Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 98965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Our mother had never been more involved in our lives. I was grateful that Allegra got that time with her (even if it hadn’t stopped her from going off the rails), but it frustrated me to have to deal with Mamma’s constant calls and texts now, too many years after I actually needed her.
“I should get to work.” I finally settled on a calm reply.
Her eyes washed over my outfit. “Oh, darling, cover your arms. You haven’t used those weights I gave you at all, have you?”
For the whole twenty-eight years of my life, I’d put up with my mother picking apart my appearance. She thought it was her way of showing she cared. I was pretty sure she probably fretted over my cute baby-fat rolls when I was a newborn.
This morning, she was referring to the sleeveless silk blouse I wore tucked into my pencil skirt. “It’s hot out,” I said.
“The castle has air conditioning. Wait here and I’ll get you something to cover up, okay?” Mamma patted my shoulder with a loving smile. “You need to look your best if you are ever to catch a handsome man’s eye.”
“Mamma, please join the rest of us in the twenty-first century.”
“Oh, pfft.” She waved a manicured hand as she turned, her robe billowing behind her. “Just because a woman thinks romance and companionship are important does not mean she’s not a feminist.”
“Coming from the woman who sees her husband a few times a year.”
“Exaggeration,” my mother threw over her shoulder, “and distance does make the heart grow fonder. Your father and I still cannot keep our hands off each other.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” I muttered under my breath. My parents’ passion for each other was not something I’d ever questioned. “I’m going!”
“No, coccolona, I’ll be just a minute!”
“And don’t call me that!” My patience ended, and I hurried out of the house before she could stop me.
Coccolona translated to cuddly. I was my mother’s cuddly one. It was her affectionate way of referring to the fact that I was a pudgy child. As a teenager, I’d eaten small meals and never snacked, so I could maintain an impossible weight for my bone structure. I spent most of my time in class holding my belly so people wouldn’t hear it rumbling. And even then, my mother still made comments about my weight. Finally exhausted by the constant dieting, I gave up and embraced the fact that I was born to be a little overweight. Maybe if Mamma wasn’t always pointing out the things I least liked about myself (like my arms!), I’d be more comfortable with my body. I’d be proud of my “tall voluptuousness,” as Allegra called it.
Catching sight of my arms in the reflection of my BMW’s window, I fought the urge to go back into the house to change. It was hot, goddamn it! So I didn’t have slender, toned arms like my mother and Allegra. So what? I’d inherited my figure from my father’s maternal side of the family and that was that.
My mother couldn’t leave soon enough.
Slamming into my car, I accelerated away from the house with more speed than necessary. Our house was one of only a few large, private, member-owned homes along the estate’s coastline. My father was on the board of Ardnoch Estate and had called dibs on one. The anti-drone perimeter that encapsulated the entire estate protected us. The main lodgings for the rest of the members were in the castle itself.
The ancestral estate of Hollywood actor Lachlan Adair, he’d turned his family home into a lucrative business and haven for Hollywood’s elite. Lachlan had retired from acting to run the Ardnoch and his other business ventures, but when his wife gave birth to their daughter Vivien, he’d stepped back from his duties to be a hands-on dad. I respected the hell out of that decision and appreciated it because it gave me a job to escape to when I’d desperately needed it. I’d never expected I’d love the Scottish Highlands so much. While my job title was Hospitality Manager, I’d taken over for Lachlan and was running the place. I didn’t mind. It kept me busy and fed my love of organization and bossing people around.
While the castle hosted most of the rooms, dining area, and entertainment spaces, separate buildings housed the spa, gym, and swimming pool. The property also offered tennis courts, a golf course, two small lochs, a private beach, and luxury lodges for members who preferred more privacy.
Including having to liaise with the head butler, a maître d’, head chef, head housekeeper, and all of their staff, I had to oversee beauty therapists, personal trainers, physical therapists, masseuses, a yoga, Pilates, and mindfulness instructor, golf and tennis coaches, lifeguards, and one of the best private security teams in the country. Never mind that I was also the person members wanted to talk to when there was a problem.