Page 11 of Nothing Breaks Like A Heart

"Because they were at the conference together. And I was working in the hotel," I said, exasperated by his stubbornness. "I have nothing more to say to you except this. It's Victor's collection, his art pieces, and if he's not worried about us, you shouldn't be, either."

"I'm paid to be worried, Lauren. And I don't work for Victor. I work for the insurance company, which is counting on me to protect their investment. I will make sure that the security at this resort and Victor's villa is impenetrable. There won't be another fire or another theft. Not on my watch. So, I'm going to keep a close eye on anyone I think is suspicious, and that includes you and your soon-to-be husband." He paused. "Look up Allison online. Look up Andrew's friends, his background. You have time to possibly save yourself a lot of heartache. You may believe I'm your enemy, but I might be your best friend. And remember, it's not too late to run. You're even wearing the right shoes for it."

"I'm not running away from Andrew; I'm running to him. I know who he is. You're as wrong about him as you are about me."

"I doubt that." His phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket. "I have to go."

"Good. Because we're done."

He turned and walked away without a response, and while I should have been happy about that, I felt uneasy. Despite my defense of Andrew, Ethan had put some doubts in my mind about Andrew's relationship with Allison, and the fact that I'd seen them together last night still stuck in my mind. I also wondered why Andrew wouldn't have told me his father was dead.Why would that have been a secret?We'd talked about my mother's death a lot. Maybe he hadn't wanted to speak about his father because he hadn't felt the same sadness and grief. That was probably the reason.

Sighing, I pushed the anxious thoughts out of my head and told myself to stop borrowing trouble. Nothing was going on with Andrew and Allison. What had happened with his dad was also in the past. It was time for me to get on with my day.

I headed up the path to the resort, pausing when I saw a moving van parked in front of Victor's three-story villa, which was as grand as the main building of the resort. There were at least four men unloading the truck, while Ethan stood nearby, talking to Bennett Carrington, Victor's son.

I was about to cut through the trees to avoid walking in front of the villa when, to my shock, Victor and Andrew came out of the house together. And right behind them was the beautiful redhead who seemed to be everywhere—Allison McGuire. She was chatting with an older blonde woman, who I quickly realized was Paula Carrington, Victor's wife. She must have arrived early this morning.

What on earth was Andrew doing with Allison, and why were they talking to Victor and Paula like they were all old friends?

When they reached the sidewalk, Andrew shook hands with Victor, Allison gave Paula a hug, and then Andrew and Allison walked away together. Fortunately for me, they weren't coming in my direction, because I suddenly realized how embarrassing it would have been to be caught staring at them.

I hurried through the trees, finding my way back to the main building. I jogged up the steps and bypassed the elevator to take more stairs to my room. I needed to burn off the anxiety that was rocketing through me again. When I hit my floor, I saw Harper knocking on my door.

"Oh, there you are," Harper said. "I was wondering if you were still asleep, but it looks like you've been running."

"Yes, I was."

"Is something wrong?" Her gaze narrowed on my face. "You look really red. Why did you run so hard the morning of your wedding?"

"I'm fine." I pulled out my key, avoiding her questioning gaze as I opened the door. "What are you doing here so early? Weren't we going to meet at eleven?"

"I thought you might want some company."

"Actually, what I want right now is a shower."

"What's going on, Lauren? You've been nothing but blissfully happy the last few months, but ever since we arrived on the island, you're tense. Are you having second thoughts?"

"No," I snapped. "And you promised you were going to support me."

"I am supporting you," she said, looking surprised by my words. "But you are clearly upset, and since I haven't said or done anything, I'm guessing it's not me you're bothered by. So, who's to blame for your mood?"

"No one. I just want this day to be over."

"You should want to savor every second of your wedding day. This is about Andrew, isn't it?"

"No, it's not about him," I said with exasperation, knowing Harper still wanted to be right about me moving too quickly into marriage. "I had another run-in with that insurance investigator. He's really annoying. And while I know we are completely innocent, I don't like to be the focus of his unfounded suspicions."

"You need to put him out of your head. You and Andrew are representing the company. Do you think the Carringtons would have paid for all this if they had any doubts about you?"

"Probably not."

"Noprobablyabout it. So stop being so nervous around the investigator." Harper cocked her head to one side, giving me a speculative look. "Or are your nerves more about the beautiful woman with the striking red hair who seems to be very friendly with Andrew?"

My body stiffened as I stared at her in surprise. "Why would you ask me about her?"

"I saw Andrew having what looked like an argument with her during the rehearsal dinner last night when I went out on the patio to get some air. It was right before dessert was served. You were at the table talking to Jamie. When Andrew saw me, he shut down their conversation and came inside, but I have to admit I was curious about her. Who is she?"

"A work friend. They were probably talking about something work related."

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