ten years. I trust her implicitly.” His voice said he was firm on this. No doubts at all.
She held his gaze. With his family being in the limelight it would be hard to trust people. For him to trust his housekeeper was saying something. “I’m glad.”
After they finished breakfast, Adam had to take a couple of calls and she knew it was a good time to leave. He phoned his driver to come and get her.
“Be ready at one,” he said. “Harry will collect you then.”
Jenna was ready as planned, dressed in a sleeveless linen dress topped with a summery jacket. She told herself it wasn’t like she was the queen or anything. This was just a business event, just like her dealings with Adam were business when it came right down to it.
Still, she was nervous. If she hadn’t been with Adam, she’d have worn her good pair of jeans and sneakers and roamed around the gardens with a girlfriend. Maybe she’d have even taken Vicki and the girls, or gone with her parents. Her mother and father both liked this sort of thing.
Adam must have sensed her anxiety. “Don’t stress out,” he whispered, as he walked her along one of the many paths in the Carlton Gardens, through an explosion of colorful exhibits and displays, toward the historic Royal Exhibition Building.
She was grateful for his arm inside the Great Hall as quite a few high profile people stopped to talk to him. The one thing she did notice now—as she had last night—was that people treated you differently when you were with a Roth. No wonder the Roth men thought they were God’s gift to women. No wonder Liam had thought he was beyond reproach.
It was late afternoon before they could leave to take a walk around the outside exhibits spread over the glorious gardens. Thankfully she’d had the sense to wear comfortable, low-heeled yet stylish shoes, but trust a man not to think about her walking in high heels, she mused, as they strolled through a world of flowers and scents, past historic fountains and ornamental lakes. She glanced at him and saw him walking with his jacket thrown over his shoulder. He looked like a model for a magazine advertisement.
He caught her eye and she looked away. “The weather’s perfect today,” she said, pretending to admire the creativity of the exhibits, pretending not to notice how terrific he looked or the arm that snaked around her waist and pulled her close even as they walked. It was for show, she told herself.
“Are you glad you came?” he asked, smiling down at her.
She nodded. “Yes, I am actually.” Now the formalities were over, she meant it. The fresh air, the warm sunshine and the man beside her were potent stuff. She wasn’t silly enough to let down her guard completely, but for the moment, the stroll in the afternoon sunshine was making her feel pleasantly lazy.
Later as they were finally leaving the gardens, he said, “How about we go for a drink at the casino? We could have an early dinner in one of their restaurants after that.”
It sounded wonderful but… “I really should go home.”
“Why?”
“Do I need an excuse?” she asked, but her voice lacked conviction.
“Yes.”
She smiled and he smiled back, and suddenly she knew she was in danger of completely letting her guard down today. She couldn’t afford that.
She gave a shake of her head. “It’s best I go home.”
“Best for whom? Have dinner with me, Jenna, otherwise I’ll have to dine alone.” He stepped in front of her, making her stop walking. “Besides, I can’t ask anyone else. Word might get back to Chelsea.”
She was grateful for the young child that ran into them right then. Adam’s words were a reminder that she couldn’t let herself soften toward this man. For a moment she’d forgotten that their being together was for Stewart’s sake, on her part at least.
“Jenna?” he reminded her, once the mother had rescued her child, leaving them alone in a dwindling crowd of people heading for the exit gates.
She
She held his gaze. With his family being in the limelight it would be hard to trust people. For him to trust his housekeeper was saying something. “I’m glad.”
After they finished breakfast, Adam had to take a couple of calls and she knew it was a good time to leave. He phoned his driver to come and get her.
“Be ready at one,” he said. “Harry will collect you then.”
Jenna was ready as planned, dressed in a sleeveless linen dress topped with a summery jacket. She told herself it wasn’t like she was the queen or anything. This was just a business event, just like her dealings with Adam were business when it came right down to it.
Still, she was nervous. If she hadn’t been with Adam, she’d have worn her good pair of jeans and sneakers and roamed around the gardens with a girlfriend. Maybe she’d have even taken Vicki and the girls, or gone with her parents. Her mother and father both liked this sort of thing.
Adam must have sensed her anxiety. “Don’t stress out,” he whispered, as he walked her along one of the many paths in the Carlton Gardens, through an explosion of colorful exhibits and displays, toward the historic Royal Exhibition Building.
She was grateful for his arm inside the Great Hall as quite a few high profile people stopped to talk to him. The one thing she did notice now—as she had last night—was that people treated you differently when you were with a Roth. No wonder the Roth men thought they were God’s gift to women. No wonder Liam had thought he was beyond reproach.
It was late afternoon before they could leave to take a walk around the outside exhibits spread over the glorious gardens. Thankfully she’d had the sense to wear comfortable, low-heeled yet stylish shoes, but trust a man not to think about her walking in high heels, she mused, as they strolled through a world of flowers and scents, past historic fountains and ornamental lakes. She glanced at him and saw him walking with his jacket thrown over his shoulder. He looked like a model for a magazine advertisement.
He caught her eye and she looked away. “The weather’s perfect today,” she said, pretending to admire the creativity of the exhibits, pretending not to notice how terrific he looked or the arm that snaked around her waist and pulled her close even as they walked. It was for show, she told herself.
“Are you glad you came?” he asked, smiling down at her.
She nodded. “Yes, I am actually.” Now the formalities were over, she meant it. The fresh air, the warm sunshine and the man beside her were potent stuff. She wasn’t silly enough to let down her guard completely, but for the moment, the stroll in the afternoon sunshine was making her feel pleasantly lazy.
Later as they were finally leaving the gardens, he said, “How about we go for a drink at the casino? We could have an early dinner in one of their restaurants after that.”
It sounded wonderful but… “I really should go home.”
“Why?”
“Do I need an excuse?” she asked, but her voice lacked conviction.
“Yes.”
She smiled and he smiled back, and suddenly she knew she was in danger of completely letting her guard down today. She couldn’t afford that.
She gave a shake of her head. “It’s best I go home.”
“Best for whom? Have dinner with me, Jenna, otherwise I’ll have to dine alone.” He stepped in front of her, making her stop walking. “Besides, I can’t ask anyone else. Word might get back to Chelsea.”
She was grateful for the young child that ran into them right then. Adam’s words were a reminder that she couldn’t let herself soften toward this man. For a moment she’d forgotten that their being together was for Stewart’s sake, on her part at least.
“Jenna?” he reminded her, once the mother had rescued her child, leaving them alone in a dwindling crowd of people heading for the exit gates.
She
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