“Where’s the pool?” I asked, searching the horizon.
“On the south-facing lawn,” Philips said. He continued to scowl at me. “Weren’t you wearing a dress earlier?”
“Yes.” I looked down at myself. My T-shirt was smudged with dirt, my new sneakers were already scuffed, and I was sweaty. “I didn’t think pink silk was playground-appropriate.”
“I see.” He arched an eyebrow. “Would you like to change before you join Mr. Barrington in the library?”
“Um…”
“That won’t be necessary, Philips.” Rhodes appeared at the door, his tie askew, a tumbler of bourbon in his hand. “I’ll make sure that the future Mrs. Barrington changes before dinner, though, if that’ll appease you.”
“Quite.” Philips bowed and, after favoring us with a slight smile, vanished into the manor.
“You look sporty,” Rhodes said, voice thick. He sounded as if this wasn’t his first day drink.
“I was at the playground with Luke and Maria. It’s pretty amazing.”
Rhodes frowned. “There’s a playground?”
“Yeah.” I looked at him skeptically. “Are you okay?”
“No,” he said, taking me by surprise. “But I will be. There’s been some developments, I need to update you. Walk with me?” He started inside the house.
But the sun was shining, and the breeze was light and playful, and I didn’t want to run into his scary stepmother in a hallway or be chastised into changing my clothes just yet. “Actually, can you show me where the pool is? I can’t seem to find it.”
“I do actually know where that is,” Rhodes said, obliging. He finished his drink and put it on the ground, presumably for some staff member to pick up.
We started across the lawn. Rhodes’s tie flapped in the breeze.
“Did you grow up here?” I asked.
“When my father and Miranda married, they built this house. I lived here in my teens when I wasn’t at boarding school.When William got divorced, he and Luke moved in. They did significant renovations—including adding a playground, I guess.”
“I didn’t know Luke lived here,” I said. “You didn’t mention it.”
“In between signing a contract for a fake marriage and fighting off Miranda for control of my company, I didn’t exactly have time.” He shot me a look. “He seemed to like you.”
“He’s a great kid. I feel so bad for him—Maria didn’t say much, but he doesn’t see his mom often?”
Rhodes’s expression darkened, and he shook his head. “His mother’s never had much of a maternal instinct. She cares more about partying than she does about her son.”
Oof.I could relate to that. “That’s a shame.”
“Yes.” Rhodes stared straight ahead. “And it’s part of why I hired you.”
I stopped walking. “You might’ve mentioned it.”
Rhodes turned to me. “I know. It was an oversight on my part. I’m sorry—this has all happened so fast that my head’s spinning.”
I softened a little, even though it bothered me that Luke wasn’t my fake fiancé’s first and foremost priority. “It’s okay. I can’t imagine what you’re going through. I just wish you’d given me a heads-up that you had a little boy.”
“I don’t have him yet,” Rhodes said. He looked sour. “My brother named me as guardian, but he also stipulated that I get married. His provisions echoed my father’s.”
“So the stakes are even higher than I thought.” I felt a little sick. If I screwed this up, not only would Rhodes lose his fortune, he’d lose his nephew.
He sighed deeply as we rounded a corner. I spotted the pool, a glimmering jewel in the middle of another immense expanse oflawn. There was a gate, and what looked like a pool house, and loungers with umbrellas.
“The stakes are high, yes. And that’s why I wanted to talk to you,” Rhodes said.
