Page 14 of Vacation Friends

“You don’t have to do that.” Brody waved the idea off.

“I insist,” Josh said. “It’s the least I can do. I can make reservations tonight at Terrapin.”

Adrienne’s eyes widened. “When I talked to the resort yesterday, they said it takes months to get reservations there.”

“I can pull a few strings.” Josh shrugged as if it weren’t a big deal.

That was how it worked when people were rich. They could get things that others couldn’t.

Adrienne raised her eyebrows, making it clear she was impressed. “If you insist, then that sounds perfect. I’d love to try that restaurant out—and to get to know everyone better as well.”

“We’d love to join you,” Fowler said with a slow, thoughtful nod. “You’ve done a great job since you took over as interim CEO. It would be an honor.”

Dinner with this group tonight did sound intriguing, Maddie thought as she twisted her engagement ring on her finger.

She’d been on her own yesterday since Josh had meetings. She’d gone on a shopping excursion—alone—where she’d grabbed some lunch from a food truck. The sushi hadn’t agreed with her, and she’d spent most of the rest of the day in the bathroom.

It had been miserable on more than one level.

She now had something to look forward to and something else to think about.

Something other than the fact that she believed her fiancé might be trying to kill her and the realization that the man she’d tried to save—and who’d possibly sent her that text—was dead.

CHAPTER

SIX

THEN

Cecilia subconsciously tapped her fork on the white linen tablecloth as she waited.

She glanced at her watch again.

Fifteen minutes late.

Only five minutes ago she’d told herself that ten minutes was as long as she would wait.

Anything beyond that amount of time was just fooling herself.

When she’d met Ryan Fielding at the grocery store—in the produce section, of course—he’d seemed like an upright guy who knew how to pick a piece of ripe fruit and carry on a decent conversation. So when he’d asked her to dinner, Cecilia had agreed.

She’d told him they could meet at the restaurant. There was no need for him to pick her up.

She’d had so many bad experiences with men, and she was trying to do better. To set more boundaries. To be more selective about who she dated and who knew where she lived.

Her friends had said she was looking too hard for a man.

But she wasn’t. Just because men asked her out didn’t mean she was looking hard or that she even wanted a husband or someone to take care of her.

Having good conversation and someone else paying for her meals seemed a good option.

Except she always fell for the wrong guys. The ones who were controlling. Who only wanted one thing. Who didn’t appreciate her for the right reasons.

She glanced at her watch one more time, hating how self-conscious she felt.

Twenty minutes had passed.

That was it. She needed to go. Staying any longer was just humiliating.

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