Page 60 of The Restaurant on Plum Island
The man had tried to get him arrested for killing Beth. Paul’s lies and accusations had nearly destroyed Ethan and his family. With his silver hair and cowboy charm, Paul turned to lock eyes with Ethan, a flicker of discomfort passing between them.
“Ah!” Paul nodded in understanding. “You weren’t told I’d been invited here, were you?” His lips curled nastily. “I’m here to be interviewed by your lady friend.” He pointed at Ethan. “She asked me if I’d be interested in an interview about…”
Before Paul could finish his sentence, the elevator doors opened with a ding that echoed through the lobby. Carly stepped out with Jennifer by her side. Carly’s head swiveled in their direction. Her eyes widened when they landed on Paul. Before Ethan could fathom what was happening, Carly strode toward them, a mix of surprise and curiosity on her face, puzzling Ethan.
“Paul!” Carly exclaimed, making Ethan frown as he realized they knew each other. “I didn’t know you were coming to town?” They embraced like old friends. “Does Reef know you’re here? I’m sure he’d be delighted to see you.”
“Carly,” Paul greeted her with a fondness that felt oddly personal before a look of guilt flitted through his eyes. “No. I haven’t spoken to Reef about being here.”
Ethan’s confusion crystallized into a sharp question darting through his head. How did Carly know Paul? He watched their exchange, feeling like an outsider piecing together a puzzle without all the pieces.
“Seems like you two are well acquainted,” Ethan remarked, unable to keep the note of suspicion from creeping into his tone.
Carly turned and smiled at Ethan. “I’ve known Paul for years,” she told him. “He’s my ex-husband’s father.”
Harriet and Ethan gasped in shock as her news hit them. Ethan’s thoughts churned with new worries. Carly’s past was entwining with his own in ways he hadn’t foreseen, but Ethan bet whoever was pulling their strings at the moment knew! He’d known Paul for years and had never been told he had a son.
“A family reunion, I see!” a man’s voice came from behind them, making them all turn to see the actor Davin Giles stride into the hotel.
“Shaun!” Carly gasped at the sight of her ex-husband.
Ethan’s spine stiffened as the man strode casually toward them. That’s when Ethan realized the puppet master was lining up all his pieces and moving in for checkmate.
CHAPTER 15
“Shaun,” Carly’s eyes widened fleetingly in shock before narrowing in suspicion and wariness. “What are you doing here?”
“Carly,” Shaun greeted, his voice smooth as honey, a sly smile playing on his lips. His gaze bore into Carly’s as he took a step closer, his presence looming over her like a dark cloud. “Wow! You look just as stunning as ever.” His eyes scanned her. “I like that you’ve gone back to your natural hair color.”
Carly ignored his words. “Why are you here, Shaun?”
“Would you believe me if I told you I wanted to mend our relationship and be friends again?” Shaun closed the distance between them in a few confident strides, ignoring the three other people around her. “I’ve missed Reef and—“ His eyes darkened, and his voice dropped. “You!”
Carly’s spine stiffened, and she snatched her hand away as Shaun reached out to take it.
“Seriously?” Carly looked at him in disbelief. “Since when do you care?” she retorted, refusing to be drawn into whatever twisted game he was playing. “You haven’t so much as sent your son a birthday card in the past three years.”
“To be fair, Reef hasn’t tried to reach out to me either.” Shaun tried his usual, ‘but what about me’ turning of the tables.
“You’re his father!” Carly’s stomach churned angrily. “It’s not up to him to keep in contact. That’s up to you!”
“Can we not fight in front of everyone?’ Shaun glanced around the lobby. “We’re drawing unwanted attention.”
“Oh, please!” Carly snarled. “You’re doing this to draw attention as usual.” Her hands balled into fists. “I’m going to ask you one more time—What are you doing here?”
Shaun’s smile widened, a glint of amusement dancing in his eyes as Carly’s irritation flared. He paused for a moment as if savoring the tension before finally revealing his true purpose.
“I’m here because Trinity Woodrow invited me to appear on her show to discuss Stella Hart’s return to acting,” Shaun confessed smugly.
“That’s why I’m here too, Carly,” Paul added, his eyes filled with guilt. “I was going to call you once I was settled into my room.”
Carly was lost for words as shock hammered through her system. She looked at Paul and gave him a tight smile before turning back to Shaun. “Why would Trinity want to talk to you?”
“Because I’m as shocked as the nation must be that Stella Hart is trying to revive her career,” Shaun stated. Something flashed in his eyes that Carly couldn’t quite make out before it was gone. “I thought you were never going to return to acting.” Something in his tone sent an icy shiver up her spine. “Wasn’t that what we agreed? You get full custody of Reef so you can be a full-time mom and leave acting behind for good.”
“What?” Carly, Jennifer, and Harriet gasped at the same time.
Carly glanced at her managers before turning back to Shaun. Anger burned through her at yet another one of his made-up allegations.
