The Billionaire's Marriage Contract(8)

This was the path she had chosen for herself. This is what she had wanted from life. She had access and influence, but it all came with a price. When she got back to her house in Georgetown on most nights, she barely had enough energy to crawl into bed. She couldn't remember the last time she had done something just for herself.

Since Vi had moved in, she had felt that pressure even more. Vi was family, one of only two people in the world who shared that tie to Amy, and Amy would do anything for her, but it was hard for Amy to set aside time to see her. She'd have to schedule out a lunch or a dinner. She imagined Callie and Vi inside the house, ignoring the dining room and eating cake right at the kitchen counter. Amy smiled and shook her head. She turned around to circle the block again. It was a mild spring night, and she thought maybe the air and a little time would help her clear her head.

By her fourth time around the block, Amy could feel the sweat beginning to form on her palms. She could feel her hair beginning to stick to her forehead as she got warmer and warmer. She knew that she had to give up at some point and go inside. She walked back up to her house and sat down on the front steps trying to collect herself. Just because Ethan had made the offer didn’t mean she had to accept it, she thought. She could feel herself beginning to calm down. She was still in control, she repeated to herself. He was the one who needed her help. He was the one who came to her, and maybe, just maybe, he had come to her for a reason. Maybe there was more there. It was a stupid thought, and as soon as she thought it, she got mad at herself for thinking that attraction or emotion could have played any role in Ethan’s decision to proposition her like that.

Almost an hour later, Amy finally decided she’d tortured herself enough for one night. Maybe she could catch the tail end of the birthday dinner. She could really go for some vanilla ice cream and a piece of cake. By the time she opened the front door, she was actually excited to join her sister and her aunt.

“Is that a stranger at the door?” Amy heard Violet yell from the kitchen.

“It’s only me.”

“Mon dieu!” Violet yelled. “It’s a stranger indeed. Come back here and join in before I die of old age.”

Even from the other end of the house, Amy could see that Callie and Violet had done quite a number on the cake. Amy had always envied that about Callie. She ate whatever she wanted and never seemed to gain a pound. When she reached the kitchen, Amy realized that Callie wasn’t even there.

“Where’s Callie?” Amy asked.

“She left about fifteen minutes ago,” Violet replied. “Don’t tell me the two of you are taking shifts watching me now. I might be old, but I’m not that old.”

“Seventy is a good age,” Amy replied. “I have your gift upstairs somewhere. I’ll go get it.”

“You mean this sweater?” Violet replied. Amy looked to see that Violet had not only already opened her present, but she was wearing it.

Amy placed her hands over her mouth. “Where did you get that?”#p#分页标题#e#

The year and a half that Violet had lived with her had been about the most amusing of her life. She had come to visit on a vacation and had simply never left. She had been like a mother to Amy and Callie after their own mother had passed away. And now, she was like an older sister. When they were younger, Amy remembered Violet as being very serious and fashionable. She had never married. She had been to half the countries in the world, and had more stories than seemed possible. She had always had a spark of life, but in her old age, she had mellowed. As her tremendous energy began to wane, she relied upon her wit. Over the past few years, she had become the opposite of her nieces. While they were hardworking and serious, she loved to laugh and joke around on what she called “her final lap.”

“I found it last week when I was going through your belongings looking for anything I could trade for cash.”

“What?” Amy replied.

“Dear, do try to keep up. Your sister ran upstairs and got it for me about an hour ago. I just put it on before she left.”

“Oh.” Amy laughed as she sat down. She reached for the knife and cut herself a slab of cake. “Happy birthday, Violet. I wonder if I should check in to make sure Callie is ok.”

Violet crossed her arms and looked over the bridge of her glasses at Amy. “Your sister said she had it all under control, and told me to make sure that you take the rest of the night off. You girls work too hard. When I was your age...”

“When you were my age, what, Vi?” Amy asked. Vi had a habit of making up stories to suit the occasion, and Amy wasn’t sure she was in the mood. She just wanted to wish her a happy birthday and then head off to bed, but she knew Violet wouldn’t let her get off that easy.