Page 137 of Vacation Friends

She would move back home, she decided. She would forget that Garrick Harding had ever happened . . . which would be hard considering she was carrying his baby. But getting stressed out was bad for her child. She didn’t want that.

Mama didn’t have a lot of money either. But at least Cecilia would have someone to help her.

Coming to New York City had been a mistake.

A huge mistake.

Now she was carrying a daughter inside her.

One day she would teach her daughter not to make the same mistakes she had.

CHAPTER

SIXTY-ONE

NOW

Maddie pushed Adrienne behind her, shielding her from Josh.

This wasn’t Adrienne’s battle. She was an innocent bystander.

“What are you doing here?” Josh appeared above a cluster of rocks. His tie had been loosened and he’d ditched his suit jacket.

Maddie couldn’t see his face well enough to read his expression, but his voice sounded exasperated. How had he done all of this? He’d been on stage up until thirty minutes ago.

Her head throbbed as she tried to think it through. Was he working with someone?

That had to be it.

“Don’t play dumb, Josh.” Maddie continued to take steps back, slowly easing away from him. “You told me to come here.”

“Why would I tell you to come here?” His words almost sounded accusatory.

What kind of twisted game was he playing?

Whatever it was, it wasn’t funny.

“Stop acting dumb,” she muttered.

“I’m not playing dumb.” His words came out faster than usual. “I got a text telling me to come here.”

“So you listened to the sender and left the gala where you were just named CEO?”

His story didn’t even sound believable.

Adrienne had never said who did this to her. She was about to when she’d been cut off.

She lingered behind Maddie now, her breathing rapid with fear.

“Everything was cut short.” Josh’s voice hardened. “The whole thing was a disaster, and now the board wants to reconvene one more time. You had a criminal record, Madison? For murder?”

“It’s not like that,” Maddie explained. “I didn’t mean to kill that man.”

“Sure you didn’t,” Josh mumbled as he inched closer.

“I didn’t. I was only fifteen when I walked in to visit my Poppy, and this aide—his name was Kevin MacDonald—was manhandling him. I’d seen the bruises on Poppy for weeks. No one at the nursing home could explain the marks—nor did they care.”

Maddie drew in a deep breath as that horrible day flashed back into her mind. She never talked about it. Everything was too painful.

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