Page 106 of Rich Girl
“It’s true, honey,” she pats me on the back. “But you know what he should’ve done? He should’ve showed up with a ring.”
“A ring?” My voice goes high when I speak, and Ray’s eyes go big in his face.
“Yes,” Gertrude declares. “You’ve been here for a year. How long does it take you kids to get married nowadays? I see that Evie and her handsome man are still dragging their feet, too.”
She leans her head closer in a conspirative way.
“I saw him naked, you know.”
I glance at Ray, but he just lifts his shoulders in a shrug. I am not used to this type of small talk, nor am I used to neighbors being in my business. It seems like even though I don’t talk to her that much, Gertrude is very invested in our lives.
“W-who?”
“Cal.” Her wrinkled face splits into a grin. “He is a handsome man, that one. My Evie did well.”
She then turns around to eye Ray up and down, with focus under his belt.
“I haven’t seen you without your drawers on yet. But she looks smart.” Gertrude points at me. “So I trust she knows what’s important as far as that goes and that she has something to work with.”
She then turns to look at me. She proceeds towinkat me.
“Although, if he’s anything like his grandfather, you don’t have anything to worry about, if you catch my drift.”
Ray tries to hold back laughter while I’m just staring in shock. This most definitely is notsmallneighborly talk.
“We have to go, Gertrude.”
Ray grabs my hand and pulls me to the limo.
“You kids have fun,” she calls out after us.
As soon as we are situated inside, I look at Ray in disbelief.
“I have never!” I huff and press a hand to my chest to express my shock.
I am so worked up over the entire thing, I don’t pay attention to Ray when he leans forward to talk to the driver. Once the car starts moving, I grab his hand and hold on tight.
“I’ll have to talk to Evie about Gertrude. That can’t be normal.”
It goes like that for the next twenty minutes, with me complaining and Ray snickering about it.
When we come to a stop, I look out the window, surprised that we’ve already reached our destination.
“Oh, he must’ve made a mistake,” I point toward the driver. “This is not the restaurant.”
“No mistake,” Ray assures me. “I had plans for the restaurant, but I think we need to start with this first.”
He opens the door on his side and gets out, rushing to get to my side and open the door for me. He is always so incredibly chivalrous. Just one of the things I love about him.
I take in the place where we are. The house in front of me is very large, bigger than Evie and Cal’s, which is what I measure homes by in this area. I stopped comparing everything to what I had in Boston. It’s a totally different world that I left, and I learned to adapt.
Ray grabs my hand, squeezing my fingers in reassurance before walking us up the sidewalk and to the front door. The entire place is lit up, but it looks cozy somehow, despite its massive size.
I am surprised when I notice he enters a code on the security pad that’s to the side, making me wonder why he’d have it. He opens the door with a flourish, inviting me in like we’re in a movie.
He makes such a striking picture as he stands there in his expensive suite and dazzling smile on his face. I feel like the belle of the ball when I step inside, my eyes going over the details all at once.
“What do you think?”
