Twin Scandals by Fiona Brand

Author:Fiona Brand
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-09-12T13:28:35+00:00

Eight

Sophie parked her SUV in a space half a block short of Alfresco, so that if Francesca was meeting Ben she would be able to see her approaching from the opposite direction. As she turned the ignition off, a muscular four-wheel-drive Jeep cruised slowly past. She caught a glimpse of tanned cheekbones and a tough jaw and froze. It was Ben, looking remote behind a pair of dark glasses.

Her mood plummeted. If Ben was here, then Francesca had to be meeting him.

She considered ducking down but decided against it. She was pretty sure Ben didn’t know what her vehicle looked like. Plus, she was wearing the ball cap, so it wasn’t likely he would recognize her anyway. When she caught the movement of his head, as if he was checking out something in the rearview mirror, she stiffened, then common sense kicked in. He was looking to park, so of course he would check for traffic behind him.

Nevertheless, she slunk down a little lower in her seat and watched until his Jeep pulled over, just a few spaces ahead. Seconds later, without looking in her direction, he strolled into the restaurant. Letting out a relieved breath that he hadn’t seen her after all, she checked her watch. Now that the air-conditioning was off, the SUV was heating up. She noticed a heavy buildup of dark clouds, which accounted for the increased humidity.

As the minutes ticked by and she didn’t spot anyone remotely resembling Francesca walking into Alfresco, she pondered what to do. Maybe it was a huge coincidence that Ben was here, but how likely was that? She had to conclude that Francesca had arrived early and was already waiting inside for him.

That conclusion should have been enough, except that a stubborn part of her wanted absolute proof; she needed to see them together. Grabbing her handbag, she stepped out into the breathless heat, locked the SUV and started toward the restaurant.

As she walked along the sidewalk, the sun was blotted out by a large purple cloud, and thunder sounded in the distance. But the threat of a cooling downpour didn’t seem to make any difference to the air, which was hot and compressed and humid, opening every pore.

She reached the restaurant and took out her phone, pretending to be absorbed by the screen as she surreptitiously checked out the diners visible in Alfresco’s windows. Frustratingly, Ben and Francesca were not there, which meant they were seated farther back, possibly even in the shady little courtyard out back.

Perspiration coated her skin and trickled down her spine as she tried to decide what to do next. She undid a button of her shirt and flapped the damp material in an effort to create a cooling draft. She longed to rip the cap off and throw it away. But now that the initial surge of hurt and anger had passed, her usual clarity was returning. She had come this far; she wasn’t going home without proof. She needed to see Ben and Francesca together.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.