“My PA had her writer friend help. But it was all my own thoughts, of course. She just…says it better.”
She moved her eyes back down the screen and read on:I highly recommend Camila and her services as a professional chef. Whether hosting an elegant dinner party or a romantic dinner for two, Camila will bring a zest for fun and food alike. I’ll definitely hire her for jobs in the future.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said. “It’s amazing. Thank you.” He’d tagged her in the post. Or rather, whomever posted it for him had, which meant she could have a few new followers by now and maybe even some job offers.
“It’s the least I can do after what happened.” He tucked his phone back into his pocket and slid his arms around her. “I know we’re not on the yacht anymore, but I still want this to be like a vacation for us. I could bring someone else in if you’d like. Let them do the cooking.”
A grin spread over her face. Her insides broke into a happy dance. He wanted to keep spending time with her. That knowledge thrilled her as much as his post did. But as for the cooking… “I love to cook,” she assured. “It doesn’t feel like work to me. It feels more like play.”
James pointed a finger at her. “That was good. I should have hadthatin the review.”
Camila wrapped her arms around his back and rested her head on his chest. “Thank you, again, for doing that. It means so much to me.”
“Haven’t you figured it out yet?”
Camila pulled away just enough to meet his eye. A tiny part of her feared he might echo what Adel said in the dream. “What?” she asked.
“I’m kind of falling for you.”
Those few words were like a sugar rush to her soul. She willed herself to believe it, fully, use it to push away her doubts. “I’m falling for you, too.”
His phone beeped then, and James tugged it from his pocket and looked down at the screen. Without even meaning to, Camila followed the action. She’d been just looking at the social media post with him, after all. But the bubble that popped up, just a portion of the actual text beside to his PA’s name, caused her insides to plummet. But only because she could swear she saw her name in there just beneath it.
James tapped his thumb on the bubble and swiped, causing it to disappear.
He looked up at her then, his blue eyes guarded suddenly. “Excuse me for a moment.” And with that, he strode out of the kitchen, leaving Camila to wonder just what his assistant had found.
Chapter 16
James couldn’t get out of the kitchen fast enough.
He’d seen enough of the sample text to know Stephanie was sticking her head where it didn’t belong. He swiped the screen to read the text as a whole.
Stephanie:Call me. I just found something on Camila that you’re not going to like.
Angry heat climbed up the back of his neck. He was going to give Stephanie a piece of his mind. The nerve of her, digging into Camila’s past like she was some kind of criminal. There was no missing her obvious lack of discretion. Stephanie knew better than to be so blatant; she knew he’d likely receive the text with Camila by his side.
Call me when you get a minute—thatwould have sufficed.
The heat burned through his chest as he typed out a return.
James: Stay out of it, Stephanie. If Camila has something to tell me, she will. You’re crossing a line here. Step back.
A big part of him wanted to say more than that, but he didn’t. A stream of curses fell through his lips. The last thing he needed was Stephanie—a woman who seemed to have feelings for him as of late—planting doubt in his mind about Camila. Heck, it wasn’t like he’d proposed to her or anything. And what could she have found out, really? Knowing Camila, it couldn’t be anything big.
There he was, letting Stephanie get inside his head.
Stop it, James. Let it go.
The best way to do that was to get rid of his phone. He was tempted to step out onto the patio and hurl it into the turquoise pool below. He forced himself to walk it to his bedroom instead, deciding to tuck it next to the black journal for the time being. An inner voice said he was avoidingtwothings now—the sight of the items side-by-side said it all. But James rejected that idea.
He’d already decided to go through the journal with Camila, and he would. But he wanted a few more days to ready himself. He’d need to accept whatever it was he found in those pages, and that would take some mental preparation.
And the thing about Camila’s past? If there was anything he needed to be aware of, James was sure she would tell him before their time at the villa was through. If Stephanie was developing feelings for him as he feared, she’d be coming from a biased perspective. He’d give Camila the benefit of the doubt.
A recollection came to mind then. Camila promised to go parasailing with him. He’d get that planned, see what else the resort had to offer, and put his energy into dating Camila during his time there. Still, James couldn’t quite stop the doubt that boomed in the back of his mind.Camila might be one investment he’d live to regret.
Chapter 17
