Page 57 of Just One Summer with the Grumpy

I managed to turn my head and break the kiss before scrambling to a sitting position. “Look, you’re right, okay? I did feel something. But I’m not sure I do now.”

Ty lifted a hand in surrender. “Daphne, you were meant to be mine. I know it. We took a little detour, the both of us, but things are as they should be now. Whatever’s holding you back, we’ll leave it far behind us when we leave this island tonight.”

Whoa there, tiger.“Tonight? I—I don’t—”

“Yes, you do. There’s nothing here that really matters. They’ll all understand when we go missing in the morning.”

Now I felt physically ill. “You want to sneak off without telling anyone?”

“It’s easier that way. Less drama. I have a friend in New York whose place is empty for the summer. I can talk him into letting us stay there for a few nights. That’s all the time we need to get the marriage license and find your ring.”

“My ring?” Mind whirling, I tried to bring reality back down to my brain. “Not a chance, Ty. I can’t just leave Chase wondering what happened. I need to talk to him.”

“So he can talk you out of it? Daphne, don’t be a fool.”

I rose to my feet, looking down on the man fate decreed I should marry. “I’m not a fool. I need time. This is a huge decision.”

“Time is one thing I don’t have a lot of, but I’ll tell you what. Take the morning to get your affairs in order. Confront Chase about his past. Get everything out in the open so you feel good about this, because I do. There’s a flight out at 1:45 p.m. I’ll be waiting in the lobby at noon with a waiting car and two plane tickets.” He rose to his feet as well. Stepping carefully, he made his way over and planted a quick kiss. “This is exactly as it should be. You’ll see that soon enough.”

The night air was warm, but I shivered. “I’ll let you know.”

“You don’t have to. Just show up so I can sweep you away.” He leaned in again.

This time, I dodged the kiss. “I think you should go. I don’t know how strong this roof is.”

He jerked, suddenly looking nervous. “How do I get down?”

I almost wanted to see him try to climb back down the tree, but that would take forever and put his safety at risk. So I lifted the hatch I’d come through and motioned to the ladder. “Much easier.”

He chuckled. “Smooth. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

All I heard was shuffling, footsteps on the main floor, the door opening and closing, and then whistling…until the whistling stopped abruptly.

I looked over the edge to find Chase and Ty on my front walk, staring each other down.

Ty ducked and hurried toward the path leading to the resort. Chase must have felt my gaze on him, because he found me on the rooftop. As our eyes locked, the world seemed to freeze around us. A world of emotion lay bare in his eyes, hurt and bewilderment and all the betrayal I’d tried so hard to avoid.

I wanted to defend myself, to explain Ty’s presence here. But my traitorous mouth refused to speak. How could I tell the truth when even that contained so many lies?

Finally, he turned and disappeared into the shadows.

TWENTY-FIVE

I spentthe next two hours calling and texting Chase, but it all went straight to voicemail. I didn’t dare use the radio with others listening in, and I didn’t know whether he lived in a bungalow or a hotel suite, much less the location. So I spent a long night tossing and turning, determined to find him the moment the sun came up.

But the next morning, he was nowhere to be found. A phantom.

Every time somebody told me they’d spotted him, he would be gone before I arrived. I knew exactly what that meant, and it created a sick feeling inside at the memory of the horror and realization in his eyes.

He’d likely had a sleepless night too.

I finally gave up searching the grounds and decided to search the perimeter, in the thicker part of the trees. A trail led off toward the resort entrance off the pool area, so I decided that was as good a place to start as any. But as I got deeper into the shadows of the canopy, it wasn’t a man’s voice I heard, but a woman’s. A voice I knew all too well.

I dove behind a cluster of trees and slowly peered around them. Veronica paced along the trail with a sparkly phone to her ear, a furious expression on her pretty face.

“I think you’re forgetting that I’m the one doing all the work here,” she was saying.

Veronica paused to listen and then laughed. Her laugh sounded like a dainty drill on stubborn concrete. “Daddy, I can always marry the guy. Then you’d be in a pinch, wouldn’t you? No resort, paying the full event fee,anda useless son-in-law. Remember, I’m the one in charge here. We do it my way or not at all.”

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