Page 17 of His Weekend Girl
“Engaged and the relationship ended abruptly around the time Grant was sick,” Amberswan chewed on an orange slice, “he had to take a leave of absence from the family business, but it looked dire for a while and it wasn’t clear if he wasn’t going to make it. He ended up pulling through and being better than ever, but it was too little, too late. The whole family moved on as if he was about to die and never tried to reverse course once he was better.” She shrugged.
Everything was clear now. Grant didn’t want to be around his family because they all screwed him in one way or another. If it wasn’t for Trixie, it would’ve been another woman. Trixie was now a pawn in Grant’s game. It was better she knew now than to get too close, fall in love, and then end it come Monday.
What was she supposed to do with that information? She still needed to act like everything was fine or Grant wouldn’t pay her at all. “Wow.”
Amberswan studied her friend’s face. Trixie looked like she had just seen a very rich ghost slip through her fingers. “You okay over there, boo?”
“Um…um…” Trixie tried to find words and they were faster than her brain. “…I will be.”
“Listen, don’t blow this,” Amberswan warned, “you’re getting paid a lot of money, girl. This will take care of the entire year, and probably the next two to three if you play your cards right. Be pretend fiancée, blow his mind and his load, and then let’s go on vacay together when you get back!”
Easier said than done. Trixie already knew she started to develop some feelings for Grant. Now that she knew Grant was using her to get back at his family, it took away all of the emotion she was developing.
Trixie hadn’t acted in any production since middle school and now she had to do her best Viola Davis impersonation. “Choose a place for us to go and I’ll be there.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
TRIXIE NO LONGER envied rich people considering she got lost no less than fifteen times within an hour. That was a new record even for her.
The estate was so huge Trixie kept wondering if she was really in the same home. She understood the need for walkie-talkies and overhead speakers. She thought it was silly at first, but then she thought about it – unless you call everyone individually on their devices, how would they know it’s time for dinner?
She put on her game face and pulled her long hair into a pineapple pouf on top of her head. She went for a light makeup look and kept it as close to natural as possible. She changed out of the sundress and into a short Oscar de la Renta number that left very little to the imagination for how short it was.
It was borderline obscene, but Grant also co-signed the dress and saw no problems with Trixie wearing it. Well, that part wasn’t entirely true – Grant never saw the dress but could go through Trixie’s luggage if he wanted to.
He left to go into the backyard to join the rest of the family and greet guests while Trixie rested. She also needed to make sure she had her plan settled – smile, make a little conversation, and whatever she did, avoid Charlotte at all costs.
Trixie rolled her eyes at herself. Did she honestly think a billionaire would be interested in her on somePretty Womanshit? She was desperate and stupid and she was exactly what Grant ordered. If it wasn’t for her, it would’ve been someone else.
Trixie also had to think about the opposite. She was in Malibu, at an estate hosted by one of the world’s richest families. She could’ve been stuck in her car that was in desperate need of an oil change, with balding tires, and wondering if she was going to get an order good enough to pick up.
Trixie looked herself over one last time and sighed. She held the canary yellow diamond against her face and smiled. “Hi, I’m Grant’s fiancée, Trixie,” she practiced. She lost the smile.
~~~~
“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen you around, Grant,” a family friend, Rex Steele, greeted him by the bocce game. He had strawberry blond hair, a light dusting of freckles, and a swimmer’s build. He was also a huge Taylor Swift fan and proudly called himself a Swiftie. “How have you been?”
“Oh, you know…” Grant sipped his vodka tonic. “…around.”
“I hear that,” Rex nodded as they watched the game. “I could never understand this uptight bullshit of a game.” He quietly spoke to Grant as Grant chuckled. “The only people willingly play this shit is just to show off. Too classy for regular bowling or a game of pool, but just rich enough for this bullshit. Get the fuck out of here.”
“Now Rex, you know how our families are,” Grant reminded him as Rex rolled his eyes. His family owned a fast fashion online brand similar to Fashion Nova called So Iconic. “You know how they do things.”
“And that’s why I’m over this stuffy-ass shit,” he took a swig of beer. He turned to Grant. “So, where’s this fiancée of yours I keep hearing about?”
Grant took a sip of the vodka tonic he’d nursed. “Word travels fast.”
“You know how Charlotte is. She tells Erica and everyone else knows about it within a few minutes.” Rex shook his head. “You don’t have to wait for TikTok when you have a gossipy wife and matching friends.”
“She’ll be down soon,” Grant’s eyes quickly searched for Trixie. Where was she? He left when she was in the shower and had he known that was the plan, he definitely would’ve stayed and would’ve been proud of why he didn’t attend the opening soiree.
He needed to calm down his impending erection before he would need to make an unceremonious departure. “She’s getting ready now.”
“How did you two meet?” Rex asked. “That part of the story has gotten lost.”
“At a coffee shop,” Grant lied. It was a plan he and Trixie came up on the fly during the conversations earlier. He didn’t mind telling the truth, but Trixie was against it for how it would look to his family. Grant understood without asking questions. “She was sitting down and I was ordering an Americano. I decided to join her.”
“You gave up the escorts?” Rex quietly asked and Grant shrugged.
