Page 8 of The Secrets We Treasure

Chapter 3

Almost from the minute Treasure finished the interview, her phone lit up like a Christmas tree. As the camera crew chimed congratulations, she mechanically nodded and smiled, repeating a wooden, “Thank you.” Treasure could only imagine what Greer must be thinking. Or Helen, Kevin, Tray … her mother! What a disaster! It took a superhuman effort to hold back her tears of frustration. Meanwhile, Ethan strutted around, proud as a peacock, shaking hands and basking in the warm wishes that people showered on them.

Phillip, the director of Alyssa’s show, stepped up to Treasure with a broad grin. “That was TV gold. Congratulations!” He glanced at Ethan. “You’ve got yourself a go-getter. When Ethan pitched the idea of the ‘impromptu proposal.’” He made air quotes. “Well, I wasn’t so sure how that would go off. I didn’t want it to appear staged.” Phillip gave her an appraising look. “But you were fabulous. That bit about hesitating. Well, it was ingenious. One could almost believe you had no idea that Ethan would propose.”

The sting of Ethan’s deception hit Treasure with the force of a freight train as she let out a false laugh that pierced her ears. She tightened her hold on the bundle of roses. “I must be a better actress than I thought.”

“You’re a master. Maybe you should consider being in a movie.”

“Hmm …” Treasure feigned considering the suggestion, “I’ll have to keep that in mind.” She looked at Ethan, who was talking to one of the cameramen. Feeling her gaze, he threw her a doting smile. She grinned back, but what she wanted to do was punch Ethan through a wall.

“Look at the two of you,” Phillip drawled, “so much in love. In today’s world, that’s refreshing to see.”

Treasure had to fight the urge to laugh in the man’s face. “Yep, I’m a lucky girl.” The words came out tasting bitter.

They chit-chatted for a couple minutes before Treasure excused herself to leave. She couldn’t take another minute of the pretense. Ethan set her up. He knew how important trust was to her, and yet, he’d gone behind her back.

When she stepped outside the hotel, she welcomed the cool breeze that kissed her hot cheeks. With hurried steps, she went to her car. She’d just opened the door and tossed the wretched roses onto the passenger seat when Ethan came jogging up. He touched her arm, concern flitting over his features. “Hey, are you okay? I didn’t even realize that you were leaving.”

She spun around, rage spewing into her throat and turning it raw. “How could you?” Hot tears blurred her vision.

His brow creased. “How could I what?”

Her words flew out like missiles. “Don’t act like Mr. Innocent. You know exactly what you did.”

“Calm down.” He cast a glance toward the hotel. “Keep your voice down. The last thing we need is a scene.”

She jabbed her finger into his chest. “You’re the one who created this fiasco.”

“What’re you talking about?” he grumbled, his face turning a shade darker. “You should be ecstatic. I put you in the driver’s seat.”

“You put me on the spot and forced my hand.” Her temples were pounding like a heavy-footed army determined to pulverize her skull. Her voice grew shrill. “You know I can’t marry you!”

“Why not?” His tone grew plaintive. “You know how I feel about you.”

A hard laugh riddled her throat. “That’s the problem. You weren’t thinking about me, but only about you. How many times do I have to tell you that I feel nothing for you other than friendship?” She narrowed her eyes. “Right now, even that is being called into question.”

He caught hold of her arm. “You’re being unreasonable.”

She jerked her arm out of his grasp. “No, I’m not. This is my life we’re talking about, not some publicity stunt.” Her voice quivered with outrage. “Think about how confused Tray must be right now.” She ticked through the list. “Helen, Kevin, my mother. You can’t just throw something like this at me and expect me to be okay.”

Triangles popped from the corners of his jaws. “I was doing what was best for you,” he said quietly. “It’s what I always do.”

The hair on the back of her neck stood. “Did you not hear a thing I said? You don’t listen,” she growled. “I told you it was a bad idea to do the interview with Alyssa. She brought up the break-in, the stalker.” Her words got strangled as she drew in a ragged breath. “She mentioned Tray’s name on TV.”

“It’s not like people can’t look you up and figure out Tray’s name,” he countered. “It’s a matter of public record.”

“You’re not getting the point. I was hoodooed by Alyssa McKenzie and you.”

His eyes rounded. “That’s not fair.”

She charged on. “I’ll tell you what’s not fair. It’s not fair that you pitched your little proposal idea to Phillip and didn’t feel the need to tell me about it.”

An undercurrent of red blotched his face. “Who told you that?”

“Phillip.”

He held up a hand. “Take a deep breath and calm down. I wasn’t trying to deceive you.”

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