Page 44 of The Restaurant on Plum Island
Beneath the excitement of returning to acting, lay her concerns about its impact on her family life. She worried that Reef and her other family members would be hounded by the press again. Carly had come to Plum Island to stay out of the spotlight, as had other people she cared about. She didn’t want them to have media targets on their backs.
Her phone bleeped, and she saw it was a message from Ethan, which made her heart jolt as she opened it.
Please have lunch with me after the mock interview. I have something important to tell you that can’t wait.
Carly frowned as she reread the message. Curious about what Ethan wanted to tell her, she accepted his invitation. It would also be the perfect opportunity to finally talk to him about what happened three years ago.
She was surprised to see Ethan immediately reply to her response.
Great! See you at the Summer Inn at nine a.m.
Carly looked at her wristwatch. It was just after seven. She’d agreed to meet her son at the Beach Hut to discuss her return to acting with Reef and warn him about the impact it could have on their family.
Carly put her phone on the table and stared out at the sea. The beach always cleared her thoughts and calmed her nerves. As she took a sip of her coffee, a shadow fell across the table. Carly turned and froze when she saw Daphne Rose standing beside it with her large-brimmed hat and oversized sunglasses.
“Hi,” Daphne’s voice was low as she greeted Carly. “Do you mind if I join you?”
“Sure,” Carly said, indicating to the chair before her.
As she studied Daphne’s composed facade, Carly felt a surge of curiosity and suspicion. She couldn’t shake off the feeling that this meeting was no mere coincidence. Especially since Daphne had hinted she’d be in touch the last time they’d met. As Daphne settled into the chair, Carly braced herself for a potential confrontation, her guard up and senses on high alert.
To her surprise, Daphne’s following words caught Carly off guard. “Congratulations on landing the lead role in the series,” Daphne said, her tone unexpectedly warm and congratulatory. “That role needed someone with your talent to play it.”
Carly’s eyes narrowed slightly as she regarded Daphne. The woman who had once been a thorn in her side now offered what seemed like genuine praise. Carly couldn’t help but wonder about the sinceritybehind Daphne’s words. Was this a ploy to get closer to Carly or manipulate her somehow?
“Thank you,” Carly replied cautiously, her voice tinged with wariness. “Are you starring in anything right now, or do you have any major roles lined up?”
“No.” Daphne shook her head, taking off her sunglasses. “I’m having a break at the moment.” She paused and glanced out at the sea. “I haveother obligationsthat need my full attention right now.”
“Oh.” Carly nodded, sipping her coffee and deciding to be straightforward with Daphne. “I get the feeling, like our meeting in town the other day, it’s no coincidence that you’re here.”
“I saw you from my hotel room.” Daphne pointed to the Summer Inn, looming off to the one side of the beach. “I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to talk to you.”
“About…” Carly’s brow creased as she watched Daphne intently.
Carly wondered if this was about her ex-husband, whom she suspected had been having an affair with Daphne. On a few occasions when they’d been separated, Carly had seen Daphne leaving Shaun’s house early in the morning.
“You don’t remember me, do you?” Daphne leaned her elbows on the table.
“I don’t understand,” Carly said, confused. “Of course, I remember you, Daphne. I’ve only been out of show business for three years.”
“No, I mean from before,” Daphne said. “A year after your ex-husband got a part inAll My Heart, I got the role of your long-lost cousin, Judy.”
Carly’s brows shot up as she stared at Daphne in disbelief. “You were…” She snapped her fingers, trying to remember the name Daphne was going by then.
“I was using my late mother’s name,” Daphne reminded her. “Celine Williams.”
That’s right!Carly remembered. She was the actress Parker got the network executives to fire because she’d started stalking him.“Yes, I remember you.” She looked Daphne over. “You’ve changed a lot since those days.”
“I had some work done,” Daphne told her. “I reinvented myself and was more successful for it. At first, I was so bitter and angry that you had me fired.”
“What?” Carly spluttered. “You think I had you fired?”
“I did believe that for many years.” Daphne bit her bottom lip, shaking her head. “I believed a lot of lies back then.”
“I’m sorry I’m not following.” Carly looked at her, confused.
“My older brother was also my manager at the time,” Daphne explained. “He was my manager until about a year ago when I realized he was a lying manipulator.” Her eyes were shadowed, and she wrapped her hands around her neck nervously. “And when I found out about his lies and called him out on them, he—“ She swallowed. “Let’s just say I found out who my brother really was that day.”
