Page 8 of Fool Me Twice

Peter felt his cheeks burn, convinced that every pair of eyes in the room were on him. He swore under his breath when he saw the size of the damp patch covering his crotch area. Perhaps he should change his trousers before Evie arrived? He threw a quick glance at the clock. If she arrived.

Should he risk returning to his room to change and possibly miss Evie? It had been difficult enough to pin her down this time. He doubted there’d be another chance if he wasn’t there when she arrived.

Best not to, he decided before turning to thank the duty manager. He’d barely got the words out when he caught sight of a figure in the doorway, his eyes drawn inexplicably to the woman walking toward him with all the grace and self-assurance of a jungle cat roaming the grasslands.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. His hand flew to the front of his trousers. But he needn’t have bothered. The smirk playing on her lips told him she’d seen the whole embarrassing episode and his stomach sank.

In the past, whenever he’d imagined running into Evie again, it had always played out like the end of a soppy love story. They’d fall into each other’s arms, admitting how they’d never stopped loving each other, right before swearing they’d never be apart again.

But that was before he’d found out his love had kept his son from him. Now, when they met, he intended to be cool and aloof while she squirmed and apologised for keeping such a big secret from him.

Only things hadn’t quite worked out how he’d planned.

Jaxon adored his mother and with Peter unwilling to risk the relationship he’d built with his son, they’d adopted an unspoken understanding that they didn’t talk about Evie.

Things hadn’t been easy between him and Evie since that first meeting. No matter what he said, or how many times he said it, he knew she didn’t believe that he’d never received the message she’d left for him. He could see it in her eyes. The anger and betrayal simmering behind an icy wall of indifference.

For Jaxon’s sake, they’d muddled through special occasions like his birthday and engagement party with forced civility, fake smiles and lots of alcohol.

Until Evie found out the woman she’d trusted with her news all those years ago was none other than her son’s step-mother. The shit had really hit the fan then, and the relationship, such as it was, had never recovered.

Now, with so many changes ahead, Peter had some big decisions to make about his future. Jaxon would leave soon to resume his tour, and Anya was flying out to the States at the crack of dawn the next morning for her shoot. What was he going to do? Stay there, alone in the house?

Jaxon had arranged for some renovation work to be carried out on the house while they were away, and the only people he knew in the town, apart from his son and daughter-in-law, were Evie and Morwenna. And he couldn’t imagine Evie wanting to buddy up and spend time with him.

Punching the numbers into the alarm security pad, he opted for the number three and waited.

No. He had to go back to LA, face Shari, and get those divorce papers signed so he could move on with the rest of his life.

Thirty seconds later, all hell broke loose. Lights flashed and a high-pitched chirping rang in his ears.

Shit, he knew he should have chosen eight.

“Hey, sleepyhead.”

Peter’s eyes shot open as something soft hit his chest.

“Want to catch some waves?” Jaxon asked, letting go of the pillow he’d used to wake his father.

Peter blinked, his eyes struggling to adjust to the light. “Waves?”

“Yeah, me and some friends are going surfing and I thought maybe you’d like to come with us?”

Peter was touched by his son’s invitation, but he’d never been on a surfboard in his life. He reached for his watch. “Christ, it’s not even six yet,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “It’s still almost night-time. What the hell?” Then he remembered. “Did Anya get off okay?”

“Yeah, the car picked her up hours ago. So, are you coming or not?”

If it had been anyone else, he’d have thrown them out and gone back to sleep, but it was Jaxon and he didn’t have much time left with him. “Yeah, why not?” he said as he slowly sat up and turned, planting his feet on the floor. “But just to watch, though.”

“Fine.” Jaxon smiled. “I’ll see you down stairs in ten minutes.” He turned to leave.

“Ten minutes? You’ve got to be kidding. It will take me longer than that to wake up.”

“You’re awake now, aren’t you?”

“If you call blurred vision and no brain function awake, then yeah, I suppose I am.”

“Great.” Jaxon grinned. “I’ll wait downstairs for you.”

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