by SUE FINEMAN
Billy sat on a barstool at the kitchen island to eat his breakfast.
Kayla filled her own plate and sat beside him. “Are those pool guys coming today?”
“Yes, I’ll leave the gate open.” He handed her a yellow sticky with a number on it. “This is the gate code.” He put a key on top of it. “And this is a key to the house. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t let anyone in except my family.”
He ate every bite of his breakfast and pushed his plate back. “I have some errands to run this afternoon, so I’ll be home late. And it’s my turn to cook dinner.”
“Oh, I have a dish of lasagna ready to go into the oven. Unless you’d like something else for dinner.”
“Lasagna sounds great.” He smiled. “You’re going to make some guy a great wife one of these days.”
She jumped up and took their empty plates to the sink. “I don’t plan to marry again.”
“Why not?”
“Lots of reasons.” None of which she wanted to talk about. She’d been married twice. Her first husband was a Marine who died in Afghanistan. Leonard was her second husband, and the last. Her first husband cheated on her, too. She figured if men were going to cheat, why marry them in the first place?
Billy left for work, she turned the sprinklers off, and then the pool guys arrived. While they worked, Kayla started on the dining room. The satin drapes were rotten from the sun, so she took them down and put them in the trash. Then she dusted and cleaned and polished the rest of the room, wondering who on earth would need a dining room this size. Spider webs decorated the fancy ceiling, and she had to wash the little crystals on the chandelier to get them clean, but the whole room looked good when she finished.
It took her the rest of the day to clean the living room. It was so big, there were three different conversation areas, almost like a hotel lobby.
She didn’t realize how late it was until Billy came in. After greeting him, she rushed to the kitchen to turn on the oven.
“Kayla, what happened to the living room drapes?”
“The sun rotted them, so I threw them away. Same with the dining room drapes. Eleanor must have kept them closed most of the time.”
“You rearranged the furniture.”
“I had to move it to clean the floor. I can move it back if you want.”
“No, I like it better this way.”
“I like to watch those shows on HGTV where they rearrange furniture so the house will look better and be easier to sell. We’ll need blinds or new drapes or something on these front windows. They get the afternoon sun, so if we don’t get some kind of window covering, the furniture will fade.”
“Not blue,” said Billy.
“No, there’s too much blue in this room.” The traditional blue velvet sofas dominated the room. “You know, if we put different colored drapes on the windows, maybe a silvery gray, and put the same color throw pillows on the furniture, that’ll tone down the blue. We should paint the walls, too. Every wall in this house is white or off-white.”
“Except the nursery. It’s pink.” He cocked his head. “I’m putting you in charge of redecorating. Just don’t spend too much.”
“How much? What’s the budget?”
“I’ll have to get back to you on that.”
Billy wanted to know about that insurance policy before he spent a whole lot of money. He had some money in his savings account, but he hated to use it all on this house. Still, it wouldn’t sell in this condition. Everything was outdated, including the kitchen. Resurfacing the pool and tearing out the sun porch was just the beginning. He could easily spend a hundred grand on this house, and there was no guarantee he’d ever get it back. He’d have to choose projects that would increase the value of the house, things that would net him the most money when he sold.
Having Kayla stay here had been an excellent decision. She not only did a good job cleaning, she had good instincts about decorating. The house looked better every day. He was constantly amazed at the amount of work she accomplished. She was good company, too, and she wasn’t bad to look at across the dinner table.
He changed into jeans and walked outside to see how the pool was coming along. The men were just finishing up for the day.
“Billy, telephone,” Kayla called.
He ran inside and grabbed the extension in the family room. “Billy Kane.”
“Billy, this is Thornton Clapp. I called the insurance company about the policy you found. They said it was cancelled years ago for non-payment of premiums.”
“But the insured died. That’s why the premiums stopped.”
“They said that doesn’t matter. The premiums have to be paid up until the policy is collected on. William Goodman set the policy up so the premiums could be paid out of the dividends if necessary, but at some point the dividends didn’t equal the premium amounts, and the policy was cancelled.”
Deeply disappointed, Billy was about to end the call when Mr. Clapp said, “Under the circumstances, I don’t think their argument would hold up in court.”
“You mean we could force them to pay?”
“I think we’d have a good chance of convincing a jury to give you a settlement. You were a minor child at the time of his death, and you were unaware of the policy until you took possession of the house. There was no way you could have known about the policy any sooner.”
Billy hated to sue anyone, but this was a lot of money, and a lawsuit might be the only way to collect.
The insurance policy might not be any good, but his grandfather cared enough about him to buy a policy in the first place. So Maggie didn’t love him. So what! His grandfather did.
“Good news?” Kayla asked.
“I found an insurance policy in the study. My grandfather listed me as the beneficiary, but the insurance company cancelled the policy years ago.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.”
Kayla was so close, he could smell the lemon oil she’d been using. He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Mmm, nice.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled up at him. “Yes, it is.”
He pulled her closer and nuzzled into her soft hair. “Did I tell you how great it is to come home to you?”
“Is it?”
“Mmm hmm.”
The doorbell rang and Billy reluctantly left Kayla to go answer it. A tall man with piercing black eyes and gray-streaked hair stuck out his hand. “Benton Ainsworth the Third. This is Eleanor Ainsworth Goodman’s home, I presume.”
Billy wondered if other heirs would show up here at some point. He shook the man’s hand. “Billy Kane. I own the house.”
“Eleanor left it to her grandson?”
“She didn’t own the house. It belonged to my grandfather, William Goodman.” He stepped back. “Come in.”
“Would you have your staff bring in my bags, please?”
“You’re planning to stay here?”
“Is that a problem?”
Billy was about to tell this guy where to go when Kayla came out of the back of the house. He introduced her as Kayla Blanton, with no mention of her relationship to Eleanor. Watching her wary eyes, he knew she’d never seen Benton Ainsworth the Third before.
He gazed at Kayla. “Do we have enough dinner for one or two more?”
“Sure. I made enough for leftovers, so… sure.”
“I thought I’d ask Dad to join us tonight, if that’s all right.”
Her eyes brightened with understanding. “Okay. I’ll set the table in the small dining room.”
As Kayla disappeared in the back of the house, Benton said, “Pretty girl. Does she work for you, or is something else going on?”
Billy didn’t answer. It was none of his damn business what his relationship was with Kayla. This guy’s haughty attitude didn’t sit well, and Billy didn’t like the idea of him staying here in the house. Still, he’d let Kayla stay here.
After escorting his visitor to the family room and pouring him a glass of wine, Billy excused
himself to go call his father.
“He’s not home yet,” said Hannah.
“Can you do without him for an hour or so? Someone showed up here a few minutes ago intending to stay in the house.”
“Oh, Billy. I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Oh, here’s your father now.”
A second later, Dad came on the line, and Billy asked, “Could you come over?”
“Now? Hannah has dinner ready.”
“You can always eat twice. Kayla made lasagna. Smells good.”
“In that case, I’ll be over in a few minutes.”
“Thanks, Dad. There’s someone here I want you to meet.”
“And interrogate?”
“Most definitely. He thinks he’s moving in.”
Benton didn’t say two words to Kayla, which made her feel like an invisible servant. Ignoring him, she made a spinach salad and steamed zucchini with parsley and parmesan cheese.
Donovan arrived five minutes later carrying a loaf of garlic bread. “Hannah said this would go with lasagna. She said to brown it in the oven.”
Kayla took the bread and thanked him.
Billy introduced Donovan as, “my father, Donovan Kane,” and poured three more glasses of wine. He handed one to his father and another to Kayla. He sipped at his own wine. “Need some help, Kayla?”
“Sure. Can you dish up the lasagna? I don’t want to put that hot dish on a glass table.”
In minutes, she had everything on the table and everyone sat down. Benton looked at her like she was something he’d stepped in on the sidewalk. He probably couldn’t figure out why the cook was eating with them. The man may be a cousin, but he was a snob, talking about expensive wine and his Maserati and his mother’s jewelry box collection and trips to Monte Carlo. There weren’t many people she didn’t like, but she didn’t like this man.
Finally, Benton turned to her and asked, “What else do you do here besides cook, Kayla?”
“Actually, we take turns cooking,” said Billy. “She’s also helping me get the house in shape to sell.”
“Then you won’t mind if I stay until I get my inheritance?”
“There aren’t any bedrooms fit to use,” said Kayla. “Nobody has cleaned the upstairs yet. I’m staying in the maid’s rooms and Billy is sleeping in the library.”
Benton motioned back and forth with his fork. “Then you two aren’t… together?”
Billy’s jaw tightened. “That’s none of your business,” he said in a low, angry voice.
Donovan took over the conversation. The back of Kayla’s neck prickled, and she knew Benton was lying through his teeth, especially when he said Cousin Eleanor spoke often of her favorite grandson. She didn’t know if he was an Ainsworth or not, but if Billy let him live here, she wouldn’t stay.
Buford barked at the door, and she let him in. The hair stood up on the back of his neck, and she knew he didn’t like Benton Ainsworth either. She fed the dog before going back to the table and offering seconds to the men.
“This is delicious, Kayla,” said Donovan.
“Sure is,” said Benton, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes.
She caught Billy’s eye and shook her head slightly, but she wasn’t sure if he understood. She didn’t want to share a house with that man, cousin or not, and she didn’t want to be left here alone with him while Billy was at work.
Donovan kept pulling information out of Benton. He was from the Atlanta area, but he’d been living in Cleveland the last few years, at his mother’s house. She’d moved to Florida with his stepfather.
When Donovan asked him what he did for a living, Benton said, “I am a gamesman.”
“As in gambler?” Billy asked.
“You could say that. It pays quite well, if you know what you’re doing.”
“There’s not much of that here in River Valley,” said Donovan.
“Oh, I don’t plan to stay after I get my inheritance.”
No, of course he wouldn’t. Kayla had met men like this before, people who drifted through life thinking the world owed them a living. This man was most likely broke or nearly broke. He drove here in an old station wagon that wasn’t in much better shape than her van. He wasn’t wealthy, and he didn’t make a good living gambling or he wouldn’t have come here and tried to move into Billy’s house.
Of course, she’d done the same thing – come here hoping to move into the house. But she didn’t try to pass herself off as something she wasn’t, and she didn’t take advantage of Billy. She earned her keep.
She served up the last piece of lasagna to Benton. He ate like he hadn’t eaten anything else all day.
Benton ate another bite before asking, “How large is Eleanor’s estate?”
“I don’t have any idea,” Billy replied. “I inherited the house from my grandfather. The attorney said ‘house and furnishings.’ I’d planned to donate the clothes and toys in the house to charity, but if you want them, help yourself.”
After draining his glass of wine, Benton asked, “Why would I want someone else’s clothes?”
Kayla poured the rest of the wine. “I was told the inheritance wouldn’t come through for another month. Why don’t you go home and come back next month?”
He cleared his throat. “Actually, I’m between homes right now.”
“And between jobs? And broke?” Billy asked.
“I like to think of it as temporarily insolvent.”
Billy leaned on the table. “So let me get this straight. You expect me to support you until you get your inheritance?”
Benton waved his hand around. “Look at all the room you have here, Billy-Boy. You won’t even know I’m here.”
“I won’t know you’re here because you won’t be here.”
“You can’t throw me out,” he said indignantly. “I’m an heir.”
“You’re a deadbeat,” said Donovan. He flashed his badge. “I forgot to introduce myself earlier. I’m Police Chief Donovan Kane.”
All the color drained from Benton’s face. He glanced at Billy. “Thanks for dinner.”
“Thank Kayla. Oh, by the way, Kayla Ainsworth Blanton is an heir, too.”
“Yet she’s staying in the house?”
“Yeah, she’s staying. She’s working for me. I doubt you know how to work. If you did, you wouldn’t be temporarily insolvent and between homes.”
Billy and Donovan escorted Benton to the door, and Kayla peeked out the window to watch him drive away.
“Arrogant bastard,” said Billy. “He wanted me to have my staff bring in his bags.”
Donovan rubbed his shoulder. “Watch your back, son. I doubt we’ve seen the last of him.”
Kayla wandered back to the kitchen to clean up. She’d left the paper with the gate code on the counter with the house key, but they were gone.
“Billy, Donovan, we have a problem.”
<>
Benton swore to himself as he drove away. He’d walked right into that one. If he’d watched more of that news program on CNN, he might have known Billy’s father was the top cop in this burg. Too late now.
Maybe not. He pulled the paper and key from his pocket. They must have some valuable things in that house or they wouldn’t have minded him moving in for a few weeks.
He didn’t see an alarm system, and he doubted Kayla knew how to set an alarm if they had one. Tomorrow, after Billy left for the day, he’d go back. Little Miss Dishpan Hands would undoubtedly be cleaning house, and he’d sneak in and have a look around.
<>
Donovan stopped by for breakfast the next morning. He parked in a sheltered area beside the garage. The two detectives who’d been hiding in the back of the car got out and walked through the side door of the garage and into the house. Donovan used the front door. It seemed a bit convoluted to Kayla, but she figured they knew what they were doing.
She poured them each a cup of coffee and asked if they wanted breakfast. Bob Carson, a detective in plain clothes, said, “I wouldn’t turn it dow
n.”
“Me either,” said Sarah Williams, another detective. “All I had this morning was coffee.” She looked around. “You’re coming up in the world, Billy.”
“Or down. Wait until you meet Benton Ainsworth the Third.”
“I have a rap sheet on him,” said Donovan. “He served time for theft, and he’s currently wanted in Atlanta on three counts of jewelry theft, which is probably why he left there. He may have grown up wealthy, but he associates with people you don’t ever want to meet.”
Kayla shivered. “I knew he was a creep, but I didn’t know he was a criminal.”
She put two plates on the table in the breakfast room and went back for two more. “Y’all go ahead and eat. I’ll be right back with the juice.”
A minute later, she sat at the round glass table with Billy and their guests. “How do you know which door he’ll come through? That key fits every outside door in the house. I know. I tried it.”
Sarah spread jelly on her toast and turned to Kayla. “We have two men watching, one in each direction.” She put her hand over Kayla’s. “Trust us, Kayla. This is our business. We know what we’re doing.”
“I hope so. The only cop I ever knew in Memphis was the one who told Norma if she didn’t sleep with him, he’d have her arrested. Then he tried to pull the same crap on me.” She looked over at Donovan. “That’s one reason I came here. I won’t sleep with him. I don’t want anything to do with him.”
“Give me a name and I’ll make a phone call,” said Donovan.
“No, thank you, sir. I know you’re trying to help, but they have a good ole boy network there, and they watch out for each other. I ’spose it’s that way everywhere, but I don’t want to stir the pot. Not with this guy.”
“We’ll talk about this later, Kayla,” said Donovan. “It’s time to get this show on the road.”
Billy loaded the dishwasher. “Don’t let that bastard in the study.”
Kayla had instructions to clean on the third floor this morning after Billy left, and she would. She didn’t want to be around when Benton Ainsworth came calling. “Maybe I can talk with Maggie today,” she said without thinking.
Billy said, “Tell her I said to get lost.”
Bob looked over at Donovan. “Is this the same Maggie?”