She quickly changed and hurried downstairs.
Butler Parham was at the door, about to peer outside to see who it was.
"Butler Parham, my sheets are a little dirty. Could you have someone wash them for me?" she said, inventing an excuse to distract him.
She couldn''t let him see Max picking her up, or the old man''s heart might not be able to take the shock.
She didn''t want to upset him.
Thinking of family, she recalled that Victoria had called to let her know the Langford patriarch was fine, which had been a huge relief.
The big family gathering was only three days away, and she and Hawthorne were scheduled to leave for Starfall City tomorrow.
The thought of having to y the part of a loving couple in front of everyone was what Gwh dreaded most.
But Butler Parham was no fool; he sensed something was off.
Although he did as she asked and went to arrange for the sheets to be changed, he discreetly signaled for another servant to keep an eye on things.
Gwh slipped out and got directly into Connor''s car.
The servant who saw her rushed back to the butler.
"Ms. Everhart was just picked up by a young man!" the servant reported breathlessly. "He looked roguishly handsome, much more energetic than Mr. Everhart."
A sense of dread washed over Butler Parham.
Could Ms. Everhart and Mr. Everhart be fighting because she was having an affair?
He considered the age difference. Mr. Everhart was practically an uncle.
He''d resisted all attempts to get him to date and marry for years, and now that he''d finally found a young woman, was she already tired of him?
But he thought girls liked older, more mature and charming men.
Could it be that Mr. Everhart was already past his prime before he even hit thirty?
"Quickly, get the sheets from their room and wash them! Wash them several times, and don''t forget to spray them with perfume and dry them in the sun!" Butler Parham ordered, his brow so furrowed with worry you could trap a fly in the wrinkles.
Compared to a young guy, their Mr. Everhart didn''t stand much of a chance.
And from what he heard, Ms. Everhart came from an incredibly wealthy family. If anything, Mr. Everhart was the one who had married up.
Young women could be so fickle. Had she really grown tired of him so soon?
In Connor''s car, the roar of the engine sent a thrill through Gwh.
"Is this car modified?" she asked, spotting the changes immediately.
Connor''s eyes lit up with admiration.
"I
mother was once
champion rally driver, and therine?
et wetent"
mechanic for her team? Coor
He couldn''t remember much from his past, but he wished he could.
Then he and Gwh would have more to talk about, instead of having the woman of his dreams snatched away by that old man Hawthorne
"Yeah, my mom was a total badass when she was younger."
She clearly remembered going with her dad to watch that awful Violet Marchand race, only to see her crash.
Marchand had been at the top of her game, but she was overtaken by a blue car.
At the time, Gwh didn''t know that the driver who had dethroned Violet was her own mother.
Later, after the paparazzi dug deep enough, Victoria''s secret identity was exposed. Gwh had been utterly shocked. The person she admired most had been by her side all along, and she''d never even seen it.
How many people in the world are blinded by what''s right in front of them, missing the truth?
"So the legendary Vivian is your mom?" The name was iconic.
Gwh nodded.
"Then why are you still with
Hawthorne? Do you really like that did man? In a few years, he''ll be past his prime. Why don''t you leave him
and be with me?"
It was the same line every time she saw him.
Gwh didn''t know whether tough or cry, but she didn''t want to hurt his feelings.
"Max, I do like you. But it''s the way I''d like a brother. Do you understand that feeling?"
From the moment they met, when she had unhesitatingly thrown herself into his arms, Connor had felt like true family to her.
She couldn''t turn family into a husband.
Connor scoffed. "I have no interest in being your brother."