Chapter 50 Allure
ALICE
I folded my arms and stared at the dark night sky for a long time while trying to wrap my head around how crazy it was seeing Theodore Linden-Hawthorne around my family.
I still wasn't over it.
He came up behind me. I wasn't sure why, but I was too ashamed to whip my head around and look at him, so I waited for him to join my side. He stood right beside me, and in no time, the smell of his cigarette reached my nostrils.
There were so many things I wanted to say. Like why did he offer to fly me all the way here, and why the hell he told my mother we were engaged.
I shook my head and felt his eyes on me right away. Without looking at him, I asked, "Don't you have anything better to do? Or anyplace to be?"
"No. Perks of being rich."
"Is that a jab at my poverty, Mr. Linden-Hawthorne?"
"It's my honest answer, Miss Rhodes." He sucked on the end of his cigarette and blew out a cloud of smoke. "You're something else, you know that? I was just trying to help you."
I glanced at him. "You're not, though. When we don't get married like you implied we would, it'll be another issue."
He surprised me by smiling, and his expression shifted to something I wasn't familiar with.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what?"
I gave up and scoffed. I never learned. No concrete answers ever came from this man.
We stood in absolute silence for the longest time, and then he asked me, "He's better now, right? Your father? You all seemed very cheerful. I just assumed."
I met his gaze and nodded. I felt relieved all over again because on my way here, I imagined the worst. I had this terrible habit of imagining the worst in every situation before even giving myself a chance to hope. Maybe that was why I was always stuck in a fucked up situation.
"Yeah. It was a false alarm. He's fine. He's going to be fine. He's supposed to stay the night, but tomorrow morning, he'll be discharged."
"Good," he claimed. "I take it you feel better now."
"Yeah. Much better."
Why did I feel so awkward all of a sudden?
Behind me, Mom said my name and it drew my attention away from him. I excused myself and approached her. She had this look on her face that made me wonder if something was wrong. "Mom, what is it?"
"Oh, Alice. You know I hate this part, don't you? But we just got the bill from the hospital for their care, and well..."
She trailed off. Then again, she didn't need to finish her sentence because I already knew what happened next. I was the one who had to take care of the bill. My parents didn't work.
I approached the front desk. Mom rubbed my shoulders the entire time, saying nothing, then eventually walked away and headed to Dad's room. I was given a whole list I didn't really understand, but tests had to be performed to rule out a heart attack, and of course, they were charging other fees like the time he'd spend under observation, all the medical supplies used, etc.
And the grand total?
Seventeen thousand dollars. And some.
My eyes were wide as I stared at the page in front of me. The front desk manager asked me for my insurance details but I didn't have any.
I'd have to figure out how to pay this massive bill. Shit, I never thought it'd end up being so high.
I whirled around and saw my jerk of a boss standing not too far away from me. I immediately folded the pages and tucked them under my arm.
"Everything okay?"
"Yes. Just fine."
Mom approached just then and I found myself hoping and praying that she wouldn’t bring it up in front of him. I’d be too embarrassed.
She touched my shoulder. “Are you okay, honey?”
I turned around to face her, which meant my back was facing him. I tucked the parts in my handbag and told her, “Yeah. Just fine. Don’t worry about anything.”
“Oh, honey,” she remarked, all emotional. “You’re our savior!”
I hugged her so she wouldn’t say anything else, and then we headed back to the room to say goodbye to him for the night.
Dad was sad that we’d be going, but at the same time, he insisted that we would need some rest. It was a long, tense, and emotional day, and we had to shut our eyes for a bit.
I had to admit that my mind was spinning a little. The bill was so high and I wasn’t sure of what I was going to do.
I’d have to save up like crazy to pay it. And it’d take me some months to do so.
Mr. Linden-Hawthorne was standing by the door when we walked out. His eyes were on my face and I had the impression that he was looking for something while staring at me.
I hoped he didn’t find it. I’d had enough of him to last me a lifetime.
What was I even going to do with him?
“We’re all heading home now,” Mom explained to him as she left my side and attached herself to his. “You’re going to be sleeping in the living room. I wish we had more rooms, but we’re humble, you see?”
“Mom,” I cut in. “He can sleep in a—”
“The living room is fine,” he assured her, purposely cutting me off. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
I was mortified. Our couch was old and stinky. The leather had cracks all over it. Not to mention that his legs would probably be hanging over the edge because of how tall he was.
Oh, this was messed up.
The drive home was…I didn’t even know how to explain it anymore. I was so exhausted and flustered. I wanted nothing more than to close my eyes and forget this day ever happened, but then of course, he’d be right under the roof of my parents’ house.
How did this even happen? How did things get to this point?
We were in Dad’s car. Mom was on the wheel, and she wouldn’t stop talking about how we spent so many happy memories in our home and how she hoped he wouldn’t mind how cheap everything was.
He assured her he wouldn’t, but then again, she didn’t know that he was my boss and was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
It wasn’t that I was particularly ashamed of what he’d find, but that didn’t mean I was okay with him being this close to who I was.
I blamed him for this. It was all his fault.
Mom unlocked the apartment. Rory joined my side and looped my arm around his, guilty because I forgot all about him. I was so stressed.
“Home sweet home,” Mom remarked. “Do come in, Theodore.”
“You can call me Theo.”
No, she can’t!
“Sure thing, Theo.”
The smell of my childhood home hit me like a ton of bricks. I looked around and saw everything exactly as I left it months ago when I last visited.
“This is the couch,” she said as we headed into the living room. She patted the leather and said, “She’s old, but sturdy. I hope you won’t mind.”
“I’ll sleep on the couch,” I cut in. “He can have my room, Mom. It’s better that way.”
“No, this is fine,” he argued, cutting me a look. “I’ll stay right here. Thank you.”
“I’ll find you a blanket, then. Alice, show him around, will you? You can help yourself around here, Theo. There’s water in the fridge. Glasses in the cabinets. Whatever you need.”
“Sure thing. Thanks.”
I stared at him for a long time, watching as he made his way around the couch before sitting down. He patted the material, then looked back at me with an expression that told me he was amused.
Why was he subjecting himself to this? He was so at ease that it was crazy.
Beyond crazy.
Yet, there was something about all this that I found…alluring, too.
Oh, what was wrong with me?