to move the marked boxes upstairs and leave them on the landing.”
Because he couldn’t very well tell them to put them in a separate bedroom from his, considering we were married.
It didn’t take long for everything to be unloaded. The process of unpacking didn’t take long either. Even with the help of Dane’s personal shopper, I didn’t have enough clothing to fill the walk-in closet, so there was ample space to put my miscellaneous items.
The shopper was a freaking clothes genius. She’d noted my size, asked a few questions, wrote down my budget, and then came back later that same day with all kinds of clothes. Personally, I wasn’t convinced she’d stuck to my allotted budget, and I suspected that Dane might have given her extra money to spend, but they’d both sworn he hadn’t.
By the time I was done unpacking, the room officially had my stamp all over it, especially with the photos I’d placed on the mantel, the sunrise alarm clock on my nightstand, the blanket I’d slung on the recliner, and the perfumes I’d added to the vanity desk.
A short while later, there was a knock at the bedroom door. Knowing it could only be Dane, I called out, “Come in.”
Walking inside, he glanced around and settled his gaze on the empty boxes. “I was going to ask if you needed help unpacking.”
“Nah, I’m good. What should I do with all the boxes?”
“I’ll take them downstairs. The cleaning staff will get rid of them tomorrow.” He twisted his mouth. “I have a few things to do and a conference call coming up, so I won’t be having dinner until late. You’ll be eating alone.”
“Oh. Okay.” I flapped my arms slightly, strangely feeling a little lost all of a sudden. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, I guess.”
He inclined his head, nabbed the boxes, and then disappeared, leaving me alone. I had the distinct feeling he was going to leave me alone a lot.
Chapter Thirteen
“Thank you,” said Miley, as I rested the tray of drinks on the coffee table in the formal sitting room.
Smiling, I sank onto the sofa beside Dane, opposite her and her colleague, Chris, who were wedding planners. “Is that your portfolio?”
She handed it to me. “It is. Feel free to read through it.”
“Thank you.”
A week had gone by since Dane had promised Melinda that we’d throw a post-wedding celebration. He hadn’t spoken of it once in the past seven days, so I’d thought he’d either forgotten about it or changed his mind. It was only an hour ago, when he informed me that the planners would soon be arriving, that I realized I was wrong.
Well, we didn’t really communicate much over non-work stuff. I’d been right in thinking he’d leave me alone a lot. Oh, sure, I saw him every day, but that was mostly at o-Verve.
We rarely shared meals. He usually woke much earlier than I did—he didn’t seem to sleep well—so I was often in the kitchen alone of a morning. There had been occasions where we’d eaten dinner together, but that was mostly when we stayed late at o-Verve.
Dane often went straight to his home office after work, no matter how late it was. Other times, he hit the gym upstairs or one of the pools. I never sought him out, respecting that he preferred to be alone. I just did my own thing. I mostly spent time in my room or in the library. Although I did love those little sanctuaries, I missed my family.
I’d invited Simon, Melinda, and Wyatt to come for dinner one evening, since they constantly hinted at it. They’d loved the estate, and seeing it seemed to make them like Dane a little more. Not because he had deep pockets, but because he’d never looked down on their homes, despite being used to this level of luxury. Ashley also came to visit me one evening. Being a hedonist, she fell in love with Dane’s home.
While he laid out our situation for the wedding planners, I skimmed through their portfolio and read the impressive and confidence-inspiring testimonials. I was surprised to learn they were brother and sister. The resemblance was there, but it was so slight, I doubted that I’d have picked it up on my own.
Chris was tall and stylish and camp as Christmas, and I suspected I was going to love him. Miley was warm and friendly and just oozed professionalism. Feminine appreciation had briefly glinted in her eyes when she first greeted Dane, but she’d