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“Yeah, I’m here. It’s just… are you serious?”
“Unfortunately I am.” I closed my eyes and tried to pretend that it was all a very vivid dream.
“So you’re married, but not for long?”
“That’s the plan. I’m hoping Grant will be able to get us out of it sooner than later.”
“Are you going to tell Mom?”
A nervous laugh burst from me. “No! And you can’t tell her either.”
She huffed. “Of course I won’t tell her. But…”
“What?” My tone was wary. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Nikki, but I knew her well enough to suspect what she’d say next.
“She’s going to find out sooner or later. It’s not like you’re some unknown. If I’ve seen it, Mom’s going to see it soon enough too.”
My stomach sank with the reality of what she was saying. “Fuck.”
“Do I get to meet him, at least?”
“No,” I said firmly. “Absolutely not.”
“Why not? You scared I’ll embarrass you or something?”
“It’s not that. It’s more that I hardly know him and I doubt he’ll even be a part of my life for more than a few days.” A pang shot through me at the idea of Cam leaving and going back to… I didn’t even know where he was from, come to think of it.
“You don’t sound convinced.” My sister was wiser than I gave her credit for.
I let out a shaky breath. “I’m not, I guess.”
“Having second thoughts about the divorce?” The smile in her tone was evident.
I hesitated before spilling everything I was thinking to my sister. “It makes sense, right? We don’t even know each other. But, I don’t know, I kind of like him. But then again, we definitely don’t have to be married to get to know each other. I can like him without being married to him. But also, he isn’t from Vegas. I don’t even know where he’s from. So it would be stupid to get involved with someone I don’t know and lives far away, right? Besides, what if it goes horribly wrong, like things did with—”
“Oliver?”
“Yeah?”
“Breathe.” I could hear the calming warmth in her voice and I did take a deep, slow breath. “Good. Now, he’s not Shane, first of all. Second, if you like him, take the time to get to know him. There’s no hurry, right? Even if he lives across the country. You have options. It can’t hurt to try to explore what’s going on there. You definitely married him for a reason, even if it was a reason only drunk-Oliver would understand.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll talk to you later. Can’t wait to hear more about my brother-in-law next time I call.”
“Whatever you say.” We said our goodbyes and the call ended. The silence of my house was oppressive and I doubted I’d be able to sleep after that conversation, so I dialed up my real estate agent next. It barely rang before she answered.
“This is Dana,” chirped a crisp voice, all business.
“Hey, this is Oliver Ridley.”
“Oliver, how are you? How’s the restaurant?”
I smiled cautiously, a little worried she’d ask about the newspaper photo. “I’m great. Everything is good. That’s actually why I’m calling.”
“What can I do for you?”
Dana, who was a hell of a negotiator and one of the top real estate agents in the city, had been my agent for the purchase of Hidden Cove and we’d stayed in regular contact since I bought it a few years ago. I invited her to enjoy meals at the restaurant regularly, and in turn, she referred a lot of clients to us for special events. I was glad to have her on my side. “I’m looking for a new place.”
