The Allure of Julian Lefray (The Allure #1)(51)

Last time I’d visited her, she had an entire sketchbook full of designs. She was itching to get out of rehab and get back to work. Meanwhile, I was trying to keep my reservations under wraps. I had hesitations about her entering the real world again. Sure, I’d fired all of her noxious employees, but she still had friends and bad influences in her life. I couldn’t watch her every second of every day, though I wished I could.

“I’m glad she got help when she did. I can only imagine how big we’ll become now that she can focus more of her energy on designing,” Josephine said.

I slid my gaze over to her and took in her genuine smile. I knew it had been the right decision to bring her to meet Lorena. My sister needed to know there were other people who still believed in her.

When we arrived outside the rehab center, I pulled open the heavy glass door and we breezed through the lavish foyer.

“Jeez. Maybe I need to go to rehab,” Josephine quipped as we walked past the yoga studio and the coffee bar boasting free chai tea lattes every morning. I supposed it did look like an upscale spa to the untrained eye.

“Don’t let the promise of free coffee tempt you into taking up hard drugs,” I said, keeping my hand pressed to her lower back to guide her in the direction of the elevator.

“No really, I’m considering it,” she joked, gleefully accepting a warm cookie from the reception desk as we passed by.

“This place costs more than most private colleges,” I mentioned with a smile.

Josephine paused mid chew and stared up at me with her big green eyes. “Do you think I have to pay for this?”

I could barely make out her question over the gobs of chocolate chips currently shoved in her mouth.

“Definitely,” I mocked.

She narrowed her eyes and reached out to pinch my arm.

“Keep it up and I won’t give you half.”

We took the elevator to the eleventh floor and then I directed Josephine toward Lorena’s room. We were halfway down the hallway when I caught the scent of a strong floral perfume. My mother’s signature scent. It was practically the scent of my childhood.

Fuck.

“Wow. Someone must have stuck a bucket of potpourri in the air vents here or something,” Josephine said, scrunching her nose in distaste. “How does your sister stand it?”

I shook my head. “I don’t think that’s being pumped in. I’m afraid that smell is a little more menacing.”

“What do you mean?”

Before I could answer, my mother leaned out of my sister’s room wearing a black silk scarf and a sour expression across her delicate features.

“Nurse! We’ve been waiting on those drinks for quite some time now. My daughter and I are—”

She paused mid yell when she saw me walking toward her with Josephine by my side. Her sour expression relaxed and then quickly transformed into a confused scowl as her eyes darted back and forth between us. Josephine swallowed the last of her cookie and smoothed the material of her already perfect pencil skirt.

I tightened the hold I had on her waist and drew her closer.

“Mother,” I projected.

“Julian! Look how handsome you are in your street clothes. Were you heading out to the park or something?” she asked, scanning over my jeans like they were paint-stained sweatpants.

“Mom, I didn’t expect to see you here,” I said, ignoring her question and leaning in to give her a kiss on the cheek.

The scent of her perfume was nauseating, but I plastered on a fake smile and motioned toward Josephine. She still had her normal, warm complexion, and her eyes were just as green as they always were, but something was off. Her smile was guarded and her hand shook as she reached out to introduce herself.

“Hi Mrs. Lefray, I’m Josephine Keller.”

My mother’s mouth slid into a thin, flat smile. “How…charming that my son thought to include you in my family’s time of—”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP,” my sister yelled from the inside of her room. “Is that Josephine out there? Get her in here!”

My mother held her palm to her forehead, clearly embarrassed by Lorena’s cursing. “Dear, would you mind speaking like the educated woman that you are and not some filthy sailor down by the docks?”

I shook my head, trying hard to conceal my smile as I peeked into Lorena’s room.

“Don’t you have legs, Lorena? Come see her yourself.”

She was propped up by pillows in the center of her bed. Her legs were crossed and she was completely surrounded by magazine clippings. She was at work clipping out another photo when she looked up and saw me standing in the doorway.

“I can’t get up right now or all of this painstaking work will be for naught!” she said melodramatically, motioning to the mess around her.

Josephine laughed and stepped up behind me, peering around my shoulder into my sister’s room.

“Hi Lorena,” she said, offering a small wave. I didn’t blame her for being wary of approaching my sister. Lorena’s white blonde hair had grown out in the weeks she’d been in rehab so her dark brown roots were showing and she’d forgone makeup for a more natural look. I thought she looked beautiful, though a little crazy with magazines completely covering most of her body.

She looked up at the sound of Josephine’s voice and beamed a bright, welcoming smile.