Last Summer(55)

He brushes the back of his hand against Ella’s lower belly. The gesture is tender and endearing but sudden and unexpected. She recoils.

“I’m sorry.” He lowers his hand and looks at her, his eyes full of grief, compassion, and sympathy. “I can’t imagine not remembering Carson, the good times and those frustrating moments. I can’t fathom what you’re going through.”

Ella looks away, and all the emotions she read about other women experiencing with late-term miscarriages, all the emotions she’s sought to feel, all the ones she envied Damien going through, are suddenly there. Real. Intense. And in her face. She can barely breathe.

“Ella,” Nathan whispers, touching her cheek.

“Don’t.” She jerks her head away. It’s all too much. Confused about her growing attraction toward Nathan, devastated she can’t remember carrying Simon, and disappointed her husband wouldn’t share his grief with her the way Nathan has been, Ella feels overwhelmed. She needs a moment alone.

Grabbing her camera, she says, “I’m going to get ready for dinner.”

“Ella.”

The way Nathan speaks her name stops her.

“You asked me yesterday why I canceled my series. I didn’t give you an answer.”

“No, you didn’t.” She senses he wants to get this off his chest, but she can’t handle any more heartbreak, not when she’s about to fall apart. “Can we talk about this tomorrow? If you don’t mind.”

He takes a beat. “Yeah, sure. We can talk tomorrow.”

She nods and retreats inside.





CHAPTER 22

“I updated Scott about our flight change. He’ll pick us up at the airport tomorrow,” Nathan explains when he gets off the phone with the owner of Backcountry Descents, the heli-skiing adventure company Nathan had hoped to meet with over dinner. But their connection in Seattle to Anchorage was delayed due to weather and they missed their last connection, a forty-five-minute flight to Cordova.

“Let’s find a couple rooms for the night,” Ella suggests.

“Good idea. I’ll take care of it.”

They take a cab to a nearby hotel where Nathan had called and reserved two rooms. They agree to meet in the lobby restaurant after they check in and shower. Ella’s determined to finish Nathan’s interview tonight, because once it’s out of the way, she can focus on them. One way or another, she intends to find out what happened last summer.

In her room, Ella checks her phone. Damien still hasn’t returned the call she placed last evening. After her talk with Nathan on the deck, she didn’t care that she ended their call the other day on absolutely the wrong foot. Still, overwhelmed with emotions about the miscarriage, she needed to hear her husband’s voice.

She’s about to try him again when a text with an image buzzes in from Davie:

Nice arm candy. Damien know?



Gawd. Here they go.

Ella sinks onto the bed and studies the photo: Nathan and her, arm in arm, eyes hooked on one another. To Ella, he looks relieved. To everyone else? His expression can easily be misinterpreted as someone in love, which is exactly how the tabloids will spin their articles.

Ella fires back a text. It’s not what you think.

Davie’s reply is immediate. I know it’s not. But it’s gone viral. TMZ identified you.

Crap.

Davie texts a link. Ella would rather hurl her phone into the trash than open the website, but she needs to know what she’s up against. She clicks the link and reads: Nathan Donovan Is Back on the Grid—Caught Shopping with New Girlfriend.

The article goes on to explain how Nathan Donovan was spotted shopping with someone whom witnesses described as a possible girlfriend. TMZ identified her as staff writer Ella Skye with Luxe Avenue, who happens to be married to Damien Russell, CEO of Phantom Defense Networks. The article includes a photo of the Inc. magazine issue that featured Damien on the cover. Nathan and Ella seemed quite cozy according to those who observed their interaction. The article speculates what this means for Nathan’s marriage and if his appearance in public is a sign that he has another survivalist series in the works.

This is bad. So bad. Worse than Ella anticipated. While Rebecca will probably see this as free press leading up to the exclusive, Damien won’t.

Davie texts. Where are you?

Alaska with Nathan, Ella replies. Finishing up the assignment.

A text buzzes in from Nathan. He’s on his way downstairs.

Ella looks skyward, praying for a moment to breathe. Everything’s happening at once.

Gotta run. Chat later, she texts Davie. She then texts Damien—Call me!—and slides her phone into her back pocket.

Downstairs, Nathan has tucked himself against the wall near the hostess desk. He wears a beat-up cap. Chin down, face shadowed, he tries to be nondescript as he surfs his phone. The dining room is packed and the waiting area full. A couple of guests have already figured out who Nathan is and have their phones out. They not-so-discreetly take his picture.

“Hey,” she says, coming up to stand in front of him to block prying eyes and photo ops.

“Hey.” He smiles tightly and pockets his phone. He crosses his arms and uncrosses them. Anxious.

She motions for him to lean down. “Do you want to get room service?” She speaks into his ear over the din of conversation and pulse of bass thumping through the restaurant’s speakers.