Chapter TWENTY

She did not, in fact, manage to dissuade Bradford from his demand. But oddly, his approach worked—and the fire crackled merrily in the stone hearth, casting a warm glow over the cozy living room as Ariel settled onto the plush sofa, tucking her feet underneath her. Across from her, Bradford reclined in an overstuffed armchair, looking relaxed with one ankle resting on his knee.

Everyone was there, having finished their dinners within the fifteen-minute window, and the game was on.

"Alright, who wants to go first?" Ariel asked, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

Bradford grabbed a slip of paper from the bowl on the coffee table. "Looks like I"m up." He unfolded it, chuckled to himself, and then launched into an exaggerated pantomime of fishing.

"Fishing!" Randall shouted out immediately.

Bradford nodded, and Randall high-fived Hugo next to him.

"Too easy," Vivienne said, shaking her head. "I could act better in my sleep."

Hugo"s smile faded, and he shot her a look. "It"s just a game, Viv."

"Doesn"t mean we shouldn"t try our best." She tossed her silky hair over her shoulder.

"Fine, you go next then," Hugo said, holding out the bowl with a tight smile.

Vivienne huffed and drew a slip. She pursed her lips as she read it and then began pretended to stir something in a bowl.

"Mixing a cake!" Ariel called out.

"Baking cookies!" Bradford added.

Vivienne sighed dramatically. "No imagination at all. I"m obviously kneading bread dough."

Hugo threw up his hands. "How were we supposed to get that?"

"You could try paying attention for once," Vivienne shot back. She crossed her arms and glared at him. "Maybe getting something on your own without help."

Ariel caught Bradford"s eye, and they exchanged a knowing look. It was going to be a long night.

Carl chuckled as he watched Hugo and Vivienne bicker back and forth. He leaned over to Connie and whispered, "This is more entertaining than the actual game."

Connie smirked and nodded. "I know, right? Who needs charades when you have a free soap opera?"

They watched as Vivienne nitpicked every tiny thing Hugo did during his turn. When he couldn"t guess her act out of opening an umbrella, she threw up her hands in exasperation.

"Honestly, Hugo, do you even know me at all?"

Hugo"s face turned red. "It"s a game, Vivienne!"

Carl and Connie had to stifle their laughter.

Ariel observed the tense dynamic between the two families with growing unease. She knew Bradford had hoped this weekend getaway would bring them all closer together, but so far it seemed to only be driving them further apart.

She watched Carl and Connie taking pleasure in Hugo and Vivienne"s marital strife. Clearly those two were not the best influence. Hot or cold, there seemed no in-between with them.

Ariel caught Bradford's eye again and shot him a sympathetic look. She could tell he was struggling to keep everything positive. Bradford managed a weak smile in return. He cleared his throat and stood up from the sofa. "Alright, I think we could all use a quick break. Why don"t I freshen up these drinks?"

He collected the empty glasses and headed to the kitchen. Ariel almost followed, but decided to let him have a breather—thinking of Hugo and Vivienne and the hovering problem. Bradford returned with a fake smile on his face as he brought the refilled drinks back out.

"Here we go, good as new! Now, who"s up next for charades?" Bradford said brightly, handing out the glasses.

Jessica jumped up. "Ooh, I"ll go!" She seemed bubbly, but Ariel noticed she wouldn"t quite meet anyone's eyes.

As Jessica enthusiastically acted out her clues, Ariel tried to focus on the game. But the tension in the room was making her head throb, and it was hard to concentrate.

Jessica finished her turn with a dramatic flourish. "Ta-da! The Little Mermaid, right?"

Everyone clapped politely. Bradford stepped forward.

"Nicely done, Jessica! Okay, who"s next?"

Before anyone could speak, Randall suddenly swigged down what Ariel thought had to be his fourth or fifth whiskey and blurted out, "Did you all know that Ariel and Bradford used to date?"

A deafening silence fell over the room. Jessica"s face went white, her mouth falling open.

"What...what did you say?" she whispered.

Randall shrugged, oblivious to the tension. "Oh, yeah, back in college."

Jessica turned slowly to Bradford, betrayal etched across her face. Ariel's heart sank. This was even worse than she"d feared.

Jessica stumbled back a step, shaking her head in disbelief as she stared at Bradford.

"You...you and Ariel used to date?" Her voice was barely a whisper. "And you never told me? You—you brought us to your ex"s bed and breakfast?"

Bradford held up his hands imploringly. "Jessica, I can explain—"

But Jessica didn"t wait for his explanation. With a choked sob, she turned and fled from the room.

A shocked silence hung over the remaining guests. Bradford stood frozen, his mind racing. How could he have let this happen?

Ariel had gone pale, her hand over her mouth. "Oh my god," she murmured. "Why didn't you tell her? I should have told her!"

Miles put a comforting hand on Ariel"s shoulder. "It"s not your fault. None of us knew Randall would just blurt it out like that." He shot an irritated look at Randall, who seemed oblivious to the tension in the room, grinning and hiccupping softly.

Hugo and Vivienne were whispering to each other, while Connie and Carl wore matching expressions of dismay. Ariel was grateful that Katie and Ethan had at least opted out of charades—how embarrassed Katie would have been if Ethan had been present!

Bradford ran a hand through his hair, his expression strained and chaotic.

"I"d better go find her," he muttered. Taking a deep breath, Bradford hurried from the room, seeming desperate to undo the damage that had been done.

Ariel watched Bradford rush after Jessica, her heart aching. This whole situation was such a mess. She never meant to cause problems between Bradford and Jessica.

Ariel turned to Miles, distress written across her face. "I need to talk to Jessica. I should be the one to explain everything to her."

Miles nodded understandingly. "It might help smooth things over." He gave her shoulder a supportive squeeze. "I'll hold down the fort here."

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Ariel headed in the direction Jessica had gone, determined to make things right. She cared about Jessica deeply and refused to let a misunderstanding come between them.

As she walked, Ariel thought back on her history with Bradford. They had dated long before Jessica ever entered the picture. But Ariel had been so wrapped up in her own feelings that she hadn"t even considered how Jessica might react to the news. Right now, she needed to find Jessica and help her understand that she and Bradford were ancient history.

Ariel hurried through the quiet halls of Cliffside Manor, her heels clicking against the hardwood floors. She pictured Jessica"s stricken face when Randall had blurted out that bombshell and her heart ached. How could she not have realized that Jessica might feel hurt and betrayed if she learned about her past with Bradford?