Page 3 of A Shore Fling
I glance down at the icy-blue gown. “Really?”
“Yep. Trust me… On second thought, maybe you should change.”
“Why?”
“Because Nigel’s gonna be all over you like butter on a biscuit.”
“Oh God.” I laugh.
“You gotta admit he’s a good-looking man.”
“He is, but he’s also boring and shallow.”
“Have you told Mom and Dad you’re not interested?”
“Only like a hundred times, but they have selective hearing when it comes to him.”
“That’s because he’s a Whitstone and nothing would make them happier than merging our families,” she says.
Lowering to the edge of the bed, I strap on my high heels. “Oh, for sure. But you’d think their daughter’s happiness would be more important than a business transaction.”
“I don’t know if they see it that way. They seem to think if you gave Nigel a chance, you’d fall in love.”
“How do you know this?”
She shrugs. “I mentioned to Mom that I didn’t think it was fair for them to pressure you into spending time with Nigel.”
My eyebrows climb higher with surprise. “Thank you. It’s nice to know someone has my back.”
“Always.”
“Mom and Dad have devoted their lives to business, and have always placed that above everything—even us. I’m not whining about not being loved. I know they love us, but I want a different way of life for myself. I want to fall in love with a man of my choosing. I don’t care what he does for work or how much money he has in the bank.”
Her lips curve into a challenging smirk. “How do you plan to meet someone when you’re always working?”
She makes a good point. I’m at the office more often than not, and my social life is pretty much dead with a capital D.
“I have no idea. Well, I do, but it’s more of a fantasy, and it’s not about meeting a man as much as it’s about doing something I’d like.”
Her eyes light with interest. “Ooh, tell me.”
“I don’t have some master plan laid out, but if I could, I’d rent a cottage in Maine, near the beach, and spend what’s left of the summer having fun. No work responsibilities at all, just doing whatever the fuck I want, whenever I want.”
“So what’s stopping you?”
“Pfft. Are you kidding? I barely have time to eat and sleep. How am I going to get the rest of the summer off?” I let out a sarcastic laugh. “Dad would love that.”
“True. But you’re allowed to take a vacation even though you never do.”
“There’s never a good time.” Whenever I start to plan a trip, there’s always something work-related that gets in the way.
“What if you take a break for your emotional well-being? How can Dad refuse that?”
“I’m sure he’d find a way.”
“Not if you don’t give him a chance. What if you just go to Maine and tell him after the fact?”
My lips stretch with a grimace. “He’d be so pissed.”
