Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Paige parked, grateful that she’d slept well and not run into Darcy again at the fitness center this morning. All the same, she was happy to be done with her workout and about to have breakfast with the man who would most certainly put a smile on her face.
The café in Beechwood was narrow and bright, with mismatched chairs and a chalkboard menu that listed the daily specials.
It was a small spot just past the marina that most people didn’t even know existed.
Paige liked it for exactly that reason. It was out of the way and few people from the Colony came here.
Graham was seated by the window when she arrived, his phone face-down on the table and a mug of coffee beside it. He stood when he saw her, kissed her cheek, and pulled out her chair. “Good morning. You look lovely.”
“Good morning to you.” She was right. She was already smiling.
“Cracking choice,” he said as she sat. “I always forget about this place.”
“So does everyone else in the Colony,” she said. “That’s why I like it.”
They ordered as soon as the server came. Omelets, toast, coffee for her and a refill for him.
Paige waited until the server disappeared into the back before she spoke. “I didn’t want to talk about this at the Colony,” she said. “Too many ears.”
Graham’s attention sharpened, though his expression stayed neutral. “Oh?”
“I met a woman yesterday,” Paige said. “At the fitness center. Her name is Darcy Lane.”
“I see. And?”
“And it seems she knows things she shouldn’t,” Paige said. “About my marriage. As in the real reason it ended.”
Graham leaned back slightly, concern in his eyes. “How did she know?”
“No idea and she didn’t explain,” Paige said. “She did a lot of hinting. Talked like…like it was obvious that she’d know.”
“I take it the real reason it ended is a rather closely guarded secret then,” Graham said.
“It is. At least, I’ve tried to keep it that way.” She appreciated that he let the subject go at that.
“Did she threaten you?”
“Not directly,” Paige said. “But it felt like she was. At least it felt like she was trying to show me she had something to hold over me.”
Graham nodded once. “I don’t care for that.”
“Neither did I and Maude agrees with you,” Paige told him. “I went to see her yesterday.”
“Ah,” he said. “You’ve deployed your researcher.”
Paige smiled faintly. “Exactly. I asked her to dig into Darcy online. Quietly.” She leaned forward. “I deserve to know, don’t I?”
“Completely. How did Maude do?”
“She found her,” Paige said. “On Facebook. The woman’s got ties to Atlanta. And according to Maude, Darcy’s been watching my TikToks longer than I realized. Before she ever moved here.”
That earned a pause. Graham’s gaze stayed on Paige, but she could see the calculation behind it. “That suggests some kind of intent,” he said finally. “Some sort of plan.”
Paige sighed, giving him a little nod. “Yes.”
The server arrived with their food. Paige waited until the plates were set down and the server had gone before continuing.
“She hasn’t done anything obvious,” Paige said. “And I don’t want to assume she’s dangerous just because she made me uncomfortable.”
“Yes, but if she made you feel that way, your instincts are telling you something. That feeling is valid,” Graham said. “Not proof, mind you. But not something to be ignored. That’s how one gets blindsided.”
Paige smiled at that. “You sound like you’re briefing me.”
“Old habits,” he said.
He took a sip of his coffee, then said, “If this escalates—even a little—you could stay with me for a bit.”
Paige looked at him, touched by his kindness. “I appreciate that,” she said. “But I don’t think we’re there.”
“The offer comes with no strings,” he said. “It’s just available.”
“Thank you,” Paige said. “I’ll let you know if things change.”
He nodded, satisfied.
They ate for a few minutes in easy silence. The café filled slowly as the clock inched toward noon. A few college-aged kids, a couple with a stroller, an older man who sat at the small counter and worked a crossword. No one paid them any attention.
“What worries you the most about this woman?” Graham asked.
“That she thinks she knows me,” Paige said. “That, for her, watching me on TikTok translated to access. People get weird when they confuse familiarity with permission, something that happens too often online.”
“Yes,” he said. “Observation isn’t intimacy. Something I learned well at the embassy.”
“And yet, people think it is. People get this feeling like they’re entitled to your time just because they’ve followed you online.”
He nodded. “Maude is going to keep you informed?”
“She will,” Paige said. “She seems pretty methodical about it. I don’t think she’ll jump to conclusions, either. Just give me facts.”
“That’s good,” Graham said. “Just don’t brush this off because it hasn’t turned into more.”
Paige met his eyes. “I won’t.”
“Good.”
When they finished and Graham had paid the bill, they stood to leave. As they walked out, he rested his hand briefly at the small of her back. Steady. Reassuring. Protective.
Outside, Beechwood traffic rolled past without interest. Paige breathed in the warm air and felt calmer than she had yesterday.
She wanted to believe Darcy Lane was just a blip, not an impending crisis. Hopefully, Maude’s digging would turn up something useful. If nothing else, Graham was on the alert.
That was enough to make her feel like she was doing something.
She said goodbye to him with a kiss. He waited while she unlocked her car and got in, then he went to his vehicle.
She headed for home, glancing in the rearview mirror at the café, already blending into the distance. She nodded. Meeting there for breakfast had been a smart decision.
By the time Paige got home, the day had shifted into that quiet stretch where the Colony felt half-asleep. She toed off her sandals by the door, set her keys in the bowl where they belonged, left her purse next to it, and went straight to the kitchen for a glass of water.
Her laptop waited on the counter. She woke it up without sitting down, more out of habit than anything, and clicked into her email tab.
A new email awaited her and the subject line made her breath catch. Luminelle — Updated Agreement.
It had to have just come in, but Paige didn’t open it right away. She couldn’t.
She took a sip of water, leaned her hip against the counter, and gave herself a second to breathe.
This was what she’d been working toward, what all the back-and-forth had been about.
The clarifications, the changes she’d insisted on and refused to budge from, like control over content.
Approval rights. And clear boundaries around her image and her audience.
She set her water down and open the email. It was brief and to the point.
They’d accepted her revisions. All of them. The contract was attached, clean and final. The tone was congratulatory without being over the top. Very professional. Like they did this every day.
Maybe they did—what did she know?
She read the second to last line again. All that remains is your signature.
Paige sat and scrolled through the agreement anyway. Slowly. Line by line to be sure nothing had been slipped in. But it was exactly what she’d asked for.
She rested her palms on the counter and stared at the screen.
Darcy Lane flickered through her mind. The timing was less than fantastic. And the possibility existed that this partnership might invite more scrutiny. More of whatever Darcy was up to.
Paige exhaled and shook her head. Nope. Not doing that. She wasn’t going to make decisions by imagining what someone else might do. That was how people shrank their lives into tiny, paranoid circles. Darcy didn’t get that kind of power over her. No one did.
She scrolled to the signature page, signed electronically, and hit Submit before she could second-guess the decision.
The confirmation pinged back almost immediately.
Paige grabbed her phone and sent a message to the Queen Bees text group. It’s official. Luminelle accepted my changes. I signed.
The replies came fast and made her smile.
Cece sent, YES. Proud of you.
After her came Maude. You crushed it! Way to go and on your terms! #bossbabe
Essie chimed in next. I’m so happy for you. God is good.
Althea added, About time they got back to you. Congratulations!
Then, finally, Blaise with, I love this! This is huge!
Paige let out a little laugh, the tension she’d been holding gone. This was a good thing. She’d call Randi in a few minutes and tell her.
She set the phone down and looked around her house at the life she’d rebuilt piece by piece.
Whatever Darcy Lane thought she knew, Paige knew this much for certain. She would deal with Darcy if and when that became necessary.
Until then, she had work to do.