It was a controlled chaos and she wished she could stop the limo and go wading in the sea of people. For once, she’d like to actually experience and enjoy a city while she was there. But she was booked solid for the next two days. Then she was off to the Bahamas for her first shoot with Sports Illustrated.
It was everything she'd been working toward for the last five years. The only thing she hadn't gotten yet was a major sponsorship deal. Her agent was working on a possible deal with a lingerie company, but she wouldn't agree unless she was going to be treated like a star.
If they weren’t going to give her a pair of diamond-studded wings, then it wasn’t worth her time.
The screen of her phone flashed and she swiped her thumb over the face to view her log of missed voicemail messages. Her sister Ridley had called several more times. It was probably time she stopped avoiding her. This was the longest they’d ever gone without speaking since they’d had a crush on the same boy in high school.
“Oh crap.”
Sam looked up from the printed schedule he was reviewing. “What? Is everything okay?”
“I’m not sure. My sister came to see me and I forgot to tell her I changed the security code.”
“Oh, you mean the pathetically obvious security code that I made you change a month ago?” His deep laugh sounded more like the growl of an irritable bear. “Who uses their birthday?”
She gritted her teeth. “Whatever. The point is, my sister is locked out. I’m so glad Jackson was home. At least I know she’s safe with him.”
Sam frowned. “What do we know about this guy?”
Raina rolled her eyes and pulled up Ridley’s contact information so she could call her back.
“His boys come over and play in my yard all the time. He’s a music producer, a single dad and a real sweetheart. Any man who loves his momma that much is okay in my book. Ridley is probably safer with him than she would be staying at my house all alone. I was actually hoping to introduce them at some point, anyway. He’s just the kind of guy my sister needs to be involved with, unlike the losers she normally picks. He’s handsome, successful and most importantly, rich.”
She heaved a breath. “I’m really happy my sister came but man, this timing sucks. I’ve been trying to get in with Sports Illustrated forever. I can’t miss this shoot.”
“Why would you need to go home? Can't you just call your sister and give her the code?” Sam asked.
“I don't want her to be alone. I can barely understand her messages but she sounds like she’s been crying. All I can hear is ‘David’s gone’ so it sounds like she broke up with her new boyfriend, who was more than a little weird in my opinion. I told her he sounded like a scam artist but at least this one didn’t last long—” she stopped suddenly, tracing her thumb over the screen of her phone. Ridley’s number was still displayed.
“What?” Sam asked.
“Nothing, it’s just… I could have not checked my messages this morning. That’s possible, right?”
“Raina,” Sam warned.
“What! I’m just saying this time change is huge. Killer. It’s actually still Saturday evening back home. I could have been so tired that I shut my phone off last night and forgot to turn it back on this morning. Even if I remembered around lunch time, well it would be too late to call the East Coast then because it would be midnight there.” Her lips curled up in a small smile.
“You have that look,” Sam drawled. When she narrowed her eyes at him, he clarified “The look you get when you’re about to do something you know you shouldn’t. Which usually means I’ll have a mess to clean up afterward.”
“Don’t worry, Sam. This is one mess that you won’t have to deal with.” Raina bit her lip. “Besides, I’m not actually going to do anything. It’s more what I’m not going to do.”
Sam didn’t look mollified. “Are you going to ask your sister to join you in the Bahamas?”
“I am not.” She grinned at Sam. “She’s finally around the kind of guy she deserves to be with. I think she should stay exactly where she is.”
* * * * *
THE ALARM ON the wall of his study beeped. Jackson looked up. The system always sounded a warning when a door or window was opened. Something he considered a necessary precaution with two young children in the house.
He stood and strode to the window. Damn, he hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. Some host he was. He’d mentioned ordering takeout to Raina, but it was already after seven o’clock. It would probably make more sense to take her into town and just pick up something. Just then, he saw a blur of color on the edge of the yard. Raina was walking down his driveway with her backpack over her arm.
“Where is she going?” He watched as she looked down at something in her hand before turning left. She didn’t look back.
Shit.
“Well, what did you expect?” He cursed under his breath and grabbed his keys off the edge of his desk.
Outside, he waited as his garage door opened with agonizing slowness. Once he was on the street, he gunned his engine. Normally driving the convertible BMW was a pleasure. Today, he only cared that it was fast.
After he left his street he took a right onto Havensbrooke Drive and pressed his foot harder on the accelerator. Several of his neighbors raised a hand in greeting as he passed by, but he didn’t slow down. As he approached the stoplight at the entrance to his community, he cursed. How could she have gotten so far ahead of him on foot? A horn honked behind him and he looked up to see that the light was green. He also saw a small figure turning right on the main road.