Nathan also seems confused, not so much by his mother’s gesture, but by the words of his step-father. “Did you feel like a fish out of water when you married Mother?” he asks Malcom.
Malcom’s face becomes more somber as he meets Nathan’s gaze. “Of course I did, Nate. It was never my plan to marry rich and give up my career. But life happened. Holly happened.”
“Oh, Malcom.” Nathan’s mothers leans toward her husband, raises herself to her tiptoes, and plants a kiss on his cheek.
As I watch their tender interaction, I can feel how much these two love each other. That might have been why Holly made the hard choice of sending Nathan away when he didn’t get along with Malcom. I can’t say I approve of her choice—not after I saw what it did to Nathan—but seeing how much she is in adoration of her husband, I can certainly understand her motivation a bit better.
“Anyway, with time I learned I mustn’t underestimate how posh entertainment can coax giving in ways that other fundraising events can’t,” Malcom adds.
“I see, like splurging on food and booze to make gamblers spend more on betting.”
Before I have the time to regret my unsuitable metaphor, Holly winks at me. “Pretty much, Eva. Based on how quickly you see things through, you won’t have any trouble fitting in with us.” Her voice is warm and she sounds like she means every word.
“I agree with you, Mother.” Murphy chimes in. “Also, given that I’ve been assisting with these gatherings since birth, I can testify to how the right lighting—aka soft shimmer of the crystal chandeliers—plus the psychological fuzziness of appearing generous, while dressed in a frothy dress topped with a well-stocked open bar, can perform miracles when goosing generous offers from wealthy donors on whatever cause.”
“And what cause is it for tonight?” I ask.
Holly adjusts her pearl earring. “Tonight we’re collecting for Power Kids. It’s a small, community-driven program with great potential to decrease juvenile crime in San Sebastian.”
My jaw goes slack.
What? Juvenile crime reduction? Is Nathan involved in this?
My eyes dart to Nathan, but he’s gawking at his mother. His Adam’s apple twitches. “I thought you wouldn’t have time to change from the deforestation program. That’s what Marjorie told me when I proposed this idea.”
My heart flutters. So it was Nathan. He must have come up with the idea after he learned about Alejandro. My chest fills up with fizzy bubbles, or at least, so it seems. I have a hard time stopping myself from bouncing around with the joy that spreads through my limbs.
Holly shrugs. “Well, your aunt was lucky and the Brightons decided to support our original goal during their summer gala fundraiser. So no charity remains unsatisfied. And I think the Power Kids is a better fit anyway. I was pleased when I heard your suggestion. We’ve been wanting to involve AMEA more in helping the community.”
Nathan finally meets my eager gaze. “So what do you think, Eva? Good choice?”
“The best. Kids in San Sebastian need all the help they can get,” I mumble.
What I really want to say is “You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met,” but with his family around, I can’t bring myself to do it. So I add a sweet smile that I hope reveals all the tenderness I can’t express right now.
As much as I doubted Nathan in the beginning, as strongly do I feel now, how right it is to be in love with him. Laia advised me on the phone to wait till Nathan speaks those magical three words aloud, before outing myself. But after learning how Nathan helped use the proceeds of the fundraiser to support kids like my brothers, it’s almost an impossible task to stop myself from jumping at him and squealing, “I love you.”
Holly and Murphy exchange an odd glance. Murphy arches his brows, and Holly scrunches her nose as if they have some silent code.
Right after, Nathan’s mother grabs her husband’s arm and says, “Oh, I forgot. Sir Gavandale has been asking for you and Nathan. Do you mind going downstairs and checking what he wants while I continue to chat with our lovely Eva?”
Malcolm shakes his head. “Not at all. Come, Nathan, let’s see what that old chap wants.”
Nathan jerks back. “Do I need to go too?”
“Yesss,” Murphy adds an accent on the last letter that distorts the word into a long hiss. “Sir Gavandale asked for you too, haven’t you heard?” He wiggles his brows at his brother.
Nathan’s jaw tightens. He sucks in a breath and nods. Then he blinks at me. “I’ll come and get you soon, okay?”
“Sure,” I say.
He doesn’t look happy that he needs to leave me alone. And if I’m honest, neither am I. Not because I’m scared of his mother anymore. But because I know I’ll miss him even if he’ll be only gone for a few minutes.
Isn’t it crazy that I used to think I couldn’t trust him, and now I can’t get enough of being with him?
“I’ll send Eva down with Marjorie. She will be dropping by soon to inform me when my speech should start,” Holly says. “But you, Nate, please do come back up in fifteen minutes or so. There’s something we need to discuss before I can announce my retirement.”
“As you wish, Mother,” Nathan replies, his tone flat.
Could his mother be referring to Nathan’s promotion? Is it why Nathan is so tense? He did say that she would be making her decision at the ball.
Oh, I hope Nathan gets it. Even if I don’t think it’s what Nathan truly needs, he would be so disappointed if he didn’t. And I don’t want to see him hurting.
I reach out and squeeze his hand quickly while the three other members of his family aren’t watching. His gaze locks with mine, and I mouth, “Good luck for later.”
Maybe I’m mistaken, but it seems to me that Nathan’s breathing accelerates as he stares at me. But then he smiles and mouths back, “Thank you.”
Malcom points at the door. “Let’s go, Nate. We don’t want to keep Sir Gavandale waiting.”
Chapter 31
(Eva)
Murphy ambles to the sofa and plops down.
Holly throws me a questioning glance. “I don’t know about you, Eva, but my feet could appreciate a little break from standing. Come, let us join Murphy.”
I settle in an armchair, paying attention to keep my puffy skirt as wrinkle-free as possible. I still secretly hope that I get the chance to waltz again with Nathan. Maybe I’m starting to appreciate the beauty of a Cinderella story after all—except I hope I won’t have to flee from here before midnight.
I glance at Nathan’s mother, but her gaze is fixated on Murphy as if waiting for him to speak.
“So,” Murphy clears his voice, “I see you took my advice about my brother.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, feeling caught off guard.
I didn’t expect that we’d be chatting about Nathan. I thought they’d want to interrogate me about my family or something.
Murphy leans forward, resting his chin in one hand. “I told you on the first night you met Nathan that he’s a diamond in the rough, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did.” I bite my lip, suddenly recalling my talk with Abuelita. I kept wondering if it was just a coincidence, or rather some matchmaking scheme of Murphy’s, that they showed up in my workplace that night. How could I get to the bottom of my suspicion without seeming too direct? Ah, I have it… “Murphy, by the way, when are you coming to speak in our church again? My grandmother tells me your last appearance was quite the success.”
“I see you spoke to her about me.”
“I did.”
“Did you mention it to Nathan?”
“No, should I have?”
“No, unless you want Nathan to be upset with me. My brother loves to hold the threads of his destiny in his own hands, and I’d hate if he thought I meddled in his love life.”
I level Murphy’s mink brown gaze. “When that’s exactly what you’ve done? It was your doing that you came to the Desert Rose that night…”
Holly shi
fts in her seat, but keeps quiet.
Murphy smiles. “Guilty as charged. What I heard about you from your grandmother, it intrigued me. I thought you could be an interesting person for Nathan to meet. I didn’t expect that you two would hit it off this spectacularly.”
There is a speculative undertone in his voice.
“What do you mean?” I ask with feigned innocence.
Murphy measures me with squinted eyes as if he’s trying to see into my heart. “I mean, look at your face. It’s glowing. Am I right to assume it’s my brother’s doing?”
My cheeks heat up. “Oh, I’m sure it’s just the play of light of these magnificent chandeliers.” I don’t want to discuss my feelings with Murphy. He’s very kind but it’s none of his business what Nathan and I said or, unfortunately, didn’t say to each other.
My eyes move to Holly. I‘m searching for an ally. Perhaps she’ll take pity on me and persuade Murphy to move this conversation away from Nathan. But instead of siding with me, Nathan’s mother’s brows furrow. “So then, what are your intentions with my son?”
Murphy’s face tenses and he shoots a reproachful glance at his mother as if he doesn’t approve of her straightforward question.
The strangeness of this situation is beyond my understanding. Why is Holly so curious what my plans are with Nathan? And why does Murphy look so displeased? Could it be that Holly wants to check whether I’m a gold digger? Oh no, without knowing my emotional baggage, that could be an easy conclusion for her to arrive at. I should probably play my feelings down a little so that she doesn’t think I’m head over heels about her son after just one week because he’s a billionaire. I adjust the earrings in my earlobe awkwardly. “To be honest, Holly, I’m still figuring things out with Nathan and going with the flow.”
Holly pales and her gaze snaps to Murphy.
Murphy coughs shortly, then drifts backward. He presses his hands on the sofa, creating a myriad of shadows as his fingers sink into the soft upholstery. He ignores his mother’s searching eyes and instead stares straight at me. “Ah, Eva. I can certainly understand your hesitance about my brother. I’m not sure I’d be able to trust him either if I were a woman.” Holly lets out a small squeak, but Murphy goes on. “Nathan is all about work and schedules. He’s too self-absorbed and doesn’t seem to acknowledge the people around him.”
Annoyance flares in me at his disloyal words.
How can he speak about Nathan like this?
I bite my cheek for a split second before answering, hoping the sharp pain might help me temper the unfriendly snap that’s on the tip of my tongue. “I’m sorry, Murphy…but weren’t you the one who told me Nathan is a diamond in the rough? I thought what you meant was—”
“Yes, yes.” Murphy waves dismissively. “I did say that. I want to see Nathan happy, of course. He’s my blood and I love him. But I can’t deny he isn’t the best suitor for a woman of your wits and kindness, no? Nathan is a bit like a robot. And you? You’re full of life. Complete opposites. It was a longshot for me to think you could fall in love with a grumpy, cold fellow like my brother.”
The corner of his mouth twitches, and I can’t decide whether he’s amused or embarrassed about what he just said.
But it doesn’t really matter. His discourse has my body locked up with rage. My pulse slams in my neck. I shoot a glance at Holly to see whether she, as Nathan’s mother, will stand up for her son, but she just sits there as if she’s too startled to say even a word.
Well, then it’s up to me to defend him. I lean forward and narrow my eyes at Murphy. “I don’t think your brother would be pleased if he knew how you’re speaking of him in his absence. Especially because nothing, absolutely nothing, of what you said is true. Nathan is the most tender-hearted person I’ve ever met. He is truly good inside. He is also funny and caring. He’s the sweetest with my siblings. He might have started off on the wrong foot with me, but since then he proved to me that he deserves all my attention. We might be complete opposites in some things, but we are very much complementary in many other ways.” My voice isn’t as polite and even-toned as I would want, but I need to make Murphy see how wrong he is. “I won’t stand for you calling Nathan grumpy or cold. He isn’t either of those things—or at least not when he’s with me. He is the best suitor for me, the only one really!” I clutch my hand to my lips as I realize what I’ve just admitted.
Murphy and Holly exchange a triumphant glance, then Holly asks, “So you do love my son?”
How could I deny it when I’ve already said it. “Yes, I do,” I mumble.
Murphy rubs his hands and gives me an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Eva, I really needed to hear how you feel about Nathan.”
I shake my head in confusion. “Does this mean you talked badly about your brother to see how I would react? That’s…unfair…but also pretty smart.”
“Well, I do earn my living helping people unveil the truth about their real selves and desires.” Murphy grins warmly at me.
Holly stands up and walks to me. I jump up to meet her at the same eye-level. She is also smiling widely as she reaches for my hand and squeezes it. “It’s wonderful news, dear Eva. Just what I hoped to hear.”
There’s a soft knock on the door. Marjorie’s silver-tinted brown curls and heart-shaped face appears. “All is ready for your announcement, sis. We can start whenever you’re ready.”
Holly nods. “I still need to have a brief chat with my son.” She pats my shoulder. “Eva, you should go downstairs with Marjorie and enjoy the ball, meanwhile. I’ll send Nathan to you as soon as we’re finished.”
Marjorie opens the door wide and waves to me. “Come, Eva. I’ll show you the best treats our buffet table offers.”
“Of course,” I mumble, still bewildered by the satisfied reaction that my confession unleashed in Nathan’s mother and brother.
I’m not comfortable that I admitted my feelings to them first instead of to Nathan, but at least they didn’t accuse me of being a forty-niner as I feared. In all cases, my coming out with them means that I’ll need to do the same with Nathan as soon as possible. I wouldn’t want him to learn how I feel for him from anyone but me.
How will he react? I hope he’ll say he feels the same way about me. He still didn’t tell me anything, but his kind actions must speak louder than words. Also he might have wanted to reveal something to me when we danced and Murphy interrupted us. His flushed cheeks and throaty tone did point in that direction.
As I amble to Marjorie, I’m still pondering (and hoping) that tonight might become my own Cinderella ball with a great happily-ever-after…
Chapter 32
(Nathan)
“So Mother enlisted you to babysit me while they test Eva?”
My voice comes out as a raspy whisper, even if there’s no need for me to speak quietly. Malcom and I are in their library with three sturdy walls between us and Mother’s study, which should ensure that whatever I say won’t be overheard.
“Are you nervous about it?” Malcom taps my shoulder. His friendly smile reveals the prominent gap between his two front teeth. My step-father’s grey hair is cut shorter than the last time I saw him, but his face is just as oblong and jolly as always. Normally, his cheery expression immediately awakens a pang of annoyance in me, but today, for some mysterious reason, I find it comforting.
Oh man, am I this tense about leaving Eva with Mother and Murphy?
I shrug. “Perhaps a little.”
I know Murphy and Mother will spend the next fifteen minutes interrogating Eva. I have no doubt about how Eva will speak of me. Even if she hasn’t spelled it out to me, I know how she feels about me. I can sense it.
I just hope my brother will use all his professional skills to make the process of questioning as natural as possible.
Malcom nods. “That’s why I suggested we hide out here instead of joining the crowd downstairs. This room always brings peace to my troubled mind. It’s my little corner.”
I understand
immediately what Malcom means. This room is the only one that my step-father has decorated. He’s an avid reader and his love of books is such that Mother asked him to furbish this space as he pleased, knowing that her husband would spend most of the time in here. I haven’t set foot in it in the past ten years, so I’m utterly abashed by its simplistic yet sophisticated design. Instead of being perpendicular to the walls, the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves are positioned at a slight angle, creating an intriguing peekaboo effect with the books.
My eyes wander to my feet and I realize that instead of flamboyant rugs the room only has a beige-monochrome carpet. I raise my chin and capture Malcom’s gaze. “Well, I can’t fathom how you got Mother on board with this raw plywood and the unfinished edges that give the shelves this warm and honest look, but it’s certainly a choice that I find beautiful.”
Malcom chuckles. “That’s a great compliment coming from you, Nate. You see, we might just have more in common than you thought.”
His comment catches me off guard and reminds me, at the same time, of what he told Eva earlier. I rub my neck. “You know I never realized that you feel awkward at these events.”
“Well, it’s not the easiest thing to adapt to the beau monde when you come into it as an adult. Eva’s giving it a tremendous effort and doing a great job, I think. She’s certainly more gracious than I ever could be.”
His kind appreciation of Eva warms my stomach, a feeling that I’ve probably never endured while chatting with my step-dad. If I’m honest, I’ve never really conversed with him at all. Our interactions were limited to what was strictly necessary, mostly because I refused to answer any questions he posed to me when I came home during vacations or when he tagged along with Mother in my school visits.
“Eva’s an amazing person.” I nod. “And…I’m sorry I gave you a hard time as a kid.”
Malcom gives out a bemused snort. “Ah, Nate. You were a child and you were hurting. I never took your little pranks personally. You were right to feel hostile about someone who, without your consent, took the place your father had occupied. I am the one who’s sorry that we made the decision to send you to boarding school. I truly thought that being away from the place that caused you so much pain would help you grow up healthier. But I might have been wrong. I wasn’t, and still am not, a father after all. My understanding of child psychology is bad apparently, to say the least.”
Law #1: Never Bet on Love: A Sweet Billionaire Love Story (Laws of Love) Page 26