The Temptation (Filthy Rich Americans 5)

My eyes narrowed. “I’m fine.”

I craned my neck, looking around for him. Had my father sent her? That would explain why he wasn’t at her side. He disliked small talk almost as much as Wayne Lambert, so he usually stayed close and let his girlfriend handle it for him. It was one of the only times he ever relinquished control.

Sophia realized who I was looking for and assumed what I was thinking. “Macalister’s getting me a drink,” she said. “But you should know, he’s worried about you.”

“Oh?” I patronized. “He actually said that?”

“He didn’t have to.” She shifted on her heels and put a hand on her hip. “You Hales aren’t great at expressing feelings, but I’ve learned how to translate him.”

My tone was flat. “Great.”

“You know you can’t avoid him forever, right?”

“You sound like Royce,” I muttered.

She pressed on, ignoring me. “And he doesn’t give up when he wants something.”

Inside my pocket, my phone vibrated with a text message, and I dug it out, grateful for the interruption.

Lucas: Not sure if I’m coming back to Cape Hill.

Hyperawareness needled up my spine.

Her question drew my gaze up from the screen. “Something wrong?”

“No.” I paused, contemplating what this meant. “It was just a strange text.” I slipped the phone back into my pocket, but she stared at me, wordlessly demanding I give her more information. I sighed. “I asked Lucas when he was coming home, and he just answered me. He said he wasn’t sure if he was coming back to Cape Hill.”

Her lips parted with surprise. “Like, ever?”

I shrugged, unsure.

“Wow,” she said quietly. “He must be taking this really hard.”

I blinked. “You think he left . . . because of Jillian?”

“They were spending a lot of time together.”

“They were?” My heart beat a little faster. Jillian and Lucas? I couldn’t picture them hooking up. “What did Ansel think about that?”

It was an interesting development, but I was saddened Jillian had kept another secret from me. Lucas wasn’t rich, meaning he was a man her family would never approve of. Had he helped her escape?

Holy shit. Was there a chance she’d run off to the Caribbean with him?

That thought left me with yet another question. How well had I really known my friend?

“I don’t think she was cheating on him, if that’s what you’re asking,” Sophia said. “Ansel knew she was taking sailing lessons from him.” Her focus returned to me, and a sad smile crept on her lips. “I’d heard she was training to beat you.”

Ah. That made sense why she’d hidden it from me. Plus, it was very “on brand” for her. I’d admired her competitive streak, which rivaled my own.

Movement behind Sophia caught my attention. My father had spotted us and was heading our way, meaning I needed to make a quick exit if I was going to avoid him. I didn’t have an excuse to end the conversation, so I quickly surveyed the people around us, searching for a familiar face I could use. I’d say I had something important to discuss with them, and my father wouldn’t be able stop me from leaving.

I believed I was in control of my destiny, but perhaps the universe thought otherwise, because the crowd happened to part at that exact moment. It created an aisle for my focus to travel down, and she stood at the other end of it all alone, wearing a black dress that did nothing to downplay her sexiness.

There was nowhere else to look, nowhere to hide. Emery Mendenhall looked like the answer to all my problems, plus a whole slew of new ones.

When her gaze found mine, she locked on and began her approach, but my father arrived first.

“Vance,” he said in greeting.

He was formal and intimidating, and his word stopped Emery dead in her tracks. Her gaze swung away as she abandoned her plan of talking to me. Perhaps she thought she could try again later.

Instead of acknowledging my father, I directed an easy smile toward her and kept my tone light. “There you are.”

It left her with no choice but to join the conversation, and it was stunning how quickly she reset back to her original plan. Her smile was soft and natural, but I saw the question hinting at her eyes.

“Here I am,” she said, taking a final step toward me and closing the circle between the four of us.

“And this is?” Sophia’s tone was pleasant, but unease edged across her expression. She knew everything and everyone in Cape Hill and did not like being in the dark about the woman standing beside me. My father had the same look, only amplified into distrust. He assessed Emery critically in a single glance, noting her dress was tight and how it flaunted her curves. I could hear the thought running through his mind.

Too much.