Pulling herselfup the steps and onto the pavers, Emma headed back to her loungerand froze. Water dripped from her body and pooled at her feet.
Her lounger wasempty.
She glancedaround, just in case she was in the wrong place.
But no, it wasthis one, she was sure. She’d chosen it because the huge terracottapot with the towering topiary afforded her some privacy from thehotel’s windows.
Her stuff wasgone.
Her towel, herbook, her bag.
The photographof her with Dad that she’d carried for the last twenty years.
All of it wasgone.
The sun loungerwhere she’d been sitting was laid flat, as though it had never beenused.
Her heartdidn’t just sink. It plummeted to her feet like an expresselevator.
Someone hadstolen her things.
Lachlan toldhimself for the thousandth time that morning that it wasn’t hisfault.
But the look inEmma’s soft brown eyes yesterday in the bar haunted him. He knewthat look—sadness and loneliness mixed with shame. She’d apologisedbut he hadn’t let it go.
Why should he?She wasn’t the one who’d been mistaken for a criminal. She wasn’tthe one who’d endured a humiliating walk through the hotel at therough hands of hotel security.
Lachlan shookoff any misguided sympathy. Clutching her towel and the paperbacknovel to his chest, he headed past the small hut where the staffhanded out pool towels, and opened the door to enter the hotel’slong corridor along which he’d been escorted yesterday. He’d vowedto himself that he’d pay her a lesson for jumping to the wrongconclusion and when he’d seen her through the window, couldn’tbelieve his luck.
Fate. It had tobe.
Granted, shehad the benefit of a bathing suit whereas he’d only been wearing atowel, but it was good enough.
It was her turnto see how she liked being stared at and filmed against herwill.
Cool airconditioning wafted over him and calmed the devil in his head.
Why was hedoing this? Why had he taken her towel, leaving her stranded by thepool in just her bathing suit?
Because he’dwanted her to experience a touch of the humiliation that she’dcaused him. He hadn’t consented to having his photograph taken butthat hadn’t stopped the dozens of people who’d whipped out theirphones in a split second and filmed him like he was some D-listedcelebrity behaving badly.
Lachlan pausedby the door.
But now hedidn’t know what to do with her things. Taking them back to hisroom was the only thing he could think of, but that wouldincriminate him if she called the hotel manager. He’d be the firstperson she pointed her finger at, especially having jumped soquickly to the wrong conclusion the first time. He was sure they’darrest him without question this time if she as much as pointed inhis direction.
What if it wereSarah?
He closed hiseyes as his heart stumbled in his chest. What if Sarah had made asimple, honest mistake like Emma had, and the guy had tried toembarrass her—
Lachlan’sfingers tightened around his loot.
This wasn’thim. He wasn’t this guy, so why was he doing this?
Sarah would beashamed of him.
He wasashamed of him.
With a heavysigh, Lachlan turned and headed back to the pool.
Emma’s heartpounded in her chest and she sucked in greedy, deep breaths to tryand counter the panic swelling through her.
Who would stealher things?
Whywould someone steal her things?
No one hereknew her.
She’d onlybrought a towel, her thongs and the novel to read. She’d slippedher key card with the photograph into the novel as a bookmark,thinking she’d been quite clever. Now though, heat bloomed in hercheeks at such a simple mistake. The room numbers weren’t printedon the cards—presumably for safety—and Emma was glad. What wouldshe do if the thief was up in her room really stealing herthings?
What could shedo? Stay here until she cooked like a cooked lobster, or headinside and march down to reception and ask for another key card soshe could escape to her room?
The thought ofwalking through the hotel in nothing but her swimsuit made herknees knock and her breath quicken. She couldn’t think of anythingmore humiliating than having to walk through the hotelhalf-naked—
Wait.
Lachlan?
He’d done this.He knew exactly how it felt being marched through the hotelhalf-naked.
Was he givingher a taste of her own medicine?
She’d tried toapologise yesterday in the bar but it was clear by thecondescending tone of Lachlan’s voice and blatant hostility in hiseyes that he hadn’t accept it. But was he the kind of man whocherished such petty behaviour? This was the kind of thing sheexpected from her third graders. Like the time Caden Bradley pulledLilah Smith’s hair and she’d retaliated by pulling down his pantsin front of the class. Although Emma had been secretly impressed byLilah’s ability to stand up for herself, she’d had to send bothkids to the principal’s office where they’d wound up with detentionfor a week. By the end of the school term, both kids had been thebest of friends.
Despite herpredicament, she gave a wry smile. Somehow, she just couldn’t seeLachlan wanting to be her friend.
Taking a deepbreath, Emma tried to calm the nerves jangling in her stomach.
Think.
As she’dstepped out of the hotel and into the pool area this morning, she’dpassed a small kind of hut which had a stack of neatly rolled pooltowels. That was it! She’d simply ask for another, wrap it aroundherself and then head to the hotel’s reception to ask for areplacement room key card. She might get a few odd glances, but atleast she’d be covered up.
Turning, Emmastopped.
Lachlan stood afew feet away, holding a towel and her novel.
She opened hermouth, ready to let loose her anger, when she noticed the look ofcontriteness in his brown eyes.
“I’msorry.”
Her heart beganto pound again, stealing her breath. Emma nodded.
“I wanted togive you a taste of what you put me through yesterday,” his voicewas quiet. The gentle breeze teased his hair.
Unable tospeak, Emma nodded again. Why had he come back? She tried to clearher throat. “I understand.”
“No, I don’tthink you do.” He dropped the towel on the closest lounger andplaced her novel on top of it. “I have a daughter.”
Emmawaited.
“She’s the onegetting married, not
