Page 68 of Silk Shadow

Izzy shook her head. "I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong. I saw how devastated Pat was when Val died. He and my mother were just old friends. That's all there was to it."

"And then he lost his son."

She nodded. "That was tough. He was so proud of Joe. I lost touch with him when he joined the army, but he had a girlfriend by then. Lily, her name was. They met in high school and were inseparable. Still, it was a shock when he passed.”

“It always is.” He fell silent and she realized he must have lost friends and colleagues in his profession too. She took his hand and gave it a squeeze.

Room service arrived, and they sat around the small table, eating and talking. Izzy had ordered a bottle of wine, so she poured them each a glass. “My mother loved a glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc in the evening,” she said, wistfully.

"What happened to your mother?" Viper asked, softly.

"She died in a car accident on Christmas Eve six years ago."

"A car accident? Like your father?"

"Ironic, isn't it? Although, her death had nothing to do with his. Dad was home for the holidays, but he'd been away a lot, and they’d had a row. I heard them yelling at each other from my bedroom. It was awful. My mother stormed out of the house. It was a freezing cold winter, and the roads were icy. She was going too fast and skidded out of control. She smashed into a tree and died instantly."

He put down his burger and stared at her. "Shit, that's awful. I'm sorry."

Izzy took a deep breath, letting the painful memories flow over her. She'd learned a long time ago not to bottle things up. Let it go, the grief counselor had said. Don't be afraid to feel.

Words she’d taken to heart.

Exhaling, she said, "For a long time, I blamed my father for her death. Of course, he didn't stick around long. As soon as we'd buried her, he was back here, doing what he does."

Viper shook his head. “Doesn’t sound like he was a very hands-on dad.”

“He wasn’t. Pat was always there for me, though. He helped me through it."

"Pat’s a good man," Viper said. “Or so I hear. I don’t really know him that well, to be honest. Only by reputation.”

"It’s all true. He’s been very good to me over the years.”

“So when did you start up your business?” Viper asked, before picking up his burger and taking a massive bite.

“Shortly after my mother’s death. Up until then, I'd been in the papers a lot, mostly because I was Astrid Beaumont's daughter. My mother was a famous Brazilian supermodel. People wondered if I'd follow in her footsteps, but that life wasn't for me.”

Viper’s eyebrows rose. “A model?”

“Yeah, can you believe it? Still, I had quite a following on social media, so I decided to put it to good use. I negotiated a few contracts with some fashion houses and became something of a brand ambassador. My following grew and it went from there. Now I try to help women look good no matter what their size or budget."

"You've done extremely well." The way he was looking at her. Pride mixed with something else. Something she didn’t want to put a name to.

“I like what I do. That helps. It doesn’t feel like work.”

“Do you miss it? Being here, unable to work?” His blue eyes flickered, but only momentarily.

“Viper?”

“Yeah?”

“I like having you here to myself. Let’s enjoy these next few days, before we have to go back to reality.”

“If you’re sure,” he said, his deepening blue gaze on her face as if he were trying to read her.

She reached across the table and took his hand. “Oh, I’m sure.”

CHAPTER 29