Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 96046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
The airport was crowded, but somehow I felt alone, lost in the world at the moment. In some ways, I didn’t recognize the person I was anymore. It felt like I was on the outside, watching myself and wanting to warn the woman to be careful. The only thing keeping me from booking another flight and running straight back to Ohio was the memory of Dorian’s eyes as he’d told me he loved me the last time we were together.
After I got into the car waiting for me and confirmed my destination with the driver, he looked at me in the rearview mirror and asked, “What do you have going on in Orion Coast?”
“Oh, you know…” I took a breath. “Just a little getaway.” If only it were that simple.
“That’s a pretty fancy area. Where are you staying?”
I stupidly hadn’t booked a hotel, figuring I’d sort all of that out after seeing Dorian’s reaction. Maybe Benjamin would be kind enough to let me stay in the guest house if Dorian didn’t feel comfortable with me sleeping at the mansion.
I cleared my throat. “With a friend.”
I couldn’t get my legs to stop bouncing. The only other time I could remember being this nervous was the other night when I’d told the best man I’d ever known that I wasn’t going to marry him.
As the car drove along the Pacific Coast Highway, I tried to calm myself, gazing out the window at the gorgeous California landscape—dangerous cliffs that reminded me of this very situation. Please be easy on me, California.
When the driver finally pulled up at the mansion, my heart pounded in my ears.
“Fancy place,” he noted.
“Yes. It’s nice, isn’t it?” I said, gazing up at the house.
He got out and retrieved my suitcase from the trunk. “Well, have a good visit.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I appreciate you getting me here safely.”
As the car drove away, I took a deep breath. The mansion looked exactly the same from the outside. But something told me the inside might be unrecognizable.
I couldn’t tell you how long I stood outside before I finally garnered the courage to approach the front entrance. Time stood still as I pondered whether to knock.
Then I heard it: music coming from the pool area.
Rather than wait at the door, I walked around to the bushes that surrounded the patio. While you couldn’t access it, you could see what was going on if you looked through a certain spot. The music was indeed coming from here. I recognized the song as an old one: Frank Sinatra’s “The Summer Wind.” Remington had loved Sinatra. I finally garnered the courage to peek through.
Dorian and a woman who looked like the person from the photos on Candace’s Instagram were slow dancing. The beautiful glow from the lights of the pool cast a rainbow over them. My insides twisted as I stood there, taking it all in. Every doubt I’d ever felt bombarded me at warp speed. I should’ve turned around immediately, but instead I quietly observed the living aftermath of my decisions. I could see the man I loved falling in love with someone else before my eyes in real time. This moment set to music was a nightmare come true.
Was it fair to disrupt his life when I’d sent him away? Just because I had reservations about marrying Casey, just because I still loved Dorian—did that give me the right to interrupt what might have been the only stability he’d had in years? I felt like a fool for ever thinking I could insert myself back into his life. When Dorian turned, his hand at the small of her back, I could see his eyes were closed. He looked at peace as they swayed.
You can’t do this.
You have to leave.
I turned and walked back toward the driveway. Suddenly a light flashed on.
Security light. Oh no!
Picking up my pace, I ran right into someone as I fled the house. “I’m sorry. I was just—”
“Primrose?”
I looked up at his face. His old, familiar face.
My voice trembled. “Benjamin...”
“What are you—”
Panicked, I whispered, “I can’t let him see me.”
“Come into the guest house.” I followed him, and he ushered me inside.
After the door closed behind us, I took a deep breath.
Benjamin’s phone chimed. “Hang on,” he said. “Dorian’s texting me.”
Fuck.
“What does it say?” I asked frantically.
“He said he noticed the light go on outside. But I’m typing back that I checked it out and it was probably a false alarm caused by an animal.”
My chest rose and fell. “He won’t come here?”
“He rarely does. You’re safe.”
Benjamin waited for a moment. “All good. He bought it.”
I sat down on his couch, my back sinking into the pillows, and closed my eyes. “I just need to calm down for a moment, okay?”
“Take your time. Can I get you anything? A glass of water?”