AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“She’s been discharged from the hospital, and I can’t visit her at her house without alerting my father and Caroline.” Storm clouds rolled in, turning Sloane’s eyes blue gray. “Part of me is waiting for them to ship her off to a distant cousin in Europe. They’d do that just to spite me and make it harder for me to see her.”
I would say it was hard to imagine a parent doing that to their child, but as someone who’d practically been raised in boarding schools, I knew better.
I stopped in front of our room.
“But they won’t do that until they’re back from DC” I’d picked up some useful intel during my Friday meetings in the city: George and Caroline were both currently in DC for a big fundraiser.
Surprise rippled across Sloane’s face. “How did you know that?”
“I had to confirm their whereabouts before I did this.” I opened the door.
Sloane stepped inside, but she only made it two steps before her jaw dropped. “Pen?”
The brightest, most precious grin lit Pen’s face. “Surprise!”
She sat on the couch with Rhea, a bowl of complimentary snacks on her lap. Her nanny kept glancing at the open door like she expected George Kensington to storm through it at any second, but at least she was here. That was what mattered.
“What are you doing here?” Several long strides took Sloane to her sister. She hugged the tiny blond, her expression stunned. “How did you…?”
“It took some coordinating, but I had a friend pick up Rhea and Pen and drive them here.” Thefriendhad actually been Harper Security personnel who could extract them from their penthouse without alerting the doorman, concierge, or anyone who might snitch on them to the Kensingtons.
We had a backup in case George and Caroline found out about Rhea and Pen leaving—specifically, movie tickets—but the plan was going smoothly, thank God.
“Before you worry, I also checked with Pen’s doctor,” I said, closing the door and taking a spot on the second couch. “He said it was okay for her to come, provided we keep physical exertion to a minimum.”
Sloane glanced at Pen, who affirmed my words with a solemn nod. “What he said.”
Apparently, her crash on Wednesday had been relatively mild. It’d seemed worse than it was due to her accident, and she’d recovered enough to make today feasible.
“Rhea?” Sloane turned her attention to the nanny. “Are you…?”
“I’m okay.” The other woman gave her a weak smile. “Mr. and Mrs. Kensington bought your excuse about Annie. Thank you for doing that.”
“You don’t have to thank me. You wouldn’t have been in that situation if it weren’t for me, and I should be the one thanking you.” Sloane’s voice caught. “For everything you’ve done for me and Pen over the years.”
Rhea had been nervous about my plan given how close she’d come to being found out. However, she possessed an unwavering sense of loyalty to Pen and Sloane, more than she did to her employers, and she’d eventually agreed.
The look she gave Sloane now was that of family—soft, touched, and full of love.
Then the moment passed, and everyone broke eye contact before the fun outing turned into an emotional spiral.
“So where are we, exactly?” Sloane cleared her throat and took in the room, which was sparse save for the two couches, two tables, a media console, and a giant screen with a bunch of monitors and equipment hooked up to it. A smattering of artwork decorated the walls with primary colors.
“We’re at the best sports simulation center in Queens.” I opened one of the console drawers and took out four controllers. I held on to one and passed the others around. “You said Pen likes soccer, so we’re playing soccer.”
“I don’t like soccer. Ilovesoccer,” Pen corrected. She was already flipping through the different games, searching for the perfect one.
“My apologies.” I suppressed a smile. Her sassiness reminded me of a certain other blond. “Who’s your favorite player?”
“Asher Donovan,” she answered without hesitation.
Typical. Girls of every age loved him, even if they weren’t into soccer the way Pen was, but I’d give credit where credit was due—the dude was talented.
It was just annoying as fuck that someone who looked like a Greek god could also playthatwell and, based on the few interactions I’d had with him, bethatnice. It was even more annoying that he was Sloane’s client.
Whatever. As long as he wasn’t her favorite, I didn’t care.
Much.
