Page 71 of Mr. Aster
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Sebastian
“Istill think it is kind of rude to leave Spencer and Natalia behind,” I said to Darcy, sitting in the backseat of the car she’d requested to bring us somewhere away from the security of the resort.
“They’ll be fine, and we’re inlove,remember?”
“I understand, but how are they to know we’re in love if we hide from them?”
“Here, smile, lover,” she said, turning her phone to take a photo of us.
I did, and she laughed. Her mood was surprisingly peppy after being kept awake most of the night.
“You look like you’re holding in a fart,” she chuckled. “Try again. Now,smile.”
“Iam smiling,” I said, mimicking her tone.
She pulled her phone down and turned to face me, “Thatis not a smile. Your lips are barely open, and your teeth areclamped together like you’re trying to keep the dentist from drilling a cavity.”
I laughed.
“Try again,” she turned, positioned the camera, and, again, I smiled. “Oh, my gosh,” she said in annoyance. “That’s not a smile. That’s a painful expression.”
“That isme smiling,” I said truthfully.
“Didn’t your mother teach you how to smile?” she asked, dropping the phone.
“Since you have been fortunate enough never to have met my mother, you wouldn’t know that Margot Aster didn’t raise her boys to smile on command.”
“If you can’t figure out how to smile on command,” she mocked my tone in some low voice, “then how do you plan on ever finding another wife in the future?”
“IfI wanted another wife, I wouldn’t need to worry about my smile. My money will bring the women, not my smile,” I teased with an arch of my eyebrow.
“With a smile like that, I guess it’s a good thing you’ve got money, then,” she teased, raising her eyebrows smugly. “But since we’re living inmy worldtoday, you’ll have to learn how to smile whether you’re happy or not. Today, you will learn how to derive joy from the simple things in life.”
“I do not need a lesson in joy or happiness,” I said. “I’m pleasantly content with my life the way it is. As a matter of fact, I fear that life might get cut short by going to a shopping street outside of the safety of the resort without any bodyguards.”
“Bodyguards?” she said with wide eyes.
“Indeed. It’s quite the norm where I come from, and I’m shocked that’s news to you, given the people you write about.”
“I understand, but I haven’t seen any bodyguards in your family’s usual entourage since you came to California.”
“That was at my request. I didn’t need the additional bullshit of a personal security detail watching my every damn move. I just wanted to handle the business and get home.”
“I bet your parents hate themselves for not sending a spy along now that they probably know you’re engaged.”
“Not hearing a word from them since that video was uploaded allows me to know I’m all but kicked out of my family by this point,” I chuckled.
“Well, you’ll be fine. I used to run around this little place all the time. I used to surf here when I was a teenager, and my parents lived in Mexico.”
“Wild child,” I said, finding it intriguing that Darcy lived such a carefree life and seemed virtually fearless in everything.
“Nothing wild about it. This was my home, but just like any other place, there are dangers if you go to the wrong places. I know the places to avoid so you don’t get your sweet little ass kidnapped.”
“We are truly from two separate worlds,” I said, cocking my head to the side to study her. She’d had an excited expression since I agreed to go along on this outing.
“You don’t say,” she sighed with wide, humored eyes.
