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The next morning, after an exhausting night where she and Simon talked for hours and made love until dawn, Caroline dozed off when Simon got up to shower. By the time she woke, it was midmorning. Embarrassed to be seen as a lazy do-nothing in a house that buzzed with activity, she descended to the first floor and spied Elizabeth directing streams of people carrying trays of food and enormous flower arrangements.
In search of coffee, she headed toward the kitchen. The party preparations had chased Simon, Dane, Sarah and Hannah into the morning sunshine on the terrace beyond the French door. Their good-natured arguing filling the warm, still air as Caroline stepped onto the brick.
Simon spied her first and pulled her into his arms for a long, rousing kiss. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” he murmured in her ear, arousing all sorts of intoxicating tingles.
Gripped by shyness that was ridiculous considering how well she’d come to know him in the last few hours, she echoed his greeting. Sarah poured her a cup of coffee, and Caroline sat on the empty chair beside Dane to pick at a cheese Danish and soak up all the family affection.
“Simon tells me your pool game has improved since last year,” Sarah said to Dane, winking at Caroline. “Do you have time for a game or two before you head to the airport to pick up Francine?”
“I have all the time in the world to take your money,” Dane responded with a wolfish grin. “Francine isn’t coming for Christmas this year.”
Caroline’s heart, filled to the brim with seasonal good cheer and love, suddenly stopped beating. An odd buzzing filled her ears.
“How come?” Hannah quizzed.
“Her dad suffered a mild heart attack on Thursday, so she decided to spend Christmas with them.”
Hannah grinned, obviously pleased to avoid any unpleasantness with Francine. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“I told Simon. I figured he’d let you know.”
“You couldn’t pick up the phone and call me yourself?”
While Hannah criticized her brothers on their poor communication skills, Caroline reeled beneath the weight of what she’d just learned.
“Are you okay?” Sarah put her hand over Caroline’s. “You’re awfully pale.”
No, she wasn’t okay. Why had Simon lied to her? “I think I have a headache coming on. I’m going to grab some aspirin.”
Blinded by misery, she made an awkward exit into the kitchen. She stumbled against the breakfast table and almost collided with the caterer. Even with all the obstacles in her path, Simon didn’t catch her before she reached the back stairs.
“Caroline!”
She didn’t slow as Simon called after her, but his legs were longer than hers and before she’d taken five steps, he was on her, hand catching her arm, large frame crowding her against the banister.
“What’s going on?”
The narrow back stairs gave her little room for maneuvering so she glared at him. “What’s going on?” she echoed, keeping her voice low despite her anger at his betrayal. “What’s going on is that you lied to me.”
Chapter Eleven
“I didn’t lie to you.” His confident tone told her he was completely without remorse.
“How can you say that? You knew Francine wasn’t coming to Savannah. You had no pressing reason to bring home a fake fiancée and you brought me anyway.”
“If you’d known, you wouldn’t have come.”
He was right about that, but then she’d have missed so much. Alone in Atlanta, she’d never have gotten to experience Savannah through Simon’s eyes. She wouldn’t have fallen in love with his family. Caroline shuddered. She and Simon would have never made love.
“When did you find out?” She could barely get the words past the lump in her throat.
“Dane called me Thursday night after I’d dropped you off.”
She recalled that kiss Friday morning. He’d known then. There would have been no reason for them to playact. To kiss beneath the mistletoe. Her entire body flushed with mortification. What an idiot she’d been to make love with him. She’d trusted him. He’d lied to her. Would she ever learn? “You should have told me.”
“You’d already made arrangements to take the time
off. I figured the vacation would do you good.” Just like with his family, he’d made decisions for her, believing he knew what was best.
