know you like the back of my own hand. And I’m not blind. You turned up this morning wearing a man’s shirt and shorts and little else. You looked like you’d slept in the eye of a hurricane. I want the juicy details. All of them.”
“I wandered too far down the beach last night, is that juicy enough for you? I was out of the boundaries when the lights went out. Thankfully, a guy stumbled upon me.” He has laugh lines around his eyes and a crease on his left cheek that probably turns into a dimple when he smiles. Claire swallowed, hoping her voice wouldn’t betray the scattered rhythm of her pulse. “We managed to make our way to his cabana before the storm hit.”
“So he’s one of the contestants?”
Claire bit her lower lip. “Can you keep a secret?”
Ally leaned forward and nodded.
“He’s a cameraman.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere.” Ally moved to the bed and sat. “Go on.”
“There’s nothing more to tell. We fell asleep, and when I woke up this morning, I left. End of story.”
“You can at least tell me what he looked like.”
He’d been sleeping like a baby when she’d slipped out of his cabana at dawn. But Mitch was no baby; that was for sure. He’d looked very much like a full-grown man…a wonderfully rumpled one. “He looked like an average guy.”
As Claire backed away from the closet and started toward the bed, Ally grabbed something off the nightstand and held it out, her expression amused.
“I don’t like to wear my engagement ring in the water,” Claire said, taking it and slipping it on. She’d never noticed before how tight it felt around her finger.
“Don’t explain to me. It’s James you should worry about.”
Hobbling the remaining steps to the bed, Claire sat, then shoved her sandals on, ruining her six-toe pedicure. She winced as the leather strap rubbed against her bandaged heel. “Who knows? James might be thrilled to hear I spent time with another man. I’m starting to think this thing he’s going through isn’t temporary at all. Maybe he really wants to get rid of me. Maybe that’s what coming on Eden was really all about. Maybe he doesn’t want to marry me.”
“Or he could just be playing hard to get. You know, to spice things up.” Ally tapped her chin. “It might just work to your advantage to drop a few hints about last night. Make him jealous.” Ally glanced down at Claire’s heel. “You never said what happened to your foot.”
“I cut it on a rock or something during the blackout.”
“So what are you going to tell James?”
“That I cut it on a rock or something during the blackout.”
“Good Lord.” Ally sighed and shook her head. “I meant about last night.”
“I won’t tell him anything.”
“What if someone else besides me saw you coming in this morning and they say something to him? Everyone knows you and James are engaged. The show’s producers are just slobbering for someone to come between the two of you. They’re encouraging it.” Ally giggled. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you that. I’m also not supposed to tell you that they think you’re pathetically boring. They’re afraid you’ll have viewers yawning, Claire.”
Claire felt a surge of defensiveness. “Why’s that?”
Ally raised a finger. “Number one, your unwavering devotion to James. It may be sweet, but it’s not good for ratings.” She lifted a second finger. “Then there’s that gawd-awful two-piece swimsuit you wear. Has your belly button ever seen the light of day?”
Claire scowled. Pathetically boring. She hated being pathetically anything. “I don’t really care what the producers think of me. As for James, if he asks about last night, I’ll tell him just what I told you. The truth.”
“Sure you will.” Ally’s grin looked wicked. “I think the producers are wrong about you, Claire Louise. You’re pulling a fast one on everybody, acting like you’re so prim and proper and all. I know better,
“I wandered too far down the beach last night, is that juicy enough for you? I was out of the boundaries when the lights went out. Thankfully, a guy stumbled upon me.” He has laugh lines around his eyes and a crease on his left cheek that probably turns into a dimple when he smiles. Claire swallowed, hoping her voice wouldn’t betray the scattered rhythm of her pulse. “We managed to make our way to his cabana before the storm hit.”
“So he’s one of the contestants?”
Claire bit her lower lip. “Can you keep a secret?”
Ally leaned forward and nodded.
“He’s a cameraman.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere.” Ally moved to the bed and sat. “Go on.”
“There’s nothing more to tell. We fell asleep, and when I woke up this morning, I left. End of story.”
“You can at least tell me what he looked like.”
He’d been sleeping like a baby when she’d slipped out of his cabana at dawn. But Mitch was no baby; that was for sure. He’d looked very much like a full-grown man…a wonderfully rumpled one. “He looked like an average guy.”
As Claire backed away from the closet and started toward the bed, Ally grabbed something off the nightstand and held it out, her expression amused.
“I don’t like to wear my engagement ring in the water,” Claire said, taking it and slipping it on. She’d never noticed before how tight it felt around her finger.
“Don’t explain to me. It’s James you should worry about.”
Hobbling the remaining steps to the bed, Claire sat, then shoved her sandals on, ruining her six-toe pedicure. She winced as the leather strap rubbed against her bandaged heel. “Who knows? James might be thrilled to hear I spent time with another man. I’m starting to think this thing he’s going through isn’t temporary at all. Maybe he really wants to get rid of me. Maybe that’s what coming on Eden was really all about. Maybe he doesn’t want to marry me.”
“Or he could just be playing hard to get. You know, to spice things up.” Ally tapped her chin. “It might just work to your advantage to drop a few hints about last night. Make him jealous.” Ally glanced down at Claire’s heel. “You never said what happened to your foot.”
“I cut it on a rock or something during the blackout.”
“So what are you going to tell James?”
“That I cut it on a rock or something during the blackout.”
“Good Lord.” Ally sighed and shook her head. “I meant about last night.”
“I won’t tell him anything.”
“What if someone else besides me saw you coming in this morning and they say something to him? Everyone knows you and James are engaged. The show’s producers are just slobbering for someone to come between the two of you. They’re encouraging it.” Ally giggled. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you that. I’m also not supposed to tell you that they think you’re pathetically boring. They’re afraid you’ll have viewers yawning, Claire.”
Claire felt a surge of defensiveness. “Why’s that?”
Ally raised a finger. “Number one, your unwavering devotion to James. It may be sweet, but it’s not good for ratings.” She lifted a second finger. “Then there’s that gawd-awful two-piece swimsuit you wear. Has your belly button ever seen the light of day?”
Claire scowled. Pathetically boring. She hated being pathetically anything. “I don’t really care what the producers think of me. As for James, if he asks about last night, I’ll tell him just what I told you. The truth.”
“Sure you will.” Ally’s grin looked wicked. “I think the producers are wrong about you, Claire Louise. You’re pulling a fast one on everybody, acting like you’re so prim and proper and all. I know better,
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