Her Husband's Other Life novel · Chapter 18 of 24

Chapter 18: Log It

Nate walked into the lobby ahead of me and stopped at the desk.

Ross stood there in his charcoal suit, the same one, with a leather overnight bag on the counter.

"The honeymoon suite isn't available, Mr. Oxley," Nate said.

"It's on the system as open. Sabrina booked the conservatory for tonight, and the suite goes with it."

"Not to this party."

Ross looked at him, and then past him, and saw me in the kitchen doorway with a dish towel in my hand.

"Cora." He took a step. "What are you doing here?"

"Having dinner."

"With him?"

"With a cook who owns the building."

Through the glass wall behind him, I could see the conservatory lit up.

A long table had been laid for fourteen, with candles and white flowers and place cards in gold ink.

The twelve friends were coming up the front steps in pairs, and each of them looked uneasy.

Sabrina came last, in a green dress, with a staff member behind her carrying a folder.

"Don't make a scene," Ross said to me, very quietly. "She's only trying to put this behind us."

"By what?"

"By getting everyone to say the same thing."

"What thing?"

He didn't answer, and the staff member opened the folder at the head of the table.

There was a pen beside each place card, and a single printed page.

I walked into the conservatory before anyone could stop me.

Nate came behind me carrying the green ledger from the hotel safe, in both hands.

Sabrina saw us from the head of the table and smiled.

"Cora! What a lovely surprise. We were just about to write a note for the family."

"What kind of note?" I asked.

"Just a little statement." She waved at the pages. "That the event on the first was a costume party, so there's no confusion for anybody's lawyers."

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