Page 47 of Scandalous Secrets

“Calm down,” I said softly. I hated seeing her like this.

“How can I calm down? How am I supposed to go back out there when everything in this duffel bag screams ‘fuck me?’” she demanded, her voice raising.

I let out a soft laugh, trying to ease the situation.

“I’m glad you packed for the occasion.” I eyed the bikinis and bras strewn across the floor.

“This isn’t funny,” she said, her eyes wide. I could have sworn she was biting back a smile in her panic, but the hint of it soon left her face as she continued digging through her bag.

“Let me go see what’s going on. You just take your time in getting dressed. Everything will be okay,” I said. I didn’t know who I was trying to convince. Me or her.

I leaned down and kissed the top of her head that still smelled of saltwater and that hint of jasmine that I loved so much. I heard her let out a long breath as she began looking through her bag in a less manic state. I tied the robe tightly around me and walked out of the room, closing the door behind me.

As soon as I was out of the room, I took a deep breath and tried to calm my nerves as I ran through a list of reasons why my parents would be here. This wasn’t their normal time of year to visit the Bahamas. They usually came in the early fall, sometimes in the spring. My mother would usually tell me their vacation plans in case anything happened. She was such a worrier, even though I clearly didn’t reciprocate the communication. I was sure there was no chance of running into them here. Hell, I hardly ever ran into them in New York City, let alone on an island thousands of miles away.

Or maybe my father didn’t come for a vacation. Maybe he was alerted that I took the private jet with a beautiful, dark-haired woman, which really could be anyone, since we had left her name off the itinerary. But Kathy would have noticed our absence from the office yesterday and told him. He wasn’t an idiot. He could have easily put two and two together.

He could have flown here just to prove his point and yank the company out from under me, humiliating me in the process. It would make his “I told you so” that much sweeter for him.

My heartrate picked up to a quicker pace as I approached the kitchen down the long-windowed hallway and through the living room where we had enjoyed dinner and finished with dessert on the couch. As I walked through the arched doorway, my eyes quickly scanned the room. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw Erica sitting at the breakfast nook sipping a cup of coffee and reading the paper.

“Jesus, Erica. What are you doing here?” I asked, putting my hand to my head.

“What is it with everyone’s warm welcome this morning?” she asked, rolling her eyes.

“You just scared the shit out of my, er, Monica.”

“YourMonica?”

“My personal assistant,” I corrected myself, not realizing what I should call her when it was apparent she was becoming much more than that.

“Since when do you bring personal assistants along on vacation?”

“Since when do you show up unannounced?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“Uh, I actuallydidcall dibs on this place last month. You’re the one who is crashingmyvacation.”

Shit, I thought to myself. I knew Erica liked to escape the winter cold and come here most winters. But of all weekends, she had to choose this one. It was just my luck, but then again, it could have been much worse. It could have been my father sitting at that table.

“Sorry,” I muttered, sliding a hand through my hair that was grainy from the saltwater.

“What was that?” she asked, cupping her ear and giving me a sarcastic smirk.

“You heard me,” I said. “What did you say to Monica?”

Erica laughed and took a slow sip of coffee, making me wait and enjoying my growing impatience.

“I didn’t have to say anything to make her have the minor heart attack she had right about where you’re standing.” Erica squinted one eye and tilted her head. “Jumpy little thing.”

“She wasn’t expecting you,” I said. “Neither of us were.”

“Well, surprise.” Erica shrugged. “I like the matching robes, by the way.”

She took another sip of coffee, eyeing me over the steam that rose against her face.

“Okay, can you stop now. You’ve had your fun,” I said.

If this was how Erica was teasing me, I could only imagine what she said to Monica when she walked in earlier. Poor thing. No wonder she was so panicky. She didn’t get my sister’s humor. Few people did, but she was actually pretty funny when she wasn’t making you want to rip your hair out.

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