Page 99 of One Time in Paris
You fucking coward.
He should answer.
He needed to answer.
But Isla and I agreed to do this together.
Callum didn’t usually call. He texted. He might actually need something.
The call was about to go to voicemail.
Aiden swiped the call to answer and lifted the mobile. “Callum,” he said with a friendly tone.
“Hey mate, you doing all right? I called a couple of times.”
Aiden cleared his throat, moving to his suitcase to look for a fresh change of clothes. “Yeah. Good. Bit full up at the moment. Just got out of the shower.”
“Right, I know—the acquisition. Listen, I won’t keep you, but you haven’t heard from Isla, have you? I’ve been trying to get in touch with her for days, and she won’t return my calls or messages.”
Aiden froze, his gaze flicking toward the bathroom door, which remained shut. “Isla?”
“I was hoping since you’ve been a part of that production, you might know what she’s up to. I’m starting to worry she’s angry enough that she’s skipping the party this weekend. She hasn’t really responded too much to Liddy, either, which is unusual. They get on pretty well.”
“I told you, Callum. You should just fly over wherever she’s shooting and beg for forgiveness,” Liddy said from the background, her voice distant. “You go to the airport right now, and you could still probably catch a flight out there today.”
Bollocks.No, absolutely not. “Hi, Liddy,” Aiden said as casually as possible.
“She made me turn the speaker on,” Callum explained.
That wasn’t a bad idea—he needed to get dressed. Aiden turned his own mobile on speaker.
“Tell him I’m working from home today—in case he’s worried. I’m not slacking just because he’s holed up in New York,” Liddy said.
Aiden pulled on a pair of boxer briefs, scrambling to think. He didn’t want to outright lie to Callum, but what could he say? Hewassupposed to be in New York. He’d told Lola he couldn’t meet again until late this afternoon just to make sure he had the morning with Isla. Liddy knew how important the acquisition was. His dropping everything to come to the middle of Tennessee to check on a production that didn’t need him present would make no sense.
“I haven’t seen her,” he said at last, a stab of guilt going through him. The words came out too smoothly. Too practiced. And they didn’t just taste like betrayal. They tasted like cowardice.
He’s going to hate me for this if he ever finds out.
“That’s it. I’m calling her to find out where she is. You can be at the airport in an hour, babe,” Liddy said in a determined tone.
“No, I don’t think that’s necessary, I can?—”
Isla’s mobile rang loudly from the other side of the bed.
Fuck!
Aiden dove for it, scrambling to silence it, heart pounding.
Then he whirled back toward his own mobile, which lay face-up on the bed. He whisked it up, turning the speaker off.
The door to the bathroom opened, and Isla stepped out, a towel wrapped tightly around her. “Was that my ph?—”
Aiden lifted a finger to his lips in desperation to silence her, then turned back to the mobile.
Please don’t have heard that. Please.
“Went to voicemail,” Liddy said.
