Page 16 of A Colourful Country Escape
Lexie was glad she wasn’t expected to share a four-poster bed with an elderly man she hadn’t yet met.
‘And Mr Moon,’ Cory replied, with an eyeroll which was only for Lexie.
‘I’m fine,’ said Lexie, as breezily as she could manage.
‘Lexie’s off to the factory with Ben today,’ Mrs Moon told Cory, as though she sensed the need for a subject change. ‘To collect somestories.’
Cory grinned and craned his head around. ‘Trust me, all the best stories are happening right here these days, with what Mum’s up to.’
Lexie felt her gossip detectors flutter. She dusted crumbs from the wooden table onto her plate, trying not to look too interested. ‘Oh?’
This was surely about Ben’s mother’s matchmaking. But no. She absolutely wouldn’t snoop on the family’s idiosyncrasies any more than necessary. Even if behind-the-scenes shenanigans would be more click-worthy than tales of beige-looking paintwork.
As Lexie looked up, she saw Mrs Moon’s eyes dart towards Cory.
‘Ben won’t appreciate you talking about his personal bits and bobs. You know how reserved he is.’ Mrs Moon looked over to Tom in the window, her eyes widening in some sort of SOS signal.
Tom tugged awkwardly at his ear. The worm on his trowel squirmed. ‘Er, look, nipper. I’m not sure you should be tellin’ tales.’
Cory shrugged. ‘Now that Lexie basically lives here, she’d probably work it out at some point.’
‘Gawd help us, Mrs Carrington-Noble will likely kill us all for lettin’ the girl camp on her precious land in the first place,’ said Tom. ‘Without you airin’ and sharin’ Ben’s private bizniz.’
‘I don’t know why he doesn’t just settle for Cynthia,’ Mrs Moon muttered, and then pursed her lips like she shouldn’t have.
‘My brother wouldn’t date Cynthia any more than he’d go on a date with his own toenail.’
‘Chalk ’n’ cheese.’ Tom nodded.
Cory pulled a face. ‘Look, Lexie, I just wanted to give you a heads up,’ he continued. ‘Some of the things that go down in this place might seem pretty weird to an outsider. I don’t want you to be frightened off. But here’s the thing. Ben is a loser with women.’
‘Cory!’
‘It’s a fact. Like the sky is blue and like only death seekers surf Oahu’s Pipeline. Ben Carrington sucks at love.’ Cory looked directly at Lexie. ‘And Mum’s hellbent on finding him the perfect match.’
Lexie fidgeted on her stool. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the intricacies of her boss’s private life.
‘When left to his own devices, he’d rather concoct a new shade of Carrington’s beige than paint the town red. He’s married to that business.’
So that explained the uninspiring paintwork.
‘Mum’s matchmaking is seriously not the best. Sometimes I wonder if she’s more concerned about the family money and the future of the empire than what Ben needs in a woman.’
The house staff seemed to shrink away, as though unsure which side of the fence to fall on for minimal damage.
‘Come on, guys, back me up here. Some of Mum’s matches would make a vow of celibacy seem like a tasty alternative. What about senseless Sindy and that amoeba of a pooch?’
‘Ah, that rat of a thing that worried me peacocks,’ Tom joined in. ‘And the dog weren’t much better.’
‘And St Frances the stern nun.’
‘Cory, don’t speak about the poor girl like that.’ Mrs Moon busied herself with the plates. ‘Frances was a very nice girl.’
‘Ben pretended he was into devil worship so he didn’t have to go on a date with her.’
Tom gave a toothless snigger from the window.
‘And I don’t know what the sudden rush is, but Mum wants Ben married off by the end of the year. She’s keen to get the business signed over to him as part of the deal. Probably trying to avoid inheritance tax, or something. Maybe she’s feeling her age.’
