“No harm done.” I give her a bright smile, then try to turn away but her voice stops me.
“The thing is, you seem like a nice enough girl, and I just thought I should warn you that if youarethinking of getting involved with him, it's probably not such a good idea.”
My heart drops to my feet and I consider running away with my hands over my ears. Instead, I sigh deeply and turn to face her. “Trust me, I've already figured that out for myself, but I appreciate the heads up.”
“Good, because he really does believe his own lone wolf bullshit.” Kennedy nods quickly. “And I just don't think that he's the type of man who would make life easy for his partner. He's really very selfish for the most part, although I have to say,youmust be really something for him to agree to let the public catch a peek into his sad life,” she says. “I've been begging him for years to let the cameras in, and until now, he's never wavered even the slightest on his decision. It's always been a hard no, regardless of what carrot I dangled in front of him—and believe me, I've dangled some pretty impressive carrots. So when he called me, I jumped at the chance.”
I stand perfectly still, not daring to move a muscle or even take a breath for fear of missing anything that she's saying. My mind is spinning so fast, I can't think of any type of response.
“Anyway, I have to run. Do what you will with this information. The only thing I ask is that if you do decide to act on it—and I strongly advise you don’t, knowing Pierce the way I do—please don't tell him that you know he was behind all of this. It was one of the key elements to our deal. Complete secrecy.”
“But why wouldn't he want me to know?”
“He didn't say, but if I had to guess, it was because he wanted you to think you’d done this on your own.”
* * *
So this is one of those awful moments in life when you have a big, nasty secret that you have to keep until you go to your grave.
I'm currently at an impromptu staff celebration at the beach bar at which almost everyone I care about in the world is feeling gloriously elated about Paradise Bay's newfound fame. Bob Marley is playing, people are singing, and Lolita, the head bartender, has cracked the seal on the new Bellini machine. She's got it working overtime to keep the glasses filled, and evenshe’ssmiling for a change.
I'm on one of the swings that line the side of the bar closest to the beach. My sandals are off and my feet are dragging through the sand as I move back and forth slowly, feeling completely detached from the festivities.
It's awful to have a secret like this—to watch people around you be excited about something that is essentially a sham. ABN didn't show up here because of our stellar reputation for world-class service, or for our incredible menu, or because of the extra TLC we give our guests. They weren't here because of the snorkelling or the parasailing or the day on a private island beach. They weren't even here for the Carib-Asian cuisine, as much as I wish they had been. They were here for one reason only—because, for some unknown reason, Pierce Davenport cut them a deal.
I slowly sip my cool drink through the straw as I watch Harrison and Libby give each other a big hug, making room for her expanding belly. He kisses her on her forehead. I'm not much of a lip reader, but I'm pretty sure he just told her he's really proud of her and she has returned the sentiment.
Yes, Emma Banks will never tell a soul about how this really transpired. I shall take the crushing truth to my grave, alone in my misery.
* * *
Mmm…I know there was a time a million years ago when I thought Bellinis were a terrible idea, but I was so wrong. They are most definitely a very good idea.
I’m delightfully tipsy and have now moved to the pool deck so I can dangle my feet in the refreshingly cool water while I sip my third drink. This is much better over here because I’m alone and the sun’s gone down, meaning I can cut all the fake smiling that was starting to hurt my face.
“Hey, you,” Libby says, managing to get herself down beside me. Sliding her feet slowly into the pool, she sighs happily. “That's better, I've never been pregnant before, but I have a feeling the Caribbean isn’t exactly the easiest climate for it.”
I glance at her swollen feet, wishing I could do something to fix them for her. “Maybe you’ll have to spend the next few months in the pool.”
“I won’t be able to. We’re going to be far too busy from now on, thanks to you,” she says, poking me on my shoulder.
“Oh God,” I say, shaking my head. “All I did is botch a live internationally-televised interview.”
Giving me a stern look, she says, “I’m not talking about the interview. I’m talking about how that camera crew ended up here in the first place. That was all you.”
“What?” I ask, giving her my innocent look.
“Spare me the act, Emma. I figured it out days ago.”
“Does Harrison know?”
Shaking her head, Libby says, “No, and let’s not tell him, okay? He’s so proud of the team—which he should be. We provide a kickass place to vacation so it’s about time someone recognized it.”
“Thanks, Libs. I didn’t want to spoil the moment for anyone—especially Harrison.”
“Look, I don’t know exactly what went wrong between you two, but I do know you’re miserable without him. So unless he did something unforgivable like cheating or treating you poorly, I’d say it’s time for you to figure out how you and Pierce are going to make a go of things.” Libby says pointedly.
“We can’t. I rejected him. Hard. And I don't think there's any coming back from that.”
