Page 50 of Hidden Dane
Sophie sounded sad as she said, “I didn’t talk to Dane directly but I bet that’s why he left.”
Wow, she’d been wrong. Beyond wrong. Emily picked up her ruined shoes from yesterday and threw them on her feet. Somehow she needed to get to Dane and apologize. “Sophie, I need to go now.”
Her sister sighed and removed a key from her pocket, holding it out for her as she said, “I rented you a car. Clean up. If you do kiss and make up, you’ll want fresh breath and clean clothes.”
Emily took the keys and then pulled her sister into a hug. “Sophie?”
“Yeah?”
Forgiveness was step one, or at least asking for it, and Emily twisted her hands in front of her and lowered her head. “Thank you for taking me in when our mom died. I don’t know what would have happened to me if you hadn’t.”
Sophie smiled and massaged her shoulder as Emily looked up. “We’re sisters. Now go and find the man you love before it’s too late. And tell him you were stupid. Actually, if you can video record when you admit you were wrong, I’d like a copy.”
Another laugh escaped her throat. Her sister believed in love. Emily had always known that about Sophie. But maybe her sister had been right all these years. Heat seemed to emanate from her cheeks, but Emily shook it off as she said, “Stop.”
“It’s true,” Sophie said.
Emily headed into the bathroom. “I’m not that bad.”
Sophie laughed. “Yeah, and poison helps you lose weight.”
“Hey!” Emily held her stomach and hoped the little tremors were just butterflies. She brushed her teeth..
If she loved Dane, then she’d made a huge mistake. The thought made her slightly queasy. If love existed at all, then she’d really done a great job killing any possibility with the one guy who’d always made her happy.
Perhaps in not telling Dane she’d pushed him away.
And if she didn’t tell him now, then she’d never be able to face herself in the mirror.
Sophie pointed toward the hairbrush and said, “Hurry, Em.”
Right. Now she’d chase Dane and tell him. She finished brushing her teeth. Her sister headed to the door—Emily splashed her face with water and said, “I’m on it. I love you.”
“Good, because I love you too, sis.” Sophie blew a kiss like they were still children on her way out the door.
Not two minutes later, Emily was also out the door, grabbing a croissant for the road from the hotel lobby—she wouldn’t take the time to stop. Once she caught up with Dane, she’d tell him and never let him go again. What she felt inside her had to be love which meant she’d been wrong. She’d get to Dane and then figure the rest out.
Chapter 17
Dane ended the call with the Paris police. He waited at the closed ticket stand of the Eiffel Tower as confused tourists were turned away. The police had kept their passports, so neither Dane nor Henry could go anywhere.
An officer gave them a signal to head toward the elevators. Guess it was time to find out what was going on with Alexandre Mazet, and his jewels. He nodded at Henry that they were set.
Early this morning, Dane had received a call that the authorities had tracked Alexandre to the Eiffel Tower after he’d left his hotel room. Dane would need to identify the thief, and the jewelry.
Without Emily.
Dane’s heart clenched in his chest when he thought of her, and how things had ended. At least she wasn’t here though. She was safe, with Michael, away from danger.
After he returned her necklace, he would never see her again.
She’d been clearer than a diamond last night. And he was ever the fool, falling in love with a woman who didn’t love him back or trust him.
Henry walked beside him toward the ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower as the Paris police guided people away. Once the tourists were safe, he and Henry headed up.
The air was fresh this morning. The ride tilted and followed the path of the tower.
As a young boy, he’d hidden behind his mother, but the man he’d thought was his father pushed him toward the edge and told him that menlooked.
