Dangerously Tempted

Chapter 12: Picnic

Odile

Not once—never in all these years—had any of my targets been connected to my family. Father was careful about that, always kept the two worlds separate. So, how in the hell did Scott end up tied to Blake Chu? And Katie's husband, too. I remembered Dad mentioning something odd when he first assigned me Blake, something vague about a connection. Maybe he didn't know until the last minute, or maybe he did and kept it from me. Either way, it didn't sit right.

When Monty said Blake's name, I almost lost it—just for a second. It was a flicker, but I knew Isabel saw it. Those curious eyes of hers had always been sharp. She was observant, probably more than I gave her credit for. I hated that I let anything show. I hated surprises even more, and this one hit too close to home. I needed to regain control, fast, before Isabel started asking questions I wasn't ready to answer.

So I planned a picnic. Something simple to ground us again, to move things back to steady ground where I could regroup and find my footing. I needed the space to think—clear my head, get back in control. Isabel didn't suspect anything, not yet, and I intended to keep it that way.

But I needed to tell Dad. And quick. Before anything else unraveled. Before another surprise hit me where I wasn't expecting it.

"A picnic?" Suzzanne looked skeptical as she shuffled around the kitchen. She had taken it upon herself to make a fresh pot of tea after Isabel complimented it that morning. "You haven't been on a picnic since-"

I cut her off quickly. "I know. And I understand how this seems a little strange but..." I sighed out, not knowing truthfully how to word this. "I haven't found the proper way of telling Isabel about my actual profession." My voice wavered, the weight of my secret settling deeper.

Realization sparked on Suzanne's face as she prepared the tea herbs for straining.

"You're going to tell her?" Suzanne asked, not looking up from the tea. Her voice was calm but edged with a quiet challenge.

"Of course, I plan to." My reply came too quickly, the words sounding hollow even to me. I planned to tell Isabel... eventually. Why would Suzanne think I wouldn't? Knowing that I need to tell her and actually taking that step were two very different things. Keeping my voice steady I continued "At the Gala, there were... some problems. She suspects something, and I wouldn't blame her. She's intuitive, maybe more than I realized."

Suzanne's hands stilled for a moment before resuming. "Well Good. Because marrying her without being honest... would be cruel."

I flinched at the bluntness, but Suzanne continued, her tone softening. "I know your father means the world to you, Odile. But bringing you into his world—that was a mistake. And you've carried it long enough."

As much as I wanted to be honest, the idea of revealing my work left me uneasy. Every day with her, it felt like I was balancing on a tightrope between who I was and who she believed me to be. If she knew the truth, would she look at me differently? Turn away, maybe, or see something in me she couldn't live with? She'd seen the edges of my life, the cracks I tried to keep from showing—and she had to know something didn't add up. But to lay it all out there, to confirm her doubts... that was another matter.

"Do what you have to do, Odile," Suzanne said, taking the strained tea and setting it on a tray. "When I first found out, I understood only because it was what I had grown used to with your father. But it still hurt to see you follow in his footsteps."

"I didn't necessarily follow in his footsteps. It was a condition for the funding of my bookshops."

"Yes, and if you think about it, that shouldn't have been his go-to," Suzanne replied, her voice gentle but firm. "I know you love your father, and I do as well. But bringing you into that world was unacceptable."