Page 19 of The Restaurant on Plum Island
“There you go,” Ethan said. “Not a scratch on it.”
“That’s not right,” the man seethed, pulling his car door open and sliding in before grinning as he pulled the door closed. “But I still have something to sell.”
Ethan frowned as he heard the sound of a motorbike start-up. He turned to see a figure in leathers and a full helmet with a tinted visor wave at him before taking a picture and pulling off before Ethan could stop them.
CHAPTER 5
Carly stood by the window, her heart pounding with the urgency of a thunderstorm as she gazed out over the Atlantic Ocean. The early afternoon glinted off its shimmering surface as the unease stirring inside her deepened. Her mind replayed the last hour repeatedly like a video stuck on repeat.
“I’m sorry, Carly, but that was Paparazzi, and they took photos and overheard me asking you to star as the lead in The Cobble Cove Mysteries.“ Ethan’s eyes flashed with anger and concern for her.
“We need to go into overdrive and get ahead of this.”Jennifer’s voice was filled with urgency, mirroring the expression on Harriet’s concerned face as they tried to assure Carly they’d do what they could to stop the leak.
But Carly knew it was futile. She’d been down this road before. Once the paparazzi caught a thread of anything newsworthy, therewas no stopping them. In today’s techno world, she’d be all over the headlines in no time, spreading faster than a virus.
Carly knew her only option was to take control of the situation herself to protect her family, friends, and the people around her who would be caught in the wake of her exposure.
“Everyone’s here, Carly,” Sue-Anne’s soft voice pulled Carly from her thoughts.
She smiled gratefully at the woman who had been her first hire when Carly had bought the restaurant. Carly took a deep breath and turned to face her staff, who had gathered in response to her sudden summons.
“Everyone, I need your attention,” Carly said, her voice barely concealing the tremor of anxiety. Her hazel eyes scanned the room as she tried to gauge their reactions. “I’ve been informed of a troubling incident involving paparazzi.”
“Is everything alright, Carly?” Tammy asked, a genuine concern reflected in her eyes.
“No, not exactly,” Carly hesitated momentarily before realizing there was no turning back. “The truth is, I’ve been hiding something from all of you.” She looked at their faces, knowing what she was about to reveal would change everything. “Before I moved to Plum Islandand became a restaurant owner, I was an actress. My screen name was Stella Hart.”
A collective gasp filled the room, followed by a cacophony of murmurs and exclamations of disbelief. As the shock began to subside and the room stilled, Carly could see mixed emotions on their faces.
Some showed understanding, others wore expressions of disbelief, while a few seemed concerned about their futures at the restaurant. Yet the loyalty that shone through their eyes touched Carly deeply.
“Carly,” Paula ventured hesitantly, “why didn’t you tell us before?”
“Because I wanted to leave that life behind,” Carly confessed, her voice wavering with emotion. “I wanted a fresh start for myself and my son, where we wouldn’t be constantly hounded by the press. But now…”
She shook her head sadly. As soon as Carly had seen that first movie crew van pull into town last year, she’d known this day was inevitable. “Now it seems like that past has caught up with me.”
“Carly, we’re here for you,” David assured her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “We’ll do whatever you need us to.”
“Thank you, David,” Carly whispered, touched by his support. She looked around at the faces of her staff, each offering nods of encouragement and understanding and felt a surge of gratitude.
“Is there anything we should be worried about?” Tammy asked, her brow creased with concern. “Like, is this going to affect the restaurant’s reputation?” She grinned, and her eyes lit up. “We may need more staff once word gets out that Stella Hart owns Cobble Point Restaurant.”
“I’d rather people came to enjoy our good food and the view,” Carly said with a bitter laugh. “Unfortunately, I don’t have all the answers right now.” Her heart was heavy, thinking her world was about to turn upside down. “But I promise you, I’ll do everything I can to protect this place and all of you. We’ve built something special here, and I refuse to let my past tear it down.”
“Carly, you can count on us,” Sue-Anne chimed in, her voice steady and resolute. “We’re a team. We’ll stand by you, just like you’ve always stood by us.”
“Absolutely,” David agreed, his eyes shining with unwavering loyalty.
“Thank you,” Carly managed, choking back tears.
The weight of her secret lifted ever so slightly, buoyed by the love and support of her staff. As she watched her staff return to their duties, the shadow of uncertainty still hung like a weight on Carly’s heart. She suppressed a shudder as she couldn’t help but wonder what other challenges lay ahead from the tangled web of her past.
As the day slid into late afternoon and the restaurant closed for the day, Carly’s mind whirled with what she was going to say to her family waiting at her house. They were the only people besides the Gains siblings and their Aunt Betty on Plum Island who had known about her past. Carly knew they’d all been prepared for this day, but secretly, she’d hoped it would never come.
No matter how hard you tried or how cautious you were, the past always caught up with you. All you could do was ensure you were prepared for when it did. As the gates to the housing complex slid open, Carly’s skin prickled. She looked into her mirror and saw a figure duck behind a hedge. Her heart pounded as she drove through the gates, stopping inside to make sure they closed without anyone entering behind her.
Carly made a mental note to get her Uncle Sam to increase the security around the complex. No one but her family knew that Carly had bought the nature reserve development project to stop the developers from building a resort. She couldn’t believe that the town council had approved the building of it. Needless to say, they were no longer the town council. Still, between Carly and Liam Gains, they’d made sure another developer never got their hands on the land.
