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I wished I’d had time to dig a little into Trevor. I didn’t even know his last name. CeeCee didn’t seem to fit with him, so I was guessing either he was divorced and playing the field with a younger woman, or he was married and a cheater.
She had to know if he was married, didn’t she? He hadn’t been wearing a ring, but would a woman travel this far with a man if she didn’t know his marital status? Maybe. Not every woman lacked the spontaneity gene like me. Or binge-watched true crime documentaries and pictured how an affair could go horribly wrong. Sometimes, I thoughtFatal Attractionshould be mandatory viewing for everyone over eighteen.
I glanced back to where Brie and Sherry were only a couple steps behind us. They weren’t talking. I caught Brie’s eye—she knew what the goal was, to find out as much about Trevor aspossible to figure out if Diana had been blackmailing him. She nodded, caught up to us. “CeeCee, Iloveyour boots. Where did you get them?”
She looked down, laughed. “I’ve had them forever! Aren’t they cute? I got them in this little boutique in Charleston when I was there on business.”
“What kind of business?” I asked.
She hesitated as if she wasn’t expecting the question. “Then? Um, I worked for a decorator.”
Brie started chatting with CeeCee, so I held back with Sherry. “It’s so pretty here,” I said, motioning to the flowering trees that lined the trail.
“Yes,” Sherry concurred.
“This is my first vacation in years,” I said.
Sherry shot me a side glance. “And you came here alone.”
“My boyfriend and I broke up a few months ago.”
“St. Claire is not a place for singles,” she said. “I don’t think you’ll find a new boyfriend here.”
The comment was snide and rude, and I really didn’t know how to respond.
“I’m not looking for a relationship,” I said, sounding more defensive than I wanted to. I forced joy into my voice. “I just came to relax.”
She harrumphed and stopped to take a picture. I kept walking, not caring if I left her behind. Sherry called out, “Brie, look at these flowers! Let’s take a picture for your dad.”
Brie waved at her. “Maybe later!” Then she continued her conversation with CeeCee. I was right behind them when Brie asked, “How did you and Trevor meet? He’s so serious, and you’re so much fun.”
CeeCee grinned. “Trevor isn’t seriousallthe time. He’s just in the middle of a big land deal and has to be in all thesemeetings. He never should have switched to cash basis accounting. He has to jump through all these hoops to prove his net worth to his bank.”
Her comment surprised me. CeeCee didn’t seem like someone who understood the pros and cons of accrual basis versus cash basis accounting, but she was right that determining net worth was much harder under cash basis. Maybe something she picked up working for the decorator.
“Is that where you met?” Brie asked. “Through work?”
“I guess, sort of! I work for a caterer, and we served one of his corporate meetings.” She put her hands over her heart. “It was love at first sight!”
Decorator to caterer?
Brie and CeeCee were chatting about the island, and Sherry remained ten feet behind me, so I just tried to enjoy the hike. I thought about what CeeCee said and wondered what she meant by it. She might understand a lot more than she let on. She might not be as... okay,dumbis a mean word. But why would someone who’s smart want to act like they weren’t?
Maybe I was reading too much into the conversation.
I heard CeeCee talking about the sunset cruise tomorrow and how she hoped Trevor would finish his work so they could go. “I don’t want to go alone,” she said. “It’s supposed to besoromantic. If he finishes this big deal, he’ll be happy, and then we’ll have fun!”
I had read about the sunset cruise, and like CeeCee thought it sounded too romantic to go on by myself.
Sherry said, “Too bad it’s couples only, Mia. The cruise is a highlight of St. Claire.”
I hadn’t realized she’d caught up with me. She made a point of looking down at her left hand and tilting her bare fingers in an odd, flashy manner. Suddenly, I realized she expected Andrew to propose to her. Was that why he’d brought her to the island? I glanced at Brie. Did she suspect?
Neither Brie nor I liked Sherry, but I tried to be objective. Sherry Morrison was very pretty, with flawless, creamy skin, large, dark eyes, perfect bone structure. Taller than me and always impeccably dressed, even when casual. Clothes, jewelry, makeup—always appropriate for the occasion, never too much or too little.
We came off the trail at the top of the northernmost peak, a flat area roughly the size of a football field.
We could seeeverything.