Page 81 of A Shore Fling
“What merchandise? Jordan asks.
“Nina helped me come up with a plan to reach a wider demographic of customers, and I want to start implementing it,” Reed explains.
“You work for your family’s business, right?” Drew asks.
I nod. “Yep.”
“What’s the name of the company? Would we know it?” Jordan asks.
Well, shit.So far, no one has made the connection between my last name and our brand. Looks like that’s about to change.
“Moreau.” Dead silence descends for a few seconds as six pairs of wide eyes swing my way. “I should’ve told you all, but when no one mentioned it, I decided not to. It’s been nice just being Nina and not part of the Moreau empire.” I flick a nervous glance at Travis, but he’s no longer looking at me.
“Holy shit!” Willow shrieks. “You’re a fucking billionaire.”
“No. No. No,” I say, shaking my head. “I’m not even close to being one. You’re thinking of my parents.”
Travis gets to his feet and walks inside the house without uttering a word.
“That’s not a good sign,” Jordan says.
Ginger whacks his arm. “Don’t be an insensitive asshole.”
I push to my feet and hurry after Travis. I find him in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water, and move over to stand next to him. “Hey, I’m so sorry you had to find out like that.”
He shakes his head. “Don’t apologize. I’m sorry you felt like you couldn’t tell me.”
“It’s not that I thought you’d be upset when you found it. It had more to do with the fact that everything I do back home is influenced by my family and others' expectations. I came herelooking for a break from that, and I found it. Being here is so freeing for me.”
“I can’t imagine the pressure you deal with from your job and outside sources.”
“It’s not so bad.”
He raises an eyebrow. “I had no idea I was falling for a woman with such a complicated life. No wonder you’re going back at the end of the month. Havenport can’t compete with everything you have back there.”
I smile, and turn to him, rubbing his arm. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that. This town has plenty to offer.”
He rubs his forehead. “Hey, would you mind if I take the night to process all of this? We can talk in the morning.”
Darn. I was looking forward to sleeping here, but I can give him the night to work through everything. I did drop a bombshell on everyone.
“Oh… uh… sure. I’ll get one of the girls to give me a ride home.” I step out the back door onto the deck, pausing with my hand on the knob. “I’m sorry.”
As the door is about to close, I hear him whisper, “Me too.”
I feel awkward as I make my way across the deck. It’s obvious everyone has been talking about the news I dropped. I lean over in front of Willow. “Could you give me a ride home?”
“Oh. Sure. Let’s go.” She immediately stands.
Ginger also jumps to her feet. “I’ll come with you.”
The three of us step down from the deck and trek through Travis and Reed’s backyards, and then cut up the side of Reed’s house to the driveway where Willow’s Jeep is parked. We climb in, with me in the passenger seat and Ginger in the back.
“I appreciate the rescue,” I say.
“What happened?” Willow asks as she begins the drive to the rental. “I thought you’d spend the night.”
“Yeah, so did I. He said he wanted the night to process everything. I hope he’s not hurt that I didn’t confide in him.”
