Page 50 of All the Drama from New York

She’ll take one look at it and think I’m a total loser.

Better to suck it up now than have her see his beaten up wreck and refuse to get in it. Or worse, have it break down somewhere on the road. “My car isn’t exactly reliable, so maybe we would be better hiring something,” he suggested.

The self-confidence he’d been feeling only a minute or two ago had taken a serious dive.

A weekend out of the city was meant to help with Camille’s creative process, not have her wondering if she was going to make it home alive.

“I tell you what, Ryan. I’ll organize the transport, and you can look for somewhere for us to stay. My company will be paying, so pick something nice.”

He caught the meaning in her words. Something nice meant something a bit outside of his normal price bracket.

“Deal. I’ll hop on the booking sites after we finish eating and let you know what I find.”

She gave him an odd look, one which had Ryan setting down his knife and fork. “What is that particular look for?”

“How about I give you the number for Bryce’s executive assistant, Sheila, and she can look into some places for us.”

“You don’t trust me?” said Ryan, his self-confidence now threatening to go into free fall.

“This isn’t about you Ryan. And yes, I do trust you. If I didn’t you wouldn’t be here. This is about me being part of an international family of billionaires. Which means I can’t just use any old booking sites when I travel.”

The protest on Ryan’s lips halted as she held up a hand.

“Security is a real thing for us, Ryan. We have our own protection detail. If I went and stayed at some random place without it having been vetted by the security team, the head of Royal Security would be on the phone to his people, and the next thing you know they would be kicking down the front door.”

These people had a security team. Which probably meant that at some point before he’d even started this job, a former special forces agent had been digging around in his personal background.

I bet they laughed themselves sick when they found out I’d been on a reality dating show.

Camille rose from the table, and as she picked up her empty plate, she added, “Please Ryan, just call Sheila, and let her help you with the plan to get out of town. I really do need a change of scenery.”

This was her world, and it had its own rules. But the more time he spent with Camille, the more distant that world seemed to be from his.

“Ok, I’ll call Sheila.”

The second Ryan had disappeared upstairs to call Sheila, Camille let out a sigh of relief. She hadn’t wanted to offend himby refusing to go with him in his car, but there was no way she was going to go anywhere outside of Manhattan other than in a brand new automobile.

What happens if we break down, aren’t there lots of wild animals in this country?

At the recent family wedding in the Caribbean, she’d met Rachel, her cousin Matthew’s girlfriend, and been horrified to learn that the poor girl had had a recent encounter with a group of black bears while out walking in Aspen.

If I met a real bear, I’d just drop dead right in front of it.

Camille wasn’t certain if Fire Island even had bears, but she wasn’t taking any chances. Her experience with animals started and ended with her family’s pet dog.

The most dangerous creature she’d had to deal with in New York so far had been an aggressive racoon which had fought for her takeout sandwich as she sat on the grass in nearby Chelsea Park last summer. It was the one and only time she’d attempted to eaten plein air, and after that experience she hadn’t tried it again.

At least I will have Ryan for protection if any furry animals decide they want to take a bite out of me.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

The pictures of the guesthouse Sheila had helped to select looked absolutely perfect. It was right on the beach, and the interior images showed that it had been tastefully decorated.

Camille appreciated the calm blue, white, and pale beige color scheme of the furnishings. It spoke of a relaxing place where she and Ryan could spend the weekend away from the city. Where she could tap back into her empty soul, and come up with a design concept for the runway show.

It was odd that it had taken someone like Ryan to finally make her see what had been staring her right in the face all this time. She wasn’t on the verge of burning out, she was already well past that point. But instead of acknowledging it, she’d ignored all the signs and kept going.

Seated cross legged on the couch in her living room Camille stared at her laptop. After checking the email Ryan had forwarded about the beach house, she’d gone back to looking at the flat lay designs of her upcoming collection.

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