by Jessica Gray
“No problem, but it’ll be about an hour before I can get out there.”
“That’s okay. I’ll hang out until you get here; maybe grab a coffee.”
She gave him the exact location and re-entered the small diner, where she took a seat at the high-top bar. After ordering a cup of coffee and a slice of pie, she pulled out her Kindle, and logged into the diner’s Wi-Fi. It didn’t take long for her to clear her inbox and she clicked to the news feed, wondering what she’d missed while being out of touch for two weeks.
As the page loaded, she took a sip of coffee and almost spit it all over the counter. The front-page news was a picture of Nik and an article stating that Nikos Petridis was currently on his way to Cairns to observe the kiteboarding championship.
Nik Miller is Nikos Petridis? Oh. My. God. I’m such a stupid fool
Blood rushed to her cheeks and her hands trembled while she read the entire article. Well-informed sources had confirmed he’d be in attendance at the championship, and would be arriving in Cairns today. The source even knew about their route and every stupid magazine on the internet mentioned the unknown woman he’d traveled across the Australian Outback with.
When she saw the picture, she choked again. God, this is me. I hope nobody recognizes me.
The magazine continued to speculate on her identity, posing the question as to whether or not she was his new girlfriend, and what her name was. Reese had to put down her Kindle and take a few deep breaths. No, this is not happening. Think it through. This must be a misunderstanding.
But she knew very well, there was nothing to be misunderstood. She’d traveled with the most coveted bachelor in the country, billionaire heir to a shipping empire, infamous for his affairs, party going animal and poster bad boy.
Of course, the press would now be chasing her. To get exclusives. Pics, information, interviews, etc.
Reese vaguely remembered a scandal that had taken place a few months back. A scandal involving illegal drugs, a police raid, and lots of high profile people being arrested. Including Nik.
She didn’t know if she should be relieved he was gone. In her work, she met many rich and famous people, including Alec, and she was cured. Forever. Rich people were shallow and self-centered. No thank you.
Now his erratic behavior made sense. Not wanting his picture taken. Not wanting her to take a picture of his camper van. Oh shit. He thinks I’m the one feeding the press.
She paled while that thought sunk in. How could he even think I would do something like that? Like I would enjoy being the center of all that attention?
Reese wondered if he’d even thought about her once while he was letting his imagination run away with his common sense. Oh…what if the people back in Sandy Beach see these pictures and recognize me. Worse yet, what if they believe I’ve become the newest playmate of the womanizer Nikos Petridis? She might as well stay in Australia for the rest of her life, because she’d die of shame if anyone ever confronted her with this ‘incident’.
Her impression of a shared connection these last few weeks was totally wrong. As was the thought that there had been more than physical attraction between them. But now in the light of day, she knew he was nothing but a player. A taker. He’d used her and then dumped her.
An hour later when Terrence arrived, she still wallowed in self-loathing. She didn’t hear him sneak up behind her. When he covered her eyes with his hands and breathed into her neck, she startled and he laughed. “Got you.”
It was one of the annoying things her twin had done since they were kids and even though she knew better, she’d hoped for a millisecond that Nik had come back, just to change her mind and hope he hadn’t.
At the sound of her brother’s voice, she spun around and hugged him tight. “So glad to see you.”
“Hey gorgeous. Whatcha doing?” he asked, looking over her shoulder at Nik’s picture on her Kindle. “You missed the story of the year.”
If you only knew… “How so?”
“There’s like a million reporters in town. The press has been crazy over him.” He nodded towards her Kindle. “They even left Chase and all the other competitors in peace when they arrived at the airport. That poor man must be furious.”
Reese nodded. What else could she do?
“Ready to go?” he asked.
“Yes. Can you grab one of my bags?” she asked, picking up her backpack while he grabbed her duffel bag.
“Sure. So, how was the outback?”
Reese recounted their trip, leaving out the part about her and Nik hooking up. And the way they’d parted.
“So, what happened at the audition?” she asked him, changing the focus of their conversation.
“We got it. We’re the new opening band.”
She smiled at him. “I’m real happy for you, Ter.”
“Thanks, sis. That means a lot coming from you. I’m so sorry I had to stand you up.”
Reese grinned and then tipped her head back against the leather seat. She was happy for her brother, and glad that his career was finally taking off. Music had been his world since she could remember.
Chapter 25
Nik reached Cairns and just as Evelyn had predicted, the press was waiting for him. It was nothing short of a publicity nightmare. A complete disaster.
Fortunately, Evelyn was already waiting for him, having flown in the day before as she tried to mitigate the damage already done. But even she couldn’t work miracles. He was upset, and on more than one level.
He’d been looking forward to hanging out at the kiteboarding event, as it was a sport he personally enjoyed. Drinking a few beers and kicking back to have a good time. But Evelyn had other plans in mind for him.
“Nik, you need to go home. I have the private plane waiting to take you back to New York.”
When he opened his mouth to protest, she threw down the gauntlet. “Mr. Petridis is waiting for you there.”
“Granddad is in New York?” he asked on a groan of self-loathing and humiliation.
“Yeah. He flew in the minute the pictures hit the wires. I have to tell you, he’s pretty pissed off.”
“Thanks for the warning, but I could have guessed that would be his reaction to this mess.”
“Go home and calm him down. A man his age shouldn’t be dealing with such stressful things.”
Nik reluctantly agreed and an hour later, found himself on his private plane bound for the United States. On the long flight, he had plenty of time to think through everything that had transpired over the last two weeks and he began to doubt whether or not Reese truly was the source of the leaks.
Evelyn had known him for many years and when she noticed the worry lines on his forehead, she sat down across from him. “Nik, we’ll find the source of the leaks.”
“What difference does it make now?” he told her, a morose tone to his voice. I’ve already screwed everything up.
She let the subject drop and went back to typing into her laptop, taking care of business from afar. A few hours later, she said, “Nik, the press still hasn’t found out the identity of the woman who was with you.”
“Good. I don’t want her name getting out.”
Evelyn looked at him in surprise. “You don’t want her name getting out?”
“No.”
She raised her eyebrows in disbelief and he knew why. This was the first time in history he’d cared enough about a woman to protect her. From himself.
“You know that Terrence is her twin brother?”
“She cleared that up for me, yes.”
“And did you also know Chase Paxton is another of her brothers?”
He sat up straighter. “What? But he’s the favorite for winning the Australian Kiteboarding Championship.”
“That’s correct.”
He shook his head. “But, that doesn’t make any sense. Why would the Paxtons sell me out? Chase is known to shy away from the press.”
“Same thought occurred to me and I directed our security team
to investigate other possibilities. It seems they have a lead on another person.”
“Who?”
“It’s too early to be sure, but some guy who was staying at the YMCA in Broome came up repeatedly.”
The British guy? It was the only guy he could remember talking to about his plans. And he’d suggested the idea of a travel companion.
“They don’t think it’s Reese any longer?”
“The better question is – do you think she’s involved?”
“No.”
The unexpected turn of events should have been a reason to be happy. But Nik was so ashamed of his rude and suspicious behavior, he couldn’t rejoice. And while he’d love a chance to tell Reese he was sorry, she probably would never forgive him. He knew he wouldn’t if he was in her place.
None of this mattered anymore, because he had bigger problems to solve. His grandfather demanded an explanation. It was better to forget her. The one thing he could do for her was to protect her identity. Nobody would ever find out who the mystery woman was.
Chapter 26
Being in Cairns with her brothers was a wonderful experience. Chase and the other competitors treated each other like one big happy family, with lots of parties, fun, and even more flirting.
Her brothers both flirted as if it was part of the competition. But for Reese, she just wasn’t interested. The only man she could think about was Nik. How dare he accuse her of betraying him! And that’s what he’d done. It was the second time she’d misjudged a man that badly, and she began to doubt her ability to distinguish a decent man from a skunk. But even with her hurt feelings, she longed for him and dreamt about their time together.
Thankfully, she didn’t have too much time to worry about things though, as there always seemed to be people around her. Evan Armstrong, a childhood friend of her brothers, had traveled to Australia along with his fiancé, Charlene.
Evan had always been the proverbial bad boy, owning his womanizing fame and wearing it almost like a badge of honor. Until now, that was. He’d changed one-hundred-eighty-degrees since meeting Charlene. So much so, Reese almost didn’t recognize him.
“Hey, Reese. You remember Charlene,” he said, re-introducing her to his fiancé.
“Sure, we met at Grant and Sam’s housewarming party.”
“Hi, Reese. It’s really nice to see you again,” Charlene said with a smile.
Reese returned the greeting, watching as Evan kissed his fiancé goodbye and then jogged off to join her brothers on the beach.
“So, which one of those hunks is yours?” Charlene asked.
Reese laughed. “None of them.” She pointed out Terrence and Chase. “Those two I’m related to. The others, well let’s just say that I’m not in the market for a hook up right now.”
“Great. I was afraid to be the only female in Cairns who isn’t trying to sleep with one of the kiteboarding competitors.”
Reese laughed out loud. “You’re so right.” Everywhere she looked were single women throwing themselves at the guys in shameless fashion. Ick. She wanted no part of that scene right now. If she couldn’t have Nik, she might as well become an old spinster. It would be a lot better for her mental sanity.
“Want to go shopping?” Reese asked.
“Sure.” She hollered at Evan and a few minutes later, she and Reese were wandering through the small booths the locals had set up next to the beach.
Charlene and Reese were like long lost friends, getting along famously. After a few hours, Reese stopped and watched Charlene for a moment. When Charlene noticed she was the focus of her attention, she asked, “What? Do I have something on my face?”
“You’re pregnant,” Reese told her.
Charlene’s mouth opened and then closed before she whispered, “How do you know?”
“Maybe the way you keep looking at baby clothes and toys?”
Charlene blushed and said, “I need you to keep it a secret for a few more weeks. We haven’t told everyone yet.”
Reese grinned at her. “Not a problem. The minute Evan’s mom finds out she’ll have another grandkid, my mother is going to bug all of us to couple up and do the same.”
“Isn’t your sister Allison pregnant?”
“Yes, she is. She‘s due in six weeks. But mom continues to remind all of us, that with six kids, she expects to have no less than twelve grandkids.”
“Wow. Two per kid?”
“That’s what she would like.” Not going to happen with me though. I’ve sworn off men. Forever. It’s too much effort and hurts too bad when it doesn’t work out. Guess some of us aren’t meant to live happily ever after.
The next afternoon, everyone watched in excitement the final heats, cheering Chase. It was unbelievably close, but in the end, he won the championship. When he joined them on the beach, Reese threw her arms around him. “Congratulations. You were awesome.”
“Thanks, sis. It was a blast. The new jump I’ve been practicing this winter was the tipping point in the end.” He looked around at the group and said, “There’s going to be a big party on the beach in just a few hours. Everyone’s invited.”
As they partied into the night, Reese tried to enjoy herself and let the sadness and disappointment over Nik fade away. But even though Terrence and Chase provided a constant source of amusement, and Charlene was a joy to be around, she just couldn’t forget the time with him.
“I’m heading for New Zealand first thing in the morning,” Chase announced just before midnight. “My plane leaves at six o’clock…”
“In the morning?” Terrence asked with a look of horror on his face. “Dude, that’s like in six hours.”
“Which is why I’m saying goodnight now. You all can stick around as long as you like, but I need to get some rest.”
He hugged Reese and she returned it. “Be safe and do well over there.”
“You know I will. Have a great flight home.” He kissed her on the top of the head and then said his goodbyes to everyone else. After he walked away, Reese decided now was a good time to make her getaway as well.
“I’m going to follow suit. Our plane doesn’t leave until eight o’clock, but I still need my beauty rest.”
Terrence grinned at her. “Just so you can make me look bad. I’ll meet you in the morning? There’s this cute little blonde waiting for me... “
Reese shook her head. “Will you ever grow up, Terrence?”
He grinned. “Not if I can avoid it.”
Everyone laughed and Evan said, “Once you meet the love of your life, you never want to go back to the old player days.”
Chase and Terrence both shook their heads. “Nah. Just because you’ve gone monogamous doesn’t mean we’ll suffer the same fate. There are too many willing girls to stick to just one.”
Evan watched Charlene hide a yawn behind her hand. “Darling, you’re tired, let’s go to bed. Today was an exhausting day.” And to everyone else, “Have a safe trip. We’re here another week. I just finished up the ski season and this is our vacation in the sun.”
Reese looked at him. “I thought you trained in the summer.”
He nodded. “I do, but that doesn’t start for a few weeks. You heading back to Chicago?”
“And then on to Sandy Beach and Ashton. I’m ready to go home,” she answered, thinking this was truer with each passing moment. It was time to get back to her nice, orderly, and organized life.
***
The next morning, Reese found herself sitting next to her brother on the plane, alone with him for the first time since arriving in Cairns. After the plane reached its cruising altitude, he turned to her and met her gaze. “Okay, spill it.”
“Spill what?” she asked, hoping to avoid this upcoming conversation.
“Not gonna work, Ree. I’ve known something was wrong since I picked you up from that gas station. What gives?”
“Nothing.”
“Look, I may live for my music and my hearing might be a little damaged, but where you are concern
ed, my antennae work very well and they are telling me something happened.”
Reese shrugged. “Guess I made a bad judgment call. Again.”
“The guy you were traveling with?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yeah. He wasn’t who I thought he was.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
She gave him the condensed version of her two-week relationship with Nik Miller – aka Nikos Petridis. She told him about her suspicions and how things had ended between them. To prove her point, she grabbed one of the magazines provided and flicked through the pages. “Here, look at this.”
“Wow,” he told her in absolute surprise. Seeing how upset she still was, he shook his head and said, “Nobody’s going to recognized you in the picture. Even I didn’t at first.”
“Nice try. But it doesn’t change the facts. Nik believes you and I were in cahoots to take pictures of him and gain publicity for ourselves.”
Chapter 27
Back in New York, Nik’s grandfather was already waiting for him in his office with a scowl on his face.
“Sir?” Nick said hesitantly.
“Nikos Petridis Junior, what is wrong with you? I thought we had agreed for you to disappear from the public eye. This is the second time in two months I have to come to New York and take things into my own hands. And you know how much I hate intercontinental travel. I’m not getting younger.”
“I’m sorry, Sir.” Nik wasn't sure where his grandfather’s tirade would lead. Therefore, he stood still and waited him out.
His grandpa closed the distance between them and stared into his eyes. Nik wanted to squirm under his scrutiny, but held his gaze until he saw a soft glimmer appearing in his grandpa's eyes.
“Nik. I remember like it was yesterday, how much you enjoyed to sit in my office and plot out shipping routes on my globe. What has happened to you since then?”
