Page 137 of The Rose (The Godwicks 2)

“When I said there was nothing you could do to disappoint me but die, did you have to take me literally?” he asked. He pulled her pink business card with her tennis racquet and rose logo out and tossed it on the coffee table. “Young Ladies’ Gardening & Tennis Club, my arse. I should have known when you never played any bloody tennis.”

“A little suspicious, I admit,” Lia said.

“I thought it was a drinking club,” her mother said.

“What?” Lia asked. Where on earth had Mum gotten that idea?

“Gardening & Tennis? G&T? Gin & Tonic?”

“Close,” Lia said. “But no cigar.”

Her father pointed at her face. “No more gardening. No more tennis. You understand me?”

“Yes,” Lia said.

He pointed at her bedroom.

“Bedroom,madam. Stay there. Forever,” he said. “At least a week. Meals will be brought to you. Otherwise do not step foot one out of your suite until we’ve figured out what to do with you. I don’t care if you’re an adult. You still live under my roof, and I will send you to your room if I want.”

A week?

“Mum?”

“Don’t look at me,” her mother said. “He sends me to my bedroom all the time, whether I’m in trouble or not.”

“Mother, now is not the time for that.”

“Do as your father says. And don’t worry. It’s going to be all right. We won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I know,” Lia said.

“Are you all right, darling?” her father asked, anger momentarily put away. She gave him a small smile, a little nod.

“Yes, Daddy.”

Mum kissed her forehead and patted her cheek. “Get some sleep.” Her mother crooked her finger at her father. “Take me to bed, spouse. I was very impressed with how you handled that asshole painter.”

“You liked that, did you?” He wagged his eyebrows at her.

“Parents, go away, please.”

“Ungrateful child,” her father said. But her mother blew her a kiss. He put an arm around her mum’s waist and ushered her into the hallway. As they left Lia heard Daddy saying, “She takes after her great-grandfather.”

Her mother replied with unconcealed pride, “No, darling, she takes after me.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Lia took a long shower and put on her pink cotton nightie and got into bed. By the time her head hit the pillow she had convinced herself the whole thing with Aphrodite had simply been a temporary break with reality caused by overwhelming stress, the lingering effects of whatever hallucinogenic substance coated the Rose Kylix or a combination of both. Lia certainly would never break her great-grandfather’s Aphrodite statue. Proof—there it was, sitting on her mantel like always, in perfect condition.

As for David? Well, you had to pay tax. Odd that the arresting officer had come to Wingthorn to haul in David, though. How had he known David was here? At least it seemed August’s mother had kept her end of their devil’s bargain and called in the necessary favors to get David out of Lia’s hair. He’d probably get deported by Monday morning. Or August’s mother would offer him a deal—she’d make his legal troubles go away if he promised to keep his mouth shut. Either way, it was done. Lia knew in her heart her troubles with David Bell were over for good.

So why couldn’t she be happy?

Because August was gone, that was why. He was gone and she would never see him again.

Lia patted the bed so Gogo would join her, but for some reason he didn’t want to leave his dog bed. Ah, fine. Be that way, stubborn puppy. She’d sleep alone. She’d done it for most of her life. Wasn’t so bad. Wasn’t so bad at all.

She turned the light off and pulled the covers to her chin—the covers that still smelled like August, like cypress trees and his skin. Lia ignored the tears that streamed from her eyes and onto her pillow as she willed herself to sleep. She’d be doing a lot of sleeping the next week while she was a prisoner in her own bedroom.

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