“I know my son booked the presidential suite in the middle of the workweek. That tells me plenty.”
My gaze shifts toward the door Natalie used.
Mother’s voice lowers. “Be kind to her.”
She means it. That is the problem. My mother has believed in love through too many men who did not deserve the word, but she knows what careless hands can do to a soft heart. She knows what damage looks like after the romance is stripped off it.
“I am,” I say.
“Good. Then I will wait patiently.”
“You have never waited patiently in your life. Do not come here.”
“We’ll see.”
I hang up before she can get worse.
By the time I reach the dining room, I am already carrying too much temper. Then I see Natalie at a table near the windows with Lydia sitting across from her in a pale dress and a fake smile with poison underneath. Wesley stands beside Natalie’s chair with one hand on the back of it, too close to her shoulder.
My body goes quiet. That is when men should start worrying.
Natalie’s chin is lifted, but her face is pale. Her hands are folded in her lap, and she is trying to look calm for people who do not deserve the effort.
I start toward them.
Lydia sees me first. Her smile brightens. “There he is. We were beginning to wonder if Natalie had been abandoned before breakfast.”
Natalie’s mouth tightens. Wesley turns, sees my face, and looks away.
Smart.
I stop beside Natalie’s chair and glance at his hand. He removes it.
“Natalie,” I say.
She looks up at me, and the relief in her eyes almost finishes what my temper started.
“Hi,” she says.
Too soft.
I bend and kiss her, lingering long enough to remind everyone at that table she is not alone. Lydia’s smile slips. Wesley’s jaw hardens. Color comes back into Natalie’s cheeks.
When I straighten, my hand settles at the back of her neck. She leans into me before she remembers they are watching.
Good girl.
“What happened?” I ask.
“Nothing.”
Lydia laughs lightly. “We were only chatting.”
I keep my attention on Natalie. “What happened?”
Her throat moves. “They were surprised we were here already.”
“Mm.”
