Free Unforgettable by Adrianne Byrd Page A

growing sunrise.
    Tim stopped as well. “What is it?”
    Though Diana considered Tim to be her best friend, she didn’t often divulge intimate details about herself. She kept pity parties to a minimum by keeping a lot to herself. Right now, she was in danger of breaking her own rule. “It’s been my experience that hoping for things is usually a waste of time.”
    Tim frowned as he held her gaze. “That’s not true.”
    â€œOf course it is.” She started walking. “Like the time I hoped my biological father would show up one day with a perfectly good excuse for why he’d skipped out on me and my mom when I was nine months old.” A tear strayed from her eye. “Or when I hoped the doctors caught my mother’s breast cancer in time to save her.”
    â€œSo now you don’t hope to find love, is that it?”
    She wiped her eyes and gave him a sad smile. “It’s just a waste of time.”
    Â 
    Diana breathed a little easier for the next two weeks. Marcel was on location for a video shoot for one ofthe label’s newest artists. In the meantime, she took at least two calls an hour from Donald Taylor, who was on a mission to find his son. However, Marcel’s single instruction during his absence was not to give his father his new cell phone number.
    It wasn’t an easy task.
    â€œI guess he’s taking his mother’s side in all of this,” Donald huffed.
    Diana held her breath, unsure of what to say.
    â€œAll right, tell him I called again .” He slammed the phone down.
    â€œYes, sir,” she mumbled to a dial tone and hung up, too. Almost immediately, the phone rang again, but this time it was Marcel’s missing-in-action mother, Camille.
    â€œMrs. Taylor, I’m so happy you called.” Diana reached for her notepad. In the background, she heard music playing. “Where are you?”
    â€œEnjoying a much needed vacation.” She laughed. “My dear, if you’ve never been to Venice, you don’t know what you’re missing.”
    Diana smiled. She’d always liked Camille. “Some say ignorance is bliss.”
    â€œYou have a point there. But life is to be enjoyed, my dear. You’ll do good to remember that.”
    â€œI’ll try.”
    â€œGood. Is my handsome son there? I think he might have hired some strange man to follow me around. At least, I hope. If not, I’ll need to go to the local authorities.”
    â€œOh, that would be Lee Castleman. I hired him…well, under Marcel’s instructions. He was worried about you.”
    There was a long pause before Camille said, “I should’ve called him, I suppose.” She sighed. “I just needed to get away. Have you ever felt like that?”
    Diana rolled her eyes and nodded. “You have no idea.”
    â€œThen you should come out and join me.” Camille perked up. “I could send you a ticket.”
    â€œI don’t think so.” Diana laughed, easing back into her chair. “My plate is sort of full right now.”
    Diana could tell that her answer pricked the older woman’s excitement by the way her voice deflated in her next response.
    â€œIt was just an idea.”
    â€œSorry.”
    â€œDon’t be sorry. Maybe next time. Is Marcel around?”
    â€œNo. He’s in New York on a video shoot. I can give you his number, though.” Diana waited while Camille searched for a pen and then gave her Marcel’s phone number.
    After they hung up, she thought about what the older woman had said, mainly because it closely mirrored her grandmother’s nightly spiel.
    Everyone seemed to think she didn’t know how to let her hair down and that she worked too hard. Okay, maybe the latter was true, but what choice did she have? She knew how to have fun if she really wanted to…sort of. She sighed. Who was she trying to kid?
    Today at lunch the rumor mill was in full