“Thanks, Janet! This is Nash Barrett . . . a friend of Kaelynn’s. Will you be sure to put him in the guest room down the hall from Kaelynn’s bedroom?”
“So much for being able to hide,” I mumbled loud enough for Millie to smirk then give me a wink.
We walked into the house and I was stunned by what I saw. I had been in some rather impressive beautiful homes. Charlie’s parents’ house on Lake Travis in Austin was beyond stunning. But this house . . . this thing was stately. The marble floors were polished to perfection. On either side of the giant room there was a winding staircase that led up to the second floor. A huge chandelier hung from the ceiling. But the most impressive thing was across the room. The entire back wall was a picture window with the snow-covered mountains as the backdrop.
“That’s beautiful,” I whispered.
“I know,” Millie agreed. “Come, let me give you a quick tour so you can get your bearings. We have a theater room, a bowling alley, a trophy room where my father displays all of his trophies.”
“He likes to hunt?”
She laughed. “Likes to hunt? He lives for it. Do you hunt?”
“Live for it.”
“Well, then you’ll like that room, and you’ll earn a brownie point from my dad.” She motioned for me to follow her as she kept talking. “Let’s see, an indoor and outdoor playground. A dry sauna, a wet sauna, an indoor pool. A basketball court, indoor archery and shooting range, a meeting room, and if you brought your swimsuit, I believe the lazy river is on.”
“You’re joking, right?”
“Nope. Our parents wanted to make sure we wanted for nothing. My brother was into archery, so Dad had that built. He liked basketball, so Dad had it built. He wanted to make sure we could use everything year-round.”
“I want to say the word spoiled, but . . .”
Millie grinned as she walked up to an elevator and hit a button. “Fastest way down to the fun stuff.”
“Holy shit. I’m thinking I should have read the background report.”
This time Millie laughed and nodded. “You probably should have. Our family is wealthy, Nash. I don’t know this ex of yours, and I’m not trying to be a snob, but I’m pretty damn sure we’ve got her family beat by a few million. My great-great-great-—maybe one more great in there—grandfather put all of his money into railroads and industry like steel and iron. Then you had his wife, who had a smart head on her shoulders, not to mention she was pissed off at her cheating husband who put a lot of money into land in and around Boston, New York, and the DC area. Let’s just say between the two of them, they made a fortune and taught their kids to keep growing that. My father is no different. The man doesn’t have to work, but he works every single day except weekends. My parents have set up a lot of scholarships, donated a lot of money, and have helped with things that their kids have a fondness for. I like animals, so my father has donated a lot to charities I’m passionate about. Same for Kaelynn and my brother. What we have a passion for, our parents get involved in it. They have more money than they know what to do with, so they do good. You may think I’m blowing smoke up your ass, and to be honest, I don’t give a rat’s ass. I know the hearts of my family, and that is all that matters.”
I gently took Millie by the arm and stopped her. “You don’t have to explain anything to me about your family’s money. Or what your parents do with it. It’s none of my business.”
“I know, but it’s important you know that just because we have more money, it doesn’t mean we don’t do good for people. I don’t want you to think Kaelynn is like Li—”
Her voice trailed off.
“Lily?”
Trying to hide her face so I didn’t see the embarrassed blush on her cheeks, she nodded.
I sighed. “I’m not comparing Kaelynn to Lily. I need you to know that.”
“I’m sorry, this whole thing is just . . . I’ve never seen my sister fall for a guy like she has for you. She hasn’t been herself the last few days, and I know you guys haven’t even really dated that long, but I also know you slept together.”
This time it was my cheeks that burned.
“Nash, I hope you won’t walk away from something that is clearly special. You might be telling yourself you owed it to Kaelynn to talk to her in person and explain, but I think you got on that plane today because you needed to see her.”
Before I could answer, Millie’s phone buzzed and she glanced down at it. “Kaelynn’s here.”
Lifting my shoulders, I dragged in a deep breath. “Guess the tour is on hold.”
“Guess so. By the way, that snow is coming down. I venture to say you’ll have plenty of time to explore this place.”
Laughing, I motioned for her to lead the way.
Millie had taken us a different way, and I was already confused where I was in the house. Was I on the north side or the south side? Jesus, I needed a printed map with landmarks on it to make my way out of this maze.
“What side of the house is this?” I asked, walking down a narrow set of steps that led right into a hallway that housed a butler’s pantry.