Page 17 of Whispered Sins

Finished, I tossed it aside, watching it skid across the tile floor until it came to a stop against the wall with a dullthunk. I sucked in a breath before I submerged my head underwater, thoroughly washing the day away.

The rest of the evening I spent on my couch watching horror movies and eating leftover Chinese food from the night before. I bit down on a soggy egg roll as I watched the killer slowly stalk toward his next victim, a helpless prom queen getting ready for the big dance. Probably not the best thing to watch when I lived alone, but I couldn’t take another romcom. Not today.

The next morning, on my way to work, I stopped by the newsstands for today’s paper. I saw the racks were plastered with Daniel’s face and a headline that made my stomach sink:

Is NYC’s Infamous Bachelor Finally Settling Down?

I snatched it off the shelf quickly and slid a few bucks across the small counter to the attendant. I jogged down the stairs of the subway station and quickly hopped onto the train to Manhattan. Luckily, I spotted a seat and quickly claimed it before opening up today’s paper.

I frantically turned the pages until I landed on the article I was looking for. There were Daniel and Kiera walking into Bloomingdale’s together. This must be from yesterday because he was wearing that same well-fitted suit and his hair was perfectly in place. I stared at him for a moment before my eyes landed on her in that obnoxiously slinky dress that hugged her petite body perfectly. A ridiculous thing to wear to a work meeting, but she practically came alive on the pages of a newspaper. I wondered if it was an intentional wardrobe choice.

I noticed in the picture that she was all smiles. Not in a cheesy, toothy-grinned kind of way, but in a sly, close-lipped way that said she was holding onto a secret. Daniel, on the other hand, looked perturbed. His lips pressed together tightly. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere else, but that could just be because of the paparazzi. I couldn’t imagine being followed day and night by the flash and sounds of cameras.

My eyes reluctantly left his face and landed on the title of the article:

Daniel Jacobs and Kiera Shipley Are Back On!

The couple made their first public debut yesterday when they were spotted leaving Jacobs’ penthouse apartment in the mid-morning hours. Shipley wore a champagne-colored, floor-length gown, and Jacob wore a custom suit. The couple were sharply dressed as they stopped for coffee at a nearby café. They sat by the window and looked deep in conversation, and were very touchy-feely.

I swallowed hard as I read that last part, and saw the photo that accompanied it. Kiera’s hands were on Daniel’s arm as he took a sip of coffee. She looked completely enamored by him. And why wouldn’t she be? He made drinking coffee look like it was a freaking ad for Gucci.

I continued reading:

As we know, the couple has been on and off since they met in college. She was there through his come-up, and seems deserving of taking the role of leading lady in his life.

While we weren’t able to get a statement from Jacobs, we were able to get in touch with Kiera’s publicist to ask a few questions.

You and Daniel seem to have a history that you can’t seem to let go of. Could you tell us more about that?

I met Daniel in college.I was a sophomore. He was a senior. I’m completely enamored by him and his drive. I mean, look where it has gotten him. We’ve lost each other a few times since then, but we always seem to find our way back to each other.

And where do the two of you stand now?

We’re getting to know each other in this current stage of life. Timing is everything. This may just be our time.

With your somewhat unlucky past with love, could marriage be in the cards?

I think Daniel was always my person. As far as getting married again goes, I never say never.

I closed the paper a little too abruptly, startling the older man sitting next to me.

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

I couldn’t believe how worked up I was about this. About someone I hardly even knew.

The train slowed to a stop. I realized it was already my stop. I had gotten so wrapped up in the article, I hadn’t been paying attention. Tucking the paper under my arm, I slung my purse over my shoulder, exiting the train.

As I emerged onto the sidewalk, my phone rang. It was Monica. I groaned. I had ignored her text from yesterday, and then a call from this morning after I turned my phone back on.

“Hello?” I answered as brightly as I could.

“Uh, hello. Where have you been?” she asked with a tinge of annoyance.

“Sorry, I decided to unplug yesterday. Brian let me go home early.”

“Oh no! Are you feeling okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine. I’m not sick. I actually think I got Mr. Jacobs to make a deal with us, so Brian let me leave early as a reward or something.”

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