Did you enjoy chapter one of Bryce: The Project yesterday?

In chapter two, Bryce and Emma meet for the first time in two years. Read about it here:

Bryce: The Project Chapter Two

Emma Fern glanced at her cousin as they left the cinema. Sharryn was still teary, dabbing the corners of her eyes. “Aw, honey.”

Sharryn sniffed. “We should have chosen a different movie. That was so sad.”

Emma smiled. Sharryn had known the film was about a father who’d been caught by terrorists.

“I wish I could visit Dad,” Sharryn said in a low voice.

“Then why don’t you? I’ll go with you.”

“No.”

“Why not? I honestly don’t mind.”

Sharryn shook her head. “Let’s talk about that later. For now, let’s go to my favourite Chinese restaurant.”

Emma smiled sympathetically, feeling for Sharryn. On the day her cousin had gotten engaged seven months ago, Sharryn’s dad had been caught in a warehouse with crates of drugs. Edgar Fern had been maintaining his innocence, claiming that a group called the Indie Rebels had set him up.

Emma didn’t know her uncle well, having not seen him in years. But she was sure Edgar couldn’t have been a drug trafficker. Her memories were of a kind, jolly man.

Plus, she’d seen how some of the evidence against him had been manipulated. Her dad’s explanations made total sense. But, apparently, more proof was required to exonerate Edgar due to the sophistication of the manipulations.

She linked arms with Sharryn as they made their way through crowded George Street. Even though one of her main reasons for being in Sydney was to meet her three-year-old half-sister, she’d quickly re-established bonds with Sharryn.

They’d been best buddies when they were little, being the same age. And when Sharryn had asked her to be one of her bridesmaids four days ago, she’d been so touched that all her misgivings about reconciling with her father had started to dissipate.

The whole Fern family, like her dad had assured her, were keen to reconnect despite her being estranged from them since she was ten. After fifteen years of no contact whatsoever, she’d been wary of meeting with them. She’d even doubted they’d greet her with open arms.

But they had. They’d even organised a “reunion” party for her the other night, when she’d arrived from Brisbane. She’d felt nothing but warmth from them, and she was slowly letting her guard down.

“By the way,” Sharryn said, “we could be meeting my future brother-in-law for dinner. He said he might be around here at this time, and I said to catch up with us at the restaurant.”

Emma narrowed her eyes. When her father had rung her this morning, he’d talked up Sharryn’s fiancé’s twin brother as a great and trustworthy personal security officer.

“What?” Sharryn asked innocently.

“Why would I need a bodyguard? My dad and I are only just getting to know each other again, and I’m not in any way connected to his and your dad’s business.” The very thought of having someone follow her around everywhere made Emma want to shudder. How intrusive would that be?

“One thing you need to know about your dad is that he’s anal with security. So even if he just wants someone to accompany you while you play tourist, he’d rather it’s a bodyguard.”

“I don’t need a tour guide, either,” she said with a laugh.

“Well, Uncle Addison feels so guilty that his overseas business trip couldn’t be rescheduled or he’d be the one to take you around.”

Emma smiled regretfully. She’d known for a while that she would be in Sydney for three and a half months—the first two weeks as a holiday, and the rest for work. She’d been promoted as a sous chef at a high-end restaurant in Brisbane, and her boss had sent her to Sydney to learn from their newly hired chef who’d won plenty of awards.

At the last minute, she’d accepted her father’s invitation to connect. And she was surprised at what had happened to Sharryn’s father. She’d seenEdgar Fern in the news, but she hadn’t paid much attention to the name of the man who’d been caught red-handed by the police. She’d had no idea he was her uncle, and had gotten the shock of her life when her father had told her the reason for all the crazy security for the Fern family.

“I should have given Dad enough notice that I was coming,” she said. “I totally understand he just can’t change his schedule, especially when this sounds like a big business trip. But I’ll be spending lots of time with my adorable little sister and my future stepmother and, of course, you. You guys already have bodyguards, so surely I won’t need one.”

“But we can only see you after work or on the weekends. Trust me, you’d like Kallan. The best thing is he lives in the building next door to where you’re staying. He’ll be handy to have around.”

“I’m sure he’s great. But in a week and a half, I’ll be going to work. I’ll be with plenty of people there. Please don’t think I’m minimising the safety issues surrounding you guys. It’s just that Dad said this whole thing with the Indie Rebels stemmed from a business misunderstanding of some sort. Like I said, I’m not connected to the Fern business, so I don’t want Dad being anal with something unnecessary.”

“Look, just meet Kallan anyway. He’s hot and handsome and dreamy because he looks exactly like my Kerrod, except for the hairstyle.”

“What? You’re trying to set me up with him now?”

Sharryn chortled. “No. I was just trying to tell you that my fiancé’s hot and handsome and dreamy because he looks exactly like Kallan, except for the hairstyle.”

Emma laughed, pleased that she was getting along well with Sharryn. She had to admit, she was very touched by her cousin’s warmth.

“Here we are—my favourite Chinese restaurant.” Sharryn steered her inside a busy eatery and advised the waiter of her reservation for three people. They were escorted to a table by the window.

“Have you visited your dad with Kerrod?” Emma asked gently after the waiter left them with menus. She was keen to steer the conversation back to her Uncle Edgar being in jail while awaiting trial, as she still couldn’t fully wrap her head around the whole thing.

Sharryn let out a sigh. “No. Dad doesn’t want us to go, actually. He said until he’s been proven innocent, he doesn’t want anyone else visiting him, in case the cops think we’re all part of a drug cartel.”

Her eyes widened. “Really? Surely the police won’t suspect all of his relatives to be criminals just because we go there to see him.”

“I know. But Dad and Uncle Addison… Well, they don’t want…umm…. There’s their business to think about, you know? They don’t want their clients getting wind of the fact that my dad’s in jail, much less the reason for it.”

Emma furrowed her brows. “What about those who might have seen him in the news?”

Sharryn drank from the glass of water the waiter had placed before her. “Fortunately, the people Dad liaises with are mostly their overseas partners. I doubt the news we saw here would have been broadcast overseas. As for their business partners here in Australia, your dad is their main point of contact.”

“Right. Has any of them actually asked if the Edgar Fern in the news is related to Addison Fern?”

“I don’t think so. They’re probably too polite to raise that question.”

Emma pursed her lips. “I really should learn more about their business. All I know is that it’s wholesale importing, and there’s no branding or anything. Dad said he’ll explain it to me, but he hasn’t had the chance yet. Maybe you can tell me.”

“Well, they source the best products overseas for the cheapest prices, then sell it to retailers here for a tidy profit. They don’t specialise in particular items. They just take advantage of whatever they think would sell well.”

“Okay. So there’s no warehouse or shop I can have a look at? I’d love to check out some of their items.”

Sharryn smirked. “No. Once the stuff arrives in Australia, it goes straight to the retailers who bought it. And if I were you, I wouldn’t worry too much about the ins and outs of the business. Listening to them explain it is so boring you’d regret asking.”

Emma smiled. Sharryn might not be that interested in their fathers’ business, but she was. “Sometimes I wonder if the clothes or other things I buy from the shops were something our dads had sourced.”

“Unlikely,” Sharryn said with a snort.

“Why? Dad said that clothes are always profitable.”

“Um, yeah. I guess. Frankly, I doubt our dads even see the actual items. They just do the negotiating, then their staff takes care of the logistics. So even they won’t have a clue if the shirts they’re wearing were something they’d bought and sold wholesale.”

“I guess that’s true. I wonder why they nicknamed their company the Fixers.”

Sharryn’s eyes widened, her mouth hanging.

“What?” Emma asked with a laugh.

Sharryn shook her head as if to clear it, glancing around.

“Isn’t it called the Fixers?”

Sharryn leaned close. “Apparently, some criminal gang is also called the Fixers, so we don’t want the Fern business to be mistaken for that, especially when my dad’s in jail.”

Emma gasped. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“Who came up with that nickname then?”

“I think it had something to do with the business being the fix for the family’s financial problems a long time ago. But seriously, don’t go around saying that nickname out loud.”

Emma grasped Sharryn’s hand. “I won’t. And I’m sure Uncle Edgar will be successful in his defence.”

“I hope so too,” Sharryn murmured. “Anyway, tell me more about your dinner the other night with Jill and Myra. What do you think of them?”

Emma smiled. “It was great. Dad was so thrilled that the four of us were finally together. And Myra was just as nervous as I was in the beginning. She was shy but very hospitable. As for Jill—oh, she’s just too adorable! She insisted on me feeding her instead of her mum, and she sat on my lap the whole time while we watched TV.”

“Yes, Jill’s such a darling. So bubbly and smart and chatty. She’s always the centre of attention during our family gatherings. Everyone always wants to cuddle her.”

Jealousy crept up Emma’s chest. She would have loved to have been there when Jill was born, and when she’d taken her first steps and said her first words. Emma wasn’t feeling clucky. She was just smitten by Jill. Her little sister.

An image of her mother’s last day in the hospital popped in Emma’s head, and she inhaled sharply at the guilt that hit her. Vilma would have hated that she’d reconnected with the Ferns. And her mum would have especially loathed that Emma was crazy about her father’s other child after only just meeting her. Vilma had never gotten over the fact that Addison had hardly been around after Emma was born.

She looked at the table. I love you so much, Ma. I promise I’ll never forget you even when I spend time with them.

“I can imagine Uncle Addison being over the moon that you guys got along so well,” Sharryn mused. “He couldn’t wait to get you back into the Fern fold.”

“You know, when Dad first contacted me a month ago to say he wanted us to reconnect, I wasn’t interested. To his credit, he kept on trying. It was when he said I have a three-year-old sister that I decided to put aside my hurt from him having abandoned me and come here to meet Jill. I’m so glad I did.”

“Is that what you think? That he abandoned you?”

“Well, he just stopped calling not long after the divorce. And when I tried to call him, I found out he’d changed his number.”

“He did try to contact you! After you and Vilma moved from your old place, he couldn’t find you. He did change his number, but he tried to call your mum to tell her about it. But she wouldn’t answer. Then after a while, Vilma’s number changed too. He didn’t just decide to forget you, Emma. Your mother simply didn’t want you to have anything to do with him and had gone out of her way to hide you from him.”

Emma’s eyes welled. “Yes, that’s what he told me. I didn’t know. I grew up believing he never wanted me.”

“He found out about your mum’s multiple sclerosis, and he understood the strain you were under looking after her,” Sharryn said soothingly.

Emma nodded. She supposed she could give her father credit for that too. If there was anything she’d learnt in this life, it was that nothing was ever simple. Things that appeared open-and-shut or black and white on the outside could be anything but on the inside.

“So what else did you catch up on with your dad and Myra?”

“Well, we mainly spoke about food and my work. Then we watched a movie after dinner. To be honest, it felt like we just all wanted to relax around each other, so no one brought up any heavy topic. Myra did briefly offer her condolences for Mum’s passing, but for the most part, we simply tried to enjoy each other’s company.”

Sharryn sat back, smiling. “I remember when we were kids. I loved playing with you. Then when your parents got divorced, we never saw you again.”

“I know,” Emma murmured, saddened by the past. But she was moving on now. This trip was the first big step.

Sharryn checked her phone. “Kallan said he’ll be here in about five to ten minutes.”

“Okay. But I’m not convinced I need a bodyguard. Dad and I are going to have a serious discussion about that.”

“Well, you might decide to date him instead,” Sharon said with a wink. “He’s really good-looking.”

Emma chuckled. “Honestly, I won’t be interested. I don’t do long-distance relationships.”

“Bad experience?”

“Yeah, pretty much my whole life,” she said with a dry laugh. “I’m the product of two people who ended up hating each other because Dad was never around to nurture the relationship. That sucked. Then a week after Mum died, I discovered that my constantly travelling boyfriend—now ex—had been cheating on me with not one but five different women in five different states.” And she was positive, although she hadn’t seen any proof, that part of the reason why her mother had grown to hate her father was because he’d cheated repeatedly.

“What? Bastard!”

“And you know what his excuse was? He couldn’t be with me often enough so he had to have meaningless sex with the others.”

“No way! What an asshole!”

“I know. I wasn’t even that keen on him in the first place. But he was very persistent and sweet, and I guess I was flattered so I agreed to go out with him. When I found out he’s been wooing other women the same way he pursued me, I’ve never been so livid. But I think I was angrier at myself. I knew he was an executive who had to travel almost every week, but I still went out with him.”

“Come on. You can’t blame yourself for his actions. And you know what I think about long-distance relationships? It’s not the situation that’s the problem but the people involved.”

“I guess. Anyway, my ego was severely bruised, but my heart wasn’t broken. I was never in love with the guy.”

“Have you ever been in love?”

Emma opened her mouth to say no, but hesitated.

“Ooh, you have been.”

She exhaled loudly. “It’s silly, but the guy I liked more than anyone else was someone I’ve only spent three weeks with.”

“Wow. Love at first sight, huh?”

She smiled. “I guess.”

“When was this?”

“Two years ago.”

Sharryn lifted her brows. “What happened?”

Emma took a deep breath. “I won a trip to a Whitsunday island after participating in a cooking contest. The prize was for only one week, but I paid for an extra two weeks to give myself a longer break. That’s where I met him. We had a great time together, and I was hoping we could continue what we started after my trip was over, but we both agreed that the distance between us was an issue. So we parted ways without even giving each other our phone numbers. But, for the life of me, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Then when my ex started wooing me, a part of me wanted to prove that long-distance relationships could work, so that was why I agreed to date my cheater ex. Mind you, I didn’t realise all this at the time. It all came out during my hours and hours of talking my friends’ ears off. So, long and short of it, I’m still a firm believer that long-distance relationships don’twork.”

Sharryn patted her hand. “Hey, not all men are like your ex or that guy from the Whitsundays who didn’t even want to try. I know some couples who’ve made long-distance relationships work.”

“Sure. But a relationship is hard enough to manage without putting distance into the mix. Why even go there?”

Sharryn shrugged. “Which island in the Whitsundays did you stay at?”

“Plank Island. It’s actually a private island that the owner occasionally opens to the public. It’s an absolutely beautiful place.”

Sharryn’s mouth dropped open.

“What?”

“Um…that’s not far from an island that your dad has visited a few times.”

“Really? Which one?”

“Can’t remember the name. It wasn’t a commercial island that accepted guests. Friends of your dad lived there. Anyway, I was just thinking how cool it would have been if Uncle Addison had known you were at the neighbouring island two years ago. You could have caught up then!”

“Yeah,” Emma said, although she knew she wouldn’t have been ready to talk to her father then. “I think I’ll go to the ladies’ before Kallan arrives.”

“Oh, you wanna powder your nose for him?” Sharryn teased.

“I actually need to pee!”

Emma sprang from her seat and turned to the direction of the restrooms. She gasped loudly as she bumped into a body. Her gaze fixed on the man’s face, and her eyes rounded. Suddenly, she found it hard to breathe.

The dark-haired, brown-eyed hunk grinned at her, clearly reading her expression. “Emma.”

“Bryce,” she said in a breathless voice. What? Had she conjured him when she’d spoken about him to Sharryn?

She could feel her mouth stretching into a wide grin.

“Wow. How are you?” Bryce asked, himself looking surprised.

“I’m good,” she said with a laugh. “What are you doing here?”

Bryce gestured at the window. “I was passing by and I saw you sitting here. I couldn’t believe my eyes.”

“I mean, what are you doing here in Sydney?”

“Oh, I live here now. You?”

“Just visiting,” she answered, instantly disappointed at his answer.

Her mind played back the memory of her shedding a tear as she waved goodbye to Bryce from the back of the boat leaving Plank Island. And she’d waited until she was far enough away before she’d dared wipe her face. She hadn’t wanted him to notice her crying stupid tears when all they’d shared were three weeks of hanging out—and a hot, passionate one-night stand.

She felt heat rise up her face, embarrassment from that moment resurfacing.

“Hi, there,” Sharryn interjected.

Emma quickly turned to her cousin, hoping she wasn’t as red as she felt. Ugh! It had been two years, for heaven’s sake. “Sharryn, this is Bryce, an…old friend. Bryce, Sharryn. My cousin.”

Bryce offered his hand. “Good to meet you, Sharryn.”

“Same here,” Sharryn murmured, eyeing Bryce curiously.

“Well,” Emma said, lost for words but finding herself gazing back at Bryce. He looked just a tad older, but still absolutely gorgeous. In fact, he looked hotter now than she remembered.

She gulped, her chest heaving from an involuntary sigh.

“Were you going somewhere?” Bryce asked.

She blinked at him. “Huh?”

“You looked like you were going somewhere.”

“Yes, to the toilet,” Sharryn quipped.

Emma nodded, her cheeks burning even more. She took a couple of steps towards the restrooms before looking back. “Take a seat, Bryce. I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to.” Then she hurried to her destination.

She went into the ladies’ and checked herself in the mirror. “Oh God,” she groaned under her breath. Yes, she was obviously flushed. Shaking her head, she went into one of the cubicles. As she sat, she rested her elbows on her thighs and covered her face with her hands.

Bryce was here. And her system was going haywire.

What on earth was wrong with her? She was so over him. It had been so long ago.

She inhaled deeply. Perhaps it was from the sheer shock of literally bumping into him after just having spoken about him. Plus, she’d truly never expected to see him again, and now he was here!

Yes. Perfectly understandable that she’d reacted like she had. Besides, the man was still an absolute hunk. He’d make any woman blush.

Ugh, Emma!

Well, hadn’t Bryce said he lived here now? In Sydney? She bet he’d still be averse to long-distance relationships. And she was too! Not only that, she wasn’t someone who’d entertain anything casual with a guy. It just wasn’t her thing.

Sure, she’d had a one-night stand with Bryce two years ago, but that had been a one-off. She blamed their paradise-like environment for that decision. They hadn’t been in reality then.

Not that she’d ever regretted sleeping with him. Not at all. It had been a remarkable experience. But she had to admit that it had taken her a long time to stop pining for him, and she wouldn’t want to put herself in the same position again.

Right?

Yes.

She took a long, deep breath.

Okay, she’d recovered from her surprise now. She’d gotten back her equilibrium. She could go back to their table and just enjoy this nice coincidence of bumping into an old friend.

Because that was all Bryce was. An old friend.

Really, that was all.

*END OF CHAPTER TWO*

Can't wait for you to read the rest of Bryce and Emma's story! Don't forget it releases on the 13th of September. Just a few more sleeps!

If you want to make sure that the book is in your favourite reading device early on release day, preorder Bryce: The Project from the following stores:

Amazon.com | Other Amazon stores | Apple iBooks  | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Google Play store link will be available on release day.

Till then, take care.

Love,

Miranda xo