Rob glanced at their wineglasses and then his mother. “White wine okay, Mom?”
“Of course, dear.”
Aidan squeezed Lily’s hand and headed off for the bar a second time.
“This is delightful,” Olivia Shaw gushed, “finally getting to meet Rob’s boss. He’s told me so much about you.”
Lily’s gaze shot to Rob who grinned and lifted his shoulders in a Rob-like shrug. She knew he had only recently begun to repair the rift with his family when each had disowned the other over Rob’s choice of profession and his refusal to follow his father’s footsteps into the family business. Rob’s mother had been only too happy to meet her son halfway, but not so his father who maintained the estrangement. Lily was not altogether shocked at the appearance of Rob’s mother on his arm at the barbecue.
“I hope he didn’t tell you anything bad,” Lily said, and Rob barked out a laugh.
“Of course not,” Olivia said, beaming, “he adores you.”
Lily raised her brows at Rob.
“What can I say?” Rob said.
“Well, maybe we should celebrate,” Delia Armstead said, as she sidled up behind Rob and his mother.
“Oh hello, Delia,” Olivia said graciously. “It’s good to see you.”
“It’s always a pleasure to see you, Olivia,” Delia cooed. “And where’s your handsome husband, Arnold?”
“He had a last-minute business meeting, so I asked Rob to escort me. I wouldn’t have missed Rhett Buchanan’s Spring Fling barbecue for the world.”
“Hello, Rob,” Delia said, an edge creeping into her tone.
He gave her a curt I’m-not-that-glad-to-see-you nod. “Delia.”
“So, Olivia, you didn’t say whether you felt like celebrating or not,” Delia said, her eyes glittering dangerously.
Lily had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach and felt the urge to step in and protect Olivia. She glanced over at the bar, but Aidan had vanished.
“I don’t understand,” Olivia said tentatively.
Delia wore the smile of a lurking crocodile. “You just said your son adores Rhett’s gardener.”
Olivia’s eyes widened, and Rob stiffened next to her.
Delia was attacking Lily through them, and before Lily could step in and intervene, the witch added, “So, I’m wondering if you feel like celebrating. I know I do. Now maybe the gardener will stop chasing after my Rhett for his money, and she can concentrate on chasing Rob for his.”
Olivia cast a worried glance at Rob, and Lily’s heart sank. Olivia believed Delia’s poison.
“Delia Armstead, you—” Rob started, but Lily put a hand on his arm.
“If you have something to say, Ms. Armstead, please say it to me and leave Rob and his mother out of it,” Lily said indignantly.
“Oh, I have plenty to say to you, you little gold digger,” Delia hissed. “You only chase after men for their money. First, Rob at the charity gala last week and now, Aidan Cross. What’s your scheme? May the best man win? Or may the easy money win.”
“Stop it, Delia,” Rob said.
Olivia glanced worriedly at her son as though he had just validated Delia’s accusations.
Delia raised her voice a notch. “Garrett said you designed the floral displays today, and two beds in the back garden are just awful.”
Delia’s voice had carried across the terrace, and dozens of heads turned to listen, all potential customers. Delia stomped down the path into the garden, and Rob started after her, as furious as Lily had ever seen him. She stepped in front of him.
“No, Rob,” she whispered. “Everyone’s listening, and Bloom & Grow’s reputation is at stake.”
“She just wants everyone here to think you’re one of the servants and not a guest,” he complained.
“My personal reputation takes a backseat to the nursery, Rob, and always will. She’s right. I did the designs, and today I work for her. I have to do as she asks.”
“No, you don’t,” he argued. “Garrett asked you to do the designs for Rhett.”
“For Rhett and Delia,” she said flatly.
“Rob,” Olivia called, “are you coming?” Olivia was headed indoors.
He gave Lily a nod. “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to my mother.”
“I did love meeting her,” Lily whispered.
“Ms. Foster, I’m waiting,” Delia snapped, a hand on her hip.
“I’m right behind you.”
Lily started after Delia then cast a glance back at the terrace.
Rhett stood only ten feet from where Delia had accosted her. He’d heard everything and let Delia go on. He had sided with Delia.
Lily blinked back the tears suddenly stinging her eyes. She had been a fool to allow hope of a reconciliation with Rhett to find a foothold in her heart, and now her heart ached as though split in two. She faced a future with no Rhett, and that felt like no future at all. Left with no choice, she followed Rhett’s witch into the garden.
Aidan appeared next to Garrett at the bar and ordered a scotch.
“Where the hell have you been?” Garrett growled.
Aidan leaned back and frowned. “What the hell’s eating you?”
“You’re supposed to be with Lily!”
Aidan accepted his scotch from the bartender. “I was. Then I went to the bar to get drinks for Rob and his mother, and a client pulled me away.” He glanced over to where he’d left Lily and did a double take. “Where’d everybody go?”
Garrett glared. “Because you weren’t doing your job today, Delia went after Lily.”
“What?” Aidan looked all around. “What happened?”
“I’m not exactly sure, but Rob’s mother stormed off for the house with Rob following in her wake, and Delia headed for the garden and took Lily with her.”
“What the hell are you doing sitting here then?” Aidan wanted to know.
Garrett narrowed his eyes to a squint. “Rhett ordered me not to interfere.”
“Oh for the love of—” Aidan chugged his scotch, slammed the glass on the bar, and started for the garden.
Garrett put a hand out to stop him. “Hold your horses. Rhett just escorted one of the garden club matrons into the garden.”
“So what?” Aidan barked and tried to pull free.
Garrett tightened his hold. “The matron and Delia came out. Rhett and Lily didn’t.”
Lily reined in her temper as Delia spent a full ten minutes abrading her over two of the prettiest annuals beds she’d designed for the garden, her voice growing louder when anyone drew near. Still no Aidan or Garrett. Some protectors they had turned out to be.
Rhett had watched their little two-woman parade from his vantage point on the terrace as Delia dragged her to the back of the garden. That was the most painful part of the whole ordeal, Rhett passively watching.
Confident she’d made a sufficient spectacle of Lily, Delia finally let her go with a last remonstrance. “I expect you to get someone to fix these beds. Now. Rhett has placed me in charge,” she finished with a smirk.
Lily wanted to shout, “I work for Garrett, not you,” but evidently Rhett had placed the party in the witch’s hands. So when Delia departed for the mansion, Lily crept to the far end of the garden to catch her breath and calm down.
There was nothing to fix and no one to call. There was nothing wrong with the beds, and Delia wouldn’t be able to tell if the beds had been changed or not—if or when she bothered to return. The witch had only wanted to humiliate Lily, and she had succeeded.
It was her own fault. Lily should never have come here today. Maybe she’d just stay back here in the garden. Cowardly yes, but she’d had enough. Aidan would eventually come looking for her, and she would ask him to take her home.
Li
ly sighed. All she had wanted was a chance to explain her reasons for playing Cinderella. All she had gotten was more humiliation. Enough was enough. Rhett had let his watchdog Delia go after her. She had her answer now. No explanations. No hope.
Lily mentally focused on tasks she needed to finish back at the nursery to keep her tears at bay. She would die before she let Delia or anyone else see her cry. Voices sounded on the path behind her, and she turned her back, so she wouldn’t have to face anyone.
“You just have to tell me where you got these two rosebushes,” an older feminine voice said, approaching Lily’s spot in the garden.
“I’m sure I won’t know,” a familiar male voice answered.
Rhett!
“I’ll have to ask my landscape architect,” he said, his voice growing closer.
Oh please, Lord, no! Don’t let him walk back here.
Lily stepped further into the garden and made a show of closely examining a Portulaca tree made out of stacked six-inch pots and strategically placed near one of the half-dozen garden fountains. She wanted to disappear.
The voices continued closer.
“But I have to show you which bushes I’m talking about, or you won’t know what to ask your landscape architect,” the elderly woman prattled.
“All right, show me the bushes,” Lily heard Rhett say resignedly.
He obviously didn’t want to run into her out here. She blinked several times to clear her tear-blurred vision, and with the help of two deep breaths, she felt close to calm. Until the voices sounded again at the landscape bed right behind her.
“Here they are,” the woman proclaimed. “These are the ones I’m interested in, right here by this fountain.”
“I don’t know them and will have to check with my landscape architect. Don’t worry. I’ll remember which bushes, Mrs. Berube, and I’ll call you,” Rhett said, his voice low.
“Thank you very much,” she said. “I can’t wait to tell my Garden Club I’m getting roses exactly like the hunk, Rhett Buchanan.”
Lily heard Rhett’s chuckle, and the sound tore at her heart. She had so loved making him chuckle just like that. Two deep breaths.
Keep calm. He’ll walk away any second.
“Oh, is this your landscaper?” Mrs. Berube said suddenly.
Lily winced. This could not be happening. Evidently, her humiliation was not yet complete.
“Uh, no,” Rhett said, “this is the owner of Bloom & Grow Nursery where all our decorative flowers came from today.
Well, he could have called her the gardener like Delia did. At least Rhett gave her credit for the nursery, except now she had to turn around. She straightened, breathing deeply as she did, and made the turn.
A seventyish society matron gazed at her with a hopeful expression. Lily locked eyes with the woman to keep from looking at Rhett. Her tears were too close to the surface to risk that.
“Hello.” She stepped forward and extended a hand, determined to be professional. “I’m Lily Foster from Bloom & Grow.”
Mrs. Berube eagerly shook her hand. “Do you know Rob Shaw? I play bridge with his mother.”
Lily noticed Rhett stiffen, but she managed a polite smile. “Yes, Rob is our head grower at Bloom & Grow.”
“His mother claims he’s the best grower in the world, and that he produces trees and palms no one else can grow.”
This time Lily caught a distinct though quiet snort from Rhett, which irritated her more than a little. His shabby treatment of Lily was bad enough, but no one treated Bloom & Grow employees badly. She would not allow that.
“He is a superb grower,” she said, tilting her chin up. “It’s because of Rob we can offer a unique inventory no other nursery in the southeastern United States can match.”
She made purposeful eye contact with Rhett and immediately regretted the action. His eyes—so dark they were almost black—glittered dangerously back at her. She swallowed hard.
“I thought so,” Mrs. Berube said smugly, “and I’ll be sure I tell Rob’s mother his boss said so.”
“You do that,” Rhett said softly without shifting his gaze from Lily. “Can you find your way back to the terrace, Mrs. Berube? I’d like to speak to Ms. Foster about the flowers.”
“What? Oh yes, of course,” she said, suddenly timid at his directive.
She wandered back up the garden path and disappeared behind a bed of azaleas. Still Rhett’s gaze locked onto Lily. He didn’t blink. That laser stare no doubt wilted corporate CEOs in takeover negotiations, and it didn’t do much for Lily’s self-confidence at the moment either.
“Oh, there you are, Robby.” Mrs. Berube’s voice drifted back to them.
Rhett scowled at the nickname.
Why did he suddenly hate Rob? Did they have a history of which she was unaware? She wished Rhett would come right out and say what was on his mind, so she could plead her own case. After today, she would never get another opportunity.
And Rhett did just that.
“It was all a big game to you, wasn’t it?”
The words were out of Rhett’s mouth before he could even slow them down. He should never have walked back into the garden. He should have found Garrett and sent him with Mrs. Berube. He had watched Delia drag Lily back here, and only Delia had come out, so he couldn’t say he didn’t know Lily was in the garden. Some morbid aspect to his personality had made him send Mrs. Berube back to the terrace, which left him alone with Lily. To rehash her betrayal.
When her eyes finally met his, he couldn’t move. He suddenly wanted something from her. But what? An explanation? Retribution? An apology? He still ached for her as much as he had during their perfect week in New York. Damn his treacherous heart, which was starting up that weird tug and pull again.
“Robby, over here!” Mrs. Berube’s voice called again, sounding more distant this time.
Lily glanced hopefully in the direction of the matron’s voice, and something in Rhett snapped. He snorted in disgust. Lily’s eyes flashed, and that lit his fuse.
“The great Rob Shaw,” he sneered, “and he’s all yours now, isn’t he? Or is Aidan Cross the lucky guy today?”
That probably hurt worse than anything. The pain of Lily’s betrayal had brought Rhett to his knees, but watching Lily cavort with Shaw at the charity gala and then seeing her with Cross today had rammed a dagger through his heart. What a fool he had been!
She was only after a guy with money. Apparently, any guy with money would do. Chester Armstead had blathered on about Rob Shaw’s trust fund at the charity gala, so seeing Lily with Shaw had made sense. But today, she was with Cross who was almost as rich as Rhett. So which guy would she pick?
He felt a growl rumble deep in his throat. Well, the guy who wouldn’t be her pick was a certainty—him.
Lily frowned hard. “He’s not all mine.”
“Oh really? What part of him don’t you control? Or should I guess?”
He felt his fingers angle into a fist, and he wished Shaw or Cross was here so he could take a swing at either one of them. They had her. He wanted her.
“I don’t control Rob. He’s his own man.”
“How about Cross? Is Cross his own man, too? Or did you figure out how to control him?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said warily.
“Don’t you?”
He took a step forward, and she stepped back. Seeing her desire to move away from him sent a razor-sharp pain straight to his heart. He couldn’t let her see she mattered. He had to cover his vulnerability.
“It’s all one big game to you,” he accused.
“No!” she cried.
“I must have been your greatest game yet. Tell me, did you still hope to corral me? Is that why you’ve been dancing attendance on Sha
w and Cross right under my nose? To make me jealous?”
If so, your plan has been working just fine.
She gave him that well-executed, confused look again. “No, I didn’t. I mean, Rob wasn’t . . . And Aidan thought . . .”
“Just say it.”
She cleared her throat. “Garrett said—”
“Garrett said!” Rhett exploded. “What the hell does Garrett have to do with this?”
She took another step back, and for a brief instant, he saw a flash of fear in her eyes. Seeing her fear hurt worse than anything, worse even than seeing her with Cross or Shaw, worse than her not wanting him near. How could she think he’d hurt her?
He moderated his tone. “What does Garrett have to do with this?” he repeated through clenched teeth.
“He was just helping me get a chance to talk to you.”
I’ll strangle Garrett.
“When?” he roared, and Lily flinched.
“Today.”
“I’m not talking about today! I’m talking about when we met. Did Garrett know about your little sting to trap me and make me look like a fool?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but since you can’t stop shouting, I’m leaving. I’ll talk to you when you can calm down.”
She sidestepped to get around him. He shifted and grabbed hold of her arms.
“You’re not going anywhere until you tell me the truth.”
She jerked free. “Now you suddenly want the truth? You didn’t want the truth when you threw me out of your house and threw my plants in your pool.” Her eyes flashed with fury. “What truth do you suddenly want?”
“The truth about everything!” he said, half-shouting again. Why was he yelling? This woman made him nuts like no other woman he had ever met.
He struggled for his normally calm demeanor. “The truth about whether Garrett knew you were setting me up. The truth about why you set me up. Neat little plan you devised to sell me truckloads of plants at the same time. What was supposed to happen if I didn’t figure out your little deception? Were you going to try and trick me into marrying you? Was that what your little innocent routine was all about? I had to marry you to get you in my bed?”
Cinderella Busted (The Cinderella Romances #1) Page 23
