Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 71843 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71843 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
“May we speak to Hannah, please?” Anne, Kayden’s mother, asked me.
“She’s upstairs crying in her room,” I told her.
“I keep messing up with that girl,” Anne lamented, looking like she was about to cry.
“What happened?” I asked her.
“When Mira came in with Hannah, I was surprised. I had no idea what she was doing there, and then I lost track of the girls for a bit, and when I saw Hannah rushing out, I stopped her and told her that she shouldn’t be spying on Kay when he was just doing his cousin a favor by escorting her new husband’s little sister to the wedding, but she burst into tears and––”
“Then she ran.”
“Yes, and Brad thought just to have security delay her, but this man was there, and he must have thought she was in danger and––”
“He’s her bodyguard.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Well, see––”
“Good evening, Mr. Harcourt.”
We all turned to the front gate, and there was George, in the same black Burberry suit he’d had on when he picked Hannah and Kola up for the event. He must have dropped them, left, and then returned for some reason.
“Come on up,” I called over to him as the front door opened and Hannah stepped out onto the porch in pajama bottoms with the flags of the world on them, a hoodie, and bunny slippers. She had a sweatshirt in her hand that I knew was Kay’s, and passed it to Mira.
“Can you give this to your brother?”
“No, Hannah, he was just drunk,” she pleaded. “He didn’t do anything but kiss her.”
“Your brother was drunk?” Brad barked at his daughter.
“Oh, Hannah, honey,” Anne began, “we would love to––”
“Hannah,” George clipped her name, and we all turned to him as he stepped onto the porch and then moved sideways, keeping his distance even though he had a mask on.
“Who’s this?” Anne asked both my daughter and I.
“This is my…” Hannah started, looked at him, then stopped. “This is George.”
“Who is––”
“I thought you were going to come in,” she said softly.
“My boss called,” he answered her.
“Oh.”
“Hannah, why is he here?” Brad asked her.
“He drove me but he stayed because my tiara has to go back in the vault,” Hannah explained as George set a heavy square leather case down on the railing.
“I’m sorry?” Anne was confused.
George scowled, his brows furrowing, and it was good, almost as scary as Sam’s. It was his dark, inky-blue eyes and thick black brows that did it. “I’m taking custody of Hannah Kage’s Sweetheart Tiara.”
We all watched as Hannah took off the tiara she was still wearing and walked up beside George and put her thumb on the side of the case, and after it scanned, he entered a code and a latch popped out that George then pulled back. Inside that was another black box that opened to reveal a black velvet interior.
“Wait,” Mira said, staring, mesmerized, as were her mother and father. “Hannah, what’s going on?”
Hannah set her tiara into the fitted holder. “This is my new tiara, because I outgrew my first one,” she explained, running her finger over the cluster of diamonds at the front. “This is the centerpiece from the original one, the marquise diamond with the six smaller ones around it,” she said, smoothing her fingers over the stones, “and it was taken out and put in this new setting, which is way more me,” she said with a shrug. “The old one was high and pointy, and now, you can see it’s more like a headband, which I like.”
“Your tiara has a name?” Anne asked her.
Hannah sniffled then, and George did a very un-George thing and bumped her with his shoulder before he looked at Anne. “The Sweetheart Tiara was made by Cartier exclusively for Miss Hannah Kage. It is set in platinum, and the original center stones are now surrounded by pavé, as well as large and small brilliant-cut diamonds. It was most recently appraised at three point five million dollars.”
Kayden’s mother, father, and sister were fun to look at, because yeah, it was ridiculous. And it was weird, because yes, it was real money, but almost not, at the same time, because in no realm of possibility would Hannah ever sell it, and it didn’t reside with us. It lived in a bank vault somewhere downtown.
“Oh dear God,” Anne gasped, hand over her heart. “Hannah, honey, where did you––”
“From Uncle Aaron,” she told Anne. “And that’s why I was at the Waldorf tonight,” she explained. “I was co-hosting a benefit with him, which was why I stayed even after I found Kay, without his pants on, in the coatroom.”
Neither of his parents said a word.
“And I’m sorry George beat up your niece’s security guards.”
“I didn’t beat––”
“Fine,” Hannah clarified, taking the handkerchief he passed her from his inside breast pocket. “Put them on the floor. Is that better?”