Page 78 of Torrid Passion
“Got it,” I nod. “Seems you do as well.”
“We do,” Stella beams. “Hayden and I worked really hard. The last thing we wanted was for people to think we just had to open the doors—or set up the website—and merchandise would fly out the door because of our last name.”
“Well, one thing is for sure, you made it on your own,” I say.
“I’m not going to lie, it was a lot more work than we bargained for, but it was worth it,” Hayden says. “I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved.”
“You should be,” I tell her.
“Loki,” Stella calls for my attention. “Would you like a bottle of water, soft drink, ice tea or coffee?”
“No thank you,” I say. “I can’t stay long.”
“Of course,” Stella nods. “You wanted to talk?” Her smile is forced.
“This is awkward,” I start. “And I must admit, it’s a first for me—”
“Firsts can be quite awkward,” Stella says leaning in.
Hayden gives her a scornful look.
I try hard not to laugh.
“I usually don’t go to a third-party to reach a woman.” I pause. My eyes bounce from Stella’s to Hayden’s expecting gaze. “I bumped into Kyla last night and she mentioned she was staying in your guesthouse. I’m trying to get in touch with her.”
Stella clears her throat. “Her plane just took off.”
Whoa.
The news has the same effect as someone pouring a bucket of ice-cold water over my head.
“Where did she go?” I ask.
“She’s a speaker at the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference in New York,” Hayden explains. “Her mom was scheduled to speak, but Aunt Paloma is on a crazy deadline on a big production and she had to pull out at the last minute. She sent Kyla on her behalf. Her flight was at twelve.”
“When will she be back?” I ask.
“She’s gone for six days,” Hayden says.Shit.“The conference only starts Monday, but there were some other events she had to attend tonight and over the weekend.”
I run a hand along the back of my neck. “I see.”
Now I’m even more confused by Kyla’s disappearance. She knew she was going to be away for a week and she didn’t even bother saying goodbye. Heck, a‘Thanks for a good fuck’note would’ve been better than an empty suite.
Wow.
“Maybe there’s a message we can pass along?” Stella chances.
I ponder on her question for a few seconds.
Clearly, last night didn’t mean much to Kyla.
I rub the palms of my hands against my thighs a few times before standing up. Stella and Hayden follow suit.
“Thank you for your time, ladies,” I say, disappointment rolling off me. “It’s okay.” I pause. “I don’t want to bother her.”
“I’m sure you wouldn’t be bothering her,” Stella says, reaching out for my arm.
“We’re all adults here.” They look at each other. “If Kyla wanted me to get in touch with her, I wouldn’t be standing here.”
