Page 15 of The Secrets We Treasure

“No ma’am,” Joan asserted, her Southern accent coming out full force. “We offered you the position and were told by your manager that you were too involved with your product lines to commit to the show. We were then forced to go a different direction.” There was a long pause. “I just thought you should know, especially in light of your manager’s proposal.”

Heat torched Treasure’s chest straight through the center, spilling out in all directions. “Thanks for letting me know.”

“Of course. I wish you the best.” Joan paused. “For the record, we would have loved to have had you on the show. You truly are a class act.”

“I appreciate that,” Treasure responded as she ended the call.

Kevin frowned. “What was that about?”

Treasure told them everything Joan had said. The fury on Kevin’s face matched the anger boiling inside her. He balled his fist. “I knew Ethan was overstepping his bounds. Something has to be done.”

“I’ll take care of this right now,” Treasure fumed as she scooted back her chair and jumped to her feet. She pressed Ethan’s number, walking with quick steps into the other room.

When he answered with a breezy, “Good morning,” it enraged her even more.

“We need to talk,” she barked.

“S-sure,” he fumbled. “I’m stopping by the bank and will then head your way.” Concern etched his voice. “What’s going on?”

“We’ll discuss it when you get here!”

“Treasure, wait—”

She ended the call as she paced back and forth, her mind tumbling over itself. Was Ethan undermining her? She’d put complete trust in him. It had been so nice to give him control of the day-to-day operations. A line of perspiration popped over the bridge of her nose. She could hardly fathom the thought of running her companies by herself. Nor did she want to go through the hassle of finding another manager. As it was, she was stretched thin, trying to stay on top of the social media demands. Her stomach knotted, making her queasy. This had to be a mistake. Ethan wouldn’t lie to her, would he?

She thought back to how the events with the show had unfolded. She’d been on an emotional roller coaster, trying to decide if she could go on the show. Then, when Ethan informed Treasure that the producers hadn’t selected her, she felt overwhelming relief. While Treasure couldn’t bring herself to turn away opportunities that were sure to boost her career, the thought of doing another season of the reality show was daunting. For starters, she didn’t like being away from Tray for eight weeks. Also, she was disillusioned over the notion of finding love on a reality TV show. It rarely happened. Not everyone was as fortunate as her friend Lexi Romeo whom Treasure had gotten to know during the first season of The Singing Bachelor. Lexi was a fellow contestant. She’d ended up with Asher O’Brien, the bachelor all the girls were vying for. However, Lexi and Asher’s situation was unique because they’d met and formed an attachment before the start of the show.

An image of Greer flashed through Treasure’s mind, evoking the all-too-familiar longing. Treasure knew all about those powerful attachments that tugged at the heartstrings. Why had she not heard anything from Greer? Should she take Helen and Kevin’s advice and call him? She didn’t want to leave Greer in the lurch, believing that she was engaged to another man. She pushed out a dry laugh. Who was she kidding? She and Greer were friends. He probably didn’t care that she was engaged. Treasure was the one holding onto the idea of the two of them rekindling their relationship.

Her phone rang, startling her. She’d been so consumed with her thoughts that she’d forgotten she was holding it. Her breath hitched. It was Greer!

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