Page 80 of VOGUEish

Having no other alternative, he sent a text to Isabella. That just in case she didn’t see the note he’d slipped under door.

Something’s came up. Annie and I must fly home tonight. I’m sorry. I’ve arranged for a car to take you to the airport in the morning. Have a safe trip. P.S. I really want to talk when you get back. There are things I need to tell you. - Chandler

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

The fresh air felt good on Isabella’s face. Ryder’s timing couldn’t have been more perfect. He’d saved her from falling for one of Chandler’s lines.

“Tell me what I walked in on,” Ryder said as they walked barefoot in the sand toward the ocean.

“I thought we were headed to a relationship. That Chandler had let his walls down enough to at least give us a chance to figure out how a relationship between us would look.”

“I got that much from the text you sent me yesterday. What went wrong?”

“He shoved those walls back in place and topped them off with some undefinable dynamic going on between him and Annie.”

“Like an affair?”

“He says no but whatever it is, it’s intimate. He’s in full-blown protection mode over her. My feelings be damned.”

“If he said there was nothing between them for you to worry about, you can trust he’s telling you the truth,” Ryder said firmly. “Sure, the idiot is skittish about commitment, but that’s because he lives in fear of hurting women.”

“Why is that?”

“Over the years, he’s overheard Nonna talking about how so many of her projects were in need of fairy godmother services because they had had their heart broken by men they trusted.”

“I walked in on Chandler sitting on Annie’s bed. Her in baby doll pajamas. Him in nothing but sweats…wrong side out. He had his arm around her shoulder. It’s hard to spin that visual into something that doesn’t leave me hurt, especially when he refuses to explain it.”

“If he said it wasn’t what it looked like, it wasn’t. But for the sake of argument, let’s say what you saw was indeed what you think you saw. My explanation would be that his feelings for you scared the crap out of him, and he made a bad decision in a moment of fear. Guys do that kind of stupid shit.”

“Then you think it’s possible I’m right?”

“Fuck no. I’m just thinking out loud and should shut my stupid mouth.”

“Why can’t you be the guy my heart wants? You say all the right things.”

He pulled her in to his side and hugged her a little tighter. “Someone once told me love doesn’t play by societal rules so stop approaching it like it does.”

Isabella laid her head on his shoulder. “Oh yeah! Who was that?”

“Clarabelle.”

“Tell me more about your foster mom.” They reached the edge of the ocean and stood there, letting the water lap at their feet. All around them happy families and couples frolicked.

“I promise I will one of these days, but not just yet.”

She glanced up at him. “That sounds like more than just a case of a guy not wanting to talk.”

“You’re very observant.”

“Fine. I’ll change the subject. Why are you here? I know what you told Chandler, but I want the truth.”

“Last night, you drunk texted me and never cleared it up once you weren’t drunk.”

She squished her brows together. “I did?”

He nodded. “I texted Chandler for clarification this morning, and he ignored my text. My instincts told me the fucker was fucking it all up, and you would need a friend…or a decoy to help you salvage your pride.”

“If it’s the latter, what’s your plan for that one?”

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