by K.N. Lee
Robin and Garrett watched Isla disappear around the corner to the east wing of the one-story house. They shared a look, both worried about her.
CHAPTER 13
ISLA SHOWERED AND CHANGED into a yellow sundress and sandals. She sat on the bench at the foot of the canopied California king-sized bed and rubbed her temples. She needed to get it together before she went back to face Garrett and Robin.
There were things that she never told anyone, and still wasn’t sure that she could tell. Her hands shook as she tried to repress her darkest memories. She loved Garrett, more than anything...but she was still too afraid to tell him the truth.
Her secret.
A knock on the bedroom door startled her.
“Isla,” Garrett’s voice called from the other side. “Are you okay?”
She stood and walked over to open the door. “Yeah,” she said. “I’m okay.”
He looked her over. “Wow. You look beautiful. I feel like I need to go change just to stand next to you.”
She smiled. “Thank you. You’re fine, baby. You always look hot.”
He kissed her, taking her breath away.
“I love you, Garrett.”
“I love you, too,” he said. “Robin’s making breakfast. Do you want to talk?”
Isla nodded and led him in. “Sure. I guess you deserve an explanation.”
He sat on the edge of the bed and Isla sat beside him.
“So, what happened?”
Isla looked down at her hands, her legs dangling over the edge of the bed. “He proposed to me, and I told him no. That’s it. Maybe if he’d asked the day before yesterday I would have said yes. But, it would have been wrong and I would have regretted it. I was meant to come back to Laguna Beach and finally discover that he was awful for me.”
“Robin told me about Clark hitting you.”
Rolling her eyes, Isla groaned. Why didn’t Robin keep her mouth closed? She regretted even telling her.
“It wasn’t like that. Honestly, it wasn’t a big deal. He slapped me once.” She lifted her finger, her eyes widened, her cheeks flushed. “I was talking back about something stupid. And he pushed me once, and not hard enough to hurt me. Sometimes he’d punch the wall or slam doors, but he never gave me more than a few bruises. Robin makes it sound like I was regularly beaten.”
“Isla,” Garrett said, his brows knitted together. He took her hands into his. “That is a big deal. A man hitting you even one time is unacceptable. Why can’t you see that? If your sister’s husband slapped her one time, would you tell her that it wasn’t a big deal.”
Isla pursed her lips. “That’s different.”
“How is that different?”
“Chrissy is perfect. She doesn’t deserve that.”
Garrett wrapped his arms around her. “Neither do you. Don’t you think you deserve being treated better?”
“That’s what I have you for,” she said.
“You do. I’d never hurt you. But I need you to stop holding others as superior to you and worthy of better treatment.”
Isla climbed into his lap. “You’re too good to me.”
He held her hand, his face serious. “That’s what I mean. I treat you the way you should be treated. As should anyone. Even if we didn’t work out, you promise me you’ll never let another man hit you.”
Isla’s lips parted. “I don’t plan on being with anyone other than you for the rest of my life.”
Garrett wrapped his arms around her. “Still, you never know if something is going to happen to me. I want you to promise.”
“I promise,” she said, not liking this conversation.
“Okay. Good. I won’t bring it up again. Let’s go eat.”
Isla smiled, a weight lifted from her shoulders and mind. “Yes. Peanut butter on a spoon has done nothing for my hunger.”
“I told her that,” he said with a laugh. “She’s making mimosas as well. Let’s turn this day around and enjoy each other.”
“Good plan,” Isla said.
After the surprising morning, Isla was looking forward to mimosas, omelets, and a day free of worry and strife.
The mood was surprisingly light when Isla entered the kitchen. Isla explained what happened to Robin and she just smiled and nodded and congratulated her on being strong enough to face him.
Isla was glad. She tried to shake Clark’s last words off and kissed Garrett as she caught him in the middle of pouring orange juice into her champagne glass.
He smiled at her and stroked her cheek.
“She still cleans up nicely,” Robin said with a grin as she tucked Isla's tag of her dress in.
Isla rolled her eyes. “Funny. Where is my breakfast? I could eat everything here.” Her eyes scanned all of the chopped veggies, eggs, and fruit.
“Oh yes. It’s right here,” Robin said. “I aim to serve you, your highness.”
Isla laughed and followed Robin into her dining room as she carried two plates to the glass table. She set it down and Isla claimed her seat before a blue plate filled with an omelet, tomatoes, and fresh honeydew melon.
“Thank you,” Isla said. “I really appreciate your hospitality.”
Robin shrugged. “You’d do the same for me. Once you settle down and get your own place.”
Garrett sat down and placed their champagne glasses before them. He winked at Isla and stole one of her mushrooms that spilled out of her omelet.
“I’m glad you brought that up,” Isla said, as she leaned back in her chair. “Garrett and I have decided to move together to the East Coast.”
Robin took a bite of her scrambled eggs, her eyes wide. “Wow. That’s awesome. Where exactly where the two of you going?”
Isla shrugged. “I really don’t know,” she said with a laugh. “We haven’t discussed the details yet.”
“New York,” Garrett said. “I’d like to find an agent and try to get a book deal. If that’s okay with you...”
“New York sounds like a lot of fun,” Isla said.
Her heart swelled at the idea of moving to Manhattan with her soulmate and starting a new life. She pictured the two of them walking the streets in their best outfits, going to shows and eating at the best restaurants. Maybe now she’d finally use some of her trust money. She’d held onto it, using only what she needed to get by for years now.
“Then it’s settled. NYC, here we come.”
Isla lifted her glass. “Cheers to that.”
“So,” Robin said. “Tell us about what the Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot said in the article they printed about you?”
Garrett looked to her. “What article?”
Isla tensed. “You don’t have to,” she said, giving Robin a look.
Robin shrugged her shoulders to her ears. “What? Can’t I ask? They say that you were injured in an attack and had to learn how to walk and talk again.”
Garrett took a bite of his omelet and nodded.
Isla would have kicked Robin’s leg is she was close enough. She didn’t want Garrett to feel pressured, but the information intrigued and worried her. Was it true? Such a thing sounded like a horrible ordeal. It would explain why he didn’t tell anyone that he wasn’t dead.
Isla wanted to know more.
Dearly. But, the way he got quiet made her uneasy.
“We are going to head to the store to grab some supplies for Garrett’s house,” Isla said. “Do you need anything?”
Robin shook her head. “I’m fine. So, are you not staying in my guest room anymore?”
Isla’s lips curled into a smile and she glanced at Garrett. “What do you think?”
“The lovebirds are back,” Robin said with a grin from behind her glass.
“Yes,” Isla said as Garrett reached for her hand underneath the table. “We are.”
CHAPTER 14
THE OUTDOOR MARKET WAS packed with locals and tourists. Garrett held onto Isla’s hand and she no longer had a care in the world. In only a few weeks, they would embark on a journey
together. Nothing could be more exciting.
Isla reached down and picked up a basket at the entrance of the market. Into the fray they went. A live band played in the distance, and vendors sold their goods. Wine shops offered samples of their selections and had a mini tasting off to one end of the two rows of carts and kiosks.
“How about I cook tonight?” Garrett asked, rubbing his chin as he surveyed the different selections of food all around them.
“Seriously? Is that even a question? That sounds perfect.”
Isla was terrible in the kitchen, but Garrett, on the other hand, was masterful.
Garrett walked over to a stand stacked with fresh vegetables. The array of colors was impressive, with eggplants, carrots, kale, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, and vegetables that Isla didn’t even recognize neatly set on the cart. He picked up some mushrooms and tricolored peppers and put them into the basket.
“How about I grill some fish and veggies?”
“Like I said, perfect.”
Together, they walked down to the end of the market where the fishmongers sold their catch of the day. She helped him pick a large snapper.
Before long, Isla felt like shielding her face after noticing a few familiar faces in the crowd. Old enemies and acquaintances from high school glanced at her, at Garrett, and the whispers began.
“We have everything we need, right?” Isla asked, turning away from Kelly Finch and Sarah Mears as they began heading her way. “Dear God,” she said with a gasp as she turned right into someone she never thought she’d run into at the market.
“Isla,” Peter Maxwell said, his eyes going from hers to Garrett’s. He hadn’t aged a day.
“Father,” she said.
He’d always had dark hair with hints of gray on his edges and around his ears, blue eyes, and a clean-shaven face. Peter wore a polo shirt and khaki shorts with loafers. His uniform whenever not at an event.
“You look well, Isla.” He gave her a peck on her forehead, only further vexing her. It was awkward, to say the least. “Yellow was always your color.”
“Thanks...”
“Garrett Thorne, I didn’t expect to run into you, young man,” Peter said, his voice lightening as he held his hand out. “How are you holding up?”
Garrett shook her father’s hand. “Hello, Mr. Maxwell. I just got back the day before yesterday.”
“Yes, I’d heard. I see you and my daughter have reconnected,” Peter said, glancing at Isla. “Very good. You’re a man of your word, aren’t you? You always said you’d take care of her. And look, you return from the war and do just that. Admirable for someone so young.”
Isla’s brows furrowed. What was her father talking about? The last time she checked, he hated Garrett. Now, he was being all chummy and cordial.
“What are your plans for the next few days?” Peter asked the two of them.
Isla held onto Garrett’s arm, shaking her head. “Nothing too serious. We were going to cook at his house tonight and that’s as far as our plans go.”
Peter nodded, folding his hands in front of him. “You two should join Rebecca and I tomorrow. We are taking the yacht out with a few friends. We’ll head to Catalina Island for the night.”
Isla wanted to say no. She really didn’t want to talk to her father, let alone spend an entire day and night with them on an island.
“Sure,” Garrett said before she could reply. “We’ll be there. Should we bring anything.”
“It’s settled then. I’ll have a car pick you two up from your house and drive you to us. No need to pay for parking or anything like that. And no need to bring anything. I’ll have a chef preparing lunch for us onboard.”
“Great...”
“Thank you, sir. We look forward to it.”
Peter flashed his charming smile. “It will be an honor. You two enjoy your evening.” He turned to Isla, wrapping his arm around her shoulder in a half-hug.
She stood there in shock as her father walked away, heading toward a cigar shop.
“What the hell was that?” Isla asked.
Garrett gave her hand a squeeze. “I’m not sure, but I’d like to see you reconcile with your parents before we leave.”
“I don’t care about that.”
“I’d rather not leave behind any bad blood,” Garrett said. “Trust me. You don’t want any regrets if something were to happen to one of them and you were still on bad terms. My mother knew I loved her to the day she died, but I still wish I had told her more. Now, I don’t have that chance. But you do, Isla.”
Isla pursed her lips, keeping silent. He was right.
Garrett brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “It’s only one night, right?”
Isla leaned into him. “Sure. What could go wrong?”
CHAPTER 15
THE SUN WAS ESPECIALLY bright the next day, yet Isla had a dark storm cloud hovering over her. The last time she’d seen her parents together had been horrible. Nerves filled her belly as they stepped onto her father’s private yacht. The crew was lined up, smiles on their youthful faces, ready to serve and show them a fantastic voyage.
If she could remove her parents from the equation, her attitude would be entirely different and she just might be excited. Instead, she felt ill before the yacht even set sail. Inside, there was a table set with appetizers. Two bartenders stood behind a darkly polished wooden bar stocked with everything they could have asked for.
Hope, Isla thought, heading straight for the bar. A little liquid courage never hurt anyone.
“Patron, and a margarita,” she ordered. She looked back at Garrett, who wore dark khaki shorts, and a polo. She hoped he didn’t feel like he had to trade in his own style to make her comfortable around her parents.
“Did you want anything?” Isla asked him, and he shook his head.
“Not today, babe. I’m good,” he said with a smile as he looked at the framed pictures on the wood-paneled walls. “I think its best that I stay sober around your parents.”
She shrugged, looking at the flat screen above the bar. “Suit yourself. I’d rather take the edge off if we are going to be stuck with them for the next twenty-four hours.”
He chuckled. “You’re probably right.”
She smiled at the bartender and drank her shot. He handed her a cold margarita glass and she turned away, sipping it as salt stuck to her pineapple lipgloss.
“Isla, darling,” her mother called from the stairs that led to another level of the yacht. She wore a white dress that clung to her body. She had on her favorite pearls and white sandals. “Look at you. Don’t you look just divine?”
Isla swallowed, her heart thumping in her chest. The last time she’d seen her mother was at the benefit years ago when she’d stormed off with Garrett by her side. Like her father, the woman hadn’t aged. It wasn’t a secret that she had botox and lip injections, making her forever resemble a woman in her mid-thirties.
“Hello, Mother,” Isla mumbled, taking another sip of her margarita. The bitterness of the lime and alcohol wasn’t as strong as the disdain she had in her heart for that woman.
“And Garrett. How are you doing? You look well.”
“I’m doing well,” Garrett said, putting his hands into the pockets of his shorts.
“Would you two join us for champagne and lunch as we set sail? Chef Kwo has prepared a three-course meal for us.”
“Sure, Mother. That’s why we’re here,” Isla said with a sigh. She nodded to the stairs. “Show us the way.”
“Very well.”
Rebecca led them up the stairs that spiraled upward to another level where everything was modern and white, except for the dark wooden floor. They went up another set of stairs to the deck where a table was set for them under a white canopy.
Isla’s gaze went from the two other couples to her father. She recognized her mother’s best friend Eleanor Turner and her husband, Phil. The other couple were strangers to her. They sat around the table that was set with white dinnerware, s
ilverware, and beautiful teal placemats.
A pitcher of water, juice, and coffee were in the center of the table along with a red, white, and orange flower arrangement.
“You remember Eleanor and Phil, don’t you, Isla?”
Isla nodded, giving them a small smile. “I do. Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Turner.”
Rebecca lifted her hand toward the other couple. “This is Senator Kinley and his wife, Joy. And this is my youngest daughter, Isla, and her...boyfriend, Garrett. Is he your boyfriend again, Isla?”
Isla pursed her lips but nodded. “Yes. We are together, Mother.”
Rebecca flashed a perfect white smile. “Fantastic. Have a seat wherever you’d like,” she said, nodding to the empty seats around the rectangular table.
A woman with a short blond bob, big boobs, and a cheerful attitude emerged from the stairs. She stepped forward wearing a white uniform with black strips along the shoulder and a blue sash tied under her collar, hanging down her chest. She presented a bottle of champagne to them, a smile on her pretty face.
“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Samantha and I will be your chief stewardess. You can come to me for anything during your stay with us. Now, let’s open a bottle of champagne and get this show on the road.”
Samantha popped open the bottle and everyone clapped.
Isla sat down and Garrett scooted onto the long cushioned seat beside her. The woman poured them all a glass, except for Garrett, who declined.
Isla turned to him and whispered, “You really didn’t have to agree to this.”
He kissed her. “It’s fine. We are adults. We can handle an evening with your parents. Besides, I want to see why your father changed his tune from the last time we spoke.”
Isla scrunched up her nose. “I don’t. He’s probably up to something.”
“Well, we will find out what that is before the trip is over.”
“For lunch Chef Kwo has prepared a salad of roasted pears, Roquefort cheese, toasted pecans, over arugula with a warm sherry balsamic dressing. She will follow that course with grilled mahimahi and mango salsa, lemon basmati rice, and a spinach and edamame salad. Lastly, she’s made fresh raspberry sorbet and lemon tuiles. Enjoy,” the woman said as four servers appeared with plates in their hands and set them before each guest.