Page 15 of Fireworks & Forehead Kisses

“The audition tape is due by noon.”

“Noon today?”

I nodded.

“Oh, well, we must get it done.”

“I was thinking of going down to the pier, but now that I’m here, maybe I could film it out by the stables? With the horses.”

“Oh, no, the pier is so much better. It has so much more character for a backdrop. So much more drama! Yes, we must go now!”

She stood up.

“Really? You want to go with me?”

“Well, of course, dear. Who else is going to film you?”

“Oh, okay.”

When she said it, she made it seem like the most logical thing in the world. In reality, I was going to film an audition for a reality show where I would marry a complete stranger, and mycamera person was a billionaire who had just hired me to do a job I wasn’t remotely qualified to do…so yeah. Totally logical.

6

DECLAN

“I still haven’t beenable to get a hold of Derek or Raquel,” Hannah informed me over the phone as I walked across the field toward the estate.

I’d just landed on Firefly Island. My brother and his wife were still MIA. They weren’t returning my calls or anyone else’s. Raquel had been posting photos of sunsets and food, but they weren’t geo-targeted, so I had no clue where they were. And the captions were vague.

Time to unplug.

Reset and relax.

Power-down mode.

It was clear that they were on some sort of vacation, or at least Raquel was. They’d just neglected to let anyone at the company know.

“Do you want me to reschedule the meeting?”

The board of directors meeting was too important to delay.

“No.”

There was no way that Derek or Raquel would’ve pulled this shit with Grandad. If they had, he wouldn’t have tolerated it. I wasn’t exactly sure what power I had as acting CEO. Mygrandfather’s will was not as straightforward as I would have liked, at least where the business was concerned. There were stipulations that I was not privy to, which only my grandfather’s lawyer, Harry, and I assume my grandmother was. They were both keeping those conditions to themselves.

I disconnected the call as I walked up the steps to the front of the house and noticed a car that I didn’t recognize parked in front. It was an older model silver four-door sedan with bald tires. Yesterday, I spoke to someone from the home care agency, and they assured me that Ellen was more than happy to return.

At least one of my problems was solved. I wouldn’t have to worry about my grandmother being out here on the island. She had in-home care. I was stopping by tonight to see how her first day had gone. If it ran smoothly, I wouldn’t be back until the weekend.

Before I reached for the doorknob, the front door opened. “Hello, Mr. Wolfe.”

“Dorothy, please, it’s De?—”

“Sorry, Declan, how was the flight?”

“I landed, so it was good.” I grinned. “Is Ellen with my grandmother?”

“Ellen?”

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