AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sorry, I’m off in daze-land.”
“It’s understandable. Will your sister be okay?”
“Yes, she’s staying with my aunt. I told them I’d be staying at…the Belmont Palace for a while. They didn’t understand that I didn’t have a place. They thought Jack and I had put a deposit down on the new condo. I explained everything to them. They wanted me to move in with them but…”
“It’s okay.”
Olivia choked referring to Jack. His death was way more unbearable than his departure. He was gone. He was really gone. And so was her mind right now, she felt. She rubbed her temple with her right hand.
“You need an aspirin?”
I need you, now, Dane.
Oddly, the scent of his spicy cologne was soothing to her senses. “I’m good. I only have a slight headache. It’ll go away. It’s been one crazy day.”
“Well, I promise you. The day will get better. You’ll be treated to a warm family dinner with the Belmont family. And believe you me, it’s like no other. I had to get used to it myself.”
“Oh, right.” Olivia remembered Dane saying yesterday that he’d only gotten to know his real father in his teens.
“The place is big enough. You’ll have some privacy.”
“I can imagine.” Olivia thought for a moment. “Why do you trust me so much? I mean, you just met me.”
“Not really.”
“Not really?”
“You were vetted a while back. Six months ago, remember?”
“Oh, right. When I applied for the Belmont Christmas Bride gig.”
“Right. Got everything about you and your background. You’re a qualified social worker in good standing with your professional association. You aced your program with a 4.0 average. Got a clean police record. Never even had a parking infraction. Great references…” His grin was charming as he rambled on about her accomplishments.
Olivia’s jaw fell open.
“You know all of that about me?”
Dane continued to grin. “Well, my team knew that about you. This morning, before the ceremony, I went and looked over your application in detail. I wanted to learn more about you. I mean, I had to have something to say about you at the ceremony besides all the stuff you told me.”
She grinned sheepishly. “Of course.” That was why Dane had said she was a wonderful woman. It wasn’t just the conversation he’d had with her but he knew about her involvement in the community and everything else she’d opened up about herself on that detailed profile. So many applicants who wanted the prestigious Belmont title this year had jumped through hoops similar to applying for a prestigious scholarship. Well, sort of. The wedding at the historic Belmont Hotel would have cost mega thousands. Royalty and A-list movie stars have married there. But in recent years, the hotel opened up a wedding give-away to deserving couples starting out in life so that they could get a taste of an out-of-their-budget lavish wedding at no cost to them.
“Well, you’ve done so much already, Dane. I feel so indebted to you.”
Just then Dane placed a quick call to his aunt to instruct the butler to set another plate at the dinner table in the grand dining room.
“It’s nothing, Olivia. And don’t ever feel that way. We’re even.”
“We’re even? No, we’re not.”
“Are you arguing with me?” He tilted his head in question as he pulled up to the grand driveway of the Belmont estate. And goodness, the place was intimidating. It truly did look like a palace built at the turn of the nineteenth century, with its massive white brick exterior, a fountain in the front garden and grounds that expanded to forever and an acre.
“How many rooms are in this place?” Olivia asked, her jaw still open.
“Seventy-five.”
“Oh, wow.”
Dane drove into a driveway where Olivia saw nothing but expensive cars like Bentleys, BMWs, Mercedes and a classic vehicle she couldn’t quite place the era. Maybe the 1930s. She recalled seeing a vehicle of that model in an old black and white movie. Did it belong to the Jonah Belmont, the first?
There was an eight-door garage, too, with what looked like gold-plated doors. Okay, this was so not what she’d expect to see here, up close. Did people really live like this? Olivia volunteered in so many shelters in her time and lived in modest homes herself and she could not even wrap her head around this. The place was the size of the university she’d attended. At least it looked that way from the outside.
“We’ll have dinner at around five o’clock, then the family usually heads over to Moorehouse.”
“Moorehouse?” she repeated, knowing that neighbourhood was quite modest.
“Yeah, it’s a tradition. The family goes there Christmas Day to deliver presents to the kids and families.”
Her heart melted. “Oh, Dane, I had no idea. That is so sweet of you. All of you, to do this personally.” Especially when they could probably pay staff to do it.
“It’s something we make sure never gets in the media, that’s why you probably never heard about it. Jonah likes to keep it quiet. It’s about the spirit of the holiday, not publicity.”
“I see. Who’s Jonah?”
“Oh, I call…my father Jonah for short.”
“Oh, right. Jonah Belmont.” She realized that Dane probably called his father by his first name because he’d met him as a teen and never got the opportunity to call him Daddy.
“And please, don’t mind Aunt Maya.”
“Aunt Maya? Why?”
“You’ll see what I mean.” Dane grinned.
Chapter 9
“I’m so glad you could join us for dinner, Miss…?” Maya extended her hand to Olivia in the foyer.
“McAlister. But please, call me Olivia.”
“Yes, of course,” Maya said lovingly. She was a very petite yet rounded woman with an incredibly pleasant face. She had silver hair pinned back neatly in a bun and her round cheeks were so cute you wanted to reach out and pinch them. Her voice was as warm and soothing as honey. She also had the aroma of someone with freshly shampooed hair.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Belmont.”
“Oh, no dear. Please call me Maya. And I’m Ms. Belmont; I’m a widow. I’m Jonah’s sister.” Maya peered at Olivia over her silver-rimmed glasses, eyeing her up and down, a grin of approval on her lips.
“I see you eat very well,” Maya said, with a warm smile. “Good for you, dear.”
“Oh, um…thank you,” Olivia said quietly, not sure exactly how to respond.
“Aunt Maya!” Dane scolded.
“Oh, no. I didn’t mean it in a bad way, dear,” Maya explained as the three of them walked into the grand kitchen area. “I just like to see a natural girl. Not those toothpicks with wigs your brother brings home,” Maya said to Dane before turning her attention back to Olivia. “I’m so sorry about your loss, darling. How awful.”
“I know, I can’t believe he’s gone,” Olivia said, her voice almost breaking. “Everything happened so fast.”
“Yes, it often does, doesn’t it?” Maya said. “But don’t worry, dear, you’ll meet someone else. I can feel it…”
“Aunt Maya! That’s enough.” Dane’s voice was firm.
Despite her horrific day, Olivia actually felt quite amused by Dane’s aunt.
Aunt Maya held up her head. “I’m sorry, dear. Let’s go into the grand dining room, shall we?”
“Olivia’s going to get settled in her room first,” Dane informed his aunt.
“I’m sorry about all that,” Dane offered as he walked Olivia up the winding staircase from the main foyer.
“That’s okay,” Olivia said, her heart pounding. “She was only speaking her mind. She’s actually kind of sweet. At least she’s upfront about her feelings and says what’s on her mind. I like people like that.”
God only knew she did. She wished Jack had been upfront about a lot of things. Like not wanting to get married. Like being caught up in some sort of shady business that would put her own life in danger, too.
Olivia tried to chase the thought from her mind. Dane was right. She’d go crazy if she let it all sink in right now. Her priority was getting some rest and nutrition—and a roof over her head.
She was thankful to have Dane by her side. What would she have done if the wonderful hotel manager hadn’t come to her rescue yesterday, considering all the events that unfolded over the past twenty-four hours?
* * *
Dane and Olivia walked along a lengthy corridor on the upper floor of the estate. She admired the oil paintings along the wall as she headed towards her room.
“Impressive. Who are these people?” Olivia queried, feeling out of her element. She felt as if she were at an art museum. For one thing, the ceiling in the hallway was cathedral height. All Italian-style crown moulding. The doors also were tall. They don’t build homes like these today.
“My grandparents and great-grandparents, et cetera. Part of my welcoming into the Belmont family, when I found out Jonah was my dad, was a history lesson.” Dane animatedly rolled his eyes. “We’re all required to know the history of the Belmont family that goes way back to the 1600s.”
