17
Eventually that evening she had to go back to her cottage since Nate was called abroad for business. He didn’t push when she asked to go but he got Tom, his sneaky, smart and charming middle-aged driver to drive her home. Tom talked to her on the drive back and he was quite engaging with his many stories of his children and his divorced wife. He obviously adored his kids. Rachel listened to him slightly envious of the relationship he had with his ex-wife who remained friends after their divorce and his children who clearly adored him knowing that she once planned to create a family with her backstabbing snake of a husband. She would never have that now because not only was she going to be enemies with Jacob once he served her the divorce papers, she was now down a path where love had no place.
Would Nate ever want…
No, she shook her head vigorously. They weren’t in this for love.
Hours later she was settled in her cottage selecting Jacob’s things from the closets and cupboards so she could discard them when Larry came to visit bearing news.
“You would never believe what did NOT make it to the headlines!” he announced as he walked in then stopped the give her a once over. “You look…happy?”
“None of your business,” she retorted with a smile. “Now what didn’t make it to the headlines? Your love life?”
“Ha, funny. Look at this.” He handed her a draft of an unpublished newspaper and right on the front page – as was the order since her downfall on live television – was an image of her staggering in Leo’s arm just as she was about to fall: Rachel Rivers Strikes Again.
“Hmm they never use the best pictures do they?” she joked.
Larry was opening a paper bag of sandwiches on her dinner table. He gave her a penetrating stare. “Nate moved heaven and earth to make sure that didn’t appear in any major news outlet. I never knew he had that influence over Gem Hills. Do you have any idea what that must have cost? What’s going on between you two?”
“Nothing,” she replied simply.
“Right and I’m guessing he’s the reason you look this happy? I thought you hated the guy?”
“And I don’t anymore. Maybe I was too quick to judge.”
“You called him sexist, a slave driver, a stain on the white garment of Gem Hills society, and mind you Gem Hills is anything but white.”
Rachel sighed. “Larry, you’re not my dad you’re my agent. I changed my mind about Nate Madden and that’s that.”
“And the incident at Sheldon’s? What happened after that?” he wagged his brows as he waited for her to spill.
“Larry,” Rachel warned.
“Okay fine, keep it to yourself. Anyways, it seems your social radii need some powering up. Do you know what it is this week?” when she shrugged Larry shook his head, rolling his eyes like a parent beyond his patience limit. “It’s Mainland’s fashion week.”
“Oh my God, already?! I was supposed to cover that before all these.”
“Exactly which is why I think it would be a nice idea to do a sort of independent coverage on it. You’re good with words, and your articles have been displayed in major magazines so I don’t see you getting rejected if you submit a report covering the events.”
“And under what platform would I be writing? I don’t have any license right now since I no longer work for the Allens.”
“You are working as a freelancer, duh. There’s no rule against that. This is your chance to get out there and take your career into your hands. In case you don’t know, there are many people out there still rooting for you. Besides, you’re not the first celebrity to be involved in a scandal.”
Rachel smiled then she burst out laughing. “Wow, Larry you should be a motivational speaker.”
Larry smacked her hand playfully. “I’m taking your life more seriously than you, you idiot. So what do you think about it?”
Rachel turned serious for a second, staring at Larry’s hair as she thought. It was only then she realized his hair was a shade darker than before but that had nothing to do with anything. “I’m in.”
“Atta girl. Now let’s get you ready with the sexiest outfits. Luckily I have a friend who can hook you up throughout your stay in Mainland so…”
But Rachel was thinking about something else. Nate was out on a business trip, she would need to send an email to explain all these to him. Maybe when Larry was gone…
Her phone began to ring. It was an unknown number.
“Excuse me,” she said to Larry and picked the call. “Hello?”
“I realize we never got to exchange numbers.” It was Nate. She was surprised to find out just how thrilled she was to hear his voice. Hiding her face from Larry who was finishing off his sandwich, she walked over to the stove and leaned one hip against it. “What are you doing?”
“I was putting away Jacob’s old clothes until my agent, Larry came.”
“Hmm, it’s never too early to move on, uh?” His voice was flat but she could just detect a strain. “Get ready, I’m sending Tom over to pick you up.”
“Uh…for what?”
“I’m guessing you’ve heard of Mainland’s fashion week? Tom is coming to pick you up, by the time you get there I should be done with business here and join you. Do you have any clothes? There will be many events besides the fashion show.”
Her head spun. “Slow down, Nate. Of course, I have heard of the fashion week,” she retorted, miffed that he would think she didn’t know about it. “And yes I do have clothes although I may need to get my better dresses from the house since I left them there. If Tom would come tomorrow instead I should have…”
“Forget those clothes,” he ordered with asperity. Behind him came a soft female voice. ‘Natty what are you doing over there?’
Rachel felt herself stiffen. There was another woman?
“Give me a second,” Nate said to her. She heard him speak in low tones to the other woman all the while her fingers squeezed the life out of her phone. He was with another woman and he dared to order her around? Who did he think he was anyway?”
When he came back on the phone he sounded a bit more relaxed. “Forget those clothes and…”
“Is that another woman?” she demanded, her voice deliberately low so that Larry’s sharp ears wouldn’t pick up their conversation. But when she looked over her shoulder he was leaning against the table watching her with curiosity.
“Don’t interrupt me when I’m talking, Rachel.” He was silent for a moment then he said. “We will talk about this when you are here. Tom will take you to Lacy’s, I have an appointment booked for you, get as many clothes as you want and I’ll see you when you get there. And Rachel, wear your black pantyhose.”
And just like that, he cut the call.
Wear black pantyhose? And she was just supposed to say yes sir when he was with another woman? Like hell she would!
Sure in the contract he wasn’t bound to only her, she was the only one bound to him as her only sexual partner still she had expected some level of loyalty. Squeezing her phone to her chest Rachel trembled with anger. Oh, he was in for a surprise. Of course, she would go to Mainland but she wasn’t about to let him have it easy until she got some explanation about the other woman.
“Nate?” Larry started. “Okay, Rach, you need to start explaining. First the news article now this?"
She sighed and forced herself to calm down. “I will explain later, believe me.” Then realizing she needed emotional support for what she was about to do, “Actually, Larry, you are coming to Mainland with me aren’t you? Since you’re my agent and all.”
Larry narrowed his eyes at her.
