Chapters (36)
- Cover
- Praise
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Epilogue
- Excerpt From Summer on the Island by Brenda Novak
- Booklist
She bit her bottom lip. He imagined she was picturing what it might be like to meet his brothers and their wives and children and hoped, if any of his nieces and nephews were going to be there, they wouldn’t make a big deal about the scars on her face. If they did, it could get awkward for everyone, but he honestly thought a small gathering of trusted individuals would be a good way for her to start mixing with others again.
“We won’t stay long,” he promised by way of encouragement.
She flashed him a quick smile. “Okay. Why not?”
“Perfect. Do you have a baseball cap?”
“No, but I do have a hoodie. I lied before because I didn’t want to go running.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’ve got a ball cap. We’ll make use of both.”
“No need. I’ll wear a beanie instead of either, as well as a scarf I can use to cover the lower half of my face,” she said. “What time do we need to leave?”
“As soon as you can get ready.”
“Give me thirty minutes.”
“Okay, but don’t come out until I ring the doorbell.”
“What?”
That probably sounded odd, but he knew about Kouretas finding the house, and she didn’t. “I want to make sure you’re disguised well enough. That paparazzo’s in town, remember?”
She made a face. “How could I forget?”
Sixteen
A wave of apprehension rolled over Tia as they left the sanctuary of Maxi’s property. She was wearing a puffy ski coat over her clothes with a scarf and beanie, as well as a pair of sunglasses, so she wasn’t necessarily afraid of being recognized and confronted by Kouretas. At least she was no longer inside her condo with an army of media crowding the gate, drawing all kinds of attention and making her feel vulnerable and outnumbered. Besides, she had Seth with her; she finally had the advantage. It was more that this would be her first social gathering, and one that would include the family of the man she’d just slept with. She and Seth were both adults. What they did was their own business—as long as it didn’t hurt anyone else, of course. She understood that. But these people knew and loved his late wife and might perceive Tia as an interloper if they suspected anything physical was going on. They also knew that Seth still loved Shiloh, so they’d wonder what she’d been thinking. They might even feel sorry for her.
That just made it awkward. She didn’t belong in this group.