Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 96046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
“But he made this for the two of you, yes?”
I’d never said anything about who he made it for, but perhaps the guilty look on my face gave me away. “Yes, but it was just a friendly gesture.”
Patsy looked around then whispered, “You should be careful.”
My stomach dropped. “Why do you say that?”
“Just that…if he’s anything like his father, you should be careful about getting too close to him.”
My chest tightened. “What about his father, specifically?”
Patsy’s eyes began to water.
What the fuck? “What’s going on?” I asked, looking over my shoulder to make sure we were still alone. “Why are you upset?” When she didn’t clarify, I placed my arm gently around her. “Let’s go sit.”
We went to the breakfast nook.
Patsy stared out the window at the ocean. “There was a time before Remington married your aunt when he and I…got close.”
Got close.
Oh.
Okay, for some reason, this was not where I’d thought things were going, even if the tears should’ve clued me in.
“You had a relationship with him?”
She nodded. “If you want to call it that.”
Wow. Patsy and Remington Vanderbilt…
Holy shit.
Did not see this coming.
Was I naïve that this seemed so surprising? Despite only ever seeing her in a housekeeper’s uniform, I knew Patsy was an attractive woman. She was older than my aunt, but I could certainly see why Remington might’ve been interested.
“How did it happen?”
“One night, I was working late. He asked me to stay and talk. I’d always had a secret crush on him. I mean, who wouldn’t? He was a handsome guy, just like Dorian is. But I never thought he saw me in the same light.”
“Why wouldn’t he? You’re beautiful.”
“Well, thank you.” She sighed, looking back out toward the ocean. “Anyway, that one night was the first of many where I stayed late. It wasn’t sexual at first. He opened up to me a lot about his first wife, Dorian’s mother, and his regrets when it came to her. He talked about how he got started in his business. He seemed very comfortable around me, and I think he trusted me.” She paused.
My stomach tightened. This sounded a heck of a lot like what I’d been experiencing with Dorian.
“Eventually, one thing led to another. And things continued like that for several months.”
“You were basically dating or…”
“Well, if you want to call it that. He never took me anywhere. That should have been the very first red flag. And he was careful never to define anything. But I was all too eager to play along because being with him was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to me. I wish I’d had the self-esteem to insist on better, but I just didn’t at the time.”
“So it went on for months, and then what?”
“Then one day, like clockwork, he stopped asking me to stay after my shift. He started working at the office later and avoiding me at home. When I confronted him about it, he admitted that he was sorry, but he couldn’t continue what he’d started with me. He explained that he wasn’t in any way ready for a relationship. He said he’d thought we were just enjoying spending time together, but he sensed I was getting attached, so he needed to nip it in the bud before I got hurt. He said he didn’t want to continue to send me false messages about where things stood between us.”
I felt so bad for her. “That must’ve been hard.”
“He told me he hoped I wouldn’t leave my position. And I made the difficult decision to stay. I didn’t need to lose my job on top of everything else.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “A few weeks later, he brought your aunt home for the first time.”
“No…” My mouth dropped open in shock. “He left you for her?”
“He was never really with me. I believe now that he was just using me to pass the time until something better—in his eyes—came along. Someone he deemed worthy of him.” She shook her head. “The truth is, men like the Vanderbilts don’t stay with good women like you and me. They end up with their own kind: rich, entitled—people with the same pedigree. They have a type. It’s ingrained in them, whether they know it or not.”
That assertion confused me a bit. “My aunt didn’t come from money, though…”
“No. But she was successful when he met her and presented herself as worldly. She was glamorous and very good at adapting to his life. She was also thick-skinned and fit in well with the people he surrounded himself with. She was a level of beautiful that matched the image he wanted to portray to the outside world.” Patsy smiled. “Don’t get me wrong. You’re just as beautiful as your aunt. But Christina was tough. She gave me the impression that if things didn’t work out between them, she would just move on to someone else. You strike me as more like me: sensitive and vulnerable to the pain that comes from falling for a man who can never be with one woman.”