of no significance to him. Damn if that didn’t chafe.
He behaved just as normally on the flight home. We didn’t talk much, as per usual. He mostly worked, and I mostly read.
Finally back at the estate, I let out a long sigh as I stood in the foyer. Despite my efforts to fight it, I’d began to think of the place as “home.” And I’d missed it. It had become my safe zone; somewhere I could fully relax.
“I have a conference call soon,” Dane declared. “So I probably won’t eat dinner until late. Don’t wait for me.”
Oh, we were back to that, were we? Ugh. “No problem,” I said, aloof.
I headed up the stairs and went straight to my room, somewhat annoyed that he seemed intent on putting space between us again. Fine. Whatever. It wasn’t as if I cared.
God, I hated it when I tried bullshitting myself.
I quickly unpacked, none-too-gently returning each of my things back to their original place. After bagging up my laundry, I tried calling my father. The call went to voicemail, so I dialed Melinda’s number instead.
She answered after a few rings. “Hello?”
“Hi, how are you?”
“Good, thanks, honey. I take it you’re back from New York.”
I frowned. There was an odd note in her voice that I couldn’t quite interpret. “Is everything okay?”
“Of course. Wyatt and I are doing fine. I paid your dad a visit yesterday; he’s fine, too. I also spoke with Maggie for a few minutes at one point; she confirmed that all is good with him. Oh, and Heather’s birthday meal was a lot of fun. Such a shame you couldn’t be there. The food was amazing.”
“That’s great,” I said, conscious that Melinda had quickly taken over the conversation before I could question her further. “But something is wrong. What?”
“Nothing,” she replied, the word loaded with a little too much innocence. “How was your flight?”
“Melinda, you are the worst liar ever. Tell me what’s wrong.”
She sighed. “I can’t talk about it right now,” she said, lowering her voice. So, what, she didn’t want Wyatt to overhear? Or was it that she had visitors? “I promise you that everyone is fine,” she added. “But, well, there’s something you should know. I’ll come see you at o-Verve tomorrow, okay? Take care, hon.” Then she hung up.
I stared at the phone, unease trickling through me. I wanted to call her again and demand answers, but there was no sense in it if she didn’t feel comfortable talking about this “something” in front of Wyatt.
What could possibly have happened while I was gone? Could it have something to do with Heather? Had she come clean to Melinda about Junior’s father and told her that Dane had threatened to expose Heather’s secret? Possibly. I wouldn’t put it past the heifer to confess everything to her mother while crying fake tears—feigning regret and self-hatred—and then making Dane out to be a cold, dangerous bastard. Especially since she could claim I was in on it.
I turned to the door, needing to warn Dane. But then I halted. There was no sense in getting him all wound up about Heather again when I might be wrong. For all I knew, this could have nothing to do with her at all. This could be a completely unrelated matter. And I knew the whole thing would play on my mind all evening.
The phone in my hand began to ring. Simon. I answered with a smile, “Hey Dad.”
“Sorry I missed your call, sweetheart, I was in the shower.”
“No worries. How’re things with you?”
We chatted for a while and, satisfied that he was indeed fine, I ended the call on a promise to visit him soon. Hungry, I headed downstairs to the kitchen and ate dinner alone—such fun.
I also stuck the magnet I’d brought from the museum onto the refrigerator. A magnet that, like the one from the zoo, Dane had bought me with a put-out look on his face.
Deciding to finally have that bath I’d earlier yearned for, I returned to my room, and went into the attached bathroom. I stripped naked while I waited for the water to reach the right level. That done, I scooped my hair up into a high messy knot and sank into the hot water.
Leaning back in the tub, I let out a long sigh and closed my eyes. The heat together with the scent of the lavender bubble bath was heavenly. It wasn’t until now, as the stiffness began to seep from my muscles, that