Stealing Rose (The Fowler Sisters #2)(12)

“Oh, Rose.” I jerk my head up to meet her gaze, seeing the disappointment etched all over her face. “Don’t let her drive you away. Fleur is yours, not hers. It’s ours. Pilar is just jealous that she’s not a Fowler.”

Spot-on as usual. “It would be really easy for her to become a Fowler by marrying Daddy,” I say.

Violet’s eyes widen and she rests her fluttering hand over her chest. “You don’t think he would … he would do that, do you?”

“I don’t know what to think about him anymore.” Or our mother. I still haven’t told Violet what I discovered in the diary. Her last entries were vague, but I read enough to figure out what she was thinking just before she took her own life.

And it’s not good.

“They haven’t been dating long.”

“Long enough for her to be staying the night most of the week at his place.”

Violet scowls. “He won’t marry her.”

“You don’t know that for sure.” I cross my arms in front of my chest, feeling like a spoiled little girl. I swear sometimes I revert back to my childish ways when I’m with Violet. Really it’s just the both of us falling back into our respective roles.

“You know what you need? A change of scenery.” She points her index finger at me, her gaze narrowed. “Come work with us for a few weeks.”

I’m incredulous at her suggestion. “Here? In London?”

“Yes, I know … I know it’s sort of last minute, but I would love to have you here. For two weeks, a month, what do you think? I’ll call Father and let him know you want to stay here for a while. I’m sure he’ll be on board.”

Hope rises within me and I try to squash it down. “Do you really think he will be? And are you sure you want me here with you?”

“I miss you too, you know,” she admits softly. “Ryder and I don’t plan on leaving London anytime soon, so it would be great to have you here. I could show you around the city, we could go shopping.”

I start to laugh. “I thought you wanted me here to work.”

“Well, we can call it that.” Violet shrugs. “And you’ll come into the office and work when you want, no pressure. We can also go visit the Paris office if you want. Oh, Rose. You should stay here. I know Father will approve. He wanted this for me, to spread my wings and work at other Fleur locations. I know he’ll want the same for you.”

I’m not so sure about that, but I don’t want to argue with Violet. Besides, I love her idea. I want to take her up on her offer. “But what about Ryder?”

She frowns. “What about him?”

“Will he want me around, staying at your place? I’m sure he’d prefer privacy.”

Violet actually blushes. I’m sure their sex life is off the charts, not that I want to think about it. But with a handsome man like Ryder, who fairly vibrates with all that pent-up sexual edginess, I can only imagine what he must do for Violet. To Violet.

Jealous again.

“Am I right?” I prod.

Violet shrugs. “It’s only for a month. And he adores you.”

Even if that’s true, they’ll want their privacy. “I should go back to New York.” I sigh and shake my head, my gaze going to the window to my right. All of London is spread out before us, an endless view of nothing but buildings and British flags, the sky a brilliant blue scattered with fluffy white clouds. It’s a perfect late spring day in the city and I have the sudden urge to go outside. Run around and pretend I have zero responsibilities, at least for a little while.

“No,” Violet says vehemently. “Stay here with me. Back in New York, you’re restless. Unhappy. And that’ll only lead you into trouble.”

I frown. “What in the world are you talking about?”

“The way you behaved at the premiere, it was so unlike you. First there’s the dress. Have you seen the papers, by the way? Talk about a scandal.”

My stomach sinks. I haven’t seen the papers. I’ve avoided them. “Is it that bad?”

“Probably worse.” She rolls her eyes and reaches into her desk drawer, pulling out one of the tabloids that are so popular here. She tosses it across the desk so that it lands in front of me with a plop. “They’re saying you’re giving Lily a run for her money.”

I barely glance at the photo on the front of the paper. That I actually made the very front of the Daily Mail’s gossip page is both thrilling and horrifying. Finally I’m recognized for being me, though they have to mention Lily too, of course. And huh. It’s not the most flattering article either, showcasing the fashion faux pas at Cannes yesterday. Great. “I can’t believe you waited this long to bring it up.”

“I didn’t want to upset you. I’m upset enough already.”

My gaze drops to the photo of me on the red carpet, both of my legs on blatant display what with the slits up to my hip bones. I look … amazing, and completely exposed. The necklace glitters around my throat, the pink stones vibrant against my skin. “Did Grandma see this?”

“I don’t know. She’s probably only just landed in New York since her flight was after ours.” Violet snatches the paper away from me and shoves it back into her desk drawer. “You’re lucky no one found out about your mysterious man who felt you up after you skinny-dipped in the pool,” she retorts.