Page 62 of The Secrets We Treasure

Chapter 14

By the time they reached her mom’s house, Treasure’s body was trembling all over, to the point where she felt like she was going through electric shock treatment. She took in a deep breath, commanding herself to calm down. Normally, she loved the prevalent scent of honeysuckles. Today, however, their sweetness turned her stomach, reminding her of carnations at a funeral home. She tried to open the gate on the picket fence, but her fingers fumbled the task, prompting Greer to take over and do it for her. She was a total wreck! He caught hold of her hand as they moved up the sidewalk to the entrance. Treasure’s hand was ice cold, not to mention slick with perspiration.

She turned to Greer, removing her hand from his. “I don’t know if I can do this.” She jammed her hand through her hair as a wave of dizziness rolled over her. She felt like she might vomit any second.

“Look at me,” he ordered.

She peered into his eyes.

“Take a breath.”

She did as he instructed.

“I’ll be right beside you the entire time. We can do this.”

She was taken off guard by the rush of gratitude that went through her. “Thank you.” She offered him a slight smile. A silent prayer went through her mind, asking for help before she turned the knob and stepped through the door.

Treasure’s gaze traveled to her mom first. She was sitting in her recliner, looking as put together as always. The only evidence of her discomfort was her pale face and the rigid set of her mouth. Next, Treasure looked at Cricket and Kyle. She’d not seen the couple since her first season on The Singing Bachelor. They both wore large, cordial smiles. Although Treasure wasn’t happy to see them under the current circumstance, she was super fond of the couple. They’d been so kind to her during the filming of The Singing Bachelor. They were salt of the earth people.

Ethan sprang to his feet. “Hello,” he said grandly. “Are you surprised?”

“That’s an understatement,” Treasure replied in a neutral tone. Distaste soured her mouth. She couldn’t believe all the trouble this one man had caused her.

Ethan’s smile faltered when he realized that Greer was directly behind her. The edges of his eyes tightened into a mask of wrinkles as he looked her up and down. “I see you’ve been to the beach.”

Treasure glanced down at her coverup. “Yep,” she replied breezily. “Greer and I have been catching up on old times.”

Marbles popped at the corners of Ethan’s jaws.

Unease rose goosebumps over Treasure’s arms. Judging from the hardness of Ethan’s eyes, she could certainly see him being the stalker. It wouldn’t be good to goad him. She got the feeling that none of this was real. It was a wretched nightmare that she wanted to wake up from.

“It’s always good to catch up with old friends,” Greer answered smoothly.

Ethan’s demeanor instantly relaxed. “I’m glad to see you’re getting some downtime. You need it.” When he placed a hand on Treasure’s arm, she had to fight the urge to jerk out of his grasp. She got the impression that the press of his fingertips was a branding iron. Ethan would like that—to brand her his. A shudder ran through her. Was he dangerous or just relentlessly annoying? She couldn’t believe she’d ever reached the point in her life where she agreed to date him. Talk about a lapse in judgment. “Thanks for taking care of my girl.” Ethan threw Greer a friendly grin.

The hair on the back of Treasure’s neck rose. It was all she could do not to gag. She looked at Greer to get his reaction, but his expression remained placid. “That’s what friends are for,” he said easily.

Treasure marveled at Greer’s composure. He was the picture of cool and collective. Wow. She needed to follow his lead.

“Yes,” Treasure agreed, her voice sounding too cheerful in her own ears. As delicately as she could, she extricated her arm from Ethan’s hand. Bless Greer for picking up on nonverbal cues. A look of confusion washed over her mom’s face. She gave Treasure a questioning look.

Cricket and Kyle stood. “Hey, you,” Cricket said as she stepped forward and caught Treasure in a hug. “Long time no see.”

“It has been a while,” Treasure answered.

“You look great.”

“So do you. And you,” she said to Kyle.

“Now, don’t go shucking and jiving me,” he drawled. “Age is starting to catch up with me.” He patted his belly, which had expanded since Treasure had last seen him.

“That and those chocolate chip cookies you can’t seem to stay away from,” Cricket quipped.

His eyes danced with mirth. “Now, don’t go telling on me, darling.” He pulled Treasure into his meaty arms and crushed her in a bear hug.

After Kyle released her, Treasure turned. “This is Greer Nash.”

“Howdy.” Kyle pumped Greer’s hand. “Your reputation precedes you. I follow your YouTube channel.”

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