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My stomach drops at the sudden change in topic and to where it’s landed. “What about them?”
“How would you describe the nature of your relationship with them?”
An alarm bell goes off. “They’refriends.” Why is he asking? What does he know?
Luca hums like he doesn’t believe me, and I can hear his pen scribbling something. “Sources say your friendship with Ronan Lyle was of a far more intimate nature. If Henry Wolf were to find out about your other partners, would this impact your engagement to him?”
Oh, believe me, he knows.I swallow. “Ronan and I have always been justfriends.” Friends who have fucked, but that is none of anyone’s business.
“What about Michael Stern, Henry’s private massage therapist? How would you describe your relationship with him?”
The biggest mistake of my life. I press my hand against my stomach to calm my nerves. This is too specific to be an idle rumor. It’s obvious this Luca guy has been digging for dirt on me, but who is throwing him bones to fetch? And why does it feel like he’s on a mission, firing off question after invasive question to try to trip me up?
If details about my Alaskan escapades get blasted in the newspapers …
If my parents and all of Greenbank read about it …
At least I haven’t hidden anything from Henry. But who at Wolf Cove has been airing my dirty laundry?
My hand shakes as I hit the End Call button, something I should have done after the first question.
It trills almost immediately, before my finger has left the phone screen. A wave of anger emboldens me as I answer. “Do not call me again!”
“Abbi?”
“Oh, Miles. Hey.” I should have read the number before yelling like a maniac.
“I wanted to say congratulations,” Henry’s assistant continues. “What’s going on?”
“A reporter is poking around.”
“About what?”
I shake my head, though he can’t see it. “Nothing. So, what’s going on with you? How are things there? Does Henry have you running around like a headless chicken?” Miles and I bonded early on. As a boss, Henry isn’t the easiest person to work for, something we both know from experience. He doesn’t ask, he demands, and he expects perfection. And when he’s stressed out, he can be intolerable.
“No, actually. It’s weird. He hasn’t asked me foranything. And when I forgot to send the daily report off to the executive team? I expected him to tell me to get my head out of my ass like he normally does, but he didn’t say a word.”
“Thatisweird.”
“He’s been in his office for most of the morning, except for an executive meeting where I took notes for him, and he was completely distracted. It was noticeable. Like,everyonenoticed it.”
“He’s been through a lot over the last few weeks.”
“I know. I mean, his dad and then his brother. And then he almost died! But still, it’s not like him. I thought I’d see if there’s anything going on that I should know about,” he asks tentatively, as if he might be overstepping.
I’d like to know the answer to that too. Maybe Henry got a call from Luca full of insinuations. How will he react to his new fiancée being painted a summertime whore, which is what I sensed from Luca’s tone and manner of questioning. Will Henry be embarrassed?
Too embarrassed to go through with the marriage?
I pace around the kitchen island, studying my ring, as a darker thought invades my mind.Is Henry regretting his hasty proposal already?
Damn, that asshole reporter. Now that he’s planted the idea in my head, it’s going to fester all day, driving me insane. By the time I see Henry tonight, I’m going to be an insecure mess.
I need to talk to Henry now. Better yet, I need to see him, to read his eyes and confirm that I have nothing to worry about. I check the time. “Does he have anything scheduled over lunch?”
“Hmm … nope. Nothing yet.”
“Okay, keep it open for me, would you?”
