Scarlett couldn’t stop looking at Brayden as they moved to the water’s edge for one last round of pictures, and he was equally wrapped up in her, watching every step she took.
They posed for one shot with Beni in between them, andanother with Scarlett and Brayden kissing at the edge of the ocean.
“Is that enough?” she asked after lots of kissing photos.
“Oh yes, Lady Heroux,” said the blond man. “Thank you for the opportunity.”
“When will you print these?” asked Brayden.
“As soon as possible,” said Tom. “And if you ever want your photo taken again, call me anytime. Day or night.”
“You’ve always been a true professional, ever since I was a kid. Thanks for that,” said Scarlett.
With a wave to the reporters, she and Brayden jogged to where Beni was waiting.
By now the news had spread that Lady Heroux was at Lilac Beach, and a crowd was rapidly growing. A handful of teenagers was one thing, but now there were thirty people milling around, staring at her with their phones out, snapping pictures. Her chest tightened and her desire to leave spiked as she pulled her dress on over her swimsuit. Brayden offered her his hand, and she took it.
“Goddess above,” muttered Beni. “Let’s get out of here.”
“On it.” Scarlett retrieved her phone and sent Charlie a text asking to be picked up at the Lilac Island Dock.
That evening, after a tense boat ride, they were seated in Laylani’s preferred private dining room at The Twig and Vine. A chandelier hovered over a round table in the quiet room, which was so unlike the rest of the bustling restaurant. But that made sense, because Laylani had always preferred the exclusive, sanitized version of whatever the public got. The restaurant wasn’t far from where they’d surfed that morning; one of the walls was transparent glass and gave them a phenomenal view of the Lilac Beach boardwalk. The moonlight illuminated thedistant waves.
“This place is gorgeous,” said Brayden as he sat in the high-backed chair next to Scarlett.Helooked gorgeous in his midnight-blue dress shirt, with a clean-shaven face.
“It is,” she agreed.
Beni sat on her other side, leaving Laylani the chair directly across from her. Scarlett wished they could’ve come here without her. She straightened the silk skirt of the black dress she’d worn to dinner and took a deep breath. It had been an active day, but she needed to stay alert around Laylani.
The waiter appeared, decanted a bottle of red wine Laylani had preordered, and jotted down their dinner orders. As soon as he’d left, Laylani started in.
“Scarlett, I read in the paper you’ll be taking your father’s seat soon. What are your plans, exactly? What will Brayden do while you’re working?”
Scarlett shifted in her seat. “Yes, I’ll go to Parliament in the morning. I’m keen to begin.”
“How industrious of you.” Laylani’s tone was falsely bright.
“I’m going to accompany her to and from Parliament until we can hire a security team,” said Brayden.
“Is that necessary?” asked Laylani. “She’ll be a junior peer. Jules didn’t have security until he was prime minister.”
Beni stared at his mother like she was daft. “And look what happened to himwithsecurity.”
Scarlett shot Beni a grateful look. She couldn’t have said it better. “Right, and also, we still don’t know who killed him. While that question remains unanswered, I’m hiring protection.”
“Perhaps you can get someone on a short-term contract until the assassin is caught. I’m sure the Soleil Bureau will have a breakthrough any day now,” said Laylani with a small smirk.
Scarlett’s eyebrows narrowed. What did that smug smilemean? Nothing good, she was sure.
Laylani sipped her wine as she watched them both. “So, Brayden and Scarlett. Tell me more about your relationship. How did you meet?”
“Through my grandmother,” said Scarlett as Brayden grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers on top of the table, directly in Laylani’s line of sight.
“She introduced you? How?” Her dubious expression suggested the idea was absurd.
“Letters.” Brayden smiled adoringly at Scarlett. “We’ve been writing to each other since we were eleven.”
Her stepmother’s smile was acidic. “Pen pals. Isn’t that sweet? But I can’t recall ever seeing Scarlett traipsing around with a treasured secret missive from Clair de Lune. Did you write often?”
