CHAPTER FORTY THREE – TWO WORLDS APART

A leaden weight materialized in the pit of Charlotte's stomach even as she struggled to maintain her breezy indifference. "And what juicy morsels does the Kauai grapevine have for us this time? Let me guess - Aunt Meredith's bunco tournament has been postponed due to torrential downpours again?" Kai didn't so much as crack a smile. If anything, the muscle ticked more insistently along his taut jawline as his frown deepened. "Please don't do that, okay? Don't deflect or make jokes. I'm trying to be serious here." Properly chastened, Charlotte's flippant veneer dissolved in an instant. Shoulders slumping, she turned her body fully toward him in acquiescence. "Okay. I'm listening." Kai stared at a point over her shoulder, seeming to weigh his words carefully. "This whole moving to New York thing, stepping into your world... I just don't think it's working out, babe." Her stomach bottomed out in a sickening lurch, the floor threatening to drop out from beneath her designer heels. Sur