Episode 181
EPISODE 181
NOT READY FOR TODAY
Emily
After tossing and turning all night, I rise and dress in a blue mini sundress.
What have I done?
Will River forgive me for sleeping with Sebastian? And will Sebastian forgive me for leading him on?
I’ve made a bloody mess out of everything.
Staying holed up in my suite is tempting, but I can’t. River returns today, but I have no idea when.
Was it a mistake to confess my love for him?
I can’t bring myself to feel sorry about it, but I do feel some embarrassment. Clearly he doesn’t return my feelings. If he did, he would have said so.
I walk down to the kitchen. Since I didn’t sleep, I need caffeine more than ever. Though I prefer a hearty breakfast tea in the mornings, today coffee is calling.
“Coffee, Ms. Kensington?” a kitchen staffer asks.
“Yes, please. Black.”
She hands me a steaming mug and then turns back to her work. I walk out onto the deck where a breakfast buffet is set up.
Misty and Evangeline are sitting together at a table. Do I dare join them and interrupt what is most likely more plotting on Misty’s part?
Before I decide, however, Misty waves me over.
“Where is everyone else?” I ask as I take a seat.
“Sebastian is up,” Evangeline says. “He said he was going for a walk on the beach. I haven’t seen anyone else yet.”
I simply nod. Misty is eating mango slices and sipping orange juice. Or it could be a screwdriver, for all I know. With Misty, anything is possible.
“How was your date with him?” Evangeline asks.
I jerk toward her voice. “Sorry. What?”
“Your evening with Sebastian,” she says. “Did you find him to be acting a little strange?”
“Not overly,” I say.
It’s a lie, of course. When he talked about the fifth friend who died, he was as tormented as I’ve ever seen anyone. Does Evangeline know about the fifth friend? Does Misty? Though the evening with Sebastian didn’t end well—though the fuck was lovely—I don’t feel comfortable talking to these two about my conversation with him.
“Why do you ask?” I continue.
Evangeline takes a sip of coffee. “Because he... Oh, never mind. He just seemed out of it, I suppose. And this morning he didn’t talk much. Just said he was going out to the beach.”
“I see.” I turn to Misty. “Did he seem strange to you?”
“I’ve hardly spent any time with him.” She sips her OJ. “How would I know?”
How, indeed?
My feelings about Misty are ambivalent. On the one hand, I feel desperately sorry for her. She clearly didn’t get the parental affection she deserved. On the other hand, though, she also wanted me to help her sabotage the others during the cook-off so she could get a date with River.
And then she chose Brett.
What is her game?
Evangeline sighs. “I should apologize to you both. And especially to the men. They’re paying for all of this, and it seems nothing has gone right.” She turns to me. “I haven’t forgotten about the lunch dates for you and Ariel after you won the game on the catamaran.”
“Oh, Lordy,” I groan. “I had forgotten.”
“Now that Ariel and Alex are an item, she won’t want her date, but you can still have yours with Brett.”
Misty bursts into laughter.
“What’s so funny?” I demand.
“Oh, Emily, please,” she says. “You have about as much interest in Brett as you do in me.”
She’s not wrong. I chose Brett because Ariel chose Sebastian, and at that time, he was the one I was after. I hadn’t even noticed River at that point.
Dear God, River...
Just the thought of him makes my body ache with need. What will I do if he doesn’t love me?
“I made the date, and I’ll see it through,” I say. “If Brett is amenable.”
“You could have the date tomorrow,” Evangeline says. “Today the new physician is arriving, and River is returning. At least I hope he returns.”
“You mean he may not?” I nearly gasp but manage to keep some of the surprise out of my voice.
“At this point, who the hell knows?” Evangeline shakes her head and then puts her fingers to her lips. “Excuse me. I knew that cheese danish was a mistake.” She walks swiftly into the house.
“Pregnancy must suck,” Misty says.
“I imagine,” I say dryly.
“So what’s your angle, Em?” she asks.
I narrow my eyes. “I don’t have an angle. But you do. For the life of me, Misty, I don’t have a clue what you’re after. First River. Then Brett. All the games you play.”
“What games?” she asks innocently.
I roll my eyes and rise. “I’ve had enough of this.”
“Don’t go, Emily,” she says.
“Why shouldn’t I? You’re a mess, Misty. A bloody fucked-up mess. I get that you had a lousy childhood. Your parents didn’t pay attention to you. They showed their love with things instead of affection. Poor little rich girl. Does that give you the right to be so unscrupulous and manipulative?”
“I thought we were friends.” She frowns.
“I played along with you at the cook-off. I regret it. Ariel got hurt.”
She scoffs. “Ariel is fine. It was a superficial cut, and she’s marrying a billionaire, so she’ll have the best care ever. The finest plastic surgeon in the world will make sure she doesn’t even have a scar.”
I can’t fault Misty’s logic. Ariel is and will be fine. “Ariel is the most genuine woman here,” I say. “She’s the most deserving of landing one of the billionaires.”
“And I’m the least deserving? Is that what you’re saying?”
I shake my head. “In what universe did I say that?”
“It was in your tone.”
I open my mouth to spit out a retort, but before I do?—
“I’m sorry. I’ve got to stop that. I’m really sorry, Emily. ”
I draw in a breath. I’m never sure which of Misty’s personalities I’m going to encounter next. She must truly have issues, and while I feel for her, I’m sick to death of her scheming.
“Have you thought about getting help?” I ask.
“With what?”
“Never mind.” I walk toward the doors. “Have a wonderful day, Misty.”
“Emily...”
But I’m done. I walk inside, grab another cup of coffee, and head back up to my suite.
I’m not ready for today yet.