Anna knocked on Nick’s door for the second time and paused. She couldn’t hear anything on the other side. She’d gotten so caught up in the story, adding another nuance that she hoped would make Nick more down-to-earth, that she’d lost track of the time, only realizing she was late when she hit send.

He’d probably already gone down to join the party. She’d meet him there.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she saw that her editor had left another message for her. Charlie likely hadn’t seen her email and was now in a panic that Anna wasn’t going to uphold the agreement about getting the story to her tonight. Anna pocketed the phone, not in the mood to have to deal with her right now.

All she wanted to do was talk to Nick.

She smiled, remembering a few things about last night, things that had surprised them both. Maybe, if things were calm enough, they could sneak away for another private interlude.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she could hear voices coming from the dining room, where everyone was congregating for breakfast. As she drew nearer, it was hard to mistake the shouts of anger from the other room.

She sighed. At least Dax had finally been honest and she didn’t have to hide anything from anyone anymore.

Anna didn’t expect the hush of silence that fell over the room as she stepped in, or the angry, accusatory glares directed her way.

“Good morning?” she said, growing uneasy from the animosity that seemed to be directed her way.

She spotted Janie sitting down, with Trish and Megan on either side of her. It was her sister’s face that set off the alarm bells in her head. Red and splotchy from tears, she stood when she saw Anna.

“I thought you really cared about me,” she said, anguish in her voice. “That you were actually here to try and build a relationship with me. But in the end, you were only playing a part. Pretending to care.”

Anna froze, not expecting to hear the accusation. How had Janie found out about her agreement with Nick? Who would have told her?

She tried to figure out a response, something to assure Janie that her feelings for her sister were genuine. But she couldn’t lie either, instead she needed her to understand. “Janie, I can explain. When I made that deal with Nick to play the part as your maid of honor, I—”

“Agreement with Nick? What are you talking about?” Janie’s horror made it obvious that this wasn’t what she had meant. “Never mind. I don’t know if I want to know anything more. But answer me this. Why couldn’t you come to me first and tell me in person what Dax and Sara had been doing behind my back? Wasn’t I owed that before you sold us all out to that rag you work for? Humiliating me, my family, Dax, his parents? Not to mention Nick.”

Wait. What was she talking about? “What story?”

Janie’s eyes filled with tears again. “Please. Stop the lies. The pretense.”

“Janie, why don’t you and I go talk somewhere quiet,” Anna said, desperate to get away from the censure and anger from every person in that room.

“Whatever you have to say you can say here, among my friends.”

It was like she’d entered the Twilight Zone. Where was Nick? Maybe he could help her make sense of this. “Look, I don’t know what story you’re talking about. Yes, when I first got here I wasn’t exactly sold on the idea of stepping into the shoes of the maid of honor. In fact I only came here because my editor gave me no choice, not if I wanted to save my job. And Nick, well, he saw through it and we worked out another deal instead. He’d give me a story provided I pretend to be having a good time, doing everything that a maid of honor should do.”

“So you were pretending all along to actually care about me.”

That wasn’t what she meant to say, but nothing was coming out right. She tried again. “No. I wasn’t pretending. The more I got to know you, the more I found that I liked you and cared for you, which made it all the harder when I heard Dax and Sara talking about their affair—”

“So you knew about them.” The flood of tears had stopped, and Janie looked at her with such hatred that Anna took a step back. “Even though you knew my best friend had screwed my fiancé and they’d been lying to me, you didn’t think to come and tell me in person. How long, Anna? How long did you know about Dax and Sara?”

“Only since yesterday morning. I promise. I wanted to tell you, but Dax was going to tell you himself, and I thought I owed him the chance—”

“The chance to come clean before you wrote all the dirty details about us in this morning’s news story?”

Again with the story. “Janie, I really don’t know what you’re talking about. My story that I’ve been working on with Nick’s blessing isn’t going to be published until tomorrow.”

Megan stood to put her arm around Janie. “Well, then I suggest you read the breaking news story that your company published. Maybe it will enlighten you. Then, I think it would be a good idea that you go. Your being here right now is not making anything easier for Janie to process.”

This was from the same woman who Anna had shared a mimosa with after their hot air balloon adventure yesterday, feeling like maybe, just maybe, she did belong and that these people could be her friends, too. Trish had joined Megan in flanking their friend, as they led Janie from the room.

Her head pounding, Anna pulled out her phone, trying to see through a blur in front of her eyes that put everything out of focus. What was going on? What was this story that everyone was blaming her for?

It only took her a second to push the homepage for The Daily Rundown, and another second to scroll down and see the headline that had her finding a chair to sink into, her legs too wobbly to hold her up as she read the story.

How did they get this information? Who was this anonymous source?

Charlie. She’d been trying to reach her and now Anna had some suspicions as to why.

She was about to push redial to get her editor on the phone when she heard male voices coming into the room and she nearly wept in relief. “Nick,” she said, coming to her feet. “Dax. This is all so crazy. I don’t know how Charlie found out all that stuff for the story.”

“Dax, you should go find Janie and try to talk to her,” Nick said when he saw her, his face devoid of the smiles and warmth from earlier.

Dear God. Why was he looking at her like that? Cold. Almost empty.

She was aware of Dax leaving the room but she couldn’t take her gaze from Nick’s to tell if Dax was looking at her the same way as everyone else. Accusingly.

“Nick? Tell me you don’t believe I had anything to do with this.”

“I can’t talk to you about this right now, Anna. Not yet.”

She stood her ground, needing to know if everything she’d come to believe about this man, about his feelings for her, had been a lie. “You can and you will because I’ve done nothing wrong here. I had nothing to do with that story.”

He sighed deeply, running his hands over his face, his first sign of emotion. “I want to believe you. I do. I just can’t get away from the fact that you’re the only person outside my family who knew all of the details that made their way into the story. About my upcoming campaign, about Dax and Sara, and even about my dad.”

She fought back tears of rage at the injustice of it all, but she’d cried enough last night that she was all dried up. Yet the rage inside her still burned, fueling her forward. “You think I’d sell you out to impress my editor?”

“I don’t know what you want me to say here, Anna. Do I think it’s possible that you would do what you needed to protect yourself and your livelihood? To make enough of an impression that you would be sailing into a new, primo spot writing features at The Rundown or anywhere else you might want? Maybe.”

Everything inside her felt like it was dying. All the hope and happiness from a few short minutes ago shriveled away. She turned away, unable to bear seeing the way he was looking at her. To see the doubt and disappointment he couldn’t disguise.

“Hell, this is why I didn’t want to talk to you about this right now. I don’t know my own thoughts, much less anyone else’s.” He sounded anguished. “What we need to focus on right now is Janie and Dax and the wedding that’s supposed to take place this evening. We need to make sure Janie realizes that not walking down that aisle to marry the man we all know she’s meant to be with would be a mistake.”

She laughed bitterly. “Do we? Do we all know they were meant to be? He lied to her all this time. What kind of marriage would that be if they can’t trust each other? You know, if anything, they’re probably better off finding out now, before they make a mistake they can’t walk back from.”

Anna was tired, so dang tired she could sink to the floor.

Nick claimed he couldn’t think about whether she was guilty of selling everyone out for the sake of the story, but the truth was written on his face. In the way he couldn’t quite meet her eye without blinking and looking away.

The last thing she wanted to do was fight for something that obviously wasn’t right. If Nick wanted to believe the worst, she wasn’t going to talk him out of it. She could stand here and explain all the reasons she wouldn’t have done this until she was blue in the face, but the thing was, if he knew her as he’d claimed to, she wouldn’t have to.

“I should go. My presence is only causing everyone added grief they don’t need right now.”

She’d save herself the pain of hearing him tell her that he chose to believe the lie instead of believing her, and end things on her terms.

At the door, she stopped, not trusting herself to look at him again. “I hope that everything works out for Janie, because, whether you believe it or not, I only want the best for her. For her to be happy.” She hesitated. “For you, too.”

Somehow she managed to hold the tears back until she reached the solace of her bedroom, very aware that Nick never followed.

* * *

Anna stood on the front porch hiding behind the small potted tree and tried to look past the hordes of media vans and reporters parked outside the front gates to the Van Hollins estate.

Her Uber driver should have been here two minutes ago.

She hoped that she could hold off the angry crowd back in the house, and the clamoring reporters outside the house, until she could make it to the sanctity of the car that would take her to Tessa’s family farm in Sonoma unscathed.

She cursed her editor for refusing to give up the name of the source who had provided the damaging information on the St. Claires. Charlie had held fast to maintaining his or her anonymity, particularly since she had personally verified the information with two other independent sources in the twelve hours she had from the time the tip came in until the time they went to press.

Viewership on the website had more than tripled its usual rate and that was in the first hour alone, which was the only thing that mattered to Charlie—not the fact that, in publishing the piece, she’d screwed over her own reporter, who was left to face the angry hordes unprepared.

The burning threat of tears surfaced again but Anna fought them. Not yet. Not here. Not when someone could see the shame and humiliation, the pain and the frustration that threatened to rip her apart.

The front door creaked open, and Anna’s heart pounded as she waited to see who it was. Did they know she was out here? Was someone going to call over one of the security officers to escort her off the property? It would be the final blow to her dignity.

Lenore peered out, her gaze resting on Anna. “There you are. I was hoping I hadn’t missed you.”

The woman’s voice was whispery soft and friendly, as were her eyes as she slipped out, shutting the door behind her. If the woman was angry, her demeanor didn’t give it away, and Anna held her breath as she waited for what she had to say.

“It’s such a shame that you’re leaving so soon. We never had a chance to chat.”

Anna didn’t know how to respond. Hadn’t her aunt been clued in to what was going on inside? “Yeah, well, I think it’s best for everyone’s sake that I make myself scarce.”

“You’ll forgive me if I disagree with you on that one. Nothing ever got resolved by running away.”

Anna bristled at the shot. “I’m not running away. I just see no point in sticking around when it’s been made clear that my presence is unwanted.”

The older woman didn’t say anything as she looked down, clutching her hands behind her back. “I see. May I ask where you’re going? Back to the city?”

“No. My friend is out visiting her family in Sonoma. I’ll head there for now.”

“Ah, yes. Tessa Montenegro, I believe.”

Anna looked at her sharply. “How do you know that?”

“I already told you. I have always kept a close eye on you.”

“You’ll forgive me for saying this, but that sounds kind of…stalkerish.”

Lenore laughed. “Yes, I suppose it would. So is that who you’re waiting for now? Tessa?”

Anna glanced out front again, trying to see if her car had arrived, before shaking her head. “I called for an Uber ride. They should be here any minute. In fact, I probably should meet them at the road. I wouldn’t want them to get scared away by all the press.”

“I don’t suppose there’s anything I could say that might make you reconsider leaving?”

“Not a chance. People believe what they want to believe, so who am I to argue with them? It doesn’t matter to me either way.”

“No?” Lenore studied Anna, her expression one of disappointment. Then she nodded. “Well, you have to do what’s right for you. Remember, sometimes being a member of a family isn’t about being wrong or right, justified or not, but being there when they need you. Although Janie can’t see it right now, she needs you as much as you need her. You’re sisters. Family.”

The alert on her phone went off. “I’m sorry, but my ride is here. It was nice meeting you, Lenore.”

“You, too, Anna. Perhaps, sometime in the future, you might be willing to share a meal with an old woman? Next time I get into the city?”

“Of course.” Anna studied the woman. “I’d give you my number but something tells me you already have it.”

At the slight nod, Anna knew she’d guessed right.

She clutched her carry-on and pulled it behind her as she followed the walkway past the gate and pushed through the reporters who threw their questions until the moment she slid onto the backseat of the car.

She didn’t look back as they drove away.

* * *

Nick stood at the window in Malcolm’s office, watching as Anna pushed through the reporters outside and climbed into a sedan. His heart was heavy as he watched the car slowly move away down the road until he couldn’t see it anymore.

She’d left. Like any guilty person who set the fuse to blow the place before making an escape.

From behind him, Dax was still pleading with Janie to listen to him, something that he’d been doing for almost five minutes. Nick was only here now to act as an arbiter of sorts even though he’d have preferred to be anywhere else.

“I can’t look at you right now,” Janie said, her fury still evident. “Not when it’s obvious to me and everyone else that everything that’s come out of your mouth has been a lie.”

All right. Nick had had enough. These two people loved each other and the sooner they saw that, the better everyone would be. And he could slip away somewhere quiet to think.

“Because you love each other and you’re scheduled to say I do to each other in four hours,” Nick said, turning to face them, “and unless you’re ready for me to go out there and tell everyone—your friends, your family, the minister, the caterers—that you’re not going to get married to each other after all, then you need to find a way to work this out.”

“Maybe we should call it off,” Janie said. “How can I get married to someone I don’t even know?”

“That’s not true,” Dax said, unable to remain quiet. “You know everything you need to know about me.”

“Oh, really? Then how come I didn’t know you were capable of screwing my best friend moments after kissing me good night? After telling me how happy you were to have me back in your life and that it was fate?”

Dax crossed the room and took a seat next to Janie. “It was fate, and I was glad to have you back in my life.”

“Then why did you do it? Why did you sleep with her?” she pleaded.

Dax dropped his head to his hands, his misery evident. “I don’t know. Because I was stupid and selfish and not ready for the perfect thing staring right at me. That moment, seeing you out on the beach again, was like a miracle. But when I caught sight of Sara, all this guilt hit me. I owed her an explanation, which was why I met with her later that first night. Before I knew it, we were waking up together, which only confused everything and I needed some time to get my head on straight. So we kept the secret. Hoping to figure things out, but then I got sucked into a pattern and, I’ll admit, I was feeling such a high, having two gorgeous women into me.” Done with the worst of the confession, Dax raised his head to plead with Janie. “I promise, the minute we got back, I knew who I wanted to build a future with. Who I was meant to be with. You. And I’ve been terrified of losing you ever since. That’s the only reason I didn’t tell you.”

Nick stepped back, making himself as invisible as he could in the room. They were talking; that was good. The stark pain on their faces spoke volumes about their love and he knew that whatever penance Dax had to pay, they would be okay. Turning, he opened the door and slipped out into the hall.

He needed a breath himself, having felt stuck in the middle of this mire since his mother first appeared at his door. Now, in the dark silence of the hallway, his back leaning against the wall, he closed his eyes and contemplated everything that had happened.

And everything he’d lost in the space of time it took to read a simple five-paragraph story.

He slammed his hand against the wall. Damn. Why couldn’t Anna just give him the space he needed? The space he required to process things and come to a solution after weighing all the facts and evidence?

The look on her face when he couldn’t tell her what she needed had crushed him.

But at the same time, something held him back from swallowing her denial and moving on. He’d experienced denial before with all the others in his life. Denial was always followed by the bruising, inevitable truth that he’d been used.

Even if he wanted to comfort her, to tell her he was willing to believe her, it was too late now. She was gone. Probably halfway back to the city by now.

She’d left. Run away. Hadn’t even tried to fight for herself.

He could think of one reason. Because she had no excuse. No defense. Just like all the others. He didn’t know how long he stood there, the grief and disappointment washing over him in waves, when the crashing of something from the other room brought him upright.

A second later, Janie flew out.

Wow. He was worse at judging people than he thought. With a heavy heart, he went inside to check on his brother.