“You never did tell me how you two met.”
Here was another place where she and Simon had disagreed. She hated lying and wasn’t any good at it. Which was why she had argued for keeping the story of their meeting and dating as close to reality as possible.
“He hired me to clean his house. One day we met and hit it off.”
“I’m sure you did,” Elizabeth said, demonstrating impeccable manners by not reacting to the fact that her son was engaged to the woman who cleaned his house. “I’m happy to see my son’s taste in women is improving.”
“I’m probably the least glamorous girl that he’s ever dated. I’m not sure what he saw in me.” Caroline heard the babble rushing from her, but nerves kept her from stopping or even slowing the flow. “I’m afraid that I don’t come from the same sort of background he does. I grew up in a small town in Alabama, and didn’t travel much past our county line until I went to college in Atlanta.”
Caroline had to wonder when the line between scheme and reality had begun to blur in her mind. She reminded herself that she was not actually Simon’s impoverished fiancée, but a well-paid accomplice in his conspiracy to fool his family into thinking he was off the market.
“Do your parents still live where you grew up?”
“My mother died when I was eighteen and I never knew my father.” Twice in one day she’d told someone about her father. That was odd since she hadn’t admitted not knowing who he was more than twice in the last ten years.
“Other family?”
Caroline shook her head. “I guess you could say I’m an orphan.”
“So young to be on your own.” Elizabeth reached out and covered Caroline’s hand. “How did your mother die?”
“Cancer.” Dazed by Elizabeth’s kindness and sympathy, the answer slipped out before Caroline considered what a difficult topic it might be for Simon’s mother. “I’m sorry.”
“For what? Because of what I’ve been dealing with these last few months?” Elizabeth offered her a reassuring smile. “I won’t tell you it was a picnic, but I survived and now I welcome every day as a blessing.”
Caroline didn’t realize how close her emotions were to the surface until Elizabeth’s gentle squeeze made her nose prickle. The next thing she knew, she was blinking moisture from her eyes. Her own mother had shown a similar strength and peacefulness. If Penny had sought help sooner, would she still be alive?
Releasing a shaky laugh, Caroline dabbed at the tears gathering on her lashes. “Wow, I’m not sure where these are coming from.”
Elizabeth’s own eyes were brighter than moments before, but her voice was strong and sure as she said, “I think you’ve been alone a long time. I’m glad you’re going to be joining our family. I know I can never replace your mother, but from now on, I’m going to think of you as my daughter.”
That declaration, followed by a tight hug, made Caroline’s vocal cords knot. She breathed deep, imprinting the woman’s jasmine scent into her memories and hugged back, pretending for this fragment of time that she wasn’t an impostor. That she was no longer alone.
Chapter Five
Simon retreated from the torture chamber he would share with Caroline for the next fourteen nights and retraced his steps to the first floor. How the hell was he supposed to sleep beside Caroline and keep his hands to himself?
The kiss they’d shared earlier that day had demonstrated a mutual attraction. How strong was the pull between them? Curiosity raged. Her bed had been three strides away. If he’d swept her into his arms and carried her to that bed, would she have protested? How far would it have gone before she’d come to her senses? How the hell was he going to lie inches away from her night after night and leave those questions unanswered?
His chest tightened. Making love to her might be the perfect Christmas present for him, but it wasn’t part of the bargain he’d made with her.
He paused in the kitchen to greet Sylvia, his parents’ housekeeper. With a peck on the cheek and a quick taste of what she had simmering on the stove, he headed down another set of stairs to the ground floor where he could escape his worries by immersing himself in a game of pool. Unfortunately, as he stepped off the last tread, the sharp thwack of ball striking ball meant he wasn’t alone.
“Hey, Dane,” he called, entering the game room his mother had installed in the mansion in an effort to keep her active children from wreaking havoc on hundred-year-old antiques.
“Well, if it isn’t my baby brother,” Dane said, looking satisfied as the ball he’d aimed at dropped into a pocket.
“You’ve been practicing.” Simon picked up a cue stick and began to chalk it. “Were you hoping to win back the hundred I took off you last year?”
“That was nothing but luck.”
“Right.” Simon drew the word out in a not-so-subtle taunt. “And the seventy-five the year before? And the fifty the year before that?”
“Shut up and rack ’em.”
With a smirk, Simon did as he was told. Then, he stood back and gestured for his brother to break. “Did you see that Mom put me your old room this year? She remodeled the bathroom. Dad said it almost bankrupted him, but it sure looks great.”
Dane sent the cue ball streaking toward the triangle of stripes and solids. A loud crack sent the balls spinning across the table. Number fifteen dropped in. His brother smirked. For a second, Simon toyed with letting him win. That would certainly be a first in their relationship. It might even be a step in the direction of personal growth. Of course, then he’d probably let slip what he’d done and that would definitely render any progress null and void.