Page 106 of The House Guest

“I’ll be headed to the airport at that time to get ready to board the plane. But remember, I’ll be back in seven days, okay?”

When Rosie started to cry, my eyes filled with tears. I held her tightly. “I love you so much, baby. Please don’t be sad.”

“I don’t want you to go.”

“I know. But I’ll call you every day. I promise.”Mother of the Year.

She sniffled. “Okay.”

“Be a good girl for Grandma and Daddy. I promise tobring you back something, okay?”

“A toy?”

“Maybe. Is that what you want?”

A smile spread across her face as she nodded.

“Then I’ll find you a cool toy that has something to do with California.”

I wanted the toy to be the last thing she remembered, so she’d be left with a happy thought. I gave her a quick kiss before waving her off, praying I wasn’t making a mistake.

CHAPTER 30

Primrose

The flight to California was bumpy—probably foreshadowing the week that lay ahead of me. The plane had been delayed, getting me here in the evening instead of the afternoon. Not telling Dorian I was coming had seemed like a good idea until I landed. Now my nerves had really started to kick in.

The airport was crowded, but somehow I felt alone, lost in the world at the moment. In some ways, I didn’t recognize the person I was anymore. It felt like I was on the outside, watching myself and wanting to warn the woman to be careful. The only thing keeping me from booking another flight and running straight back to Ohio was the memory of Dorian’s eyes as he’d told me he loved me the last time we were together.

After I got into the car waiting for me and confirmed my destination with the driver, he looked at me in the rearview mirror and asked, “What do you have going on in Orion Coast?”

“Oh, you know…” I took a breath. “Just a little getaway.” If only it were that simple.

“That’s a pretty fancy area. Where are you staying?”

I stupidly hadn’t booked a hotel, figuring I’d sort all of that out after seeing Dorian’s reaction. Maybe Benjamin would be kind enough to let me stay in the guest house if Dorian didn’t feel comfortable with me sleeping at the mansion.

I cleared my throat. “With a friend.”

I couldn’t get my legs to stop bouncing. The only other time I could remember being this nervous was the other night when I’d told the best man I’d ever known that I wasn’t going to marry him.

As the car drove along the Pacific Coast Highway, I tried to calm myself, gazing out the window at the gorgeous California landscape—dangerous cliffs that reminded me of this very situation.Please be easy on me, California.

When the driver finally pulled up at the mansion, my heart pounded in my ears.

“Fancy place,” he noted.

“Yes. It’s nice, isn’t it?” I said, gazing up at the house.

He got out and retrieved my suitcase from the trunk. “Well, have a good visit.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I appreciate you getting me here safely.”

As the car drove away, I took a deep breath. The mansion looked exactly the same from the outside. But something told me the inside might be unrecognizable.

I couldn’t tell you how long I stood outside before I finally garnered the courage to approach the front entrance. Time stood still as I pondered whether to knock.

Then I heard it: music coming from the pool area.