Chapter 2

"Darling, you look fabulous!" Kelly greeted the younger woman with a tight hug, her voice husky with emotion. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming home?"

"It was supposed to be a secret," Celeste told her warmly. "Look at you, a mother and a successful entrepreneur, and you still look as if you just stepped off the runway."

"Liar." Kelly laughed and waved her into her seat. "I managed to grab a privacy booth for us. Ah, here is Leesa."

"Aren't you two ever going to age?" Celeste demanded as Leesa strode toward them, the famous long legs that had made her so successful in her modeling career eating up the distance.

"And you, darling, look stunning. I love the hair," Leesa said, hugging her. It's so good to see you."

"Here we are behaving like we have not seen each other for years." Celeste took her seat, eyes dancing merrily. "You guys were at that launch party just six months ago."

"Six months too long." Kelly nodded to the waiter who was hovering at their table.

"This place is amazing." Celeste craned her head to look around the maroon silk decor and the opulence of the design.

"Isn't it?" Kelly shook her head as she reached for her glass of water.

"I am sorry I am late." Monique rushed toward the table. "I had a meeting that was chock-full with all sorts of emergencies. Darling, it's wonderful to see you." She greeted Celeste with a smile.

"And I am looking forward to working with you. I have so many ideas-" She held up a hand as all three women stared at her. "My husband keeps reminding me to take a break from business, and I am going to do just that. I want wine."

"We expected that," Kelly told her with a laugh. She lifted a finger, and the ma?tre D' hurried over with the bucket, his gaze filled with admiration.

The four women made such a dazzling picture that Leon felt his heart swelling inside his chest. And he was not the only one. Heads turned to look at them as they sipped the excellent vintage and chattered in excitement.

Their laughter could be heard around the room. They were so caught up in their conversation that they failed to notice a paparazzi sneaking in some pictures, but even so, it would not have mattered to them anyway. They were accustomed to being ogled and photographed.

Ken lifted his camera for another shot and practically licked his lips as he stared at the vivid images he had captured. Four stunningly beautiful women gathered at one table. None of them were models - well, Leesa and Kelly were no longer in the business but were no less stunning.

And Celeste Coleman was still in the game and a rather hot ticket. Monique Romano was a powerhouse in fashion. It was rumored that a contract had been signed between Romano's and ‘Ceecee' as she was so fondly called - a rather lucrative one.

"Pretty as a picture, aren't they?" Ben murmured as he topped up his brother-in-law's glass.

"Pretty is too tame for the women seated around that table." Ken nodded his gratitude for the top-up. "Those women are works of art."

"Keep a low profile," Ben warned him. "Ms. Kelly signs my paycheck, and I don't want her to know that I am colluding with you to take photos and intrude on their private time."

"Chin up, Ben," Ken said with a chuckle. "Those women are quite used to it."

"Was I so young?" Celeste wondered, reaching for her glass and taking a sip. Her eyes danced merrily as she looked at Leesa. "I recalled being so awed in your presence that my knees knocked together."

"You were seventeen, darling." Leesa reminded her. "And I was an old pro. But you pulled off that shot with such aplomb that I had to applaud."

"And you warned me not to get involved with that creep, Gabriel."

"And I was right."

"We heard about Jacques," Kelly murmured.

"Speaking of creeps-" Celeste shook her head as she sipped more wine. "I should not have gotten involved with him in the first place."

"He seemed charming enough when we met him." Monique pointed out.

"Oh, he was charming, all right. And sweet and generous until you get to know him." Celeste moved her shoulders slightly. "And understanding. We had started living together when he first showed his true colors.

I was getting too many assignments, which did not sit well with him. Models, especially the males, are notoriously thin-skinned and incredibly vain. It has to be about them. And he was lousy in bed."

Her friends erupted in laughter, and Celeste felt the tension dissipating."Now that you are back, is there any chance of you getting back with Rylan?" Monique asked quietly.

The question threw the table into a profound silence as each of them waited for her response.

"No chance," Celeste said lightly, picking at her bowl of exotic fruits. "And he is involved as far as I know."

"He and Michelle appear to be close." Kelly supplied. "There is talk of an engagement."

Celeste ignored the ache in her heart and smiled. "I wish him all the best."

"Have you given any thought to how you are going to react when you see him?" Leesa probed.

"I will greet him with a smile and hope he does the same. It's been twelve years."

"And that does not say anything." Kelly insisted.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore if you don't mind."

Monique opened her mouth to say something, but at the look on her friend's face, she decided against it. "This seafood is delicious. What is it called?" She asked Kelly.

"Prawns."

*****

"You did not have to cook." Colin protested as he entered the kitchen and saw her at the stove. "And since when have you learned?"

"I took a course in France."

"I am not going to be subjected to anything like frogs or snails, I hope."

She grinned at him as she stirred the sauce. "I am making good old ground beef with pasta sauce. I just added a special ingredient that I brought back with me." She turned her head to kiss him on the cheek as he stood beside her. "How was your day?"

"Exhausting. Do I have time to take a shower?"

"Nope. Grab the bottle of wine and pour me a glass. We are ready to eat, and I am starving.""I thought you went to lunch with your friends."

"And all we had was some seafood and fruit. We sat there chatting up a storm and barely did justice to the meal. Hand me some plates."

He did that and went to pour the wine.

"Why was your day exhausting?" Passing the plate to him, she sat and gestured to the salad bowl in the middle of the table. There was a very nice formal dining room, but she had decided eating in the kitchen at the counter would be better.

"I was in court all day." Colin felt himself relaxing and realized that it was good to have her back. The defense attorney thought it was cute to introduce a surprise witness, who turned out to be the defendant's former girlfriend." He shook his head and twirled pasta around his fork. "This is good."

"I know." She murmured with a smile.

"Still determined to have your place?"

"I have my place. It just needs sprucing up a little. I am staying a week here, Colin." She studied his handsome face. "We don't want to cramp each other's style."

"It's just that you have been away so long, and now you are back; it would be wonderful to come home to you every night."

"You will get tired of me in a couple of weeks. I am messy, and I hate doing laundry. I am thinking of hiring a maid."

Her brother laughed at that. "How long do you think the poor woman will last?"

"Hopefully, in the long term," she said with a grimace. "I do pick up after myself occasionally. And I am aware of how much of a neat freak you are, so I am endeavoring to be tidy."

"I have someone coming in twice a week."

"I am sure the poor woman has nothing to do when she gets here."

"Not with you around." He pointed out.

"Very funny. Oh, you have to know that I don't do dishes."

Her brother laughed again. "I have a dishwasher that will do the work for us."

"You are going to run it for a couple of plates?"

"And pots and pans. You used up many things in your quest to impress me with your culinary skills."

"Won't be happening again. Don't know what I was thinking."

"You thought you had not seen your only brother in ages and wanted to do something nice. I appreciate it."

"Nothing to it. And yes, I wanted to do something nice."

"What else did you do today?"

"I went to look at vehicles. I am going to need a car."

"You should have waited until I was able to accompany you." He said with a frown.

"I did not commit. The sales guy was salivating and eager to have me driving a Corvette."

"He looked at you and saw dollar signs and a very fat commission."

"That's why I decided to wait."

"We will do it together. No one will dare try and pad the purchase price when I am there. What's your plan for tomorrow?"

"I am supposed to meet with my agent to work out the finer details of the contract. And I am visiting Marcus at his place. He is back from his travels."

"You should invite him for dinner. I owe him a hell of a lot for taking care of you."

"He is going to tell you that you owe him nothing." A fond smile touched her lips. "Did I tell you how he gave me grief when he caught me sneaking out to go to some party while I was in Italy?"

His eyes narrowed as he stared at her. "How old were you?"

"Eighteen." She said with a grin. "I had just done a very successful shoot and figured it was my reward to chill and relax. After all, I was an adult, or that was my way of thinking. I was earning a lot of money and could pretty much do whatever I wanted.

Marcus discovered that I was not in my room and found out the address from someone. He came to look for me and dragged me away, literally kicking and screaming. I said some nasty things to him and told him that he was not my daddy and I could do whatever I wanted."

"What did he say to that?"

"He listened to me rant and rave and then told me that he was responsible for me as long as I was in his charge. And then he told me to go to my room, like a damn child. I went, of course, because arguing with Marcus was like arguing with a damn rock. And I thought of ways to get rid of him." Celeste picked up her wine with a bemused smile.

"Do you know what happened at that party after I left?"

"It got raided for drugs. It was quite a scandal and made the international news because some Americans were involved. I remembered being frantic as I tried to get hold of you."

"Marcus did not say anything. He did not mention that I had been there or anything like that but just gave me a look. From that day forward, I learned to listen to him. I discovered something valuable that night. He was indeed looking out for me and always had."

"He never had children of his own."

She shook her head. "He was married once when he was in his twenties. A girl he had discovered, and she overdosed on heroin laced with fentanyl. He blamed himself and never got over it."

"Is that the reason you stayed away from the poison?"

She nodded. "That was part of the reason. The other was that I wanted you to be proud of me. I never had a taste for the various party favors like candies.

And I never allowed anyone to fetch a drink for me." Reaching across the counter, she squeezed his hand. "I am happy to be back, Colin."

"You have no idea how damn good it is to have you home." He said gruffly.

*****

"The celebrity cruise was a brilliant idea." A member of the board pointed out.

"Was it worth it though?" Another older member demanded. "Not only were there rumors of drugs and drinking reported, but the damage to the ship was considerable."

"And the insurance will more than cover the damages." Rylan pointed out firmly. "The cruise had a lot of positive coverage needed to get the new line up and running. The rumors about drugs and underage drinking were just that: rumors.

We had men on the journey to ensure that nothing untoward happened. There was an incident with an actress and her boyfriend, but that was quickly dealt with."

He looked around the room at the men, most of whom had been on the board since his father's time and needed to retire. Despite the protests, he had brought in much younger men and had been firm on it. He and his mother hold the controlling interest in the company, and their voices still have the weight needed to make the final decision.

When she realized he was ready, Michelle Braithwaite had willingly handed over the reins to him two years ago. His mind had often drifted to the insane decision years ago when he was eighteen - that of eloping with Celeste.

It would have been a horrible mistake, and each day, he was grateful that she had shown her true colors before he did something he could not walk back from.

Pushing away from the table, he indicated that the meeting was over. With a curt nod to the members filing out, he made his way to his office.

"Your mother called to inform you that she is running late for the meeting, and you should start without her." Eleanor Grant, his efficient and no-nonsense assistant, told him as soon as he stepped into his suite of offices.

"Thanks. "

"I had breakfast sent up for you."

His green eyes snapped to her face as he looked up from the messages she handed him. "I don't eat breakfast."

She pointed out, "You have several back-to-back meetings, and you will rush out to meet with some associates at the golf club. You are going to need food."

He nodded curtly before entering his office and closing the doors behind him. He had not been sleeping well, and it probably showed. Nothing he was doing was working to get that faithless bitch out of his head.

Every night, he turned in and would wait until around midnight to do so! Everything he tried was turning against him. He had seen the glossy photos of her with Monique, Kelly, and Leesa having lunch at Kelly's restaurant.

The caption read, ‘Bevy of incredible beauties enjoying lunch,' and he was unable to tear his eyes away from her. She photographs well, he noted grimly. But of course, she would. The camera had captured the coffee laced with a cream complexion and the tiny dimple on her left cheek.

She was wearing a cropped red top that was stunning against her complexion, and even though it had been twelve years ago, he still recalled the feel of her skin against his fingers.

"It's like silk." He had whispered as he trailed his fingers down her stomach.

"I had no idea you were a poet." She had said teasingly.

"Ode to Celeste," he responded, waxing eloquently about the soft silkiness of her skin, the texture of her hair, and the taste of her lips: "Like honey dipped in strawberries."

The memory of how foolish he had been, how besotted he had been, and the nights he had spent yearning for her sent anger and rage rising up inside him. Lowering himself in the chair, he took several deep breaths to steady his racing heart and trembling limbs.

He had to get himself under control. She was back, and one day soon, they would come face to face, and he wanted to be prepared. He was not going to allow her any sort of power over him. Never again.

*****

"You are gardening."

"I am turning my hand to organic vegetables. Come on back." Light blue eyes twinkled as Marcus stared at the stunning beauty in his yard. The flowers were blooming in colorful profusion, but he privately thought that the slip of a girl wearing a crushed cotton blouse over stylish dark blue trousers stood out dramatically.

"This looks great, Marcus." She was enthused as she followed him along the meandering path to a large greenhouse, which spread several feet. Sliding the door open, he led the way to some potted plants on a work table.

Several gardening tools were strewn on the rough floor, and plants were everywhere. A workbench was in front of the table.

"You don't want to sit your pretty little fanny here," he said with a smile. "I am just going to plant some bulbs, and then we will go out to the gazebo." She watched as he snipped off dead leaves and sprinkled a palm full of tiny seeds into a pot filled with fresh dirt.

"It smells wonderful."

"I love digging in the dirt." Pulling off his work gloves, he removed the apron and hung it on a peg beside him. "Shall we?"

She preceded him from the building and walked over to a very old gazebo with vines clinging to the latticework. "Is it safe?" She asked, looking askance at the structure."Has been around for almost fifty years and is very solid."

He took her hand and led them up the steps to sit on a padded wraparound bench. Refreshment was already set out on the wrought iron table, and the scent of fresh strawberries permeated the air. "I have a lady who comes in early in the mornings to get things going. Sit honey. I don't know how you walk in those killer heels."

"Years of practice. I will pour the lemonade. These strawberries look delicious."

"They are." He accepted the glass of icy cold lemonade, blue eyes watching as she reached for the tiny pastry. "How are you adjusting?"

"Quite well, actually," she told him with a laugh. "I am staying at Colin's until my apartment is ready."

"How is the wonderful lawyer?" He asked fondly.

"He invited you to dinner whenever you can make it."

"I will let you know." Reaching for a pastry, he popped it into his mouth and chewed before continuing. "Have you seen him?"

One night, two years after she signed up with Marcus, she poured her heart out to him, revealing everything.

"Not yet." Putting away the glass, she stretched her legs in front of her. "I am not looking forward to seeing him. He is involved with someone."

"And I believe that one look at you, that's going to change," he predicted.

"He hates me, Marcus," she said, taking a shaky breath. I broke his heart."

"You did it for a good reason."

"He does not know that. I kept going over that day in my mind, and all I saw was the look on his face. He begged me to tell him what was wrong because he instinctively knew it had to be something. He wouldn't let up until I added an extra layer to the pain I was causing him."

Even now, the memory of it made her heart ache.

"Don't you think it's time to confess why you did it to him?" He asked gently.

"No." She shook her head decisively. "What good would it do now? He has undoubtedly moved on, and I think I should let the past stay right where it is."

"Have you moved on?" he prodded.

"I thought I had." She said honestly.

"Both of you left things up in the air, honey, and I have a feeling the time of reckoning is coming."