Page 153 of Seduction Under the Southern Stars
“That you joined him on the ANZAS cruise.” She pauses, and when she speaks again, I’m sure I hear a smile in her voice. “That you shared a cabin.”
I look at my reflection in the nearby shop window and see my scarlet cheeks. “Oh.”
“Honey, I’m not surprised at all. In fact I think it’s kinda sweet, after all this time. You two were always crazy about each other.”
I push a stone with the toe of my shoe. “And… Dad knows?”
“Yes.”
“What… what did he say?”
“Nothing at all. He’s gone for a long walk.”
I press my fingers to my mouth and take a few seconds to compose myself. Then I clear my throat and lower my hand. “We’ll be there mid-afternoon. Linc wants to talk to you both. I think he’s hoping to make his peace with you, and with Dad especially, before he goes.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. When does he leave?”
“Monday.”
“He’s definitely going?” Her tone is gentle.
I swallow hard. “I think so. We’re going to talk about it after he’s spoken to you both.”
“Okay. I won’t press you, darling, but I hope you’ll tell me all about it while you’re here.”
“I will, Mum. I’m really looking forward to seeing you.” She hasn’t mentioned the ring, so I suspect that neither Fraser nor Joel have told her about it, and I decide to keep it a surprise for now.
“See you soon,” I say. “Love you.”
“Love you too, my darling.”
I end the call, feeling a little emotional, like I always do since I’ve spoken to her since her illness.
I go over to the rental car desk, where the receptionist is just giving Linc the keys, and we head out.
“Everything all right?” he asks.
“Yeah. Fraser and Joel are there for some reason, and they’ve been kind enough to tell Mum and Dad what’s been going on.”
“Ah.”
“Yeah. Apparently Dad’s gone for a long walk.”
He glances at me. “That’s how he processes stuff though, right? Maybe it’s a good thing. At least he didn’t explode.”
“No, I’m sure we would have heard it, like the shockwave after Krakatoa erupted.”
He laughs and stops to unlock the car. To my shock, it’s an Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster—a flash sports car with a leather interior and a retractable roof.
“Oh my God, Linc!” My jaw drops as he places our cases in the boot. “Only you could hire an Aston Martin.”
“I wanted to play James Bond.” He opens the passenger door, and I slide into the seat. Oh wow, it’s a magnificent beast, and somehow perfectly suited to the gentleman of fortune who walks around to the driver’s side and gets in.
He laughs with pure, unadulterated joy as he starts the engine, then sets the roof to slide back. “You don’t mind?” he asks.
“Of course not!” My hair will look like Bridget Jones’s when we arrive, no doubt—sticking out all over the place—but it’ll be worth it.
He Bluetooths his phone, loads up a playlist, then starts playing Sweet Home Alabama—the perfect driving song. I grin and begin singing, and he joins in as he heads the car out of the airport and toward the state highway heading north.
