Shut Up and Surprise Me

09. Sitting on the Fence

It's been eighteen hours, and I haven't heard anything from Emily. It gets me freaking nervous.

I regretted mentioning Frederick Sauer as soon as his name rolled off my tongue, but the deed was done. She heard it and there was nothing I could do to change it. I dread the image of her perplexed face when I told her Frederick's intention to talk with Danielle in person. She was shocked at first, followed by anger burning in her eyes, and then curiosity started to form on her face. I told her that it was an absolutely stupid idea, and she should disregard it.

The thing is I didn't get a straight yes and no from Emily. "I didn't expect that man would approach you directly, but I'm not surprised, either. I guess I will let Mom know and see what she says about this." That was all she said, but the visible frown on her face showed she was not sure if she would do it, and I don't know how to deal with it.

Not knowing if Danielle has learned about the news is terrifying, and the anticipation of her reaction is killing me. Maybe Emily has told her. Maybe Danielle is thinking about it now. What if she tells Ashton? What if she wants to check if he knows what his girlfriend is doing behind his back? Shit.

The fact that there is still no word from him, he probably doesn't know yet, or he would ask me directly. Ashton doesn't beat around the bush if something bothers him. I should tell Ashton as soon as I get a chance. I need him to hear it from me in case Danielle decides to twist the news.

What the hell was I thinking? I should have just asked Emily questions to see the chances and to see if Danielle would be interested, not to blurt out their nemesis' name without checking. Stupid, stupid Char!

"Pennies for your thoughts?" Ashton's deep voice pulls me out of my bubble of thoughts.

Realizing that our car has stopped, I check my surroundings. We're already in Hugh farm's driveway. "Nothing really," I say quickly. "I was just spacing out."

"You do that a lot lately," Chloe chirps as she unbuckles herself. "Just saying." Without waiting for my reply, she opens the backseat door and jumps out of the car, squealing when she sees Charlotte galloping inside her pasture.

Ashton studies my face. "Is everything okay?"

This is where I should tell him what I did; that I passed a message from Frederick Sauer to his sister, possibly his mother too by now. It's not a sin, right? It's just a chance for a business proposal. But I chicken out. "Yeah, of course. Just tired, I guess."

"You shouldn't force yourself into handling every tiny detail of our new home design. Just let the designers do the basics, and we can see what we want further with each corner once we live there."

I force a smile, ignoring the churning in my stomach. "I know."

We walk hand in hand to Hugh's house; the farmhouse that has become our regular place to visit on weekends. It's mostly because of Chloe's growing attachment to the pony. Plus, Hugh and Martha are the only people Ashton is comfortable talking to about work-unrelated stuff. He always looks more relaxed around the couple. Chloe seems to like the couple too. I believe it's because Ashton trusts them, and that's enough for her to trust them as well.

"We will be inside with Martha," I shout at her when she runs out of the house and dashes into the barn.

"Okay!" she replies without even looking at us, her brown hair swaying as she jogs. It's funny to see her tiny arms holding a big, blue herding ball we bought last week for Charlotte. Hugh doesn't have to buy her or other horses toys because Chloe has become his regular supplier.

We find Martha in the kitchen, standing in front of her oven and frowning at the timer. "I think I set the time incorrectly," she grumbles to herself when we walk in. She pushes a button, creating beep sounds, before turning around and greeting us. "Now, come here, you two, my favorite people," she says as she hugs us. "Chloe just went to the barn to find Hugh."