“I do wish things would work,” Kallie said. “But I’m under no illusions that they will. In fact, they can’t. The media would tear us to shreds the second they figured out we were together. And I told him that.”
“Good. Now that I’ve heard you say it, it makes me feel a little better about you going on this trip,” Eris said.
“Yeah. I’m sure.”
“He’s hurt you before, Kallie. And the only real predictor of future behavior—”
“Is past behavior. I know. You really should’ve been a psychology major,” Kallie said.
“I don’t want to see you get hurt again. They’ve tried to destroy you, Kallie. But you’re still standing. Without their help, without their praise, and without their money. That business is yours, and if you feel this is the way to get it to where you want it to be, then I support you. So long as you know he’s not doing this just for your help, and so long as you know that you can’t go running back to him.”
“I hear you, Eris.”
“Good, because I want you to be completely certain about this before you go halfway around the world with this guy.”
“And I am. You have to trust me, okay?” Kallie asked.
“I do. I do trust you. I just don’t trust your heart sometimes.”
“Then that makes two of us,” she said with a sigh.
“When are you leaving?”
“Tonight. His jet leaves at eight.”
“Ah, the private jet. Jeremy’s family has one of those.”
“I still can’t believe you’ve been with him this long.”
“There’s something about him. I don’t know. He’s fun, and it lasts however long it lasts,” Eris said.
“Uh-huh. I’ll poke you about that statement more when I get back.”
“When will you be back?” Eris asked.
“Sometime next week. My meetings strike back up on Tuesday, so even if Ash isn’t flying back then, I will be. And a week should give me time t—”
Kallie caught herself, but she knew she’d already put one foot in her grave.
“Time to what?” Eris asked.
“Nothing,” Kallie said.
“Oh, no. Kallie? Time to what?”
She sighed into the phone and pinched the bridge of her nose again.
“Look, just don’t go crazy, okay?”
“It’s never good when you start with that. What is it?” Eris asked.
“There’s a small part of me that’s going with Ash to Bali to see if we can really work things out. I figured a week away from the city and being dropped into one of the few places that didn’t care about our drama would give me time to decide whether or not it’s something I want to go for.”
Kallie listened as the phone call went silent.
It was never good when Eris was silent.
“I mean, I look at it this way. I’ve been researching Bali, right? And it’s practically paradise. At least, the part of Bali Ash wants to set up shop at. And if we can’t find a way to reconnect in that paradise, then we don’t stand a chance.”