The Unreal Boyfriend

by Miranda P. Charles

Bernadette rang the bell of Ross Anton’s Dural home. She was early, though. June wasn’t due to finish for another half an hour. Good thing Mr. Anton wasn’t home.

  June answered the door and let her in. “Glad you can pick me up today. Buses are never frequent around here, even during the peak time.”

  “Lucky my last appointment was around these parts. So Mr. Anton’s not coming home at all?”

  “No. I told you he doesn’t come here on Wednesdays. Anyway, I still need to change the bedsheets in all of the bedrooms, including the guest rooms. Can you help me so we can finish early? But you can look around first, if you like.”

  “He wouldn’t mind me checking out his whole house, would he?”

  June snickered. “Do you think I’ll tell him that I let you become a sticky beak in his house? He probably won’t mind, but I don’t intend to find out.”

  Bernadette grinned. “Okay. I want to see the kitchen first. I bet it’s amazing.”

  “It is. Find me upstairs when you’re finished.”

  “Okay.”

  Bernadette went from room to room, admiring the luxury and modern decor of the place. It was a beautiful house, but she couldn’t help but feel it lacked warmth. And she didn’t mean temperature-wise. It just wasn’t homey enough. But since it wasn’t lived in most of the time, she guessed that was to be expected.

  She also noticed that the art in the living rooms wasn’t as amazing as the painting she’d seen in Mr. Anton’s home office. What a shame her mum’s boss was keeping some incredible art hidden in that room. Was it to protect it? Perhaps with parties being held here often, Mr. Anton didn’t want the most valuable pieces damaged.

  But, gosh, that painting of that man looking over his shoulder was really something. She’d love to see it again. Unfortunately, the home office was locked. Maybe her mum had a key? Seriously, though, she shouldn’t ask. Mr. Anton might have a way of telling if someone had been to his office, and she didn’t want to get her mother in trouble.

  She walked upstairs. The door at the end of the hallway was open, and she found June inside an impressive master bedroom. She was instantly drawn to the painting of the sun rising from behind a mountain hanging at the top of the bed head. “Wow.”

  “I know,” June said. “Now, help me with this, will you? Changing the cover of a king-sized quilt is always tricky.”

  Bernadette did as her mother requested, but her gaze kept going back to the painting. She looked for the artist’s signature, and her eyes rounded. “Derek’s dad painted this,” she said excitedly.

  “Really? I didn’t know Derek’s dad’s a painter.”

  “He passed away about four years ago, I think, from an accident. He liked painting different subjects—landscape, portrait, still life. The ones I’ve seen are all good! Anyway, next year, his paintings will be exhibited at the National Gallery. Derek’s very excited and proud.”

  “Wow, there you go. My boss owns one of Derek’s dad’s paintings.”

  Bernadette grinned. Pity she couldn’t tell Derek because of the NDA. But she supposed a number of people from around the world owned a Richard McCarthy. And Ross Anton could very well afford one.

  The doorbell rang, and they both jumped.

  “Who could that be?” June said with a frown.

  “Someone delivering something, perhaps?”

  June shrugged. “You better stay up here in case it’s a friend of Mr. Anton’s. I don’t want them knowing I let people in here when the boss is away.”

  “Check to see who it is first before you open the door,” Bernadette warned. Sometimes home invasion could happen when it was least expected.

  “Of course. There are three of those video thingies in this house, so you can always know who’s at the door. There’s one just there.” June pointed to a panel near the top of the stairs.

  Bernadette followed her mother, curious to see who the caller was. She gasped when the screen came alive.

  “Oh. My. God,” June said.

  Outside the door was none other than Holly Stirling.

  “What’s she doing here?” Bernadette asked, shocked.

  “Well, she must know Mr. Anton,” June said, already hurrying down the stairs. “She probably thinks he’s home.”

  Bernadette stayed where she was, hidden from sight and hoping to hear her mother’s conversation with Holly.

  Holly knew Ross Anton? What a coincidence.

  “Hello!” June greeted with exuberance.

  “Good afternoon,” Holly said in a bright tone. “You must be Ross’s new housekeeper.”

  “I most certainly am! Please come in, Miss Stirling. Oh, my gosh, I can’t believe this! I’m a big fan of yours and so is my daughter.”

  Bernadette’s eyes widened. Stop there, Mum!

  “I also know that my next-door neighbour’s a fan,” June continued. “And a couple of ladies at the club where I play the pokies.”

  Holly laughed amiably. “Thank you. That’s sweet of you to say. Is Ross home?”

  “No, I’m afraid not. I’m usually alone here on Wednesdays. But today… well, I’m alone taking care of this big house today, too.”

  Bernadette breathed a sigh of relief. Not that she didn’t want to talk to Holly, but Holly might tell Mr. Anton about Bernadette wandering around his house without his knowledge. And to be honest, she wasn’t prepared to have a conversation with her boyfriend’s ex. What if Holly was still hurting from her breakup with Derek?

  “That’s a shame,” Holly said. “Anyway, maybe you can help me?”

  “Of course, of course! If it’s something I can do,” June said eagerly.

  “I’ve been missing a scarf for a few weeks now and I just can’t find it anywhere. I’m hoping that I left it here during the last networking party that Ross held.”

  “A scarf? What kind of scarf?”

  “A silk floral scarf.”

  “No, sorry,” June said apologetically. “I haven’t seen any scarf lying around, and I’ve cleaned every nook and cranny of this place.”

  “Okay,” Holly said with disappointment. “It’s just that it’s a special scarf. My boyfriend gave it to me for my twenty-fifth birthday two years ago.”

  Bernadette’s brows rose.

  “You have a boyfriend?” June asked, thrilled.

  “Oops,” Holly said. “Yes, but no one knows because we want to keep our privacy. So, please, can you keep that a secret? As you know, the media thinks I’m single.”

  “Oh, of course. Yes, the media can be such intrusive bastards.”

  “Promise?”

  “Cross my heart and hope to die,” June declared.

  “Thank you.”

  Bernadette’s heart pounded hard. Was Holly talking about Derek? She had to be, if the scarf was a birthday gift from two years ago. Holly and Derek were together then.

  She shut her eyes. No, Holly couldn’t be talking about Derek, because that would mean Derek was cheating on Bernadette.

  Or…

  Was Derek cheating on Holly with her?

  She shook her head vigorously. She’d known Derek for a while now. She just couldn’t imagine him doing something like that to anyone. Besides, the last two and a half weeks since they’d uttered “I love you” to each other had been bliss. Derek had been saying it to her all the time now.

  Perhaps Holly was in denial about her breakup with Derek? Or maybe she was trying to get him back?

  “You wanna look around for it yourself?” June asked Holly.

  Bernadette’s mouth dropped. What was her mother doing?

  “That would be great. Thank you,” Holly said. “I doubt Ross would keep it in his wardrobe. It might be in his office, perhaps?”

  “Oh, maybe! He keeps a lot of odd stuff in there. I have a key. Do you want to have a look?”

  “Yes, that would be wonderful.”

  Bernadette stared into space, still processing what she’d heard. Part of her wanted to go downstairs to talk to Holly and clarify if it was inde
ed Derek that Holly was talking about. But Bernadette had to think of her mother. Mr. Anton wouldn’t appreciate Bernadette creating trouble between her and Holly Stirling in this house, especially over a man. June would get the sack, and her mum would never forgive her.

  She bit her lip, trying to make sense of things. There had to be a good explanation for what she’d heard.

  Well, Derek had said that he and Holly had never been serious, and that was why they’d had an on-and-off relationship.

  That had to be it, right? Holly must have gone out with someone else when she and Derek were on one of their breaks. And Holly had probably reconciled with that man after she and Derek had broken up for good.

  Yes, that was a perfectly good explanation that made absolute sense. Besides, Derek loved her now—not Holly.

  “Thanks so much, June,” she heard Holly say.

  “You’re welcome,” June said. “I’m just sorry it’s not there.”

  “Yeah,” Holly said with disappointment. “Anyway, can you do me a very big favour?”

  “Yes, of course,” June said readily.

  “Could you not mention to Ross that I’ve been here at all? He tends to be very generous, and if he finds out that I might have lost my favourite scarf here during one of his parties, he might get me a replacement. But that was a Gucci silk scarf that was limited edition. I don’t want him going to the trouble of getting me another one, and I really don’t want him to feel guilty at all. So could you just not mention to anyone that I’ve been here today?”

  “Of course. I’m good at keeping secrets.”

  “Great. That’s two secrets that we share. I’m trusting you to keep them to yourself.”

  “I never met you, Holly Stirling. And from what I read in the papers, you’re very much single.”

  Holly laughed. “Thank you so much. Will you be here on Saturday night for Ross’s party?”

  “Yes! I’m so excited. It’s my first party. I won’t be a guest, of course. I’ll be slaving in the background. But it should still be fun.”

  “You’re lucky it’s being held here again. Ross usually alternates venues, but apparently, the garden in the house where it’s supposed to be held was destroyed by hail.”

  “Will there be other people as popular as you attending?” June asked in a loud whisper that Bernadette was still able to hear.

  “I hope so,” Holly quipped. “Then not all attention would be on me.”

  June chuckled.

  “Well, thanks again, June. I’ll hopefully get to chat with you on Saturday—for the first time.”

  “Yes, first time that we’ll be meeting. Bye, Holly!”

  Bernadette heard the door shut, then her mother came running up the stairs.

  “Did you hear all that?” June was practically jumping out of her skin in excitement. “And she hugged me real tight on her way out!”

  Bernadette forced a smile. “Yes, I heard it all.”

  “Wow, I just met—talked to Holly Stirling.” June walked back to the master bedroom in a daze.

  They resumed changing the bedsheets, with June rattling on and on about Holly and her new “special relationship” with the singer. Even when they got home, June was still at it, continuing to bemoan the fact that she’d forgotten to ask Holly for an autograph or a selfie.

  At least Bernadette could be alone with her thoughts even if June was around. Her mother hadn’t even noticed how quiet she’d become in the last couple of hours.

  June announced she was happy to cook dinner while she listened to Holly’s latest album, so Bernadette went to her bedroom to call Derek.

  “Hey, sweetheart,” Derek said.

  “Hi. Just wanted to see if I can see you tonight.”

  “Anything wrong?”

  “No. I just feel like it,” she said lightly.

  “Sorry, babe, but I’m working late tonight. I have to show some properties to a client who can only do it after business hours.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  “And I probably can’t see you this weekend, either. I just got a call from an overseas client who’s arriving in Sydney on Saturday afternoon. He’s only here for a night and will be on an early Sunday flight to Paris, so I need to arrange for him to check out some properties on Saturday night. Then I have another appointment on Sunday morning. As you know, some clients don’t know the meaning of weekends,” Derek said with a laugh.

  “Okay. So when can I see you next?” she asked casually.

  “Tomorrow night, maybe? Or Friday night? I’ll let you know.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’m afraid I have to go, babe.”

  “Sure.”

  “Love you,” Derek said softly.

  “Love you, too. Bye.”

  Bernadette stared at her phone. Derek had said again that he loved her, so she shouldn’t worry too much.

  There was nothing to worry about, right?

  Chapter 13

  Derek ran a hand over his face. Those were big lies he’d just told Bernadette, and guilt was tapping him on the chest.

  “Getting pretty serious with Bernie, huh?” Xavier asked as he whisked the omelette he was preparing for them.

  “Yeah,” he said flatly, sitting on a stool by Xavier’s kitchen peninsula.

  “Hey, this could be over soon,” Xavier consoled. “We now know where Man and His Secrets is.”

  He nodded. Yes, after four years, they’d finally located it.

  There was a knock on the door and Xavier went to get it. He came back with Holly.

  “Hey,” Holly said excitedly, giving Derek a hug.

  “Hey, excellent job, Miss Detective,” he said.

  Holly grinned. “I still can’t believe we’ve found it. Now we just have to figure out how to get into the office again so we can check it out.”

  “Your best bet is this Saturday,” Xavier said. “You need to get your couple act back on track, so it’ll be a good idea to call Ross tonight with the good news that you and Derek have reconciled.”

  “I bet he’s gonna tell me the same old argument that Derek is only using me to get into his sought-after events.”

  “I bet he will, too,” Derek said dryly.

  “Then,” Xavier said, looking at them pointedly, “maybe you should make noises about wanting to go public with your relationship to give him a reason to believe that you’ve gone serious. You don’t want him hovering around Holly all night, hoping to disengage you from each other. The more serious you appear, the more he’ll accept you’re back into your old sweet ways, wanting your alone time.”

  Derek looked at Holly, and his dismay was reflected on her face.

  He raked his hair with both hands. “What about the new housekeeper? Do you think she’ll let us go back in the office without telling Ross?”

  Holly scrunched her face. “It’s a possibility, but I think it’s very risky. Even though she was more than accommodating and friendly, she’s bound to wonder why the hell I’d turn up there again—and bringing you with me—while Ross is away.”

  “Yeah, that’s not a good idea,” Xavier said. “Remember, Ross demands loyalty from his staff. I bet she was just too overcome with excitement the first time she met you, so she wasn’t even thinking about the consequences of what she was doing. She’ll probably get scared of being sacked if you push her into something like that again.”

  Derek sighed. “Okay. But we’ll keep that as a backup plan if all else fails. So how do we get into Ross’s study on Saturday night? That’s the billion-dollar question.”

  “Don’t forget I can pick locks now,” Xavier quipped.

  “Yes!” Holly said. “Then Derek and I can sneak in there once you’ve opened it.”

  Derek nodded, letting himself get more hopeful than he’d ever been in the past.

  “Hello, Uncle Ross,” Derek said dryly as he and Holly were let in inside Ross’s Dural home. “Good to see you again.”

  “Derek,” Ross said with a curt nod before giving Holly an
embrace. “I still think it’s a bad decision to take him back,” he said to her openly.

  Holly laughed. “Come on, now. You two were getting along fine before. You can resume being nice to each other again.”

  Ross rolled his eyes. “If it wasn’t for you, Holly…”

  Holly placed her hand on Ross’s arm. “I know. Thank you.”

  Ross smiled. “At least you’re grateful, unlike this nephew of mine. He’s never thanked me for allowing him into my parties.”

  Derek smirked. “I’ve thanked Holly. After all, she’s the reason I’m allowed in here.”

  Ross narrowed his eyes at him before turning to Holly. “You should try uninviting him to my events and see if he sticks around.”

  Derek snorted.

  “Oh, Ross,” Holly said. “Don’t be like that. Derek’s already successful. He doesn’t need you or me to bring him more clients. But, of course, these parties do help him a lot. Right, darling?”

  “I suppose,” Derek said without enthusiasm.

  Holly exhaled loudly. “One of these days, you two will be very good friends. That’s my mission.”

  Derek wanted to gag at Holly’s words even if he knew Holly didn’t mean it.

  “Hello, everyone,” Xavier said from the door.

  “Xavier!” Ross said. “Glad you could make it tonight.”

  “Well, since these parties are getting more and more popular, I decided to take advantage of my standing invitation as the heir to a portion of Stirling Mortgage Brokers,” Xavier said cheekily. “Besides, I’ve never been here to this place before. Nice, Ross.”

  “Thank you. At least you kids are here. Your parents never come.”

  “You know them,” Holly said. “They’re antisocial. Besides, they already know you do a fantastic job in getting business for the company.”

  Ross chuckled. “Well, come on out to the marquee in the garden. It’s set up beautifully again.”

  “Uh, Ross…” Holly said, clinging to Derek’s arm.

  “What, you guys need your alone time?” he asked with dismay.

  Holly giggled. “Yes. Thank you for being so understanding.”

  Ross grimaced. “I better remind everyone working tonight of the NDA they’d signed, especially the new housekeeper. She’s the one who now changes the bedsheets.”