Page 42 of Fool Me Twice

“I’m staying at some little hotel called The Old Man’s Folly.”

Punching the name into Google Maps, he tuned her out. “I’ll be there in forty minutes.” He ended the call and headed for the hotel.

Anger coursed through his body, filling him up with a burning rage as he crunched through the gears in his rush to get this whole thing over with as soon as possible. What was she doing here, anyway? He’d made it very clear to Leland that he expected him to sort it – find her price and pay it, he’d instructed. And now she was here, ruining everything.

What was she hoping to achieve by turning up in person? Did she think there’d be some big reconciliation between them? Well, that wasn’t going to happen, not this time. The quicker she got her arse back on the plane, the sooner he could get back to Evie and try to make things right with her.

Following the long, winding drive leading to the hotel, Peter shook his head at the needless opulence and grandeur surrounding him. But why should he be surprised to find Shari staying in such a place? She swanned around like she was some kind of queen, turning her nose up at all the little people who weren’t fit to breathe the same air as her. The irony of the hotel name wasn’t lost on him either. Shari had been a massive folly on his part, and he’d been paying for it ever since.

He parked the car in one of the visitor parking bays and checked his phone to see if there was anything from Evie. Instead, there was a voicemail from Shari, giving him her room number and telling him to meet her there.

Peter headed to the discreet reception desk. He recognised the anguished look that flashed across the face of the middle-aged woman at the desk when he mentioned Shari’s name. He knew that look; he’d lost count of the number of times he’d seen it.

Following the directions to Shari’s room, Peter was surprised to find that the “room” occupied two floors inside a cylindrical tower capped with its very own turret. He swallowed hard, trying to control himself, then knocked on the door. It opened at the slightest touch, but he stayed where he was, not wanting to give Shari the wrong idea. All he wanted to do was tell her it was over, again, find out exactly what he had to give her for her to sign the divorce papers, and get the hell out of there. “Shari?” he called from the doorway.

“Come in.”

Peter entered, his eyes searching for any signs of her. “Shari?” he called again, hoping it wasn’t some elaborate ploy she’d concocted in an attempt to seduce him. Well, if it was, she was going to be sorely disappointed. The thought of making love with Shari turned his blood to ice. Not that there was anything wrong with her physically; she was a very striking woman. But in Shari’s case, her beauty truly was only skin deep.

Several minutes passed, and just as Peter was about to check her bedroom for signs of her, she finally appeared, dabbing at her lips with a tissue before discarding it.

“I’m sorry if you heard that.” She looked at him, a pained expression on her face. “My stomach’s been a little unsettled lately with all the upset.”

Peter shrugged, unsure what it was he was supposed to have heard.

“Anyway, thank you for coming.”

“You didn’t really leave me much choice, did you?” he said. “What did you think you were playing at, turning up at Evie’s house like that, demanding to know where I was, as if it’s still your concern?”

“Been boohooing to you, has she?” Shari stuck out her bottom lip in an unattractive pout. “I just asked her where you were, that’s all. I am still your wife, remember?” She held up her left hand, her third finger still adorned with the diamond-encrusted platinum band and the four-carat diamond engagement ring he’d given her.

“Not for much longer,” he muttered under his breath.

“And I wanted to see what’s been keeping you here for so long.”

“You know why I’m here, to spend time with Jaxon.”

“Ah, yes,” she said in a bored tone. “Your precious son.”

“Don’t start, Shari,” he warned, feeling the old familiar knot balling in his stomach.

“But Jaxon left weeks ago.”

“Have you forgotten that I ended up in hospital?”

“That’s right, your little surfing accident. How very convenient.”

“Convenient?” Was she crazy? “Do you really think I deliberately sprained my knee and dislocated my shoulder, just so that I could stay here?”

“I meant convenient that Evie was on hand to take care of you.”

His chest grew tight and he could feel the tension building around his shoulders and the base of his neck. “If it hadn’t been for Evie...” he began, but what was the point? Shari would twist whatever he said. “Why are you here?” he asked, blowing out a sigh.

“That’s not very friendly now, is it, Peter? I just wanted to see my husband. Is that such a crime?”

Not for any normal husband and wife, no. But they weren’t exactly a happily married couple, were they? They were on the brink of getting a divorce, and it couldn’t come soon enough for Peter. “Just cut to the chase, Shari, and tell me what you want.”

Shari turned to look at him. “You.”

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