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“Not yet. We wanted to speak with you first,” Poppy answered.
“Did you get the report from the detective yet?” Mia asked Victoria. “If not, I can handle that.”
“Detective? I don’t have a record, and I’ve never done anything bad except date a demented sheriff.” I unconsciously raised a hand to my eye. “Be careful asking around though, because he’ll find out and then figure out where I am.”
“Imogen is telling the truth. She has nothing negative in her report, so we are good to go,” Victoria smiled. “Please be sure that eye gets looked at today. I want to make sure she is up to this.”
The three women spoke around me, about me. Poppy was asking if this Asher was going to be grouchy or if he’d be over it. I was so confused. Why would he be grouchy? Didn’t he want a bride? I waited quietly, listening until I found a spot to ask.
“Can someone explain to me why this Asher will be grouchy or not?” I looked from one to the next, until Victoria responded.
“That’s a great question. Asher is being ordered to get married,” Victoria explained slowly. “He is a playboy with a big reputation, and I’ve given him an ultimatum to be kicked out of the family or get married to a mail order bride.”
“You mean I’m his punishment? I can’t be in this kind of situation. I’m sorry, I know you all helped me to escape, but I can’t be a wife that is forced onto someone.”
“Imogen, Victoria is letting him pick out of two women. So, you see he’s not being forced.” Sienna said. “Not completely anyway.”
“Actually, Imogen, that’s not correct either,” Victoria said. “My son Asher is a playboy. He’s attractive and fun with lots of family money.”
“And?” I spoke out, “Why is he being forced to marry me?”
“Again, he has been given an ultimatum. There happens to be a big scandal, he created, so I’m making him marry and settle down a bit,” Victoria offered. “He won’t be grouchy because he is going to love the look of you. Hence, why we are all discussing you as if you weren’t also right there.”
My mind was racing.Why would I let myself be bought for a guy who clearly can get his own women and is mad he is being forced? What if he gets violent too? Maybe I need to cancel this thing now? No way, I can’t. They have helped so much already and I can’t let Brice find me. Man, would he be pissed if he found me now. I felt the shivers start on the back of my neck, making their way south.
“Imogen, it’s really okay, I assure you,” Victoria said looking straight at me. “Asher is a good person. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. He’d play with the fly and buy it fancy stuff, but never hurt it.”
At that, Mia and Poppy both started giggling. I was starting to get an image of this Asher, and I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like him and was going to have my hands full.
I wonder if they would show me a picture?
Chapter 8
AUGUST
Iworked until one in the morning. Asher never showed up to look at the blueprints with me. I had been feeling bad for him but I just wasn’t anymore. He had to learn his lesson and he needed to get focused on the partnership. The Hawthorne name brought in major accounts, too many accounts for one architect to handle, especially with all the travel involved.
I’ll have him trapped on a plane for twenty-two hours. That’ll be my chance to have that serious discussion. He needs to start helping or get out of the partnership so I can run it the way I want to.
Saturday morning came and went. The family went in multiple directions. Parker and Mia headed back to Manhattan after breakfast, while Murphy slept off whatever partying she had done on her date. Trey, on the other hand, was in the kitchen talking on his cell when I walked in looking for lunch. He nodded then said his goodbyes to the person on the other end of the line.
“I was wondering when you’d be down.” Trey passed the plate of bacon to me. “Asher is in quite a mood still and took off this morning to meet up with a few of his regular women.”
“I have no idea how he’s my twin,” I joked. “He should be your twin.”
“Wait a minute.” Trey took the bacon back abruptly. “I never caused a family scandal. I never caused a family meeting to happen. And I showed up to work every day.”
“Yeah, I know. Why don’t you talk to him?” I poured myself a cup of coffee. “You are the oldest, you know.”
“Don’t go trying that one on me. Mom’s got this handled, we should just stay out of it.” Trey took my coffee cup the minute I set it down on the counter. “Thanks for the coffee.”
Dianne had walked into the kitchen giving us both the “what are you doing in my kitchen” look. Trey tried to hide the plate of bacon, but you couldn’t fool her. She was tough when it came to running the manor, especially the kitchen.
“Henry Hawthorne III put the bacon back in the warmer before I take my spatula to your fingers!” Dianne said, never checking to see if he had it. “And don’t look at August like he had anything to do with it. I know better.”
All I could do was laugh. The expression on Dr. Trey’s face was priceless. If his patients could see him now.
“August, what would you like to eat?” Dianne put on her apron. “Trey, did you fill up on my bacon or would you like something too?”
