Page 31 of Once upon a Summer Night

“I am leaving for the States tonight,” Colin said. At Ellie’s raised eyebrow, he added in a low, steady voice, “I have a business meeting tomorrow to soothe the nerves of my investors. There, at least, I can promise to keep you safe from the cameras. But your aunt is right. This has to be your decision.”

“I also give you my word to keep you safe,” Reilly added.

“My life isn’t in jeopardy,” Ellie grumbled, surprised at the intensity of Reilly’s words.

“No,” her aunt agreed. “But perhaps your peace of mind is.”

“A month, though? I don’t have my passport, or clothes, or…”

“Leave that to me,” Gwen replied. “Let me out up here and I’ll grab an Uber back to the apartment. I’ll get everything you need and then I can meet you somewhere.”

“I’m staying at the Four Seasons, down by the office,” Colin informed her. “You can meet us there.”

“I’ll go with you, Gwendolyn.” Reilly crossed his arms. “Getting through there will be something of a challenge for a wee thing like you.”

Gwen’s brows formed a V and she glared at him. “I am not awee thing. I’ve taken on crowds much larger than that, thank you very much.”

Reilly raised a brow. “Really? When?”

She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. “None of your business.”

“Traveling without permission again, are we?”

“We’renot privy to other people’s business,” she sniffed.

Ellie could’ve sworn she saw a wistful expression cross Reilly’s face, but it was gone before she could be sure. Gwen looked mutinous, which was wholly unlike her. And Reilly…he was staring at Gwen as though he would make her talk using just his eyes.

Interesting.

“Traveling? Where?” Winnie demanded. “Do your parents know?”

“He’s trying to ruffle my feathers,” Gwen muttered.

“Successfully, too,” Winnie noted. “Well, children, I believe this is where you leave us.” To Ellie, she said, “I’ll travel with you to the hotel and have my driver pick me up there. Call me once you’ve landed, and I’ll see what I can do to calm things on this end for you. A month seems quite sufficient for them to move on to some other scandal.”

The limo pulled to a stop, and Gwen gave a wave as she hopped out. Reilly followed at a more sedate pace, then closed the door. The limo pulled into traffic again.

Colin caught Ellie’s eyes, and she felt a jolt in her heart. She felt a brief peace settle over her.

It’ll be okay. And if not…

She halted her thoughts and tried to think positively. A month away from her bookstore would be difficult, but she trusted her employee. He could handle it.

Sliding a glance at Colin, she wondered if she was up for the challenge of being in the company of this man when, every time their eyes met, a tiny bolt of lightning zipped across her skin.

Chapter 5

“This isn’t how I wanted my day to go.”

The announcement was met with a mix of stares ranging from pitying to uninterested. Ellie pressed her lips together and resisted the urge to throw a temper tantrum the likes of which her travel companions had probably never seen before.

Aside from the fact that she was relatively sure she’d never thrown a tantrum, Ellie was just angry enough to try.

“Even though this didn’t turn out the way you thought it would,” Gwen replied, shaking her hair free from the elastic, “it’s not the end of the world.” She smiled gratefully as the lone flight attendant placed a glass of merlot in front of her. “I love you.”

The attendant smiled back at her. “Me, or the merlot?”

“Both.”

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