“So,” I said lightly. “What’sthatall about?”
Her shoulders immediately tensed. “It was nothing.”
“It didn’t look like nothing.”
Eyes dropping to her drink, she twirled her straw between her fingers and then leaned forward, popping it into her mouth and finishing the rest of it in one determined go. It was mostly syrup and cherries, sure, but that still couldn’t be a good sign.
“This entire scheme is so my dad gets the heir he wants,” she said once she’d swallowed and pushed the glass away. “Your dad gets a royal link for the Westwoods and mine gets someone to pass that link to.”
So shedidunderstand what was happening, but it didn’t still explain why she was on a dating website. Her voice tightened slightly when she looked back up at me. “However, Winnie is not the only female of child-bearing age in our family.”
She waved a hand in the faint direction of the laptop. “I simply need to find someone and get married as soon as possible. ThenI’llhave that baby, hopefully a boy, first. Before Winnie can take away everything I’ve worked so hard for?—”
Abruptly cutting herself off, her eyes widened like she’d only now realized what she’d said. Color rushed into her face so fast, it was almost like she’d had a bucket of red paint dumped over her head.
“I didn’t mean—” she started before cutting herself off again, but she clearly had meant it.
There were a hundred things I probably should’ve said, but I was overcome in a way I was absolutely not prepared for. I even almost told her that I knew she was the one running that estate, the ghost behind the scenes making everything workwhile everyone else got the credit, but then I remembered that I was supposed to be Jesse—and he wouldn’t have noticed those things.
Aw, fuck.
This was less than ideal, but as I looked back at her, I realized that probably didn’t matter right now anyway. The pertinent facts were much simpler than knowing things I wasn’t supposed to know because I shouldn’t have been looking so closely at all.
“You don’t need to look for some random person online to get married to.” The words sounded insane even to my own ears, but I went ahead and said them anyway.
She stared at me for a long beat. A furrow appeared between her brows and she let out a soft scoff. Reaching for her laptop, she snapped it shut and started stuffing it into her bag with sharp, efficient movements.
“Of course, you wouldn’t understand,” she said gruffly. “You’re Jesse Westwood. It’s unlikely you’ve ever had to fight for anything in your life and you probably never will.”
That stung more than it should have. Mostly because it was true.
As she slid out of the booth, however, clearly ready to leave, I reacted on instinct, reaching for her arm and circling her wrist in a gentle grip. “Eliza.”
She paused, her eyes narrowing to slits as she glanced at where I was holding her. I let go immediately, without waiting to be asked, then rose with her. “I’m here in this hotel tonight because I was actually on my way up to the suite to talk to your dad.”
Slowly bringing her gaze back up to me, her lips parted a little. Her head cocked. “Why?”
“That’s a good question.” I rolled my lips into my mouth, then pursed them, suddenly at a loss for words.
There was no version of this that wasn’t complicated or that didn’t make me at least a little bit of a liar—and I really didn’t want to lie to her any more than I already was.
CHAPTER 8
ELIZA
Back upstairs in the suite, I watched Jesse step into the little office with my father. That was how impressive our hotel room was—it even had a fully functioning little study. I’d thought the door just off theguest bathroomwas a closet, but nope.
As soon as Jesse and I had walked in, Father had emerged from that not-a-closet and complimented Jesse on his family’s foresight in providing accommodation with an office. It was absurd and yet, somehow, that wasn’t the biggest thing on my mind right now.
Instead, as I watched Jesse and my dad disappear behind that door, I wondered what on earth was going onnow. I thought he was going to tell me in the bar, but at what had seemed like the last minute, he’d simply offered a lame, “it’s complicated,” and then asked if he could walk me back up to the suite.
So here we were.
I sat very still on the couch while Winnie mentally flipped through the wardrobe choices she’d brought along out loud. She ought to have at least greeted her soon-to-be fiancé when he’dwalked in, but instead, she’d been too preoccupied with her phone.
As always.
“I’m going out again tonight,” she announced, though I wasn’t certain if she was speaking to me or her followers, so I didn’t respond. She paused, glancing at me like she expected commentary. “Did you hear me?”
