Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 109608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
“Jamie is on the yacht I should be boarding as we speak.”
This statement was greeted with Roland’s silence.
“As I said earlier,” I continued, “I can’t talk about this now.”
“Are you two reconciling?” he asked.
“That’s really none of your business,” I answered.
“Paloma said—”
A whooshing in my head drowned out whatever he said next, and he was still speaking when, with acid dripping from my words, I queried, “You’re speaking to Paloma Friedrichsen about me?”
“No, the woman is a viper. We both learned that the hard way.”
Oh, we certainly did.
“She approached me about you,” he concluded.
I had a dawning understanding of what was going on with my ex-husband, precisely when it all started, and why, considering my arch-nemesis Paloma Friedrichsen was involved.
And, honestly, I couldn’t fathom how my ex-husband could say her name in my ear when she was one of the women he’d cheated on me with.
But as I saw Cadence make her way down the footbridge, a confused and borderline concerned look on her face, my repeated words to Roland came inescapably true.
I couldn’t do this now.
“I have to go,” I declared.
“Can we speak when you return?” Roland pushed.
Cadence was getting closer.
“Perhaps,” I muttered distractedly. “Goodbye, Roland.”
“Until we—”
I heard no more, I disconnected.
The instant I reached for my bag to drop my phone inside, the driver opened my door.
I stepped out, pasting a brilliant smile on my face.
“My dearest!” I cried, throwing out my arms. “The fun can officially begin. Mother is here!”
The confusion and concern swept from my beloved girl’s beautiful features, and she returned my smile.
“I love your dress,” she said as she finished her trek to me.
“Of course you do,” I replied as I wrapped my arms around her. “It’s fabulous.”
It was from Carolina Herrera’s resort collection of several years ago. But it was Herrera, so it was timeless. A muted, flirty, feminine, off-the shoulder, chiffon floral print up top, juxtaposed with an above-the-knee, bold floral print at the bottom. I wore the wide, black with white polka dots belt it had been styled with on the runway. But the dress was a long way from matchy-matchy, so I paired it with strappy, gold, high-heeled sandals.
Cadence and I linked arms and followed the crew member carrying the last of my bags up the ramp.
“Is the gang all here?” I asked.
“Not yet, there are going to be some, um…late arrivals,” Cadence said.
I wasn’t surprised about this, considering it had been thrown together at the last minute, and the sheer number of people made it a scheduling nightmare. Considering who those people were, from Hollywood movie stars to busy billionaires, it was a miracle, the like Chloe Oakley crafted on not a rare occasion, that it had come about at all.
“Is everything all right?” I queried.
“No biggie,” Cadence answered. Then she shot me another big smile. “It’s all going to be great. I can’t wait.”
Her excitement was infectious, and although it didn’t entirely clear away the unease I felt at my conversation with Roland, or the looming vacation that Jamie was to be a part of, it significantly alleviated it.
We made the starboard deck and Dru was there, giving me her usual tight hug, which told me that Jamie had not shared our rift with his daughter (truly, she was his stepdaughter, but that was semantics). Or perhaps he did, and Dru was being Dru. She was a sweet girl, along with smart, and as such, she made up her own mind.
When I turned to Chloe, she looked me top to toe and inquired, “Herrera 2019 resort collection?”
“How are you not of my loins?” I replied.
She smiled a cat’s smile.
This further pressed my question, as did her tiered maxi-dress that both minimized and celebrated her pronounced baby bump.
We embraced.
When we broke, she stated, “Bon voyage champagne in the forward lounge.”
I could use champagne.
“Excellent, are you coming?” My inquiry was aimed at all of them.
But it was Dru who answered, “We’re the welcoming committee.”
“Of course,” I murmured, making my way toward the bow. “I’ll see you when your duties are complete.”
“You will!” Cadence cried, her exuberance still on show.
And since it was, I felt it somewhat odd.
I’d known her since she was a baby. I wasn’t sure she’d ever taken a trip on a private yacht, but she hadn’t lived a sheltered life. She’d traveled. Her mother was an explorer in every way that could be, considering Mika was a celebrated artist, and I’d learned, through Mika, that to be such, you had to thoroughly explore. They had money, quite a bit of it, so that hadn’t narrowed their adventures.
Cadence had always greeted each day with the energy of youth and the enthusiasm of a voyager, so perhaps it wasn’t that odd.
I made the panorama windows of the forward lounge, peeked inside, and I saw two things at once.
The lounge was a sublime mix of pearl-gray velvet, tufted-based, low, gold-marble-topped tables, sumptuous carpeting and a trio of dreamy cream curved couches adorned with gold, gray and cerulean toss pillows. A wide, circular, utterly divine crystal light installation adorned the ceiling above this conflagration of gorgeousness. There was a bar with cerulean velvet bucket seat stools at one side of the back of the space, and a table with four cerulean velvet chairs at the other side.