After Red’s mother left, Red finally took a business call, and when he was done, his mood had gone south. His eyes were set, grim, and his mouth downturned.
They took a walk around the estate, because Red told her he wanted some fresh air and a different perspective. As they walked along the beautiful property, she saw some of the caretakers mowing the lawn and clipping hedges.
Red waved and tried to appear happy, but it was probably only convincing from a few dozen yards away.
He wasn’t speaking much to Nicole, so she tried to stay quiet and just be with him. Occasionally he pointed out one of the more subtle qualities of the land, or explained why the bridge over the pond was designed the way it was.
Other than that, there was little real conversation about everything that was happening. Nicole desperately wanted to tell him her suspicions about his mother taking something from their bedroom, but she didn’t think it was a good time to further burden him. Especially since there was no proof, just a hunch she had.
Finally, as they made their way back over the bridge and toward the house, Red stopped and turned to her. “I’ve been thinking about the wedding,” he said, his face still deadly serious.
Her stomach did a double backflip. Was he going to break off their engagement for some reason?
“Okay,” she said, trying to steady her nerves.
“I’m thinking we should get married immediately upon our return from Germany.”
“Our return?” she said, doubly confused.
“Yes,” he said, turning to look out at the water. The duck family was paddling around just a few feet from shore. “I want you to come with me to Germany. I want you by my side, Nicole.”
“What would I be doing in Germany?” she asked. Of course she’d go if he needed her, but she couldn’t imagine what purpose there would be for her overseas dealing with this new, complicated business acquisition.
“You’d assist me,” Red told her, glancing at her briefly. “I need someone I can trust over there.”
“I’m still not sure what you mean.”
His head drooped forward a little bit. “I just got a very, very bad call from my overseas liaison. Word on the street is that tomorrow morning is going to be bloodbath for Jameson International in the markets. The stock’s going to hit rock bottom. All the rats will scurry to leave the sinking ship.”
“Are we really sinking?”
He just shrugged. “Not if we can salvage this company.”
Nicole swallowed. “I’m just a glorified intern,” she said, and then laughed. “This is a big assignment to bring me along for. Isn’t there someone better qualified, like Edward or someone from the marketing department?”
Red shook his head and grabbed her hands in his own. “You’re the one that I trust, Nicole. I have one hundred percent faith in your ability to work hard and be smart under pressure.”
She smiled, feeling her cheeks turn red. “Thanks for saying that. Of course I’ll come with you.”
“And then,” he said, squeezing her hands and looking into her eyes, “we come home and get married straight away.”
For the first time in the conversation, she broke from his gaze and looked into the distance. “Red, I don’t know about getting married so quickly.”
His voice took on a flat quality. “What’s wrong with getting married sooner?”
“What would we do,” she said, “just go to some justice of the peace and do a five minute ceremony?”
He looked at her and she could tell he was wounded. “All I want is to marry you, Nicole.”
“And I want to get married, too. But I want to do it the right way. Why the rush all of a sudden?”
Red shoved his hands in his pockets and started walking again. “Forget I said anything about it,” he said, quickly accelerating his stride toward the mansion.
“Hold on, where are you going so fast?” she cried, trying to keep up with him.
He didn’t respond, just kept walking.
“Red!” she yelled, and then ran the extra few steps to catch up. “Will you stop for one minute and let me explain myself?”
He stopped, folding his arms and staring at her with his hardened, guarded expression. “Go ahead, then.”
“Don’t do this,” she told him, breathing heavily.
“Do what?”
“Don’t push me away because I said something that hurt you.”
His stare grew more intense and his jaw tightened. “What am I supposed to do, Nicole? I put my heart on a plate for you.”
She tried to touch him, but he pulled away.
“Red,” she said, “I already told you I want to get married. But I’d like to have our family and friends there, witnessing it. I want to tell the world that we’re together.”
He snickered. “You mean you want it in the papers and on TMZ.”
She felt a flash of anger course though her veins. “How dare you accuse me of being all about fame and the media? You’re the one who’s made us a public spectacle!”
Now it was her turn to try and walk away from him. She couldn’t believe he’d say something like that about her.