My eyes move to Holly. I‘m searching for an ally. Perhaps she’ll take pity on me and persuade Murphy to move this conversation away from Nathan. But instead of siding with me, Nathan’s mother’s brows furrow. “So then, what are your intentions with my son?”
Murphy’s face tenses and he shoots a reproachful glance at his mother as if he doesn’t approve of her straightforward question.
The strangeness of this situation is beyond my understanding. Why is Holly so curious what my plans are with Nathan? And why does Murphy look so displeased? Could it be that Holly wants to check whether I’m a gold digger? Oh no, without knowing my emotional baggage, that could be an easy conclusion for her to arrive at. I should probably play my feelings down a little so that she doesn’t think I’m head over heels about her son after just one week because he’s a billionaire. I adjust the earrings in my earlobe awkwardly. “To be honest, Holly, I’m still figuring things out with Nathan and going with the flow.”
Holly pales and her gaze snaps to Murphy.
Murphy coughs shortly, then drifts backward. He presses his hands on the sofa, creating a myriad of shadows as his fingers sink into the soft upholstery. He ignores his mother’s searching eyes and instead stares straight at me. “Ah, Eva. I can certainly understand your hesitance about my brother. I’m not sure I’d be able to trust him either if I were a woman.” Holly lets out a small squeak, but Murphy goes on. “Nathan is all about work and schedules. He’s too self-absorbed and doesn’t seem to acknowledge the people around him.”
Annoyance flares in me at his disloyal words.
How can he speak about Nathan like this?
I bite my cheek for a split second before answering, hoping the sharp pain might help me temper the unfriendly snap that’s on the tip of my tongue. “I’m sorry, Murphy…but weren’t you the one who told me Nathan is a diamond in the rough? I thought what you meant was—”
“Yes, yes.” Murphy waves dismissively. “I did say that. I want to see Nathan happy, of course. He’s my blood and I love him. But I can’t deny he isn’t the best suitor for a woman of your wits and kindness, no? Nathan is a bit like a robot. And you? You’re full of life. Complete opposites. It was a longshot for me to think you could fall in love with a grumpy, cold fellow like my brother.”
The corner of his mouth twitches, and I can’t decide whether he’s amused or embarrassed about what he just said.
But it doesn’t really matter. His discourse has my body locked up with rage. My pulse slams in my neck. I shoot a glance at Holly to see whether she, as Nathan’s mother, will stand up for her son, but she just sits there as if she’s too startled to say even a word.
Well, then it’s up to me to defend him. I lean forward and narrow my eyes at Murphy. “I don’t think your brother would be pleased if he knew how you’re speaking of him in his absence. Especially because nothing, absolutely nothing, of what you said is true. Nathan is the most tender-hearted person I’ve ever met. He is truly good inside. He is also funny and caring. He’s the sweetest with my siblings. He might have started off on the wrong foot with me, but since then he proved to me that he deserves all my attention. We might be complete opposites in some things, but we are very much complementary in many other ways.” My voice isn’t as polite and even-toned as I would want, but I need to make Murphy see how wrong he is. “I won’t stand for you calling Nathan grumpy or cold. He isn’t either of those things—or at least not when he’s with me. He is the best suitor for me, the only one really!” I clutch my hand to my lips as I realize what I’ve just admitted.
Murphy and Holly exchange a triumphant glance, then Holly asks, “So you do love my son?”
How could I deny it when I’ve already said it. “Yes, I do,” I mumble.
Murphy rubs his hands and gives me an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Eva, I really needed to hear how you feel about Nathan.”
I shake my head in confusion. “Does this mean you talked badly about your brother to see how I would react? That’s…unfair…but also pretty smart.”
“Well, I do earn my living helping people unveil the truth about their real selves and desires.” Murphy grins warmly at me.
Holly stands up and walks to me. I jump up to meet her at the same eye-level. She is also smiling widely as she reaches for my hand and squeezes it. “It’s wonderful news, dear Eva. Just what I hoped to hear.”
There’s a soft knock on the door. Marjorie’s silver-tinted brown curls and heart-shaped face appears. “All is ready for your announcement, sis. We can start whenever you’re ready.”
Holly nods. “I still need to have a brief chat with my son.” She pats my shoulder. “Eva, you should go downstairs with Marjorie and enjoy the ball, meanwhile. I’ll send Nathan to you as soon as we’re finished.”
Marjorie opens the door wide and waves to me. “Come, Eva. I’ll show you the best treats our buffet table offers.”
“Of course,” I mumble, still bewildered by the satisfied reaction that my confession unleashed in Nathan’s mother and brother.
I’m not comfortable that I admitted my feelings to them first instead of to Nathan, but at least they didn’t accuse me of being a forty-niner as I feared. In all cases, my coming out with them means that I’ll need to do the same with Nathan as soon as possible. I wouldn’t want him to
