God, why am I so crazy for someone who can’t possibly want me? She’s out of my league by a landslide, but I can’t stop how I feel.
“Yeah, my parents are out, River is with his tutor, and you know Felipe is on his honeymoon.” She tucks her hair behind her ear, and I wish I could do that for her.
“Are you ready to go?” I nod to her bag, and she says yes and goes to grab it. “I’ll get that for you.”
When I swoop down, it puts our faces close together, and for half a second I think about closing the distance and kissing her. Instead, I clear my throat and straighten as I put her bag over my shoulder.
“Come with me.” I hold out my hand, and to my surprise, she takes it. Not that Glenda would ever refuse a polite gesture, but the way her eyes catch mine when she does it makes my chest tingle.
I hold the door open for her and then drop her bag in the backseat. By the time I’m in the driver's seat and pulling out of her driveway, I realize that being in a confined space with her for this long might be a bad idea. Being so close like this means I’m going to be filling my lungs with her scent and feeling her heat next to me. I’m not sure my control can handle this, but there’s no way I’m turning back.
“I’m going to have to thank your mom for talking my mom into this.” I glance over at her and see she’s watching me drive.
“I told you last night I wanted you to come.” I shrug like it’s no big deal. When in reality it’s a very big deal to me. “I thought it might make things more certain if my mom made the offer instead of me.”
“Well, it was nice of her. My mother thinks I need to get out of the house more anyway.”
“You don’t go to many events in our circles.”
She looks away from me and out the window. “That’s mostly because my parents like to make that decision for me.”
“Then I’m glad I forced their hand.” When she turns to look at me, I’m happy to see her smiling.
“Me too.” She folds her hands in her lap, and I want to reach over and hold them. “So it’s your birthday this weekend?”
“Tomorrow,” I confirm. “My mom is trying to be sneaky about this surprise party, but I always find out.”
“Are you upset that the surprise is spoiled for you?”
“How could I be when you’ll be there?” The words are out of my mouth before I think them through, and she presses her lips together shyly and looks down at her hands. “And also because I love cake.”
“Me too.” She laughs and then shakes her head. “Gosh, I should really come up with something better to say.”
“I don’t care what you say, as long as you don’t stop talking.” I keep my eyes on the road as I say it, because I’m not sure I could take the full force of her gaze on me.
“Tell me something,” Glenda says softly, and I brace myself for the question I know she’s going to ask. It’s what everyone asks me. They all want to know how I got my scars.
“Okay.” I grit my teeth and try not to be upset. Of course she’s curious, everyone else is, so why wouldn’t she be the same? I guess I was just hoping that it wouldn’t be one of the first questions she asked.
“How old are you going to be?”
The question surprises me, and I grin. Glenda is always surprising me, so of course she got me this time too. “Old enough.”
“You’re a tease.” She pretends to huff. “Fine, tell me about your cake. I’m already trying to imagine what the flavor is.”
“White cake with white icing.”
“Oh, that’s my favorite!” I can practically feel her excitement.
“Me too,” I say, echoing her from earlier and letting her see we’re not so different.
The ride to the country house normally feels like it takes forever, but this time it goes by in a flash. Glenda and I ask each other questions the whole way, and I laugh more in that span of time than I probably have in years.
When we get to the main house, the servants are there and waiting to grab her things.
“Should I go with them?” she whispers to me, and I shake my head.
“No, let’s go inside, and you can say hello to everyone. They’ll take your things to the cottage you’ll be staying in.”
“So I’ve got a place all to myself?” I nod, and her eyes widen in surprise. “How exciting.”
“Are you not used to being alone?”
“Alone, yes. But my own place? Never.” She waves her hand like it’s nothing. “It’s okay, I don’t mind the quiet.”
“Then you’ll love the cottage. It’s my favorite place to go when everyone is here and I need some peace. It’s got a pretty impressive library too.”
“Are you serious?” Her feet stop as she turns to face me.
“I remembered you like to read.” Reaching out, I take her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. “So I hope you’ll feel at home here.”
A curious look passes over Glenda’s face, and then it’s gone. “Yes of course, because we’re family now.”
My brow furrows as I think it over. “I guess technically, yes.” But my feelings for her are far beyond anything familial.
“Glenda!” I hear my mom burst out of the house to greet us. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve got lots of things I would love to get your opinion on.”
“Hello again.” She lets go of my hand as she steps toward my mother and accepts her hug. “I’m so happy we could see each other again so soon.”
“And at another party, no less.” She looks over at me and winks. “But don’t worry, it won’t be as wild as the wedding. Just the family.”
She squeezes Glenda’s arm, and I see that same look as before. Does she not want to be part of our family? I don’t understand, but it seems like she’s disappointed when I mention it.
“Let’s go inside, I’ve got some food laid out while we discuss the theme for this weekend.”
“Sounds wonderful.” Glenda takes a deep breath and smiles at me. “Are you coming with us?”
“Cillian can’t possibly plan his own birthday party.” She waves him away. “Give us a little bit and then you can come steal her away.”
My mom doesn’t wait for me to answer as she leads Glenda in the house, and I’m left outside alone. Just before the doors shut, I swear I see Glenda look back at me, but it was probably just my imagination.
Chapter Five
Glenda
I was shocked when I opened my front door to see Cillian standing there. I was sure that a driver would be sent to pick me up, but with it being only him, that meant I got to have him all to myself for hours. I don’t think I’ve ever been all alone with a man that wasn’t blood related to me before. Let alone for hours on end.
From the few things I’ve heard about Cillian over the years, I was a bit worried the drive might have long awkward bouts of silence. People say that he can be broody and is not one to make small talk. I’ve yet to get that from him. It’s another reason to never listen to gossip. I don’t think there was even a moment of silence. He seemed to want to ask me as many questions as I wanted to ask him.