Page 125 of Love Without Control

“You should totally let me take some pictures of you with Snoopy and Garfield,” Charlisse said. “You’re never in the pics with them, and I bet your gazillion followers would love to see your pretty face.”

Eek!

“No,” I said with a laugh that I hoped didn’t sound nervous, “the account is all about them.”

My friend gave me a wan smile. “You never put pictures of yourself on Facebook either.”Double eek!“Is there a reason? Did you have a bad breakup with an ex or something?”

I took that and ran with it. “Something like that. I’d rather not have my pictures online.”

Charlisse’s cheeks pinkened slightly, and she pressed her fingertips to her lips. “I’m so sorry, Eden. That was a very personal thing to ask. I was just curious.”

“Hey, it’s no problem,” I said, patting her arm before lifting a teasing eyebrow. “Maybe I’m an international jewel thief and on the run.”

That sent her into a fit of giggles. “Oh, whatever. You and Dane are, like, the most law-abiding people I’ve ever met.”

If only you knew, Charlisse. If only you knew.

A couple months later, I was sitting at the breakfast bar checking my notifications on the Instagram account and smiled. I’d followed Monty on the platform a while ago, and he had followed me back. I always got a little thrill when he commented on one of my posts, like I was having a secret conversation with my brother.

After replying to a few comments on my latest post, I scrolled through my feed, my thumb pausing when I saw a post from the officialBouvier Fashionaccount.

“Well, well, well. Who is this?” I mumbled.

“Who is what?” Dane asked, coming up behind me and resting his chin on my shoulder.

“This woman with Auburn.” I clicked on the caption and read.

CEO Auburn Bouvier attends hospital gala with the lovely Gianna Moschella. Miss Moschella is wearing a couture Bouvier gown.

“Wow. He put her in one of the couture designs? Who the heck is this woman?” I scrolled through the photos.

“What exactly does couture mean?” Dane asked. “I’ve heard the term, of course, but I don’t know what makes something couture or not.”

“They are custom-designed pieces, usually made for a celebrity. Or at least for someone very wealthy because they can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. You wouldn’t be able to purchase couture fashion at any store.”

This Gianna woman was a bombshell, but that wasn’t what kept drawing my eye to the photos of her and my oldest brother. It was her smile, genuine and open.

Doing a quick internet search, I found an article and read it carefully.

NYC’S AUBURN BOUVIER - ELIGIBLE BACHELOR NO MORE? Auburn Bouvier, one of New York’s fashion giants, was spotted last night with a new lady on his arm. The lovely and charming Gianna Moschella accompanied Mr. Bouvier to the exclusive NYH Gala, and the two seemed quite cozy, leading every single—and some not-so-single—woman in the city to mourn the potential loss of Bouvier's “eligible” status. We don’t know who Miss Moschella is, but we’re keeping an eye on this one, folks.

I grinned down at my phone and thought,I’m keeping my eye on you too, Gianna Moschella. Because I think I like you.

I was right. By the end of the year, my formerly bachelor brother was engaged to the brunette beauty.

And I couldn’t have been happier for him.

Chapter 42

SIXTEENYEARSINHIDING

I was in my office at the Turtle Hospital when Maz, the chief veterinarian for the facility, walked in and sat in the chair across from me. “Hey, Eden. How are the new advertisements coming along?”

Opening my desk drawer, I riffled through one of my file folders and pulled out a glossy brochure before sliding it across the desk. “This is the first mockup. What do you think?”

My teeth gnawed at my bottom lip as she inspected it, inside and out. Pulling a pen from her topknot of raven locks, she drew an arrow and slid the document back to me. “I think you should move this photo up to the top. Otherwise, it’s perfect.”

“Great, I’ll get those sent off to the printer in the morning,” I said, trying not to sound all giddy, but damn. I loved my job. I got to use my marketing degreeandbe involved with sea turtle rehab and rehabilitation. “How is Gus doing?”

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