Page 44 of Bargaining

“Not really.” Tiff smiled sweetly. “But I like the drivers.”

Chapter 20

Cole

I left the helicopter and headed for the back of the house. Voices and the distinctive soft thwack of croquet mallets drifted on the breeze. A little girl with dirt on her nose and dark hair in a messy ponytail appeared from nowhere. She scanned me up and down and wrinkled her nose.

“Are you Dick?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Mum keeps talking about Billionaire Dick. This is his house.” She pulled a crumbling chocolate chip cookie from her skirt pocket and shoved it into her mouth. “Mum’s left Paul because she says she can’t put up with his shit anymore, and now we’ve come to live with Auntie Lottie.”

Tiffany was here? Elain hadn’t mentioned it. My housekeeper gave me regular updates on how Charlotte was doing.

“Where is your aunt?”

“Everyone is playing croquet with Reuben.”

What the fuck?Elain raced around the corner, red-faced and panting. She took the little girl by the hand. “There you are. Your mum told me not to let you wander off.”

Elain’s eyes met mine. “Cole? We didn’t know you were coming.”

Rancor sharpened my voice. “Why didn’t you tell me Reuben was here?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t get round to it. It caught me off guard. Everyone arrived today.” Remorse glinted in her eyes and she wrung her hands in front of her. “I was about to message.”

She looked genuinely contrite. Enough to make me feel guilty. Elain was the only person in my employ who could do that to me. Perhaps because she reminded me so much of my mother. “I know you would have. I apologize for my tone.”

She smiled warmly. “You should join in the game. Everyone is having fun.”

They wouldn’t be having fun when I got hold of Reuben. At least I was here now. He needed reminding that Charlotte was mine. I pasted a smile on my face. “Maybe. Thanks.”

I marched away to find the adults at the back of the house. It had been an impulsive decision to visit Charlotte. I needed to brief her on the wedding arrangements. It wasn’t something that needed to be done face-to-face, but her text this morning had been out of the blue. Elain had mentioned that Charlotte wasn’t eating as well as usual. I’d needed to see for myself that she was doing OK.

Fucking Reuben!What was he doing here? Had he come to make a move on Charlotte, or was he here to spy? Probably both. I should have been keeping better track of his movements. My heart pounded in anticipation of seeing Charlotte. It was like being a teenager again, desperate to catch a glimpse after one of Roy’s revision sessions. Charlotte had been on my mind constantly. She was the first thing I thought about when I woke up and the last thing when I went to bed. I could hardly concentrate or get any work done. The highlight of my day was Elain’s report and the photos she sent me of Charlotte’s progress in the pottery studio.

I rounded the corner of the house, and a scene of chaos greeted me on the lawn. Tiffany guffawed as she swung her croquet mallet awkwardly at a ball and completely missed. She thrust the mallet at Charlotte, grabbed a champagne bottle from Reuben, and took a big swig.

Charlotte took her turn. Reuben and Tiffany cheered loudly when she finally hit the ball after several abysmal attempts. A smile lit her lips. A genuine smile that made her nose scrunch in the way I’d always loved. Warmth filled me, but then she high-fived Reuben, and any warmth I felt was swiftly replaced with fury.

Charlotte froze when she saw me approaching. The mallet dropped heavily from her hand and thudded on the grass. “Cole?”

She looked well. Freckles dotted her cheeks, and her hair fell in a glossy ponytail down her back. Her patterned blue sleeveless sundress had a low, sweeping neckline. It cinched at the waist, highlighting her beautiful curves. It was a dress made for frolicking in meadows, weaving daisy chains, and making love in soft grass. She looked divine, but it was her eyes that made my heart jolt. They were animated and full of life.

I smoothed my expression. “Having fun?”

Her cheeks were red. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

I let my disparaging gaze rove over the balls scattered all over the grass. “Clearly.”

Reuben lurched toward me with a daft grin and his hand outstretched. “Cole. So good to see you. I was just in the area—”

“Not now.” I turned my back on him and walked toward the house. “Come with me, please, Charlotte.”

I hovered in the doorway of the pottery studio. The place was sheer chaos. An assortment of pots lined the shelf and clay splattered theworktops and floor. The mess made my skin prickle. Charlotte grabbed a filthy apron from a hook by the door and threw it over her head.

“I didn’t know they were coming. Tiff just turned up here this morning. Then Reuben. I didn’t know how to get rid of him.”