Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
So many changes are happening around me. So many people seem to need me, and I’m not good at being needed. I’m not good at being an anchor for myself, let alone anyone else.
By the time we get back to Cloud 9 and Lachlan and Bryce help Chantelle move her things into her new room, I’m frazzled.
I pull Lachlan aside and before I can say a word, he wraps his big, strong arms around me and squeezes tight. "I know all of this is weighing on you."
"I just…I’m so worried about you guys and the business, and now Chantelle is wrapped up in this too. I just need to make sure she stays safe."
"That’s not your job, Dawn," he says firmly, still not letting me go. "Chantelle is stepping in to help us, not you. That makes her our responsibility."
"But she’s my friend."
When Lachlan squeezes me again, and presses a kiss to my forehead, I know he understands what I’m saying. "She’s your friend, lassie, but not your burden to shoulder. Let us look after her. We’ll make sure Jeffery doesn’t get to touch even a hair on her head."
The relief that he’s going to look after Chantelle lifts a concrete block from my shoulders. I know it’s selfish to feel like I have enough on my plate, but it’s how I feel.
I don’t tell Lachlan that, though. I don’t want him to know that running from all of this drama is exactly what my feet are itching for.
"You know, I’m thinking about where to go on my touristy trip," Kyla says, as I get ready for a night of waiting tables and worrying about the men in my life.
"Whitsunday Islands," I reply, without hesitation. "Thomas was telling me about the crystal-clear waters and white sands, and the manta rays and other ocean life. It sounds perfect."
Kyla taps something into her phone and makes an approving hum. "Look." She faces the screen to me, and the images that she scrolls through are idyllic. "You should come with me. I mean, I know you’re enjoying it here, and you have nine men to make your time more than interesting, but it’ll be fun. Just you and me. I don’t have a lot of time and I want to see as much as I can."
"That sounds awesome," I say, even as a pang of guilt twists its way through my chest.
You want to leave, my internal voice whispers. You want to leave all this behind before your heart gets roped in any deeper.
My heart is not involved, I argue back, but even my own internal debate sounds hollow and uncertain. The way I felt snuggled in Thomas’s arms, and nursing Lachlan’s hand wasn’t nothing. The way they all treated me when we were together, touching me gently, holding me close, kissing me softly, prioritizing my pleasure wasn't nothing. Logan’s tender words and their genuine concerns about my state of mind can’t be brushed away. There’s more here than I can happily concede. More than I need.
You don’t know what you need.
The truth is a bitter pill to swallow.
"Come with me," Kyla says. "It'll be the trip of a lifetime. Something we’ll remember when we’re old and gray and sitting on my porch back home."
"Not the porch argument." I wave my hand in dismissal. "Seriously. You want to drag that one out?"
"Every time."
"You’re an evil woman, but I can’t resist your emotional blackmail."
My bestie squeals happily and jumps around, punching the air. "Yes. Yes."
"I’ll need to ask Lachlan," I say. "He might say no."
"That man would do anything for you," Kyla says, already sorting her clothes as if we’re bound for ocean blue pastures immediately.
Would he?
Would I even want him to?
"I hope so," I say. But there’s only one way to find out.
30
DAWN
Kyla was right. Lachlan agrees to our trip without argument and before I know it, I’m packing a small bag and booking a sailing trip and bus transfer. Kyla and I are ready to make our escape.
Chantelle settles into her room in the hostel and offers to help with tasks to contribute towards her stay. I’m not certain whether Lachlan is grateful for the help or if he realizes that she needs something to do to keep her mind from everything.
"Don’t worry," he says, as I check in on the status of everything before I depart. "Crystal called to say she’s interested in running the story. The final say will be with her editor, but with Barrow being such a high-profile figure, she’s ninety nine percent confident that it’ll be printed."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. She discussed the angle with Chantelle who provided the name of a witness. It turns out the cleaner has also been fired and is happy to back up her story."
"And she’s going to mention what’s happening with Cloud 9?"
"Yeah. This isn’t the first time Barrow has tried to bully people into giving up their property."