Darker The Forbidden Berry

The back doors opened to a large deck that was equipped with a bar and a hot tub. Beyond the deck was a large pool and a few different entertaining spaces, including a fully functional outdoor kitchen.

“Wow. The Somerset’s must really love cooking.”

“Well, they are in the restaurant business.”

“Really?” Aja asked. “When I spoke to them they said they were managing wine vineyards in Italy.”

“That is their Italian business. Finn handles the restaurants. They have several fine dining restaurants in the states and that’s why he stays back. It’s hard to manage the international business so it just made sense for his parents to go to Italy and for him to stay here.”

Aja nodded as they passed the pool that Jaleeyah was already eyeing. Past the outdoor kitchen was a small guest house. It looked like a cottage out of a fairy tale. Wind chimes hung from the modest porch and a small rocking chair creaked as the wind rocked it. Rachel held her hands out, wiggling her fingers a little.

“Go ahead and look inside. I’ll wait here.”

Aja and Jaleeyah approached the guest house and opened the door, gasping softly. The inside was far from the clean farmhouse look of the mansion. The guest house was full of nick-knacks and comfortable places to sit. A wall-mounted TV sat on a hope chest that had a crocheted blanket over the top of it. The walls were painted a soft, blushing pink and the open living room led right into a small kitchen that had all the amenities one would need.

They followed down the small hallway that had a full bathroom (including a tube, which Aja was entirely too excited about) and at the end of the hall was another tall door that led into the only bedroom. It was small but certainly big enough for one person. The only pieces of furniture in the room were a side table, a small dresser with an older TV on top and a queen-sized bed piled high with what looked to be handmade quilts.

“Aja…This is bonkers,” Jaleeyah whispered. “I’ve literally never seen a house this big in my life!” Jaleeyah whispered softly with her voice all giddy.

“Right? And look, if I got two days to settle in….You’re definitely staying, right?”

“Girl, I am going to wear that pool out,” Jaleeyah said with a grin.

“It’s fall! You’re going to freeze your ass off.”

“Aja…These rich people always have heaters in their pool. I wouldn’t worry about me freezing to death, okay?”

Well, she had a point there. They took a few more moments to wander around the guest house before finding their way out onto the tiny porch. Rachel was perched in the rocking chair, humming and looking out over the yard. She grinned up at the two of them, her arms crossed across her chest.

“Well?”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Isn’t it? Before the Somerset’s helped me buy my own place, I lived there. It’s a really soothing place to just…exist. You don’t have to stay there, though. You’re welcome to stay in a guest room in the big house. I just thought you might want your own space.”

“I think I’ll probably stay in this guest house. I think I’d be more comfortable knowing I can get away and have a place to myself.”

“Plus it’ll be nice to have somewhere to go since she doesn’t know this Finn guy at all,” Jaleeyah butted in.

Aja turned and glared just a little at Jaleeyah who simply shrugged.

Rachel looked between them and just chuckled.

“I already know the conversation you two had. Let’s go inside and have some lasagna. I made it last night.”

They all wandered back into the house and settled at the large dining room table. Rachel served them each a reheated slice of lasagna before sitting at the head of the table.

“Let me guess…Your friend is concerned about leaving you with a strange man who you two assume needs to be babysat, right?”

Jaleeyah hummed and took a bite of her food.

“You hit the nail on the head,” she said as Aja rolled her eyes.

“Jaleeyah is concerned. I’m not.”

“Well, I will say that Aja has the right idea,” Rachel said, stabbing into the pasta and taking a large bite. “But there is nothing for you two to worry about.”

“Then why can’t this guy take care of himself?”

“He can. His parents just think that he can’t. Listen, rich people are weird, okay? They don’t function the way the rest of us do. They don’t have to worry about things like paying for rent and food. They worry about their business investments and their lineage. They don’t think that Finn is going to burn the house down, but they are concerned that he might knock the wrong girl up and she might try and take his assets.”

Jaleeyah blinked and looked at Aja and then back at Rachel.

“So Aja is going to be a professional co*k blocker?”

“Jaleeyah…Could you please have some tact?” Aja sighed, pinching her nose.

Rachel laughed and shook her head, covering her mouth with one hand as she set her fork down.

“No. Please don’t censor her. I’m having a nice time.” Rachel cleared her throat and looked to Jaleeyah. “And I am not making fun of you either. I just think it’s kind of funny because you aren’t wrong. I’ve known this family for years and I’ve known Finn for years. We were actually friends in high school. He’s a really nice guy but he is absolutely a ladies man. He’s good looking and he loves women. So he does need a professional co*k blocker.”

Aja leaned forward a little and cocked her head to the side.

“So they just want me to make sure that he’s focused on work?”

“And that he’s making it to the dates that they are setting up for him. He’s getting older and they want him to settle down and get married.”

“And have kids? To protect that lineage we were talking about?”

“Precisely,” Rachel said, tapping the table a little. “They are very concerned that he is going to get mixed up with the wrong person and end up having to pay a ridiculous amount of alimony. They want him to get married and have kids so that there is a clear heir to the family business.”