The wedding. Right. That little detail again.
I gave him a polite nod and moved toward the door. Unfortunately, Eugenie stepped slightly into my path, the movement subtle but deliberate, and up close, it was impossible to miss the amusement in her eyes.
“Safe travels,” she said. “I might just swing across the pond myself before the big day. Visit my little sister and provide some much needed guidance throughout the process.”
Fantastic. Absolutely fucking fantastic.
The image of Eugenie arriving in Chicago, armed with years of shared history with my brother, flashed through my mind like a disaster movie trailer. Frankly, I would have preferred the collapsed buildings and cities on fire to an impending visit fromher—and I was one hundred percent convinced that Jesse would agree with me on this one—but I forced a polite smile.
“I’m sure Eliza would love that,” I said.
Her grin widened, and once again, she reminded me of a cat. This time, one who’d just discovered a particularly entertaining mouse. “Oh, I’m certain she will. I’ll see you soon,Jesse.”
My stomach dropped straight through the floor at the confirmation that I’d been right. Eugenie Roderick knew that we’d been deceiving her sister, and there was nothing I could do about it but wait to find out what she was going to do with that information.
I fucking told Alex she was going to end up being a problem.
CHAPTER 22
ELIZA
The flight from London to Chicago on Jesse’s private jet was as luxurious as any comfy English estate. I’d flown first class my whole life. My family wasn’t exactly known for slumming it in economy, but this was something else entirely.
For starters, there was space,stretch-your-legs-without-accidentally-kicking-a-strangerkind of space. The interior of the jet was sleek, quiet, and absurdly comfortable, with wide leather seats and polished wood accents that made it feel less like an airplane and more like a very chic living room that happened to be traveling across the Atlantic.
“I still can’t believe this is yours,” I said, even as I tried to behave like this was all perfectly normal.
Inside, however, I was having a mild out-of-body experience. Jesse smiled, seeming completely unfazed. “You know, sometimes, neither can I, but it’s like, a thing, in my family. Sterling started it. Our oldest cousin. As soon as he bought a jet instead of using his dad’s, Alex did the same, then Jameson, Sterling’s brother. Before we even knew what was happening, it had become like a rite of passage.”
He moved around the cabin with easy familiarity while I settled into one of the seats and tried not to look like I wasmentally calculating how many normal plane tickets this aircraft had probably cost. “That’s a rather expensive rite of passage, isn’t it? Do any of you actually travel enough to justify owning them?”
He shrugged, those blue eyes sparkling with something that looked a lot like pride. “The truth? Not really. We do travel quite a lot, for business and for pleasure, but probably not enough. It’s more of anI-bought-it-because-I-could-afford-itkind of thing.”
Surprise trickled through me. “I didn’t expect you to admit that.”
He grinned, giving me a little wink before turning and disappearing into the small galley. “I’d like to think I’ve done a lot of things you didn’t expect.”
Since he’d called the words from behind the half-closed curtain, I allowed myself an excited smile. “Is that your game, then, Jesse Westwood? Preparing me to expect the unexpected.”
“No game.” He returned a few minutes later with a glass filled with something pale pink and sparkling. “I made this for you. It’s a virgin cocktail, so you don’t have to worry about how many you have.”
“Youmade it?” I asked suspiciously.
“Yes.”
I took a cautious sip and immediately blinked back even more surprise. “Oh.”
“Well?” he prompted. “How is it?”
“That’s amazing.”
His mouth twitched slightly. “I thought you might like something bubbly but safe after the champagne incident.”
I groaned. “Please never speak of that again.”
“I never make promises I can’t keep.” Something darker flickered in his eyes when he said it, but he blinked it away fast and lowered himself into a chair. He pulled out his laptop as I took another sip. The drink truly was delicious, light and sweetwith just enough citrus to make it refreshing instead of sugary. I drank three.
In my defense, Jesse kept appearing with another one every time I’d finished the previous glass, so it hadn’t been entirely my fault. An attendant I hadn’t even realized was onboard brought out a tray a little while after takeoff that included several foods I loved, pasta, fresh bread, fruit, and little pastries, and I stared at it in confusion.
