Page 24 of The Secrets We Treasure

She was trying to make sense of her dream. The best explanation she could come up with was that she was excited but trepidatious about embarking on a relationship with Greer. More than anything, she didn’t want to inadvertently do anything to mess things up. The second part of the dream, involving Ethan, most likely had to do with the fact that she resented Ethan for creating the stress of the engagement. This morning, when he’d picked her up for the photoshoot, she kept seeing his crazed expression from her dream. Now that she’d been around him for several hours, the image was starting to fade. Thankfully!

“That’s a wrap,” Mark announced.

Treasure sighed in relief as she relaxed her shoulders and waded out of the water to get to the sand. “I’ve never been so glad to hear those words.”

“I’ll bet,” Mark chuckled. “If we stayed at this any longer, you might’ve turned into a Popsicle.”

“Amen.” Treasure shook her head, a wry grin ruffling her lips. “The things we do for sponsors.” The swimwear company was paying them a small fortune to promote their products on Treasure’s social media channels, so she really couldn’t complain. She just wished it weren’t so frigid.

Mark tipped his head like he’d just had an idea. “Hey, while we’re out here, we should take a few shots of the happy couple.” A broad grin split his face as he looked from Treasure to Ethan, who was standing off to the side, watching the shoot.

“I—I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Treasure hugged her arms. “It’s so cold.”

“All the better. You have your man to warm you up.” Mark made a wide sweep with his arm. “Come on over here, Ethan.”

Heat poured through Treasure, crowding out the cold. She looked at Ethan, silently willing him to do something. Mark and his wife, Jill, had only been working for Treasure a few weeks. They’d replaced her longtime photographer who had gotten remarried and moved to Wisconsin to be with his new wife and her kids. Treasure didn’t want to cause a scene in front of Mark and Jill. They seemed like trustworthy people and had signed a confidentiality agreement. Still, Treasure had learned from sad experience that it was better to be extra cautious. She didn’t want any news of an argument or falling out between her and Ethan getting leaked to the press. Then again, maybe that wouldn’t be a bad thing. The phony engagement would then be over almost before it began. No, she’d better play it safe. She didn’t need any negative publicity.

Ethan strolled over to where she was. She looked him in the eye. Do something to fix this, her mind shouted. He cleared his throat. “Treasure looks pretty spent. It is cold out here. Maybe we should call it a day.”

“I agree,” Treasure added. “We’ll take pictures of us another time.”

“One pose, and then I’ll let you off the hook.” Mark motioned. “Stand behind Treasure and wrap your arms around her waist.”

Uncertainty clouded Ethan’s features for a fraction of a second, but then he nodded, taking his position behind Treasure. Her skin prickled with unease when he placed his arms around her waist and pressed against her back.

“That’s it. Smile,” Mark coached. “I need to see how happy you both are.”

Treasure forced a smile, ready for the ordeal to be over.

“Lean in and kiss her cheek.”

She stiffened as Ethan’s lips touched her skin. Back when she and Ethan were dating, Treasure hadn’t minded Ethan’s touch. Granted, it had never lit her on fire, but she hadn’t been repelled by him. Now that Greer was back in the picture, everything was different. Also, the bad dream about Ethan had decentered her, heightening her uneasiness.

“Turn her towards you and kiss her lips,” Mark directed.

“No,” Treasure blurted, pulling back.

Mark blinked in surprise.

“I’m afraid that’s it for me,” Treasure explained, softening the tone of her voice to something friendly and apologetic. “I have a splitting headache.” She touched her temple.

“No worries,” Ethan said lightly. “You’ve worked hard and deserve a break.” He touched her arm, tossing her a doting smile. She couldn’t tell if it was real or merely for Mark and Jill’s benefit. Everything in her wanted to pull away from his grasp, but she didn’t dare do so. Her opportunity came when Jill stepped up and handed her a jacket. Treasure then stepped back, extricating her arm from Ethan’s grasp. She slipped on the jacket before going into the portable changing station to put back on her regular clothes.

She’d just slipped on her shoes, stepped out of the changing station, and was collapsing it when her phone buzzed. It was Laci.

“Hello,” Treasure began. She and Laci had played phone tag the day before. It was nice to finally connect with her.

“Congratulations!” Laci exclaimed. “I knew you and Ethan would eventually get together. See, I told you … the two of you are meant to be.”

Treasure rolled her eyes, wondering how her best friend could be so obtuse. She glanced at Ethan, Mark, and Jill, who were off to the side talking. She moved far enough away from them so they wouldn’t overhear, speaking in a low tone with her hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. “Don’t congratulate me too soon.”

“What do you mean?”

“The proposal was a publicity stunt.” She slid the collapsed changing station into the fabric sleeve it came with, zipped it up, and tucked it underneath her arm.

“I don’t understand.”

She bunched her brows. “It was something that Ethan cooked up, unbeknownst to me.”

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