“The islands are perfect for that. Since you’re leaving next week, I assume you have a place to stay. If you find it’s not to your liking, let me know. I have a lovely little property out there. Great for a quiet, secluded getaway.” I’m reeling at his generous offer.
“Wow—”
A loud ringtone cuts through the room.
“It’s J,” Ryan states, holding the phone out for Heath.
Heath stands and straightens his pants before taking Ryan’s phone.
“Please excuse me,” he states before walking out of the room. Ryan is basically a shadow following at a measured pace behind him. True to his word, the call does not even take ten minutes. He strides back in, and before he sits, Maria announces dinner. My father offers my mother hisarm, the Houses follow suit, and I stare Helen down for a quick second.
Don’t you dare.
I’m ignored. She offers Lydia her arm, and they slide together like two puzzle pieces. If I wasn’t so happy to see my sister and her partner together in our family home, I’d give her a dirty look. Helen is happy, and Lydia is nervous but happy. They are imagining bigger things from here, and I feel like I can hear their unspoken conversation: this dinner is another step forward.
Heath is looking down at his phone again, his brows furrowed. Ryan coughs to catch his attention, and Heath looks over at him with questioning eyes. The assistant’s eyes flit to me and the couples parting the room for a brief second.
“Shall we?” Heath asks as he offers me his hand for me to stand. I hum and take a deep breath, placing a sweet smile on my face. His hand is cool, smooth, and well-manicured. When I stand, our eyes are essentially on the same level, but mine are a pinch higher. His eyes meet mine and then drop down to my feet as though he had forgotten our first greeting.
No heels, buddy.
He offers me his arm, and I slide mine through his. We amble behind the rest of the dinner party, Ryan in our wake.
Dinner is served, and the conversation is simple. Nothing grand, mostly business and travel. The Houses talk about a long European tour they have coming up, and my mother practically drools over the idea.
I’m relieved when Maria makes the dessert and coffee announcement. There is only so much small talk I can handle. I’m feeling peopled out. Heath is nice enough; he is kind and makes easy conversation. The only thing thatseems to irk me throughout the whole meal is how he leaves his phone out on the table, face up. Every time it buzzes his eyes dance down to the screen, but he does not hiccup in conversation. He has mastered multitasking his phone and the busy life around him.
We’re making our way to the sitting room for the last part of this evening, but that plan is quickly stolen from me.
“Harlow, why don’t you show Heath the new garden,” my mother says, looking at me sweetly before turning back to Gloria. “We just had a large part of the property relandscaped. I wanted a picturesque garden, and Henry made it happen.”
Then why don’t you take him?
“Would you like a stroll?” I look over at Heath, standing board straight, and typing furiously onto his digital lifeline.
“Sure, dear,” he says as if on autopilot, without looking up. I don’t miss the way my mother snaps her head enthusiastically at the two of us.
I let out an unsatisfied huff and walk without looking over to see if he follows to the French doors.
“Want us to come?” I hear Helen ask, but I ignore her. All I can think of is how I fulfilled my obligation to my family by having this dinner. Unfortunately, I know that this won’t be the end. Heath’s lack of disinterest has both sets of parents invested in a possible future. He’s already leading his family’s business and making national headlines as a top-of-the-line businessman.
I get to the double doors, but a hand grabs the knob before I can. At first, I think Heath had stopped what he was doing and had moved to open the door for me. Nope—it’s Ryan, and he’s opening the door for the both of us.
Heath is still typing away on his phone, not at allbothered by my basic dismissal. His ability to keep his cool is annoying.
Ryan opens the door, and I step through, followed by Heath, then Ryan. He’s about to shut the door, but Heath holds one hand up.
“You may wait here,” he says as he gets back to finishing whatever is on the screen.
Ryan looks shocked as if he is rarely dismissed. He looks over at me, and I watch him with a bored look as he slinks back into the house and shuts the door.
Heath looks up at me and flashes me a confident smirk. “Shall we?” He offers me an arm but keeps his damn phone in his hand.
“Will your digital assistant also be joining us?” I drop my gaze to his phone, and he looks at it for a moment before sliding it into his back pocket.
“Not a fan of phones? Where’s yours?” he asks, looking me head to toe.
“Honestly, I can’t say for certain. Maybe the sitting room, or the foyer table, maybe the kitchen from when I tried to sneak a bite of risotto,” I say as I lead us down the paved path to a line of tall hedges.