Page 17 of A Colourful Country Escape
‘Cory!’
‘She’s laid down the law that she’s got to approve his choice. She wants to be sure he doesn’t fritter the family fortune on some “gold-digging riff-raff”. I think that was the phrase.’
Mrs Moon’s lips were pinched again.
‘Mum’s a massive money snob. She’d love Ben to upscale and marry into even more cash. That’s why she’s got her beady eyes on the Fortescues. Their family interior design empire will be a good mix with our paints, so she reckons. Excuse the tacky pun.’
God, these rich people really were strange. Lexie downed some of her nervous tea.
‘And if Ben doesn’t meet this end-of-year deadline?’ She couldn’t believe she was even asking. It was ludicrous.
‘Mum has threatened to sell the business to the highest bidder and spend the money on cruising the world with her toy boy, Carlito. Anything to avoid letting the taxman have it, after how hard Dad strived. Working all those hours probably sent him to an early grave. Not that he didn’t love it.’
‘That mother o’ yours is what sent ’im to an early grave, poor bugger,’ muttered Tom.
Mrs Moon made frantic mouth-zipping gestures at Tom before turning to Lexie. ‘Ben would be devastated to lose that business. He was helping his dad with it for as long as I can remember. Following him around with his little briefcase and getting involved with all those meetings.’
Cory sniggered.
‘So wait.’ Lexie needed to get this straight in her head. ‘He won’t marry Cynthia, but he needs to marry someone. It must happen by the end of the year and the woman has got to be rich – or he loses his precious business?’
‘Exactly!’ Cory slapped the table.
‘And you’re telling me this, because … ’ Lexie thought for a moment. ‘Oh, wait … no!’ She felt her face flush. ‘I’m not sure what’s going on here, but let’s lay down some boundaries. I’m not dressing up in a Cinderella ballgown and pretending to be loaded so Ben can fool his mother. And there’s no way I’d marry him. No way! I mean, you know. No offence.’
They all immediately started laughing.
‘What? It’s a ridiculous idea! Look at me. I could never pull off posh. And I wouldn’t even want to. I’m perfectly happy with my lot, and Ben and I … well. He’s far too … ’
Rude? Standoffish? Irritatingly wealthy?
‘Different,’ she concluded, diplomatically.
Cory burst into full-blown laughter. Was he actually crying with amusement? What was all this about? Lexie wished someone would just spill the bloody beans.
Chapter 9
Mrs Moon rushed towards Lexie with the rest of the pot of nervous tea and started pouring. ‘No, no, dear, you’re getting it all in a pickle.’ She rubbed Lexie’s arm. ‘Nobody’s asking you to marry Ben. Mrs Carrington-Noble would never have it.’
‘I dunno. I think they’d be all right together,’ said Tom, scratching his head. ‘’E could do with jazzing up a bit. I’m sure ’e didn’t used to be so serious.’
‘Thomas! Lexie’s staff, like us. Now get your head out of the clouds.’
Tom shrugged.
They were still in the kitchen in the throes of the world’s strangest discussion about Ben, and he was likely to appear at any moment. Lexie tugged at the ends of her pixie cut, which were feeling as frayed as her nerves.
Cory finally stopped convulsing. ‘Don’t panic, Lex. My point in telling you this was exactly the opposite. If you see Mum parading fancy women around the place and trying to foist them onto Ben, it’s best to smile and pretend it’s perfectly normal. And don’t go looking too friendly with Ben. If she sees you as a threat to her master plan, she’ll turf you out. We’re on dodgy ground as it is, getting a new employee without her say-so. And no mentioning any of this on the socials, as juicy as it sounds.’ He gave Lexie a wink.
No getting friendly with Ben. Well, that bit should be easy enough. And as for meddling. Well, she’d driven one hundred and twenty-five miles, fought peacocks and convinced the world’s most reluctant employer for this job. She didn’t want to lose it now, or the home her broken-down camper van was squatting on.
‘I can manage unfriendly and discreet.’ Lexie nodded. In fact, the sort of man who couldn’t be bothered to pick his own wife sounded infuriating anyway. ‘Wouldn’t he be better off arranging his own love life?’
Cory waved a hand. ‘Searching for a suitable match is like unnecessary admin to Ben. He’d happily stay single, if it didn’t involve losing the business. I’m not sure he even believes in love.’
Lexie gasped. That was the saddest thing she’d ever heard. Not that she wasn’t completely off love herself for a while, of course. She couldn’t see herself falling for another guy until at least the day Mrs Moon retired from baking and dyed her hair green. But what kind of person thought of love asunnecessary admin?
She gave a small harrumph. Someone cold and beige with a stupid bag of cash where his heart should be. Someone like Ben.
