Page 77 of Nothing Breaks Like A Heart

"I thought you were free tonight, but Colin said you and Andrew are going to a party tonight. What's that about? It's not on the official schedule."

"It's a private dinner at Victor's villa. I think he feels guilty about me falling off his yacht and almost dying, so he invited us to the party. It's not a photo shoot, which is a relief."

"That sounds very cool and important. Is Megan going?"

"I'm not sure who from the staff will be there."

"Except for you." Harper's gaze darkened. "You really are moving up the ladder fast, Lauren."

"It's not a promotion or a salary bump; it's a party. You really shouldn't be jealous of me, Harper. I've almost died twice in the last three days. If anything, I should be jealous of you."

"You're right. I need to stop comparing my life to others," Harper said, giving me an apologetic look. "Something I have to work on. And I need to stop jumping into what looks like perfect, because perfect never seems to be true. I don't have as good a feeling about Colin as I did before. He's gotten cagey, and I don't like it."

"At least you're not married to him. I'm starting to feel the same way about Andrew. But at the moment, we are tied together. I have to hope whatever he's being secretive about isn't that bad."

"What if it is?" Harper challenged. "What are you going to do?"

I met her gaze. "I'm going to try not to have another accident."

ChapterNineteen

After leaving Harper, I returned to my suite. Andrew still wasn't back, and as the minutes ticked past five, I couldn't help thinking we'd both given up all pretense of being on our honeymoon. We'd kissed a few times, but only when the cameras were on us. Other than that, we'd never touched each other, barely spoken, and Andrew had chosen to spend our free time with friends on a work project, or whatever it was they were doing together.

I really hoped it was work, because I still didn't want to believe Andrew was a thief, and I definitely didn't want to believe he was a murderer.

While I was waiting for Andrew, I read the company email that Victor's office had sent out. It was noticeable that no one had taken to any of our group chats to discuss what had happened. Wherever people were talking, it was definitely not online.

I wondered what was happening with the investigation into Allison's death. She'd been so beautiful, so vibrant and alive. She'd bothered me, for sure. And I still thought she might have pushed me into the ocean, but I felt bad that she was dead.

The door to the suite opened, and Andrew came into the room and gave me a quick nod. "I'm going to change."

"Okay. How's everything going with your work?"

"Fine. We can talk about it later."

"Sure." I'd put that on the list with everything else we were going to talk about later.

Twenty minutes later, we were out the door. I'd put on a short black cocktail dress with high heels, which didn't make my hip feel any better, but this party was dressy, and I needed to play my part. Andrew wore a dark gray suit, looking as handsome as ever, but he was subdued, making no effort to take my hand or talk to me. He probably had Allison on his mind and figured I didn't want to hear about her. But the silence between us grew longer and wider with every passing day.

As we walked down the path, Victor's villa glowed against the darkening sky, strings of lights draped across the terraces creating a magical effect. When we got to the house, we were greeted by a server holding a tray of champagne. I felt uneasy about drinking more champagne after what had happened yesterday, but I took a glass just to have something in my hand.

We moved through the entry and living room and out onto the massive deck that had been transformed into an elegant outdoor living room with white sofas and oversized chairs arranged in intimate groupings. Flowers were everywhere, their scent mixing with the salty ocean breeze. Waiters moved smoothly through the crowd with elaborate canapés.

There were probably twenty or so people in the space, most of them Victor's wealthy friends who had arrived on the various yachts I'd seen in the harbor earlier. The jewelry on the women and the watches on the men probably cost more than I made in a year. I felt more than a little out of place. This was not my world. But Andrew didn't seem to feel the same. In fact, he'd perked up since we'd entered the party, exhibiting far more energy and interest than I'd seen all day.

"Hello, Lauren," Bennett said, appearing in front of us, looking slightly drunk, a whiskey glass in his hand. "Ready to mingle with the rich and famous before your coach turns into a pumpkin?"

"I do feel a little like Cinderella," I admitted.

"But you already found your prince." Bennett gave Andrew a nod. "Sorry about your friend."

"I don't think we're supposed to be discussing that," Andrew said quietly.

"Oh, right." Bennett put his finger in front of his lips. "It's a secret. Shush."

"You might want to slow down on the alcohol," Andrew told him.

"Afraid I'll embarrass my father? Believe me, it wouldn't be the first time." Bennett took another deliberate and purposeful swig of his drink.

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