by Zara Keane
I slipped my hand into his. “Come on, fake boyfriend. Let’s try to enjoy the walk, despite our less-than-genial host. I’m looking forward to checking out the medieval monastery.”
We increased our pace and soon caught up with the others. The general mood was subdued. There was an unspoken agreement among us not to antagonize Huff and trigger another temper tantrum. I wasn’t in the mood to bait him. I didn’t find bullies amusing, even to goad into losing their cool.
We retraced the path Reynolds and I had taken when we’d gotten off the ferry. As we walked across the rocky landscape, the fresh air and gentle breeze made the unpleasantness of earlier recede. After a thirty-minute trek up a steep slope, we reached the monastery.
I stopped to catch my breath and take in the view. To my left, Dolphin Island looked to be a short swim away, although I knew it was a thirty-minute boat trip. “It’s stunning up here.”
“Yeah,” Reynolds said. “We’re a lot higher up than anywhere on Whisper Island.”
“The original monastery was built around 600 AD,” Candace intoned, reading aloud from her guidebook. “Can you imagine, Amb? Those monks were entirely self-sufficient on a rock in the middle of the Atlantic.”
“You can see some of their craftsmanship at the museum on Whisper Island,” Julie said. “Archaeologists found a trunk full of old manuscripts.”
This information enchanted Candace. “How fascinating. We’ll have to take a look next week. Won’t we, Amb?”
“Hmm?” His expression was distracted. “What did you say, honey?”
“Have you been listening to a word I’ve said?” Candace asked but with no rancor in her voice. “Honestly, Julie. He goes off in his own world sometimes, and getting through to him is impossible.”
“My mother says exactly the same thing about my father,” my cousin said. “Men, eh?”
“Whatever’s bugging Amb, I don’t think it’s normal guy stuff,” I whispered to Reynolds. “He’s been on edge since we arrived. He barely touched his lunch.”
Reynolds slipped an arm around my shoulders, and I stifled a gasp at the ripple of awareness that slid down my spine. “Candace didn’t eat much, either.”
“True,” I said, “but I doubt she ever allows more than the bare minimum of food to pass her lips.”
Huff stomped around the ruins of the monastery. “I thought there’d be more to this place,” he grumbled. “Candace said it was the main tourist attraction on the island. Some attraction. It’s a pile of old rocks. They ought to raze it to the ground and build something useful.”
Candace’s face crumpled. “These remains are part of the island’s history.”
“If they’re clinging to a few bits of old rock, no wonder the island’s broke.” Huff looked at his watch. “Let’s head back to the house. It’s nearly time for cocktails.”
“But Dad, we just got here,” Amb ventured, his Adam’s apple working overtime. “Candace was looking forward to exploring the monastery.”
“No reason why she can’t,” I cut in. “Come on, Candace. I’ll go around with you, and you can show me what’s what. I didn’t think to bring a guidebook.”
Before Huff could object, I’d looped arms with Candace and dragged her into the monastery.
When we reached the remains of an altar, she turned to me. “That wasn’t a good idea, Maggie. Huff doesn’t like to be thwarted.”
“Huff can take a flying leap off a cliff for all I care. I know he’s loaded, but why do you allow him to humiliate you?”
A muscle in Candace’s cheek twitched. “Amb feels it’s his duty to obey his father.”
“Why does his duty apply to you?” I demanded. “Why should you put up with Huff’s insults?”
“Everything we have—Amb’s income, our house, our lifestyle—is dependent on Huff.” She interlaced her fingers and began to pace back and forth in a jerky manner that was the polar opposite of her elegant stride. “If it weren’t for Amb, I’d leave. I’ve been out of the workforce for a few years, but I’d find something.”
“What’s Amb’s objection? He can’t enjoy the way his father treats him.”
“Of course not, but he won’t give up his dream of making his father proud.” Her smile was wry. “I know. It’ll never happen, but he clings to the hope.”
“How long are you planning to stick around waiting for Amb to get a reality check?”
She exhaled a sigh. “A year. Maybe less. I can put up with Huff insulting me, but I won’t tolerate him being mean to my daughter.”
“In your position, I’d have walked long ago.”
Candace gave me a sad smile. “You’d never be in my position, Maggie. Money doesn’t hold sway over you like it does me. I like being rich. I like designer clothes. I don’t want to have to scrimp and save and wonder how to make the next mortgage payment.”
I thought of Joe and our fabulous Pacific Heights home and the closet full of designer clothes that I’d only worn to please my husband and his mother. Had the money kept me in the marriage longer than I should have stayed? Probably. And if I’d had a kid to consider, as Candace did, I might have stayed even longer. “If you love Amb, and the issue is Huff, do what you can to persuade him to walk away.”
“Believe me, I’ve tried.” Candace blinked back tears, and her rigid posture returned. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this.”
“Because I’m easy to talk to, and I’ll give it to you straight.”
A genuine laugh escaped Candace’s lips. “That’s true. You certainly stood up to Huff.”
“I don’t like bullies.” I glanced through a gap in the stone wall and spotted Reynolds. He indicated that he was going to walk back with the others. I gave him a thumbs up. He needed to corner Huff alone, and it’d be easier to do it when he wasn’t expected to hang with me.
Candace dried her eyes with a lace handkerchief and cleared her throat. “Were you serious about wanting to look around the monastery, or did you say that to separate me from Huff?”
“Both.” I gave her a reassuring smile. “I’d far rather look around the monastery without your father-in-law’s running commentary driving me into a fury. We have time before dinner, and you might not get another chance to come up here before you leave. Let’s make the best of it.”
11
WHEN CANDACE and I returned from the monastery, a flustered-looking Martha met us in the entrance hall. Her jittery pace faltered when she saw us, and for a moment, it was as though she didn’t recognize us.
“Hey, Martha,” I said. “Is everything okay?”
The woman’s plump fingers tugged at her rings. “Yes, thanks. There’s just a lot to do today, and Hailey and I just got back. Dad’s not happy with the dinner menu, and, well, you know how he gets.” Her voice was breathier than usual, and wisps of hair had escaped her tight bun.
“Oh, I know very well how Huff gets.” A hint of acid touched Candace’s voice. “Is Hailey in her room?
“Yes. She’s playing with her dolls before dinner.”
“I’ll go up and spend some time with her before dinner.” Candace patted my arm. “Thanks for staying with me, Maggie.”
“No problem. I enjoyed the opportunity to explore the monastery.”
“So did I. I’ll see you later.” A rare look of contentment settled over Candace’s features. “I’m sure Hailey will want to regale me with stories about her adventures on Dolphin Island.”
After her sister-in-law had gone upstairs, I turned to Martha. “Are you acting as hostess for the weekend?”
A wry smile broke through Martha’s flustered countenance. “I guess I am.”
“Can’t Brandi help?”
“She says her headache is too bad for her to come downstairs. That leaves me to deal with the kitchen staff and oversee everything else.”
“If there’s anything I can do, let me know.”
“Thanks, but I’ll manage.” She smoothed her palms down the front of her linen pants and collected herse
lf. “Your rooms are finally ready, by the way. I’ve put you upstairs in the blue room. I hope that’s okay.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“I just showed your boyfriend up, so if you can come with me?”
I opened my mouth to say Reynolds wasn’t my boyfriend but clamped it shut. After all, he and I had talked about going out on a proper date, and we’d eaten dinner at each other’s houses a couple of times. We both knew we were hovering on the precipice of a real relationship. My only reservation about transforming our fake relationship into the genuine article was an ingrained fear of getting hurt. I’d made lousy choices in the past. Although Reynolds was nothing like my ex, I didn’t trust my judgment when it came to men.
Martha led me up a stone staircase before swinging left on the landing. I followed her down a dark corridor until she stopped in front of a door and knocked. A sleepy-eyed Reynolds opened the door, revealing a spacious room with little natural light. A lumpy-looking bed formed the room’s centerpiece.
“Sorry, Liam. Did I wake you?”
He stifled a yawn. “No worries. I wanted to hit the shower before dinner.”
“Speaking of showers, you’re sharing an adjoining bathroom with your cousin and her boyfriend.” Martha gestured to a door to my right. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” I bit down a giggle. I had a feeling that Günter and Reynolds would be sharing that lumpy bed tonight. I could only hope that Julie and I had scored the better mattress.
“In that case, I’ll leave you to unpack.”
Martha retreated, leaving me with a poker-faced Reynolds. “Which side of the bed do you prefer, darling?”
I snorted with laughter and banged on the door of the adjoining bathroom. “Julie? Günter?”
A moment later, the door opened, and my cousin burst into the room, red-faced and vaguely disheveled. Very suspicious. I exchanged a glance with Reynolds. Günter trooped in after her, wearing his usual nonchalant expression. Given Julie’s deer-caught-in-the-headlights vibe, I chose to address him.
“I thought—we thought—that Julie and I could share her room, and you and Liam could have this one.”
Günter nodded. “Fine by me. Julie snores.”
My cousin squawked in outrage. “I most certainly do not. And how would you know whether or not I snore?”
“That time you stayed with your parents when you had the flu?” He gave her a saccharine-sweet smile. “You snored.”
Julie put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “I was sick. My nose was blocked.”
“All I’m saying is what I heard.” Günter slung his bag on the bed. “Now, unless you want to see me naked, you’d better get out of here. I have to dress for dinner.”
Julie’s eyes stood out on stalks, and her cheeks turned pink. She darted into the shared bathroom and through to what was destined to be our bedroom.
“Play nicely, Günter,” I said before I followed her. “Or are you planning to tease her into submission?”
“Not at all. I know she doesn’t like me. She’s already told me she doesn’t go for men with beards.”
I eyed him with suspicion. Was it my imagination, or were his shoulders shaking? I looked at Reynolds, but he appeared to be just as baffled as I was.
“Behave yourselves, boys,” I said. “We’ll see you downstairs for dinner.”
After we’d unpacked, Julie and I changed into our evening finery. I’d brought one of the two evening dresses I’d salvaged from my pre-separation closet—a strapless black number with a slit up one side. I no longer had the expensive jewelry to add the final touches to my outfit, but I didn’t care. A careful application of makeup, a little magic with the curling iron, and I was ready to go.
Julie added a final application of lipstick and stood back to examine her reflection in the full-length mirror. “Do I pass muster? Don’t feel the need to flatter me.”
“No flattery is required. You’re gorgeous and you know it.”
My cousin wore an off-the-shoulder champagne-colored dress that showed off the smattering of freckles on her lightly tanned shoulders and accentuated her shapely figure. She slipped my arm through hers. “Thanks, Maggie. Ready to face Huff?”
I shuddered. “Gosh, no. His performance this afternoon was epic.”
“I hear you. I felt so bad for his assistant.”
“If she has sense, she’ll look for another job the moment she lands stateside.”
“I hope dinner is served with lots of alcohol,” Julie whispered. “I don’t know how else I’ll get through an evening of Noreen trying to shove Günter and me together at every opportunity.”
“Like Lenny said, you protest way too much. I think you have a secret crush on him.”
Julie blushed. “Don’t be silly. Maybe I made an effort tonight for Doug.”
“Nice try, but I was watching you at the Movie Club. Your eyes strayed in the direction of a guy more than once, and it wasn’t Doug Huffington. Are you ever going to tell me why you object to him?”
Julie sighed. “Okay, but you’ve got to swear you’ll keep it to yourself.”
“Unless the info’s relevant for a murder investigation, I won’t blab.”
This cracked my cousin up. “I highly doubt it. A couple of weeks before you arrived on Whisper Island, Günter and I kissed at Lenny’s New Year’s Eve party.”
My ears pricked up. “Sooo…did he suck as a kisser?”
“Quite the opposite.” Her expression grew dreamy. “It was wonderful.”
“Then why didn’t you want to follow up on that kiss?”
She looked at me sharply. “Who says I didn’t want to? He wasn’t interested in me.”
This info surprised me. “Are you sure? Günter’s very solicitous toward you.”
“Oh, I’m sure. We arranged to go out to dinner on the second of January. About an hour before we were due to meet, I got a text message from him saying he was on a plane to Germany and had to cancel. He gave no explanation, and he didn’t contact me when he got back to Whisper Island. The next time I saw him was at the Movie Club meeting when Sandra Walker died. Does that sound like a man keen to go on a date with me?”
“I don’t know what to make of his behavior,” I mused. “Something must have happened to cause his last-minute trip to Germany, but I doubt it had anything to do with you.”
“Then why didn’t he call me when he got back?”
“I don’t know. And neither of us has any clue why he made that last-minute trip. He might have had a family emergency.”
“Then why didn’t he say that?” Julie pulled herself together. “Anyway, now you know. Can we drop the subject?”
“Sure. At least we know the food will be good if Carl Logan’s the chef for the weekend.” I slipped my arm through hers, and we headed down to dinner.
At the bottom of the staircase, a guy I recognized from the Whisper Island Hotel ushered us in the direction of oak-paneled door. “The Huffingtons are having pre-dinner drinks in the drawing room.”
“The drawing room?” Julie giggled. “Have we walked onto the set of a British period drama?”
“Don’t make me laugh,” I whispered. “Helen Huffington reminds me of the Dowager Countess from Downton Abbey.”
Apart from Günter and Reynolds, everyone was already there and supplied with drinks. I surveyed the crowd. Candace sat primly on an uncomfortable-looking antique sofa, clutching her cocktail glass as though her life depended on it. Beside her, Amb appeared to be equally tense, with a half-empty Old Fashioned in his hand. A little girl played on the rug in front of the fireplace, next to an armchair that had been claimed by Noreen. The child glanced up when Julie and I came in and looked at us with open curiosity.
“Hi,” I said, walking over to join her. “I’m Maggie, and this is my cousin Julie.”
“I’m Hailey.” Her voice was low and shy. “You’ve got pretty hair, Maggie.”
“Why thank you, Miss Hailey. So do you. I al
ways wanted nice, straight hair when I was a kid.” I turned my attention to her doll. “Who’s this?”
The little girl preened under our attention. “Her name’s Lucy today, but that might change. She was Sophie yesterday. I like trying out new names.”
“Very sensible,” I said. “It’s smart to keep your options open.”
At the same moment that a waiter served me and Julie martinis, Reynolds walked into the room, devilishly handsome in a suit and tie. My heart performed a flip-flop. I dragged my attention away from Reynolds to his companion.
I slow-blinked. Well, heck. The man standing beside Reynolds was tall, blond, and clean-shaven with a powerful build that was shown off to advantage by his well-cut suit.
“Oh my goodness,” Julie gasped. “It’s Günter.”
“Yeah—minus the beard.” I cast a sly look at my cousin’s shocked face. “He scrubs up nicely.”
“He certainly does,” Noreen added. “Even better than I’d expected.”
Günter crossed the room and joined us by the fireplace. “Hey, ladies. You all look lovely.”
I suppressed a smile. Noreen and I might be dressed in out best clothes, but Günter had eyes only for my cousin.
“You shaved,” she stuttered. “And you cut your hair.”
“Of course.” He flashed her a mischievous smile. “You told me you didn’t like guys with beards.”
“I wasn’t serious.” She paused. “Well, not really. Facial hair wouldn’t be a deal-breaker. For the right guy.”
Günter took her hand in his. “I was planning on shaving it off anyway. It’s too hot for a beard.”
Julie stared up at him, her expression dazed.
Noreen and I took the unspoken hint and left the two lovebirds alone.
“Would you like a glass of lemonade?” Noreen asked Hailey.
The little girl nodded. “Yes, please.”
While my aunt and Hailey went in search of lemonade, I checked out a bookcase. Reynolds came up beside me. “You look beautiful tonight, Maggie.”
His words flustered me. “You must have seen this dress a hundred times by now.”
“You wear it better each time.” He grinned and slipped his arm through mine. “Let’s get you a drink.”