Turning her head, she looked at Axel. “You look very handsome.” He was wearing dark jeans, a button-down shirt, and loafers she was pretty sure he borrowed from one of the guys, but he looked good. But then again, he always looked good to her.
“I know it’s not a suit…”
“Ugh…not this again,” she moaned with a laugh. “You’re fine. I’m not dressed up either.” Maisie had gone with black jeans, an ivory sweater, and a pair of boots. She was comfortable, something she knew her mother was going to frown upon.
I can’t wait to see her face, she mused.
When the car pulled up to the mansion townhouse she’d grown up in, Maisie let out a long breath. The driver came around to open the door for her, and she thanked him as she climbed out. Axel joined her, and they stood on the sidewalk for several long minutes before she felt ready to move forward.
Right now, she was armed with enough information to guarantee that no one was going to force her to do anything ever again. Unfortunately, she knew it wasn’t going to be as easy as just tossing a folder down, getting her things, and leaving.
“We can still leave if you want,” Axel reminded her.
“No. Let’s do this.”
Stepping up to the front door, she rang the bell and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
When the door finally opened, she smiled at the family butler. “Hello, Anders,” she said with a smile. “How are you?”
He stepped aside, motioning for them to come in. “I’m well, Miss Maisie. It’s good to see you.” He smiled at Axel.
“Oh, Anders, this is my boyfriend, Axel Hayes. Axel, this is Anders.”
The two men shook hands.
“I know we’re a little late because of traffic, but where are my parents waiting for me?”
He didn’t respond right away, and she got the sinking feeling that they had ignored her request and had gone out. But then he leaned in close with a hint of a smile and whispered, “They’re in the den, and I believe you’ve got them more than a little nervous. Good for you.”
That was all the encouragement she needed.
Anders led them across the house, even though she didn’t need it, and it felt just a wee bit pretentious when he announced them to her parents. But the look on their faces when they saw Axel was priceless.
Then they looked at her, and for a moment she was a little girl about to be reprimanded. Axel gave her hand a quick squeeze, and she pushed those feelings aside.
“Maisie, you didn’t mention you were bringing a guest,” her mother said with a stiff smile and an even stiffer air-kiss.
“Axel Hayes, these are my parents, Dominique and Alexander Quinnland.”
He stood tall beside her and eyed them warily. “It’s nice to meet you both,” he said, but she knew he didn’t mean it.
“Is this the man Bryce told us about?” her father asked. “The one you’ve been messing around with?”
Axel went to take a menacing step forward, but she stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm.
“Oh, so I guess Bryce can tell the truth. Shocking,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “But yes, Axel and I have been dating for about a month now. He’s one of the owners of the resort I’m decorating upstate.”
Neither parent seemed impressed, and they didn’t even pay him much attention. That’s when she knew it was pointless to drag things out.
“I know I mentioned staying for dinner, but I don’t think that will be necessary,” she announced and, again, loved seeing their shocked expressions. “I’m really only here as a courtesy.”
“A courtesy?” her father asked. “What does that even mean?”
“It means that after everything you and I talked about yesterday, you still chose to converse with Bryce and then immediately bring him up in the conversation. And per our conversation, you know I’m not marrying him. His family is deplorable. And even if I hadn’t presented that information to you, I wasn’t going to marry him. I did exactly what you challenged me to do. I went out, got a job, and made it work. I’ve got multiple clients lined up, and I am thrilled with the way things are going.”
