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It’s all driving me crazy. Thank God I have Madison. She’s the only person keeping me grounded—her being here with me now and us working together at Sunset Cove to fulfill my mother’s final wishes.
Months before Mom died, she was given the chance to buy the resort, but it was still under a lease. That lease expires in a few weeks. Mom managed the place for over ten years and had dreamt of refurbishing it in a 1940s theme.
That’s what I’m planning to do, and Madison is going to help me. She runs her own full service marketing firm. She’s offered to help me outsource all the companies I need to bring Mom’s dream to life and do all the advertising campaigns once the refurbishment is complete.
“Lord Jesus, girl,” comes Madison’s deep Georgian accent right in my ear. She’s so loud I jump right out of my thoughts and glare at her.
“What?”
She shakes her head at me, and her long honey-blonde curls bounce like springs.
Madison has the petite, fairy-like body and features of Tinkerbell, but when she’s annoyed, she becomes as fierce as a dragon.
“You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?” Her brows furrow.
“Sorry. I’m a little spaced out.” My shoulders sag, and my chest caves.
“Alittlespaced would be good. Miss Lady, you are more like zombified.”
I haven’t told her about Knight yet. Since I can’t quite figure him out or get over the fact that I was so intimate with a total stranger, I’ve been keeping him on the shelf of things to never speak about. Needless to say, Madison would have a field day if she ever found out what I did.
I lift my hand to my temple and note my skin feels hot. “I just need to get through tonight.”
“Tonight?This is just the beginning. It’s nothing compared to the rest of forever with that prick.” Madison’s dark eyes grow larger with displeasure. “I don’t care what your daddy says. This whole Nathan thing is a disaster. How the hell are you supposed to act like you’re in love with an asshole?”
“I don’t know.” I sound as hopeless as I feel.
One of my biggest peeves about this arrangement is that Nathan and I are supposed to pretend we’re head over heels in love and have been dating in secret.
Our families don’t want people to suspect we’re arranged, as it would be bad press for Nathan’s family. Mine, too, but it would be worse for him.
So, on Monday, when we share the news of our engagement to the world, I’m not supposed to look like I’d rather be pulling off my toenails.
“Oh, Aurora.” Madison takes my hands into hers. “I just wanted a better guy for you. One like mine.”
I give her a faint smile. It means a lot to hear her wish that for me. Madison has been dating the most perfect man on Earth for the last three years. Her boyfriend, Chad, is a six-foot-six lieutenant in the Marines who treats her like a queen. He’s currently on duty in the Middle East. My guess is he’ll be putting a ring on it when he sees her in a few weeks.
I know Chad is theonefor her,and I’m happy for Madison, but I’ve accepted that not everyone gets to find their true love.
“I want that for myself too. But… you know why I’m doing this.”
Understanding forms in her eyes, and eventually, she nods.
I’ve confided in her again with more secrets. This time about my suspicions regarding my upcoming marriage and the trouble my father’s business might be in.
“Knowing doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“I know. It doesn’t make me feel any better either,” I agree, my tone flat.
After I had the freakout-argument when my father first broached the subject of marrying Nathan, I worried Dad would exercise stricter controls over my inheritance.
Until I turn twenty-five, he’s my executor. He controls all my income that doesn’t come from the meager earnings I make from my books.
With my dismal job situation growing worse, my choices were next to nothing, but then I overheard a conversation I shouldn’t have between him and Conrad and realized Dad’s business was in trouble. That’s when I suspected there was more to this marriage arrangement than what he told me.
From what he’d said I also realized the reason for the trouble—Mom’s death.
Her death broke him. Everything, including the business, suffered immensely.
