Hurricanes in Paradise by Denise Hildreth (web ebook reader .TXT) 📕

you are at reading people, I honestly wouldn’t make telepathy my new occupation. And now you can’t let Christian go. What is with you? Do you major in making people crazy while minoring in ‘researching’ novels?” She used her fingers to emphasize the word as if she were in middle school.

Laine mimicked her finger punctuation. “First of all, you look like an idiot doing that. Secondly, I was going to acknowledge it this morning in the restaurant before Winnie showed up. But she interrupted me. Thirdly—”

Riley wasn’t going to let her off that easily. “How were you going to acknowledge it?”

Laine took in a deep breath and blew it out. Riley watched as her stature deflated slightly, taking with it the air of aloofness that accompanied Laine as easily as pineapple rings accompanied breakfast plates around here. “You’re right, Riley. I have been unkind and . . .”

“Mean. You’ve been mean.”

Laine raised her eyebrows and nodded. “Okay, you’re right. I’ve been mean. And I did misread you. But only slightly. You are perfect. You might have had some issues—and I do mean serious issues—in your life, but there is something inside of you that is just so pure and kind and . . . well . . . perfect.” Laine started walking through the corridor of the hotel.

Riley assumed that meant she wanted her to follow.

“You’re not like me, Riley. You’re still Southern and gracious. I’m cynical and . . .”

“Dreary,” Riley added.

“Excuse me?” Laine stopped.

“Well, you are. The all-black thing really is overdone and it just makes you look moody and . . . well, dreary.”

“Dreary? Okay, that’s the first time I’ve heard that one.” She started back up the corridor. “I wasn’t always this way, Riley. In fact, if you had met me about two years ago, you wouldn’t know I was the same woman.”

“Do you want to tell me what happened?”

Laine breathed a deep sigh again. “Yeah, I do. I owe you that much after what I’ve put you through these past few days.” Riley watched her hesitate before the story began to flow out of her. “It was the last night of my research trip in Dubai by myself. I have taken research trips like that for years. Gone alone, while Mitchell stayed back in L.A. to make sure the rest of my life functioned okay. He would give me a week by myself, and then he would come and join me the next week for a getaway. We would do this for all my research trips. It was kind of our reward to each other for me getting my work done.”

Riley could see the complete change in Laine’s demeanor when she talked about Mitchell. Her words were spoken through her smile. “He’s a good man, isn’t he?”

Laine turned to her, her face soft in the flickering movement of candlelight at The Cove. “He is a wonderful man. But I did a horrible thing.” Pain etched its way across her face immediately.

Riley felt sympathy swell to the surface. “You don’t have to tell me any more if you don’t want to, Laine; it’s okay.”

Laine shook her head. “I want to tell you.”

Riley nodded. “Okay. Go ahead.”

“Well, I had finished having dinner in my room. Because I hate to eat alone in a restaurant, in case you haven’t noticed.” She laughed slightly.

Winnie’s words rang in Riley’s head, but she didn’t need to justify herself anymore.

“So I went downstairs and heard music. I walked out to the back patio of the hotel. They had this terrific band; people were dancing and sitting at tables all around. I found a quiet little spot and was having a good time watching everyone, when a man, a gorgeous man, came up and asked me to dance. I love to dance. Mitchell hates to dance. And honestly, I didn’t think a thing about it. Everyone was having such a great time and it all seemed so innocent. We introduced ourselves, began dancing, and for the next five hours we talked and laughed and danced. He was with a group of other men on a business trip. He told me about his family. I told him about mine and we were just enjoying ourselves. We closed the entire event down that night at about three in the morning. When they cut the lights out, we were standing there on the dance floor. That’s when he leaned over and kissed me.” Laine paused and rubbed her hand down the side of her face. “It was so stupid.”

“But it was just a kiss, Laine.”

“No, it started with a kiss and ended up in my bedroom. And it was a ridiculous one-night stand with a complete stranger.”

Riley felt the thud in her gut and a deep compassion for Laine.

“I mean, I have this amazing husband who I am totally crazy about, who I had never one time thought about cheating on, and who was going to be there that afternoon. I was a wreck. A complete basket-case wreck. I threw up all day. By the time he got there, I was in bed and couldn’t do anything but cry and puke. He begged me to tell him what had happened. He thought I had been raped. He honestly didn’t know what to make of how I was acting. He called a private jet in and had me out of there by that evening.”

“Did you tell him when you got home?”

Laine finally stopped walking and sat down on one of the benches in the lobby. “I spent a week in bed. I knew I was officially dying. I mean, honestly, I felt like my heart was breaking inside of my body.”

“I completely understand,” Riley said.

Laine looked up at her and Riley could tell by her expression Laine knew that she did. “One day when he was at work, I packed up all of my things, put them in the car, came back inside, and sat down on the sofa until he got home. When he walked through the door, I told him everything. I told him how sorry I was, but I knew that