Page 31 of Acquiring Ainsley
“Sure.” I flipped on the FaceTime app and switched the phone call to video. “Here.” I held up my hand. “See?”
My mother let out a low whistle. “I’m impressed.”
“I know.” Still FaceTiming with her, I walked into my bedroom, placed the coffee cup on the nightstand, and threw myself on to the fluffy comforter across my bed. “I don’t know how he got it right, but he did. It’s hard not to see it all as a sign.”
“That scares you a little, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.” I stared at the ceiling. “Because it’s so unexpected. So uncanny.”
“And so real,” my mother added, finishing my thoughts.
A few days after, I strode into Namaste Now with my blue yoga mat tucked under my arm, ready for the 2:00 PM hot yoga flow practice. Given my newfound engagement, and the rosier outlook of our family’s finances, I’d decided to continue my workouts there and purchased a new round of classes from the studio website. Good thing, too, because now more than ever, I needed the relaxation and centering I got from the environment that Namaste Now offered.
Luke Rothschild stood behind the reception desk, and he looked up as the front door jangled, alerting everyone to my arrival.
“Early as usual. Good to see you, Ainsley.” He smiled. “I was expecting you.”
“Hey, Luke.” I tossed him a small wave, walked to the tablet affixed on the edge of the desk, and signed my name on it, officially checking in for the class, which was always taught by Natalie. “Can’t imagine why you were expecting me. It’s not like my life has anything major going on.” I winked.
“I’ve heard some news about you.” He rubbed the stubble on his chin, studying me. “Who hasn’t?”
“You mean about my upcoming wedding?” I glanced down at my ring finger. The glittering Cartier ring dwarfed my fingers, and a large part of me still marveled at Trevor’s uncanny ability to choose the ring I wanted. “It’s just been such a whirlwind lately—”
“How long have we known each other? Don’t bullshit me.”
My shoulders slumped, and I bit my bottom lip. I should have known better than to try to hide the truth from someone who’d spent a few decades in the orbit of my family. Dad got his first financing from the Rothschild family, and we’d been close to them ever since. Luke’s father had even been a pallbearer at Dad’s funeral. Luke was also a big reason why I’d taken up hot yoga, when he poached me from my usual personal trainer about a month after the first Namaste Now location opened.
“In fact, how long have I knownbothof you?” Luke braced his hands on either side of the reception desk and leaned across it. This amplified the muscles in his arms and the intensity in his gaze. “And while I’m sure you simply expect me to congratulate you, I know this goes deeper than that. For one thing, you haven’t been dating Trevor, have you?”
I cocked my head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re engaged.”
Luke scoffed. “A very interesting development, since your dad and his used to have their own little real estate war going on.”
“War? I’d hardly call it a war.”
“Come, on. They sued each other for a hundred million over the failed development of 732 Park Avenue, Ainsley.” He shook his head a few times. “It was one of the biggest business scandals of the last few decades.”
“Well, people can change. That’s all in the past.”
He shrugged one shoulder. “Okay, I’ll give you that one. But don’t try to fool me… you still don’t like him, and you certainly don’t love him. Neither does Ashton.”
“He’s actually pretty nice. Not as arrogant as I first thought.” I glanced at the short hallway that led to the women’s changing room. “Listen, Luke, you don’t have to be protective of me. If you think I’m going to get myself in over my head or something, don’t worry about it. I’m fine. Perfectly fine.”
“Are you sure? When people say they are fine in that kind of tone, they usually aren’t.”
“Well, ‘people’ might not, butImean it.” I met his stare head on and tried not to blink. No one, not even Luke, needed to pick up on the chaos that had become my life. “So yeah, I’m sure.”
“Somehow, I don’t believe it.” He straightened, still studying me. Then he lowered his voice. “You can talk to me, and you know that.” He glanced at the yoga studio entrance as if to assume this conversation would stay private, then he turned back to me. “Why are you doing this? What’s really going on with you, Ainsley?”
I blinked a few times. “Nothing. As I said, everything is fine.”
Luke might have given up everything for love, but he still wouldn’t understand. The Rothschilds didn’t have money problems—they had millions, and a golden parachute full of assets and social credit to bail them out of any jam. And besides, the risk he’d taken to be with Natalie had worked out for him. Over the last year or so, Namaste Now had become the go-to yoga studio this part of South Florida. They were well on their way towards becoming a major business in the area.
So, he wouldn’t get it.
“I want to marry Trevor, Luke. Promise. You know me. I don’t do anything unless I want to.”
A pregnant pause passed between us.
