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“Tell my father we’re in New York,” she said. “Tell him we’ll be back by next weekend.”
“Next weekend?” Julien sounded devastated.
“I have to work,” she said. “I have responsibilities. I have to take care of the farm before my family makes everything fubar.”
“Fubar?” Salena repeated.
“Fucked-Up-Beyond-All-Recognition,” Merrick translated.
“Lovely,” Salena said. “So where-”
The buzzing of Remi’s phone silenced the entire room.
Remi took a deep breath. Merrick held out his hand. Remi winced and handed him the phone.
“Merrick here,” he answered. Remi grabbed Julien’s hand for comfort. She couldn’t bear to look so she put a hand over her eyes.
“Remi? She’s still out,” Merrick said to whoever had called—her father most likely. “I know. She misplaced her phone. We just found it. Women. Am I right?”
Remi heaved a sigh of relief. Having such a bizarre assistant paid off sometimes.
“Where’s Remi? She’s out in the stables with this guy…I don’t know his name. She got a hot tip on a couple horses.”
Good, Remi thought. Dad loved it when she aggressively went after a good horse.
“What horses?” Merrick repeated. “I don’t know. Brown ones?”
Remi tried to grab the phone from Merrick. He slapped her hand away.
“Any luck with the horses?” Merrick repeated. “Yeah, she’s found herself a nice young colt. She rode him last night.”
Remi slapped a hand over her mouth to stop her from yelling at Merrick.
“How big is the colt?” Merrick said. “That’s kind of a personal question. Big enough to enjoy the ride, not so big she can’t walk today, I guess.”
Remi glanced at Julien through a slit between her fingers. He’d fallen onto his side on the sofa and lay curled in the fetal position with a pillow smashed on his face. He was either laughing or crying. She couldn’t quite tell which.
“Yeah, I’ll have her try to call you once she’s back in,” Merrick continued. “We’re getting shitty reception out here in the country so don’t freak out if she doesn’t call you back right away. We’ll be back this weekend.”
Merrick ended the call and tossed Remi the phone.
“You’re good,” Merrick said. “I covered your ass.”
“You told my father I rode a fine young colt last night,” she nearly screamed.
“What? You did,” he said.
“He had a point,” Julien said, waggling his eyebrows. He lay back on the couch, his ankles crossed on the armrest. All she wanted to do was drag him back to bed with her. But instead she had to think, to plan.
“Come on,” she said to Julien as she reached out her hand to him. He took it and she started to pull him to his feet. “I only have a few days left with you before I have to go back. Show me Paris.”
“No,” Julien said.
“No? You’re not going to show me Paris?” Did he really think they could spend the next few days fucking? Well, if he wanted to try, she was game.
“I will show you Paris, yes. But you aren’t going back.”
“Julien, I told you. I have a job. A very important one and-”
