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“Oh my God, Emily,” I gasp, leaping up from the bed as if I have springs attached to my feet.
I rush toward her as she comes in carrying a bag from the bakery. She puts it safely down just before I throw my arms around her, hugging her so hard we both stumble and nearly fall.
“Looks like it was a good idea to come see you.” She chuckles lightly, tapping my shoulder.
“Yes. I can’t believe you’re actually here.” We pull apart and I look at her in disbelief, suddenly feeling terrible when I realize she shouldn’t be here. She and Aiden aren’t supposed to be back from Florida until tomorrow. “Please don’t tell me you cut your trip short for me.”
Emily bites the inside of her lip and blinks her thick black lashes innocently at me. “I was worried about you. All we did was get an earlier flight. Plus, we found our dream venue for the wedding yesterday,” she finishes with a wistful smile.
“Oh my gosh, that’s completely perfect. Tell me all about it.” I may feel like hell and be living there, but that doesn’t stop me from celebrating my cousin’s good news.
“I will, but first I wanted to see how you are.” She glances cautiously around the room, looking at the stacks of boxes containing my things.
She’s called me every day since I told her the news and, like always, she’s given me strength, but seeing her in person with that worried expression on her face is different. It makes everything seem that much more real.
“Well, as you can see, I’m practically ready to go. By Sunday everything in here will be taken to the Le Blanche Manor.” That’s what I've christened my new home.
I heard Hunter lives in a manor not far from us. It’s in the Hamptons, but his house is on Billionaire Lane. That’s where all the celebrities and Wall Street CEOs live in multi-million-dollar homes.
When Dad bought our home here it was a huge achievement, and it felt like a fresh start after we moved from the home we’d previously lived in with Mom.
Like everything else, living in some elaborate manor home with Hunter will be different.
“Come, let’s sit and talk. I got all your favorites from the bakery.” Emily points at the bag and gives me a reassuring smile.
“Thank you. I need a pick-me-up.”
“I thought so.”
She grabs the bag and we sit cross-legged opposite each other on the fluffy white rug.
Once she’s laid out the little pastries, I grab a double chocolate chip cookie and nibble on it. The combo of the painkillers I took earlier and the sugar manages to soothe my headache.
Instead of partaking from the stash of goodies, Emily stares at me, her expression a mixture of worry and tension.
“Have you thought more about what you’re going to do when you go and live with Hunter?” The thoughtfulness in her tone suggests there’s more she wants to say to me. I picked up on it yesterday when she called.
“No. I’m not thinking about him at all. It’s better if I don’t.” I don’t know why, but I keep remembering how Hunter looked at me the last time I saw him.
He must have just come out of Dad’s office. The look on his face spoke of dark triumph. It scared me.
We said nothing to each other as he stared back at me standing on the terrace, and even though he wasn’t near me, I could still feel that menacing presence of power rippling off him in waves.
“Have you heard from Layla?”
“No. Nothing at all.”
“Not even a text?” Emily narrows her eyes.
“Nothing.”
She exhales a frustrated breath. “That’s odd. Let’s hope she’ll be in touch soon. Maybe she doesn’t have her phone with her.”
I give her a deadpan stare. “Really, Emily? Layla practically has her phone glued to her hand. I’m sure she’s seen my messages and received all our calls. I’m just not important enough for her to acknowledge my existence.”
I’m glad when Emily doesn’t try to refute me because she knows I’m right.
“I’m sorry. Everything seems to be happening all at once.”
