Page 1 of Dark Secret

Emily

I had to live my life. My brother could take a long walk off a short pier if he thought he could control me with threats. I was the master of my fate, not him—not anybody else.

Even if my life had just been turned upside down and I was left alone again. I’d chosen to tell my brother to back off when he’d found out I was seeing Dylan James. Unfortunately, I’d just walked out on Dylan. I didn’t want to sign another one of his contracts, so I’d left him in his apartment. I’d made the choice to tell Dylan he could shove his contract. Okay, so I’d hoped he’d follow me out and proclaim his undying love. Well, maybe not all that, but an agreement to not have a contract would have been nice.

It seemed I’d made this lonely, empty bed I’d just woken up in. I’d only been able to sleep a few hours off and on throughout the night. My brain kept waking up and replaying the words I’d had spoken with Dylan. I’d go to sleep for an hour, and then I’d wake up to remember every sentence that was said between myself and Trent.

I was exhausted from my attempts at sleep, but hopeful that someone had contacted me. I dragged my phone over to lay it below my pillow so I could see if the light was blinking. It always blinked when I had a message or voicemail.

I stared at the dark screen of my phone: no texts messages, no missed calls, it was just blank. Nobody wanted to talk to me because I’d chosen to live my life how I wanted to. I was paying the price for that rebellion now.

My head started to pound, and I curled up around the extra pillows on my bed. When would this nightmare end? Alright, it had only been a few hours since all of this happened, but somebody could have contacted me. Roxie, or, well, she was about the only one who might have.

Trent and Dylan may hate each other, but I could guarantee you they were thinking the same thing right now. I could just imagine them both, sulking and having a bit of a temper tantrum, while I was here alone with nobody to talk to now. Dylan could talk to his mother, or his father now that the man was better and on the mend. Trent had Jess, or his children, our brothers, or our mother and father to talk to.

According to Trent, they were all off limits to me now. Even my nieces and nephews. What a mess this all was. I rolled over, but that only made my head pound even more. This was not how I’d planned to spend the rest of my life. Of course, I’d not really had a plan, other than get rid of my virginity, experience some real sex, and find out what life had to offer.

I rolled out of bed, took a shower that partially relieved my headache, and then had some orange juice while two pieces of bread toasted in the toaster. The juice seemed to clear the rest of the headache away, and I was left with possibilities. I reached for a notebook I’d left on the table in the kitchen and grabbed a pen.

I wrote the words ‘My New Life’ at the top and started to put numbers in. I added a few lines into the list as I munched on the toast but soon came up short. I’d written down new haircut and new clothes, but I’d already started on the second one. I had a new home of my own, and a car, my own income, and I didn’t have to work.

I could do whatever I wanted to do. But what did I want to do? I’d wanted to help my brothers run the hotel and had finished a degree in that field. Now, it seemed pointless. I could go to work for other hotels, but would they hire a Thompson? I bit at the inside of my cheek as I pondered and tapped the end of the pen against my notebook.

Would anybody want someone who could very well be a spy in their midst? Would they be too afraid my loyalties would lie with my family and keep me in low positions where inside information would be kept from me? What else could I do with my degree?

I wasn’t sure, so I put that down on the list. Find out what I could do besides hotel management. Why? My brain eventually protested. I didn't need to work.

I looked around the house and knew I had to have something to keep me busy. The charity I volunteered at with Roxie wasn’t doing a lot lately, and we had nothing planned for the future either. Maybe I should organize a fundraiser or something? I marked it down as a possibility.

Perhaps I could volunteer at another charity? Or take up a new hobby?

My phone buzzed, and I hated to admit it, but I nearly broke it as I tried to pick it up, and it went flying off the table. I finally got it in my hand and swiped without even looking who it was. Was it Trent? Dylan? Roxie? Jesse maybe?

“Hi, Emily? This is Debra down at Happy Nails. You have in an appointment in half an hour; we just wanted to remind you.”

“OH? Do I? I’ll be right down then.” It wasn’t anyone I’d hoped for, but getting my nails done would be a distraction.

I threw on some clothes, just a pair of skinny jeans and a long, slouchy sweater in baby pink, and a pair of ankle boots in black leather. I looked shabby chic and left the house without a backward glance.

I might be a lonely girl, but I’d find a way to fill my time. I arrived at the nail salon early and looked around. I had two colors picked out by the time Debra came to get me.

“You ready, Emily?” She asked as I sat.

“Yes, I’ve picked these two out; could you do something with that?”

I’d been going to Debra for years, and she looked at me now with confusion.

“Are you sure you meant to pick up those colors?” She looked down at the pearly midnight blue powder polish and the neon green and blinked.

I’d never picked out such gaudy colors before, I was usually a French manicure kind of girl, or I’d go for a demure pink or nude color, but this was bright and would catch attention. I wanted something pretty, to make me feel pretty, and I knew she’d come up with a design that would amaze me.

“I’m turning over a new leaf,” I proclaimed and waved my hands down my slouchy attire. “No more always serious, business-ready Emily for me. From now on, it’s pretty, fun, and maybe just a little loud.”

I gave her a wink and a smile, and she got to work prepping my nails. “Anything you want, Emily. I aim to please.”

I watched as she took the old gel polish off, trimmed, shaped, and buffed my nails, and then, finally, delicately polished each nail with precision. She did a diagonal line on several fingers, a vertical line on two, and painted one blue and then used a white and green to make flower petals on one finger of each hand. Some glossy gel polish and the manicure was done.

I looked down at the chaotic, but absolutely beautiful colors that she’d given me and grinned. “Perfect. I’ll be looking at these all day.”