JUST ONE MORE NIGHT by Fiona Brand Read Free Book Online Page B

strolled, Nick’s presence behind her made her tense. By the time she reached her table he was close enough that he held her chair as she sat down.
    He dropped into the seat beside her and poured ice water into her glass before filling his own.
    Elena picked up the glass. The nice manners, which would have been soothing in another man, unsettled her even further. “If Aunt Katherine did receive the ring, then I guess all the gossip was true.”
    Nick sat back in his seat. “I don’t want it to be true, either,” he said quietly.
    For a split second she was caught and held by the somberness of his expression.
    A set of memories from her summers on the beach at Dolphin Bay flickered, of Nick yachting with his father. It had usually been just the two of them, sailing, making repairs and cleaning the boat after a day out.
    One thing had always been very obvious: that Nick had loved his father. Suddenly, his real agenda was very clear to Elena. He wasn’t just searching for a valuable heirloom. He was doing something much more important: he was trying to make sense of the past. “You don’t want to find the ring, do you?”
    “Not if it meant an affair.”
    “You think they weren’t having an affair?”
    “I’m hoping there’s another reason they spent time together.”
    Her stomach tightened at the knowledge that Nick was trying to clear his father, a process that would also clear her aunt. That despite his reputation there were depths to Nick that were honorable and true and likable.
    That she and Nick shared something in common.
    Elena watched as Nick drank, the muscles of his throat working smoothly. At that moment Gemma signaled to her.
    Relieved at the interruption, Elena rose from her seat. She felt unsettled, electrified. Every time she thought she had Nick figured out, something changed, the ground shifting under her feet.
    After a quick hug, Gemma stepped back. Almost instantly, she tossed the bouquet. Surprised, Elena caught the fragrant, trailing bunch of white roses, orchids and orange blossom.
    Feeling embattled, she dipped her head and inhaled the delicious fragrance. Her throat closed up. After years of brisk practicality as a PA, she was on the verge of losing control and crying on the spot because she realized just how much she wanted what Gemma had: a happy ending with a man who truly, honorably loved her. “You should have given it to someone else.”
    Gemma frowned. “No way. You’re my best friend and, just look at you, you’re gorgeous. Men will be falling all over you.” She gave her another hug. “I won’t be happy until you’re married. Who’s that guy you’re seeing in Sydney?”
    Elena carefully avoided Gemma’s gaze on the pretext that she was examining the faintly crushed flowers. “Robert.”
    Gemma grinned and hooked her arm through Gabriel’s, snuggling into his side. “Then marry him. But only if you’re in love.”
    Elena forced a smile. “Great idea. First he has to propose.”
    Elena walked back to her seat, clutching the bouquet. She was acutely aware that Nick, who was standing talking with a group of friends, had watched the exchange.
    Gray-haired Marge Hamilton, an old character in Dolphin Bay, with a legendary reputation for gossip in a town that abounded with it, made a beeline for her. “Caught the bouquet I see. Clever girl.”
    “Actually, it was given to me—”
    Marge’s gaze narrowed, but there was a pleased glint in the speculation. “You’ll be next down the aisle and, I must say, it’s about time.”
    Elena’s discomfort escalated. Nick was close enough that he could hear every word. But as embarrassing as the conversation was, she would never forget that, despite Marge’s love of gossip, she had been fiercely supportive of her aunt when the scandal had erupted.
    Elena dredged up a smile. “As a matter of fact, I’m working on it.”
    Marge’s gaze swiveled to her left hand. A small frown formed when she noted the third finger was bare.