LITMIR.BIZ

       CHAPTER ONE

      IF ONLY SHE hadn’t left her packing until the last minute.

      Though the chore did give her something to do, didn’t it? A task to take her mind off the catastrophic events of the past forty-eight hours. The time period in which she’d gone from being a happily engaged fiancée with a set, determined future to a woman betrayed.

      Maya Talbot tossed the sandal she was about to pack across the room in utter disgust. It hit the wall with an unsatisfactory thud and left a dark smudge on matte beige paint. Ha! As if packing was her most pressing concern at the moment. No, there was a much more tragic issue she was dealing with right now: the fact that she’d suddenly found herself single, heartbroken and sorely disappointed. All as she was about to embark on the trip of a lifetime. A trip her hardworking grandmother had been generous and kind enough to gift her. A journey that had originally been meant for two. And now she’d be making that journey solo.

      It was all too much. Maya plopped down on the bed and sobbed into her hands. How could you, Matt? How could you do this to me?

      But perhaps the better question was, how long had he been deceiving her? Exactly how many women had he betrayed her with?

      A nagging voice in her head teased that, deep down inside, she had known. She had always suspected that things between herself and her fiancé were not quite right. She had to admit the trepidation she’d felt whenever the two of them began discussing wedding preparations. The utter lack of focus from Matt when she’d asked him to go over all the details. She’d put it all down to pre-wedding nervousness on her part and obtuse male disinterest on his. Clearly, she should have listened to her instincts.

      This trip was one she’d often dreamed of being able to take. The fantastical trip she’d always referred to as her “bucket list” getaway.

      All she’d ever wanted since taking that art history class as a university freshman was to be able to tour through Europe to witness the grand art in world-famous museums and to marvel at the majestic architecture within the most romantic cities in the world. It was all to begin with a stop in Venice. Followed by a trip by rail to Florence and Rome. Then on to Paris, with a final stop in the glorious metropolis of London.

      Maya had talked about it so often with her grandmother. Through some miracle, Grandmama Fran had come across a charity auction being held in Martha’s Vineyard where she lived. Bless her soul, the woman had dipped into her modest savings to bid on it for Maya as an early wedding gift. For a wedding that now would never take place.

      Maya sucked in a deep breath. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t go through with this trip; she had to have been kidding herself to even consider it. And there was not one other person she could think of to ask to accompany her. Working for her uncle’s plumbing company as a contractor had left her with a severe shortage of female colleagues. And all her closest friends had gradually moved out of the Boston area over the years. Her cousins were quite busy with their own lives, as well—Lexie blessed recently with a newborn and Zelda immersed in a major project at work.

      Unlike Maya, everyone around her seemed to be enjoying full, adventurous lives.

      It was settled. Her mind was made up. She couldn’t handle seeing all those glorious, romantic spots as a single woman. Not when the original plan had been so different. The only reason Maya hadn’t canceled the trip immediately was because she couldn’t bear to turn down the gift of a lifetime and have Grandmama’s money go to such waste. It would have been bad enough for Matt’s half of the trip to be a loss. Granted they would have shared hotel rooms. But all his meals, travel, and museum tickets had been paid for in advance.

      But the more she thought about it, the less feasible the whole idea became. She just didn’t have it in her. To traipse around Europe by herself, suddenly single and with a broken heart? No, she would stay here and try to pull her life back together. Beginning with somehow delivering the bad news of the broken engagement to Uncle Rex, Aunt Talley and her cousins.

      Uncle Rex would be the toughest. He adored Matt and was going to be devastated. Not to mention the whole complication of Matt being the son of her uncle’s business partner. The notion that she was letting her whole family down was hard to squelch.

      The whole situation was one big mess.

      She had to start with breaking the news to Grandmama. Maya owed it to her grandmother to explain exactly why she was essentially throwing away such a loving and generous gift.

      Grandmama Fran would understand. She would have to. With shaky fingers, Maya reached for her cell phone on the bedroom night stand. This would be one call she’d never forget.

      Her grandmother picked up right away. “Maya, dear. I was hoping to hear from you before you left. How nice of you to take time to call.”

      That was her grandmother. She was exactly the type of person to thank a grandchild for a simple phone call regarding a trip she herself had paid for. Maya swallowed yet another sob before trying to speak. “Hi there. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

      “Nonsense. I’m much too excited to sleep.” Her grandmother chuckled into her ear through the tiny speaker. “I know it’s silly, but I’m as excited as if I were going myself. If only I was that mobile.”

      Maya found herself wishing more than anything that could be so. Having her grandmother accompany her to Europe would be the ultimate solution to this big, painful mess. But Grandmama’s various health limitations made any kind of travel impossible.

      “I shall just have to live vicariously through my favorite granddaughter,” Grandmama added, sending a spear of hurt through Maya’s chest.

      Dammit. She had no reason to feel guilty. It wasn’t as if she’d been the one to cause her breakup. What choice had she had? How could she continue with a man who’d so utterly betrayed her trust?

      None of that would make this announcement to her grandmother any easier, however. “Gran, I have something I need to tell you,” she began with a shaky, soft voice.

      “Oh, my. You sound quite serious. I hope you aren’t about to thank me again, dear. You’ve already done so more than enough.”

      Every word Grandmama spoke was just making this endeavor more and more difficult. She should have prepared herself better, Maya thought.

      Her grandmother continued without giving Maya a chance to respond. “I was so happy to do it for you, you know. You may think I’m

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