long, will you?” She couldn’t keep the disappointment out of her voice.
Rowan shook head and turned away. “No. Not long.”
What could have happened now? Why was he so upset? And why did it seem that it was directed toward her? She hadn’t even spoken to him since that morning. “I guess we’ll see you in a bit.”
“Yes,” he said, a sharpness to his tone.
Izzy linked her arm with Kelsey’s and looked over her shoulder as they walked to the dining room. For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what had him so upset. It was possible he didn’t like being caught off guard with Kelsey, but Izzy didn’t think anything of her missing hand anymore. She was just Kelsey, and Izzy loved her.
Kelsey shot her a glance. “Is he okay?”
“I don’t know. I think he’s upset by something.”
“Why didn’t you tell him my hand was missing? He probably thought you were trying to be funny by not mentioning it.”
“Your hand is a small part of you. It’s the whole that people should see. Besides, I’ve known you since grade school. Honestly, I don’t even think about it anymore. I love you, and that’s all there is to it.”
“Only you would say that.” Kelsey chuckled.
They reached the dining room, and Kelsey’s mouth dropped open. “It’s huge.”
“I know.” Izzy laughed. “The first time I saw it, I was blown away.”
Ulysses and Retta walked in and smiled. “I see your friend made it,” Ulysses said.
Retta shook her hand. “It’s so good to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too,” Kelsey replied.
“Where’s Rowan?” asked Retta.
Izzy shrugged. “I don’t know. He said he had something to take care of and to tell you to start without him.”
Ulysses and Retta looked at each other as if they were having an unspoken conversation. “I’ll go see what’s keeping him,” Ulysses said. “Why don’t you ladies go ahead and sit.” He smiled and left the room.
Retta motioned for Izzy and Kelsey to sit. “Take any seat you two want.”
“Where does Rowan typically sit?” Izzy asked Retta.
“Usually, he sits at the head of the table.”
“And you and Ulysses sit on either side?”
Retta nodded and then sneezed.
“Are you okay?” Izzy asked.
“I’m fine. The dust was blowing when I went out for cinnamon. I’m sure my allergies are just flaring.”
“Oh, okay.” Izzy and Retta took a seat. “Kelsey can sit across from me.”
As Kelsey pulled her chair out and sat, Ulysses returned with Rowan in tow.
“Did you get finished?” Izzy asked Rowan.
“Yes, with help from my uncle,” he ground out as he glared at Ulysses and took his seat. “This looks and smells fantastic, Retta. Thank you.”
Izzy touched Retta’s arm. “It does, and I bet it tastes even better.” Between the turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, and the three pies, there was enough food to feed an army.
“Yes, it looks amazing,” Kelsey said.
“Then we should eat,” Rowan said as he caught Izzy’s gaze and held it. There was something in his eyes that she couldn’t put a finger on. Was he angry with her? What could she have done since their morning exercise?
All through the meal, tension hung in the air. Anytime Izzy caught Rowan’s gaze, he’d glare at her and then his lips would tighten into a thin line. What in the world was going on? She wanted to demand answers right that second, but not in front of everyone. This was a conversation they needed to have once they were alone. This time, though, she wasn’t going to let him get away with not talking to her.
Once they were finished eating, she and Kelsey offered to help with the dishes, but Retta refused to let them. Since they weren’t wanted in the kitchen, Izzy took Kelsey outside to show her the garden. She had the same reaction Izzy had when she first saw it.
“This is incredible,” Kelsey said.
“I know. I love it.” Izzy smiled as she looked around and took a deep breath of the fall air. “It’s so nice out here. When Rowan and I got married, he had what looked like a million lights out here. It was magical.”
“He seemed upset this afternoon. I think springing me on him bothered him.”
“I don’t know what was wrong. I can’t see why he’d be so upset about that. Your hand is missing. You don’t have the plague.”
Kelsey laughed. “We both know people don’t always react as they should.”
“I know, but I really don’t think it’s you. I’ll talk with him and find out what’s going on. He can be really sensitive. After his accident, his friends were awful to him. It’s almost like he’s waiting for me to throw him away, but I could never do that. I care about him too much.”
Kelsey lifted an eyebrow. “You more than care about him. I think I see the big L in your eyes.”
Izzy rolled her eyes. “No. We’re friends. I haven’t even told him what happened with Steven yet. I can’t think about…that when I’ve kept something that big from him.”
“But you’ve kissed him. I could see it in the way you looked at him.”
Her cheeks burned. “Stop it.”
Kelsey gasped. “I was shooting in the dark, but you totally have.”
“I never thought I’d kiss anyone ever again, but he’s different. When he touches me, I feel safe and secure. He asked if he could kiss me. Most men would have just done it, but not him, and he doesn’t even know what happened.”
“You sure that L-word isn’t wedging itself in there, whether you want it to or not?”
Izzy stopped walking and touched her fingers to her mouth. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
Kelsey took Izzy’s hand in hers. “You need to tell him. You need to tell him now before either of you go any further. What happened to you is huge, and it will reverberate throughout your life. I’m not saying you’ll never be free of it, but he needs to be aware if something happens.”
“I know, and I want to tell him. But, Kels, what if I tell him and he doesn’t want me? I think it would crush me.”
“And that’s why you need to tell him now. Before you get your heart broken or break his.”
Izzy nodded. “I know you’re right, and I promise I will.”
Kelsey linked her arm in Izzy’s again and pulled her into a walk. As much as Izzy wanted to talk to Rowan, she hadn’t realized how desperate she was for Kelsey’s companionship. Before she knew it, they’d talked well into the night, and there was no way Izzy had the energy to tell Rowan what happened to her.
When she did that, she wanted to be able to tell him all of it without stopping. To get it all out and hope that he didn’t hate her for keeping it from him this whole time. It terrified her to think that he might not want anything to do with her once she told him. She certainly wanted him.
The big L, as Kelsey called it, was also frightening. While she was stalked, that word was stripped from her vocabulary. The very idea of being that close to a man again had made her skin crawl, but with Rowan, it wasn’t like that at all.
He made her smile while just thinking about him. Butterflies when she saw him. Lip tingling kisses, and they’d only shared three. She could picture spending her life with him. The very idea that the year could end and she’d have to leave made her ache in ways she didn’t think possible. But telling him about being stalked and Steven attacking her was priority now.
Kelsey was right. She needed to tell him. The sooner the better, especially since her feelings for him
had gone from falling to fallen. Hopefully, he’d understand and give her a chance to show him how much she cared about him.
Chapter 18
In the week after Thanksgiving, Rowan hadn’t exactly avoided Isabeau, but he hadn’t gone out of his way to be sociable either—even with her constant insistence that he talk to her. He’d overheard her tell Kelsey she thought he was ugly. Which, granted, was true, but it hurt hearing it come from her lips. He knew she had been lying to him from the beginning. Still, he’d promised not to avoid her ever again, and he was going to keep his word despite what she thought of him.
He’d even tolerated her working out with him. Although, instead of enjoying his time with her, he dreaded it. He’d even decided to start waking up earlier so he was done with his workout before she ever knocked on his door from now on.
“Rowan,” his uncle said as he opened his office door. He was dressed in slacks and a button-up. Not unusual for him, but the coat hanging over his arm was. “I’m just stopping by to let you know I’m headed out. That merger we’ve been working on is unraveling, and I want to make sure we have signed contracts before Christmas. I’m headed to New York to personally mediate terms.”
“How convenient. First Retta calls in sick, and now you’re leaving.”
His uncle huffed. “Retta is sick. You heard her yesterday. She was barely able to speak.”
That was true. Retta had sounded terrible. “I know, but you both leaving me alone with Isabeau is interesting timing.”
“While I don’t agree with the arm’s length you’ve decided to put up in regard to Izzy, this has nothing to do with her, and you know it. You said yourself that the deal is fragile and the best way to handle it is to be there in person. Since we both know that won’t be you, it has to be me.”
Rowan exhaled sharply. “Fine. When will you be back?”
“I’ll stay as long as I have to. Their employees deserve that much,” Ulysses said. “I’ll see you when I get back.”
“All right.” He coughed and touched his neck.
“Are you sick?” his uncle asked as he stepped farther into the room.
Rowan waved him off. “No, just a tickle in my throat. I’m fine.”
Ulysses eyed him. “You don’t look fine.”
He didn’t feel fine either, but he’d also not been sleeping well since overhearing Isabeau. Most likely, he was just tired. “I am. Get to New York and keep this deal moving in the right direction.”
His uncle held his gaze a moment and then nodded. “See you when I get back,” he said, closing the door as he left.
What was he going to do now? He and Isabeau were the only two people in the house. There’d be no buffer or anything. He’d have to interact with her, and he didn’t want to. He wasn’t so much angry with her as he was…disappointed and hurt.
He’d begun to believe that she saw him differently. That she didn’t care that he was burned. But overhearing what she’d said to Kelsey? It had made her a hypocrite. The woman he’d fallen for had lied to him. How could he take anything she said at face value now? Nothing she said was true, and he knew it.
It wasn’t like he could change anything, and it was stupid to dwell on it, so he pushed it from his mind. The merger his uncle was flying to New York to oversee was what was important at the moment. Thames and Werner each had thousands of employees, and Rowan felt compelled to keep as many of their jobs as possible, especially this close to Christmas. And for those who would find themselves unemployed, Rowan was working to secure them a reasonable sum as a severance package.
A knock came from the door, and then it opened. Isabeau peeked her head in. “It’s late, and I noticed you haven’t eaten. Are you hungry?”
No, he wasn’t hungry, and now that he thought about it, he was actually a little sick to his stomach. “I had something earlier. You must have missed me while I was in the kitchen.”
She stepped just inside the door and twisted her fingers in her shirt. “I was wondering if we could talk. I—”
Talk? Not right now. Not when he felt sick. He knew his temper would be short, and he didn’t want to hurt her, no matter what she thought of him. “No. I can’t talk right now. I’m in the middle of something that needs all my focus. Once I’m done, I might have time, but people’s jobs are dependent on me finding a solution to this, and I can’t be distracted at the moment.”
“Oh,” she said softly. “Okay. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t angry with me. That I hadn’t done something to upset you. Whatever it is, I’m sorry.”
“Isabeau, please. Not right now.”
She nodded, and just before she shut the door, she said, “I guess I’ll see you later. Goodnight.” Her voice held a tinge of sadness to it, and he hated it. Not that he should care, especially when he knew how she truly felt.
Why did he have to overhear her? Why couldn’t he have walked in at any other time? Then again, did he want to be blissfully unaware of what she really thought of him, or did he want to know the truth? No, he’d rather know the truth and where he stood with her.
Hot, tired, and feeling none too great, he pushed away from the desk and stood. What he needed at the moment was a good night’s sleep. He shuffled out of his office, walking through the empty house to his room, and collapsed on the bed. Normally, he’d change clothes, but with the last few nights of restless sleep combined with how terrible he felt, he just didn’t care.
The next morning, he groaned as his alarm went off. He’d tossed most of the night. Not just thinking about Isabeau, but he’d been too warm too.
He took his time showering and dressed in pajamas. Something he never did. Just because he worked out of his office didn’t mean he could spend his life dressing like he stayed home. Only, for today, it would have to work. The shower had helped, but he still felt off, though he was still convinced it was because he’d not slept well in days. Exercising was definitely off his morning list.
As he opened his door to leave, Isabeau stopped in front of him mid-knock, dressed in her exercise clothing. “Hey.”
“Hi, I’m not exercising today.” And the longer he stood there, the more concrete that decision became. He felt awful.
She stepped closer. “You’re sick.”
“I’m fine, and even if I am sick, I can take care of myself.” He hadn’t meant it to come out so harsh, but he didn’t want her taking care of him.
Her shoulders sagged. “Would you please just tell me what I did?”
“You…you didn’t do anything. I just want to be left al—” His stomach flipped, and he held his midsection. It flipped again, and he ran to the bathroom before he could throw up on her shoes. He barely made it to the toilet before he emptied the contents of his stomach.
He caught sight of Isabeau as she entered, and he tried to wave her out before he threw up again. “I don’t need you here.”
“Well, unless you plan to physically remove me, tough. I’m staying.” She walked to his linen closet, pulled out a washcloth, and wet it in the sink.
He sighed as the cool cloth touched his forehead, and he closed his eyes. Just as he was about to thank her, he threw up again and continued to throw up until his body trembled. All the while, he expected Isabeau to grow tired and leave. Instead, she held his hair back, kept the cloth cold, and held it against his forehead when he wasn’t throwing up.
Sitting back on his heels, he tried to catch his breath, waiting to see if he was done. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d thrown up so violently. His stomach cramped, and the muscles ached. Whatever was making him feel so terrible, he was pretty sure he’d caught it from Retta. He hoped she was okay. Once he could hold a conversation without wanting to throw up, he’d call and make sure.
He groaned. “You don’t have to stay. I think I’m done.”
“I know I don’t. I want to. You’re sick. I believe that was in the vows we exchanged.”
He shot her a glance. “I’m not holding you to them.” He rocked back on his
heels, leaned against the wall, and rested his head against it.
“Do you think you can make it to your bed?”
“Not yet.” He slid sideways, and his head landed on Isabeau’s shoulder. “Sorry,” he said as he tried to push himself into an upright position.
“Come here.” She maneuvered him until she was cradling him against her chest as she leaned her back against the wall. “You’re running a high fever. Should we call your doctor?”
“No, it’s just a bug. I’m sure I’ll be fine in just a little bit.”
“If you aren’t feeling better by this afternoon, we’re calling a doctor. Deal?”
“All right.” He held his hand in front of his mouth. “I doubt you want my breath hitting you in the face.”
“Bad breath isn’t going to run me off.” She slipped her fingers into his hair and pushed it back from his face. “Now, you’ve got nowhere to go and nothing to do. Will you tell me what I did to make you so upset?”
This was why he didn’t want her to stay. Now he was trapped with her. “I don’t feel good, and I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
“Well, tough. I do. Tell me.”
He closed his eyes to keep from seeing the pity. “I overheard you talking to Kelsey. Calling me ugly.”
Isabeau chuckled, and his eyes popped open. “You’re laughing?”
She smiled down at him. “One, it’s rude to eavesdrop, and two, I wasn’t talking about you.”
“What?” She wasn’t talking about him? Then who was she talking about?
“I was talking about someone else. Why would you think I was talking about you?”
He shrugged. “Because…because I’m stupid.”
She sighed. “I’ve wanted to tell you something, but each time I think I’ve gathered enough courage, you do something stupid like avoid me or get angry and refuse to tell me why. You want me to trust you, but it’s a two-way street.”
Talk about nailed. He’d wanted to gain her trust, but she was right, he kept doing stupid things. “You can tell me now.”
“After you’ve not spoken to me in a week?” She shook her head. “I don’t want to tell you when you’re not feeling well. But I swear I wasn’t talking about you, you silly man. There is nothing ugly about you. You mean the world to me, and I would never hurt you like that.”
The Beast’s Fake Marriage Page 12