Pretending to be Rich

by Parker, Weston

  “Oh, I don’t know the first thing about cooking,” Eliana said nervously.

  “That’s okay. I will teach you, just like my mother taught me.”

  I picked up our suitcases and followed behind the women. “Same room?” I asked my mother, wondering if she would protest me and Eliana sharing a room.

  “Yes, the bed has been made up,” she said nonchalantly, her focus on her dinner in the kitchen. “You take the bags up. I’ll get Eliana some wine, and she can help me with dinner.” She had effectively dismissed me.

  I looked at Eliana, who looked nervous but gave me a small smile, indicating she was okay being alone with my mother. I took the suitcases upstairs and moved to the suite I had used when I stayed after my father died. It was a different room than the one I had when I was a boy. My mother informed me that had been turned into her sitting room.

  I deposited the suitcases next to the bed and quickly rushed back downstairs. I didn’t want Eliana to feel too uncomfortable. When I walked into the kitchen, my mother was holding a heavy rolling pin and showing Eliana how to roll out the dough.

  “Pour us some wine, please,” my mother ordered.

  I looked at Eliana, knowing it wasn’t her preference. She gave a slight shake of her head. “Are you sure?” I asked.

  “Sure about what?” my mother asked, her head popping up.

  “Eliana doesn’t favor wine,” I explained.

  Eliana blushed and looked like she was going to rip my head from my body with her bare hands. “It’s fine.”

  My mother scowled. “You don’t like wine?” she asked, her Italian accent thick.

  “I do, I do,” Eliana quickly answered.

  “Get her the red, the good one. She hasn’t had our wine. Have you not treated the woman to your family’s own wine?” My mother looked aghast.

  Eliana looked at me. “Your family owns a winery?” she gasped.

  I shrugged a shoulder. “It was something my dad was interested in. I don’t drink it because it’s too expensive.” I gave my mother a look.

  “Because it is good,” she said proudly. “We don’t make cheap wine.”

  “Cellar?” I asked my mom, knowing Eliana was going to be pressured into trying it regardless of her preferences.

  “Yes, go, go.” She shooed me out of the kitchen.

  I headed for the door that would lead me to the wine cellar below the kitchen. I turned on the lights, surprised to see it was much bigger than it had been when I was a kid. My father’s collection had grown extensively. I browsed the labels until I found the wall filled with bottles from my father’s winery.

  My father had no part in the actual making of the wine, but he took great pride in being a quality control expert. It had been a long time since I had drunk any of it. I passed the rack of my father’s most prized wines.

  I stared at one of the bottles and shook my head. “Lot of good it did you to save that one for a special occasion,” I muttered, deciding right then I wasn’t going to wait for anything anymore.

  My dad had saved the wine with the intention of opening the bottle for something really important, and now that he was gone, he would never get to experience the taste at all. His willpower and self-control had deprived him of that special moment.

  I turned off the lights and headed back upstairs with the full-bodied red in hand. When I emerged in the kitchen, my mom and Eliana were laughing—actually laughing. I didn’t want to believe my mother was happier after my father’s death because I knew she loved him and was grieving, but I felt like his death and us coming back together made her happy.

  “All right, are you ready for this?” I asked Eliana.

  “Let it breathe,” my mother ordered.

  I nodded, opening the bottle and leaving it to rest on the counter while I grabbed three glasses. I took a seat at the counter and watched as my mother instructed Eliana on how to make the ravioli. They both seemed to be enjoying themselves. I poured three glasses of wine and slid two over to the ladies.

  My mother picked up her glass and swirled the liquid a few times before inhaling the scent. Eliana did the same, much to my mother’s excitement. I picked up my own glass, gave it a good swirl, and inhaled. My mother sipped from the glass, her eyes on Eliana as she took her first drink.

  “Well?” my mom asked.

  “It’s actually very good,” Eliana said with a smile before taking another drink.

  “You deprive this woman of good wine!” my mother declared, scowling at me.

  I shrugged. “If you didn’t charge a week’s pay for a bottle, I could treat her to the good stuff.” I winked.

  She gave me a look. I shook my head. I didn’t want to talk about the inheritance. I was trying to forget it was there. I sipped the wine and watched the two of them work.

  Eliana seemed much more relaxed after the first glass of wine. She actually asked for a second glass. I was ordered to set the table in the formal dining room. I fumbled around in the china cabinet, pulling out what I hoped were the right dishes. It had been a long time since I’d eaten formally.

  The women carried in dinner, and I was immediately starving. It had been a long time since I’d had my mom’s cooking. The week I had been home, we’d been inundated with what my mother referred to as funeral food. There were at least twenty lasagnas delivered, along with a horde of casseroles. She ended up giving most of the food away. Neither of us had been all that hungry.

  “It smells great, guys,” I said.

  “I can’t wait to try and make these at home,” Eliana exclaimed.

  I looked at her and smiled. I loved seeing her happy. We had talked a lot about her mother and their history. It was a miracle she was as well-adjusted as she was.

  I admired her strength. I knew we had a tough road ahead of us. Both of us had our own issues to overcome, but together, I was confident we could.

  Chapter 38

  Eliana

  I didn’t know if it was the wine or the environment, but I felt warm. It was a strange feeling. It was a warmth low in my belly and just kind of radiated out. It felt like lying on a warm, sandy beach with the sun beating down from above.

  “This tastes amazing,” I said to Mrs. Kouris.

  “You did a good job,” she said with a smile.

  I nodded. “Thank you. Thank you for showing me how to make it.”

  “Do you cook with your mother?” she asked.

  Cade stiffened. I offered him a small smile, letting him know it was okay. I was going to have to talk about her eventually. “I didn’t. I don’t.”

  “Oh?” she asked.

  I owed her an explanation. She obviously loved her son and wanted to make sure he was with a good woman. I knew I didn’t quite measure up to the standards she would likely have for the woman that would be with her son.

  “Mom,” Cade said, trying to tell her not to press.

  “It’s fine,” I said. “I don’t mind.”

  “Is your mother gone?” she asked.

  I smiled. “No. Not gone gone, but she and I have a very strained relationship. She, um—” I cleared my throat. There was no easy way to tell someone your mother didn’t like you and wished you were never born. “She doesn’t want to be a part of my life. She never has. I’ve only recently come to terms with that.”

  Her face fell, and she looked at Cade, then back at me. “She doesn’t want you in her life?”

  I shook my head. “No. My mother is very much about herself and did not want children. I was an accident, and she has never let me forget it.”

  The woman said something in Italian—a lot of something. Cade’s eyes widened. “Mom!”

  I didn’t know what she said, but it shocked Cade. She turned to look at me and reached for my hand. She grabbed it, clapped it between the two of hers, and stared at me with dark, intense eyes that were very similar to Cade’s. “You are a beautiful girl. I am sorry your mother cannot see that.”

  “Thank you,” I whispered, emotion nearly choking
me.

  “You’re very welcome,” she said. “I’m so glad Cade has met a woman like you. He needs a woman that is grounded and smart and doesn’t need pampering. He also needs a woman that can understand his own background. Parenting is not easy. I wish we would have been better parents, but alas, we made some mistakes.” Her face looked pained.

  “Mom, I’m not exactly a failure,” Cade protested.

  “No, you’re not. You persevered. You’re an amazing young man. You made your father and I very proud.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  I smiled, watching them, and was a little envious of their relationship. I knew it hadn’t been easy for him, but it looked like things were going better for them. We finished our dinner, finishing off the bottle of wine, which had been really good. I was officially hooked on expensive wine.

  “Let’s go into the living room,” Mrs. Kouris announced.

  “Should I take care of the cleanup?” I asked.

  She smiled. “Honey, I cook, but I don’t often clean.”

  I laughed. She was a very wealthy woman. I was surprised she cooked. I always imagined rich people had personal chefs that prepared lavish meals for them.

  “I’ll grab another bottle from the cellar,” Cade said, leaving me and his mother alone.

  I followed her through the house, doing my best to keep my mouth shut. I felt like it was hanging open. I was in awe of the beauty of the home. It was tasteful and felt homey. She turned a corner and walked through a set of open double doors into a massive room with a huge stone fireplace dominating one side.

  “Have a seat,” she said. “I have never gotten to do this, so forgive me.”

  I had no idea what she was talking about, but I was a little worried. She moved to the end of the room where there were floor-to-ceiling bookcases and pulled off a leather-bound book. She sat down on one of the couches and patted the space beside her.

  I smiled and took my seat. “What’s this?” I asked.

  “This is my photo album of Cade. Do you know what scrapbooking is?”

  I laughed. “I do. I don’t do it, but I have seen the craze.”

  “I don’t know what Cade has told you about his childhood, but he was away at school a lot. I missed him terribly. I started putting together albums, spending way too much time on these things.” She laughed.

  “You missed your son. It’s understandable.”

  She handed me the album. I opened the first page and saw an infant that she told me was Cade. As I flipped through the pages and the pictures showcased a growing Cade, I began to recognize little features.

  Cade came into the room with the wine, stopped, and groaned. “Oh Mom, no.”

  I flipped another page and saw the change in Cade’s pictures. I wondered if his mother saw the change. His younger pictures had showed a happy boy, running in fields, picking flowers, and looking like a typical healthy child. As the years went on, the change in him was apparent.

  “He was a fat kid,” she said.

  I nodded. I didn’t just see a fat kid. I saw a kid that had lost the light I had seen in earlier pictures. I remembered he told me about being sent to boarding school. My heart hurt a little for that little boy that had been lost in the shuffling of his life. I wanted to get up and hug him.

  He handed me a glass of wine. Our eyes locked for a brief moment. “Thank you,” I told him, our fingers brushing.

  He gave his mom a glass and took a seat on the couch across from us. I finished going through the album, smiling at Cade’s pictures as a young adult graduating from school. He was definitely on the chunky side, but those beautiful eyes and that personality that made him special shone through.

  I was happy to see he seemed to be happy in those years. It had hurt my heart to see him look so sad throughout his adolescence. I imagined if anyone would have made a scrapbook of my life, I probably would have had that same air of sadness about me.

  She took the book and put it on the table before leaning back on the couch. I got up and moved to sit beside Cade. I needed to comfort him. Even if the hurt had been over ten years in the past, it was new to me. He put his arm around me and pulled me against him. We sipped our wine and enjoyed the silence.

  “Cade, I’ve spoken with the attorney,” his mother said. “Things have already been transferred into your name.”

  I got the idea they were talking about something that was private. “I’ll give you two a minute,” I said and made a move to get up.

  “No, stay,” Cade said

  “Yes, stay,” his mom agreed. She looked at Cade. “The money should have been wired into your account.”

  I didn’t move. I tried to look casual. I had no idea what they were talking about. I couldn’t help but feel like I was intruding on a private family matter.

  “Mom, I wish you wouldn’t have done that,” Cade said.

  “I didn’t,” she said gently. “Your father did. It was his wishes. You are his only child. This is yours.”

  I looked up at Cade, silently questioning him.

  He looked worried. “My father left me an inheritance.”

  His mother scoffed. “His father left him the bulk of his estate.”

  “What?” I asked with surprise.

  “I’m sorry,” Cade said with a wince. “I didn’t know how to tell you.”

  “Tell me you’re wealthy?” I asked.

  He slowly nodded. “I could donate it all.”

  His mother nearly choked on her wine. “Your father wanted you to have that money for your family.”

  He chuckled. “I know, I know, but Eliana has an aversion to wealthy people.”

  “Oh?” his mother asked.

  I was going to kill him slowly. “It isn’t all wealthy people. It’s just, well, my work, I, uh…” I felt stuck.

  “It’s fine, dear. Wealthy people tend to have sticks in their asses.” She looked at her son. “Is that how you say it?”

  Cade laughed. “Pretty much.”

  “So, you’re a wealthy man now?” I asked, smiling up at Cade.

  He shrugged a shoulder. “I suppose I am.”

  His mom was watching us with a smile on her face. She looked happy. Cade had told me she was cold and didn’t smile. I had seen her smile plenty since we’d arrived. If he thought his mother was cold, he would think my mother was an ice queen. Then again, around him, she’d turn on her charm and flirt her ass off, especially when she found out he had money.

  “I’m going to turn in,” his mother said. “I need to return some emails. You two enjoy the rest of your evening.” She smiled at us and left the room.

  I sighed, resting my head against his chest. “How come you didn’t tell me about the inheritance?”

  “Honestly, I was afraid to.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m afraid to tell you the reason,” he said.

  I laughed. “What?”

  “I was already planning to go back to Heraklion and win you back, but I didn’t want the money to be a factor,” he said. “I didn’t want it to keep you from wanting to be with me, but I also didn’t want you to want to be with me because of the money. I wanted you to be with me for me.”

  “Cade, you know money wouldn’t influence me,” I told him.

  “I know that. I really do, but I was so desperate to get you back I didn’t want to take any chances.”

  “I understand. I was throwing out a lot of mixed signals.”

  He laughed. “Maybe just a few, but I’m glad we’re here together. I’m not going to let the money change me. I’m still going to be the same old Cade.”

  “Good, because I happen to like that Cade. I kind of like the chubby Cade too.” I smiled.

  He groaned. “I can’t believe she pulled those out.”

  “She was very eager to show me those pictures. You were a very happy little boy.”

  He nodded. “I was.”

  “So, are we sleeping in the same room?” I asked.

  “We are.”

&n
bsp; “Are you feeling tired?” I asked in a whisper.

  “I think I’m feeling like I would like to go up to our room, but I can’t say I’m feeling all that tired,” he said, his voice husky.

  “Good, because I’ve never slept with a wealthy man, and I think I’d like to see what all the fuss is about.”

  He chuckled. “Allow me to be your first.”

  He practically pushed me off the couch before getting to his feet and dragging me up the stairs. I giggled, feeling like we were sneaking around. I had never really been the type.

  “Oh my god,” I gasped once we reached the top of the stairs. The second floor was just as fabulous as the first.

  “Come on,” he said. “You can ogle all you want tomorrow. Right now, I want you naked and in the massive bed. Wait until you see the bedroom.”

  “I can’t wait to see you, in the bedroom, naked. I have a little something special for tonight.”

  He stopped walking, pulling me to a halt. “What?”

  I winked. “You’ll see,” I said with a smile, excited to finally show him the lingerie I had picked out with him in mind.

  Chapter 39

  Cade

  I drove to Eliana’s apartment, anxious to see her even though we had only been apart for one night. I hated being apart from her. I knew I was probably smothering her, but I really, really liked being with her.

  She’d had to work late last night and told me not to wait up. We’d been spending nearly every night together since we’d gotten back from Italy. I knew it was right. It was like knowing when you were hungry or tired. I just knew she was my woman.

  She was the woman that I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with. I had a feeling she felt the same way, but I didn’t want to leave anything to chance.

  I knocked on her door and waited. She opened it, holding one shoe in her hand and bouncing around to try and put it on. “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “It’s a surprise.”

  “I know you said that, but can’t you give me a hint?”