Page 64 of A Billionaire for Christmas
Molly felt a stab of anxiety. She gathered her long hair in one hand and piled it on top of her head, securing it with a band to give herself a minute to think up an excuse. Under his forensic scowl, she picked up the bottle, pretended to inspect the label and put it back in her pocket. She felt a light film of sweat form on her upper lip.
‘They’re in the freezer. You can’t.’
‘Show me.’
For fuck’s sake.
‘Haven’t you got better things to do than harass innocent chefs?’
‘No. And you’re hardly innocent.’
Molly blushed down to her toes.
Levi looked taken aback. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean like that. I meant… it doesn’t matter what I meant. Carry on with whatever you’re doing.’
‘Wait.’ For some indescribable reason she just wanted to be near him. To talk to him. To interact with him. Even in this almost unbearable exchange. With her heart beating double time, Molly reached out. ‘There are a few things I need to mention. A few concerns.’
Levi raised an eyebrow. ‘You’re concerned? How do you think I feel?’
They were interrupted by the distinctive click-clacking of Valerie’s heels returning on the slate floor of the kitchen. ‘Molly, he’s in the shower. Do it now before—’ Valerie almost screeched to a halt. ‘Angelo, darling, there you are. I need you. It’s this wedding. I’m thinking white Mustang horses sprayed gold and vintage gilded carriages, but Freda is insisting it’s old hat and animal cruelty. Come and talk sense into her.’
Valerie, with eyes bulging, gave Molly a hard stare. ‘Leave Molly to get on. She has much to do. Important things to take care of, don’t you?’ She was all but shooing her away. ‘Off you go. Hurry.’
Molly’s jaw dropped at the dismissive fashion in which Valerie was wafting her away, like a fly hovering around food.
Levi’s mouth tightened at his mother’s gesture. He gave Molly an apologetic look before turning his attention back to Valerie.
‘Actually, Mother, Molly and I were in the middle of something. Can this wait?’
You’d think Levi had informed her that he and Molly were expecting triplets. But instead of getting the hump with her precious son, Valerie glared at Molly as though this was all somehow her fault. She narrowed her eyes, dropping them to the bulge in her pocket, before spinning swiftly on her heel and click-clacking away again.
Levi let out a slow breath and ran his hand through his hair. ‘What’s going on?’
Molly bit her lip, wondering how to tell him his uptight mother was batshit crazy with the morals of a snake. She wiped the back of her hand across her brow. Living with this family was becoming increasingly stressful. How were they creating problems at such speed? It was like living in crazy town.
‘I’m not going to stand here while you think up a bunch of lies,’ Levi snapped. ‘When you’re ready to tell me the truth, I’ll be over there. Waiting.’
‘Fine,’ said Molly. ‘Your mother thinks your father is having an affair and she wants me to steal his phone so that she can check his messages.’
‘And you agreed?’ Levi looked incredulously at her.
‘No. Of course not!’
Levi’s posture relaxed slightly. ‘Okay, good. I’ll talk to her later.’ He glanced back at her as he walked away. ‘And try to keep the drinking down to acceptable levels. It can’t be that stressful working here. Show some professionalism.’
At that moment, Molly wished shedidhave a drinking problem.
* * *
Just before lunch was due to be served, Molly knocked tentatively on Freda’s bedroom door. She answered, her eyes red and puffy.
‘Can I come in?’
Freda sniffed. ‘Sorry. It’s not a good time.’
‘I just wanted to check you were okay and to apologise for earlier.’
‘Apologise? Why?’
