Read Online Esme and the Money Grab: (A Very Dark Romantic Comedy) by Paloma Meir - Free Book Online

“You have a cat,” He went to Mila who was curled up under the teak desk and ran his hand across her back, ‘Time for you to get ready, cute as you look, I don’t think they’ll let us into the Pa’Akai dining room with you dressed for bed.” Mila raised her back to take in his attentions, “You have a very unique style, like my grandfather, but it looks better on you,” He blinded me with his smile.
      “Thank you… I’ll get ready.” The budding criminal mastermind inside me knew I should send him away, tell him he had invaded my personal space, get angry about the whole thing. Nothing good could come from him getting to know me. Any relationship we developed would be more dangerous to me than the dreaded paper trail. Landon knowing that I lived in Mr. Galloway’s house was bad enough.
      The problem was, I was new to be a criminal mastermind, and I had crush. Leave me alone. My heart was aflutter.
      I took the silky, droopy, frilly Thakoon dress I had bought at Barney’s from the closet and went into the bathroom to change. I had never heard of the designer before my shopping binge. It was as if the rich had this whole secret world of luxury that they didn’t want the poors to know about.
      I can’t say I blame them. Thakoon was worth having a class war over. (I’m joking, dear reader)
      “Wow,” Landon comically threw his hand to his forehead when I came out of the bathroom, dressed and made-up as best as I could under such short notice. Could he have been cuter? “I was expecting to see you in the tuxedo pants you like so much. This is even better. You’re lovelier than the sunset outside, Esme.”
      “Landon…” I sighed, “Nobody has ever spoken to me as sweetly as you…” Jack had always been sweet to me before his Jekyll and Hyde-like twist of personality, but our relationship, though romantic at times, was more the gentle teasing of brother and sister.
      “You like that? Noted. I’ll be keeping it up.” He extended his hand, “Now, tell me everything about yourself, you fascinate me.”
      I took his hand, “My sainted parents…” I carried on with everything you’ve already read, dear reader. Every word I told him was the truth, up until the day before Mr. Galloway and I had our falling out, which may or may not have killed him.
      I thought fast and spoke faster when the story of my life reached present day. I had never had an argument with Mr. Galloway, instead he had gone fishing in Canada and left me to housesit. I worried even as the words came out of mouth that this untruth would be what did me in should Landon ever hear of the elderly man who died alone in his house next to the one he had rented for a few months.
      Jack was addressed, but I downplayed his level of his harassment of me. I didn’t want him to think I was too much to take on. I put my best face forward. I probably shouldn’t have done that…
      Landon was entranced by my story. He rested his chin on his hand and stared deeply into my eyes. Swoon.
      I was out of breath by the time the dessert trolley was rolled to our small table by the window that overlooked the pounding sea. “Now you know everything. Am I still fascinating?”
      “You’re not only fascinating, you’re an inspiration. My life has been embarrassingly easy…” He held a forkful of bread pudding up to my mouth.
      “Opposites attract,” I took the bite as delicately as possible, “Your turn, I want to know everything. It’s only fair."
      “After the story you just told? No, another time,” He laughed, “I will tell you about the summer I spent in Colombia a few years ago…”
      I was a little bit embarrassed about how much more he knew about my parent’s homeland than I did… Of course I knew of the day-to-day life of your average Colombian. My parents had grown up in a small village outside of Bogota and emigrated when they were teens. The country had been a war zone with FARC and