Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 98965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
“Of course. I’ll be there.”
Ola Q’s manager had a nasal, monotonous way of speaking that made it hard to concentrate. I waited for him to shut up about Ola Q’s significance to the world, and cut in as soon as he took a breath. “I understand all that, Mr. Paulson, and that’s exactly why we’d love to hire her to perform at our summer solstice party here at Ardnoch.”
Ola Q was a sexy Australian pop star who’d had a tremendous year of global number one hits two years ago, and while fervor for her had died down a little, she was still a big enough star to make my event special. We hosted a Christmas party and extravagant New Year’s Eve event at Ardnoch every year, and I felt like we were missing a trick during the summer. Summer was our busiest time, with most of Hollywood taking a break between June and September. As much as I hated parties, I felt we should host a special summer event for our members. Lachlan agreed, and I told him I’d take care of it.
“Ola has a gig in London that week.”
“I know. Which is why it’s perfect. We’ll fly her up here if you’d like.”
“I just don’t think this kind of thing is her thing, you know.”
He was lying. He wanted me to beg. To offer ludicrous amounts of money. Thankfully, when you had a business as successful as Ardnoch Members-Only Club, you could afford to pay people only what they were worth. “Oh, well, I understand. There are other performers who recognize what a singular opportunity it is to perform for the crème da le crème of Hollywood, so I’ll bother you no more. Thank you for your time, Mr. Paulson, I appreciate it—”
“Well, wait there,” he cut in flatly. “I should talk to Ola first.”
A knock sounded on my office door seconds before it opened and Wakefield appeared. I held up a hand with a small smile as I spoke into my phone. “Oh, excellent. If you could respond to our request by the end of this week, that would be wonderful.”
“Yeah, yeah, okay.”
“Goodbye.” I hung up before I had to listen to his toneless voice again. I noted Wakefield’s bemused expression. “Problem?”
“Your sister has arrived unexpectedly,” he announced. “She’s coming up the driveway as we speak.”
“What?” I practically screeched. Pushing my chair away from the desk, I hurried and followed Wakefield from the office. “How? When? What?”
“She just arrived at the gate with no explanation, I’m afraid.”
What the hell was my baby sister doing in Scotland when she was supposed to be at her fancy-ass art school? Pulse racing with the anxiety that seemed to hit me whenever my family became part of my daily equation, I rushed out into the wintry day. Shivering, I watched the cab in the distance as it followed the gravel driveway through the manicured lawns toward us.
My sister Allegra had just turned nineteen and was supposed to be in attendance at Otis College in LA. Fear that she was on yet another downward spiral held me stiff as the cab drew closer.
Wakefield strode out to open the back passenger door and out popped Allegra. A rush of love and homesickness hit me at the sight of her, mixing with all my worries.
“Oh, don’t look like that!” my little sister called as she hurried over the gravel. “Everything’s cool, I promise. Happy Valentine’s Day!” She threw her arms around me before I could say a word. I returned her embrace, and thanked the universe that she was safe and here with me.
“You’re okay?” I asked hoarsely.
“I promise,” she repeated, squeezing and then pulling back to meet my gaze. Her eyes were as watery as mine. “Missed you, big sis.”
Clasping her beautiful face in my hands, I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Missed you, too, Ally.”
She beamed like a little kid and hugged me tight again. I laughed and stroked her hair. “Come inside out of this arctic cold so you can tell me what the heck you’re doing in Scotland.”
My sister had dark hair and the same olive skin we’d inherited from our mother, but that’s where the similarities ended. Allegra was a few inches shorter than me, and while she was slighter than Mamma, she had the same overwhelming beauty that made me worry about her.
This world liked to use up beauty until there was nothing left.
Allegra sat in the breakfast nook of our family home on the estate, a mug of coffee between her hands. “It gets dark so early here,” she noted, glancing out the window behind her.
After she arrived, I got her settled at the house and then promised I’d finish work early so we could talk. Valentine’s Day was not a holiday we celebrated at Ardnoch unless we received individual requests from members. A few married couples had arrived at the estate for the long weekend, so I coordinated with the chef, housekeeping, and Wakefield to make sure their requests were ready for smooth execution. Then I returned to my baby sister.