The Bracelet by Mary Jane Clark Read Free Book Online

cloyingly pink walls of her room in her parents’ house and considered the offer. She’d been living home again for just a month, yet the idea of getting away for a while was appealing. She loved her parents—she did—but there was something wrong about being twenty-seven years old and having to answer to them. Piper knew that Terri and Vin Donovan were making a concerted effort not to smother her, but they were failing miserably. It was inevitable: Piper was their only daughter, their baby, and they still found her every move fascinating. They paid attention to everything she did—or at least everything they knew she did.
    â€œHey, Emmett! Drop that! Drop that right now!” Piper yelled, jumping up from the bed and lunging for the Jack Russell terrier. The little dog had the toe of one of Piper’s high-heeled pumps grasped firmly in his mouth. He looked at her, dropped the shoe, and ran from the room.
    She picked up the black pump and inspected it. There were tooth marks in the leather, but there was no actual tearing. Maybe her father could figure out a way to smooth away the indentations. He could fix pretty much anything.
    Piper thought more about accepting the job. Even though she’d have to design and make the wedding cake, she would still have some free time. Maybe her agent, Gabe Leonard, could get her an audition or two while she was out there. Weather-wise, Southern California was decidedly better than New Jersey in January. And the idea of some free beauty treatments was definitely alluring.
    Who wouldn’t want to spend a week at Elysium? Piper had read about the oasis perched in the Hollywood Hills. She even knew a few people who had checked in there for some high-priced pampering. She’d listened as seldom-impressed New Yorkers used adjectives like “divine” and “heaven” to describe it. Apparently the staff went through Swiss Guard–like training to learn how to cater to each client’s well-being.
    Going online, Piper read more. Besides the usual massages, facials, body wraps, yoga, Pilates, meditation sessions, saunas, and hot-tub soaks, Elysium offered individualized consultations with dietitians, along with organic, vegetarian, and vegan dining. It also boasted personal touches like spritzing clients with Evian as they lounged by an infinity pool that offered an aerial view of Los Angeles. All these amenities had guests leaving relaxed, rejuvenated, and feeling that every penny they’d spent had been worth it.
    Elysium also provided its clients the most luxurious thing in the world—privacy. For good reason: The owner of Elysium was a renowned cosmetic surgeon. Along with the sprawling Spanish Mission–style main building that housed most of the guests in private rooms, there were individual cottages scattered in a more secluded section of the property. Actors, politicians, and other celebrities, both male and female—as well as those who could afford it and wanted no one to know they were being “freshened up”—arrived, had their surgery, and recuperated in utmost secrecy.
    Piper exited Elysium’s Web site, picked up the damaged shoe, and headed downstairs. When she reached the basement of the split-level she had grown up in, Piper found her father ensconced in his man cave, surrounded by his beloved workbench, tools, and “survivor” paraphernalia. He was watching a football game on the little television set he kept down there. She handed him the shoe for his inspection.
    â€œIt’s Emmett or me!” said Piper, offering the fake ultimatum for the umpteenth time.
    â€œThat dog is a devil,” said Vin, shaking his head and trying to keep the smile from his face. Her father acted tough, but Piper and her mother knew he was a sucker for the dog. He got a kick out of the mischievous things the terrier did.
    Piper sank into an old couch that had found its way into the basement when a new one had