Page 10 of Nothing Breaks Like A Heart

"The rest of the day will be busy."

"That's true. Weddings are a crazy time, so many things to worry about. But what you don't realize at the time is that place settings aren't what you should be worrying about."

"I'm not worrying about place settings. Jeanette is very good at her job."

"That's not exactly what I meant," he said dryly.

"I know what you meant, and I assume you're talking about your own experience again."

"I believe that the marriage should get more thought than the wedding, but that's not the way it usually goes. You spend days and weeks talking about color schemes, flowers, and wedding invitations, instead of discussing what's really important: fidelity, children, money, and work. You see red flags and hear warning bells, but you blow right past them because the wedding train has already left the station."

"Andrew and I are on the same page," I said confidently. "We know what we want. And there have been no red flags or warning bells."

"You don't think the red-haired Allison is a red flag?" he challenged.

I frowned at his question. "No. I asked Andrew about her, and he told me they never had a relationship, that they're just friends, and they work together on occasion."

"Did you tell him about the photo I showed you?"

"No. But that photo was nothing. Two friends exchanging a hug. You're making something out of nothing."

"It's not the only picture of them together, Lauren."

"What are you talking about?"

"I went online last night. I checked out Allison's social media, and there are other photos of her and Andrew together."

My lips tightened. "Are those photos from the last six months? Because if they aren't, they don't matter to me."

"You're working very hard to convince yourself of that."

"I'm really not, and I don't understand why you're trying to start trouble. I'm marrying Andrew today, and there is nothing you can say or do that will stop that. I trust Andrew far more than I trust you. I don't even know you."

"I'm not sure you know him. I thought you did, that you were working together, but the more we talk, the less likely that seems."

"You're obsessed with trying to pin a crime on us, but you're wrong. And I'm not going to keep trying to defend myself or my soon-to-be husband."

"Has Andrew told you about his family?"

I sighed. "His parents are divorced and married to other people. He doesn't see them anymore. Are you going to tell me that's not true?"

Ethan gave me a long look. "Andrew's father, Frank Chadwick, died four years ago. He left Andrew fifty thousand dollars in his will. Shortly after that, Andrew opened his own real-estate development company."

My stomach churned. Andrew had never wanted to talk about his parents. In fact, he'd said they were dead to him because he'd been dead to them once they moved on with their new families. I probably should have asked more questions, but it was clearly a painful subject he hadn't wanted to discuss, and I'd chosen to respect that.

"Well, they were estranged long before he died. What does it matter to you, anyway? I don't understand what game you're playing."

His green gaze seared through mine, making me feel like he could see right through me.

"Maybe you don't understand the game at all," he murmured. "But I'm not the one who's playing it. That would be Andrew."

"That's not true. You've created some story in your head about Andrew and me because you want to pin an art theft on us, but you have no evidence. What does Mr. Carrington think about your suspicions? I can't believe he would have ever chosen us to be the faces of his grand launch and marketing campaign if he thought we were criminals."

"I've expressed my concerns to Mr. Carrington, but without proof, he didn't want to act on my suspicions. He likes both of you. He thinks I'm wrong."

I was relieved to hear that. "You are wrong, Ethan. You're chasing the wrong people. You need to move on."

"I can't do that. My employer is about to insure Victor's private collection. I need to protect those pieces and my employer's investment. I have to be suspicious of everyone and everything, especially when several people who were at the hotel fire are now also here. I'm not just talking about you and Andrew, but also about Allison McGuire, Colin McCallum, and Jay Hollingsworth, all three of whom were staying in the hotel that week."

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