Her smile faltered. “This is Kate Mason. She lives in the area and runs some blueberry barrens with her mom. Isn’t that the most interesting thing you’ve ever heard? I just like saying it. It sounds so different and exotic.”
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Dellamare.” Kate kept her voice pitched low and pleasant, though it took every bit of strength not to leap up and blurt out the truth to sweet Claire.
Her half sister didn’t deserve having such a liar for a father. Kate could only imagine the hurt in Claire’s face when she found out how many lies he’d told her over the years. And what about Mrs. Dellamare? Her pain would be even greater when the truth came out. Kate didn’t want to hurt anyone. She just wanted her family to know she existed and to see if they could love one another. Was that so wrong? She could easily love Claire, and she believed Claire could feel the same way if their father didn’t interfere.
But the way his nostrils flared indicated he wanted nothing more than to see the back of her. She narrowed her eyes and glared back. “Claire and I just met today. She’s a lovely girl. You’ve done an excellent job raising her.” She lifted a brow so he knew she was thinking, But you didn’t do much about raising me.
“Thank you, I’m very proud of Claire.” His eyes were flat above his smile.
Kate blinked at the sting in her eyes, but she forced back the moisture gathering. He hadn’t had any part in her life, and she wouldn’t allow him to make her feel shame. “Why don’t you join us?”
Her father didn’t sit. “Your mother wasn’t feeling well so we had the boat drop us off. She wants to talk to you. Go on up and I’ll take care of the bill.”
Claire sprang to her feet, then paused and sat back down. “Tell her I’ll be up as soon as I finish lunch.”
He nodded. “Don’t be too long. I want to tell you about a conversation I had with Ric.” He smiled down at Kate as if he wished her anywhere but with his daughter, then walked away.
Claire waved off a honeybee. “I suppose I’d better go soon. We’re in the middle of important merger discussions.”
“And I imagine you’re concerned about your mother. Does she have a chronic illness?”
Claire picked up her iced tea. “Only if you call being unable to cope with life an illness.” She shook her head. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. You’re very easy to talk to.”
Kate picked up her spoon for another bite of bisque. Her admiration for her half sister grew as she listened to the description of Claire’s goal to bring about a merger with another company. With every word, she found she wanted to be Claire’s confidant all the time.
TWENTY
Luke stepped into the hotel lobby at eleven on Wednesday morning. He made his way through the throng of guests waiting for an early check-in and across the oak floors to the elevators. He punched the Up button to go to Claire’s suite. She was waiting for him, though she’d told him she only had half an hour before she needed to leave for a business lunch. He stepped off the elevator on the fifth floor. The thick carpet muffled his steps, but she still opened the door when he approached.
She drew him inside quickly and shut the door. He sent a grin her way. “Afraid your parents will see a strange man entering your room?”
Her laugh held a touch of unease. “It’s truer than you know. Dad already thinks you’re interested in me for my money.”
He laughed. “Any man who thinks about money when he’s with you is an idiot. And we Maine guys take pride in getting what we want the hard way—by working for it.” Especially today, with her bronzed arms bare in that killer sundress that hugged every curve. The bright-blue color played up her eyes, and she’d curled a strand or two of hair out of her updo. Those curls just begged to be touched.
Pink tinged her cheeks, and her gaze lingered on his face. “You always know how to say the right thing. I think you’re a ladies’ man, Luke Rocco.”
He’d be her man any day. The realization caught him off guard, and he bit back the words he wanted to say. “My sister would laugh you right out of the room. I get tongue-tied around beautiful women.”
This time her laugh was genuine, and she took his arm. “Let’s sit on the balcony. I need strength for the day.” She led him out into the crisp air. She sank onto the lounger on the big balcony with her cell phone in her lap. “What’d you find out yesterday?”
Perching on the edge of the deck chair, he told her about running into Isabelle. “Someone has to have seen them together. Someone in the county knows who this guy is. We just have to show that picture to enough people and we’ll have him.”
“I hope so. I want this over.”
He decided not to tell her about his slashed tires. It might not have been anything but coincidence.
She flipped on her phone. “I need to go. I want to wrap up the merger this afternoon. Wish me luck. I didn’t get very far yesterday. Ric’s father kept throwing up objections. I’ll have Ric and Francisca to myself today, and maybe I can land this merger. Then I can concentrate on our investigation.”
He took her hand and laced his fingers with hers. “Why don’t you blow off this lunch and come with me instead? We’ll go down to the wharf and eat lobster with so much butter it’ll smear on our faces. We’ll have sea salt taffy and fudge until we get a sugar high, then we can go out on the boat and watch the moon come up.”
She squeezed his hand. “You make it really hard on a girl to resist. All my favorite things.”
“How about we do it tonight, then, when you’ve got the merger in the bag?”
“I’d like that, Luke. I’ll order dinner, and we’ll have it on your boat.”
His pulse blipped at her warm expression, and he put the brakes on his thoughts. She wouldn’t stay in this place, and he would have to take charge of the cranberry farm.
Gulls swooped and squawked over Claire’s head as she reached the bottom of the pink-granite steps that led from the hotel grounds to the slabs of rocks lining the water. Steam rose from the heaps of kelp drying in the sun, and she breathed in the smell of the sea. Several boats, their white hulls gleaming in the sun, bobbed just offshore at their moorings. One of them was Ric’s, probably the large sailboat with a mast that seemed to stretch to the fluffy clouds overhead.
Francisca had gotten to the bottom first, and she turned to smile at Claire. “You doing okay?” She wore khaki slacks and a red top that showed off her figure and her tan. A matching khaki jacket was slung around her shoulders.
“Much better. I think I might actually live.” Claire pointed at the big sailboat. “Is that Ric’s pride and joy?”
Francisca turned to look and nodded. “Looks like he’s already there.” She waved, and the figure on the deck waved back. “Yes, that’s him.”
Claire watched him lower an inflatable rowboat over the side. “Guess we’d better get out on the dock. He’s coming for us.”
She tipped up her chin and pressed her lips together. Her father was counting on her to seal this merger today. The large plane contract would be hard to fulfill without the power of Ric’s company. She followed Francisca down the weathered boards to the end of the dock as the skiff reached them.
Ric looked every inch the preppy seaman in his white shorts and navy shirt. The white cap on his head contrasted with his dark hair in a way she was sure he’d carefully planned right down to his bare feet. Everything neat and perfectly ordered.
His smile broadened when he held out his hand to help her aboard. “Ahoy, señorita!”
She tucked her satchel under one arm, then grabbed his hand and stepped down into the boat. The thought of spending the day on the water enticed her. Talking business and enjoying the sea and sun made for a promising combination.
Francisca’s text message alert went off, and she stopped to check it. “Uh-oh, I will not be able to go with you guys. Bridget is sick, and Papa wants me to come.”
Ric frowned. “I got a text from him too, but I thought it was his way of trying to derail our mer
ger talk. You think I should go too? Maybe it is not a ploy.”
Francisca shook her head. “You know how dramatic she gets. She has probably convinced him she is dying. You two go hammer out the merger, and I shall sign it as well. Papa will come around.”
Claire wanted to do a fist pump at Francisca’s stamp of approval, but she sedately took a seat in the bow. “Call if you need us.”
“I will. See you at dinner. And be careful where you stop to eat. I heard some staff talking, and there can be huge tidal differences. Not as much here as up in the Bay of Fundy, but still quite significant.” Francisca set off down the dock.
“We are not going clear to the Bay of Fundy.” Ric settled on the seat and picked up the oars. They cut through the blue water and propelled the boat to the steel ladder on the big sailboat. He attached the dingy, then held out his hand for Claire. “You first.”
He held her hand and stood too close for her comfort. She gave him a quick smile and pulled her hand out of his grasp, then scaled the ladder. Standing on the deck, she looked around. His boat was gorgeous. She guessed it had at least two cabins below deck, and every surface gleamed. The canvas sails flapped a bit as they waited to be hoisted, something she was eager to do. Constant work had kept her out of a sailboat for several years. The rocking of the boat under her bare feet lifted her spirits. Maybe she should get her own boat. She could well afford it.
They spent the next few minutes working in tandem to prepare to set sail. Looking into the blue sky as the white sails unfurled above her gave her such peace. She’d never been able to figure out why the sea spoke to her so. She was never happier than when she was near the water. Could she have lived on the water in the missing year?
Fifteen minutes later the boat sailed past the little orca’s enclosure. She cupped her eyes and made out a splash as the little guy flipped his fluke. He swam as close as his pen allowed. Did he recognize her?
Ric squinted toward the pen. “What is that?”
“It’s a small orca. A friend found him near death and is rehabilitating him. The little guy is doing well. I think he’ll be able to go home in another week.”
“Home? You know where he lives?”
She shook her head. “We have to try to find his matriline and take him to it.” She saw the confusion on his face. “His matriline is his immediate family, mother, father, siblings. There will be a bigger group, a pod, that he’s part of. Orcas stay in their family unit all their lives. It’s pretty amazing, really.” She warmed to the subject. “And if they lose a family member, they mourn for years just like humans. They will also welcome in solo members of another pod.”
Ric smiled. “You could lecture at a university on orcas.” He turned his attention back to the wheel and guided the boat into deeper water away from the island. “I thought we would set sail up the northeast coast toward Jasper Beach. Then we will stop for lunch on the way back.”
“I can’t wait.” Claire watched the jutting coastline slide by. She tried to bring up the merger several times, but Ric always stopped her and said it could wait until after lunch. It was a perfect day for a sail. The sails filled with wind and glided over the calm sea. They passed Great Wass Island, and she dug out some binoculars. “I see puffins!” She’d been dying to see some of the colorful birds that had been brought back from the edge of extinction.
She handed the binoculars to Ric and let him see the birds too. He was in a grand mood as well, which gave her hope that they’d finish the merger today.
He pointed out a stretch of beach on another island. “Let’s eat there.”
The cove he pointed out ended in a crescent of sand that gave way to thick trees. She didn’t like how deserted it appeared. “It doesn’t look like you can even get to that beach except by boat.”
“You can’t. My map calls it Dead Man’s Cove. A little gruesome, but the concierge told me it was a pretty spot that would be perfect for a picnic.”
As the beach grew nearer, Claire went over what she intended to say. She had to get his signature on the dotted line.
TWENTY-ONE
The warm sand baked the soles of Claire’s bare feet. Ric—or more likely the waitstaff—had thought of everything for the picnic, right down to the red-and-white checkered tablecloth she spread out on the flat rock. The basket contained thick roast beef sandwiches, potato salad, coleslaw, apple chips, and blueberry pie.
“I didn’t get much breakfast, and I’m ready for lunch.” She sat across the tablecloth from Ric and dug into the food with gusto.
The roast beef was tender, and the horseradish had a pleasant bite on her tongue. She eyed Ric, who was staring at her with an intense gaze that made her squirm. She left the last bite of the blueberry pie on her plate. “I’m done. What a great lunch, though. Blueberry pie is my favorite.”
“I tried to pick things I knew you would like.” He took her plate and ate the last of her pie, his gaze on her face the whole time.
She found his expression a little creepy. It was way too proprietorial, like a shark looking at dinner. She curled her fingers into the warm sand to ground herself and took strength from it. She needed to get this over with so she could relax. She reached for her satchel. “Did you review those figures I gave you the other night?”
“I did.” He reached over and twirled a lock of her hair around his finger. “You are most beautiful today, my dear.” His voice was husky. “I have been looking forward to this time alone.”
“Um, Ric. I really want to hammer out an agreement between our companies. Were you in favor of the dollar amount?”
His hand left her hair and stroked down her arm in a long, sensuous stroke. “Your skin is so soft.” Leaning over, he pressed his lips to her neck.
His hot breath wafted over her face and neck. She froze as she evaluated her options. He’d brought her out here for something very different than talking about the merger. If she rebuffed his advances, would he walk away from the deal?
As his lips moved closer to her face, she suppressed a shudder. Putting her hand on his chest, she twisted her face away. “Don’t, Ric. This is business.”
“One can mix business and pleasure. It’s the best kind of merger.” His thick voice was muffled by another attempt to pull her closer.
She scrambled back away from him on the tablecloth. “I’m not interested in that kind of merger, Ric.”
He made another grab at her arm, but she managed to get to her feet. She snatched up her satchel and held it across her chest. “Let’s talk business, please.”
He got up and planted his feet wide. His nostrils flared as he looked her over. “I find I am not much interested in discussing the business merger with a woman as cold as you.”
His stance with his arms crossed over his chest told her all she needed to know. “Then I suggest we get back.” She didn’t wait for an answer but bent over to put everything away.
When she heard his steps retreating, she breathed a sigh. Let him go pout awhile on the boat. They weren’t far from the hotel dock, an hour or so by boat. He’d get over his snit and be willing to discuss business when he realized she wasn’t about to sleep with him to broker a deal.
The sputter of the engine caught her by surprise. She jerked around and saw the boat, sails down, moving out to sea.
She ran to the edge of the water and waved her hands. “Hey!”
He glanced at her briefly, and she recoiled at the venom in his face before he turned his back and steered the boat out to open ocean. The picnic basket slid from her slack hand. He couldn’t just leave her here. She waved her hand and shouted again, but he never turned back around. After a few minutes, the boat was just a speck in the distance.
She turned back around and looked at her situation. The trees began twenty feet from the water’s edge and grew thicker as the land began to soar up a slope. Was it possible to walk out of here to a road? She had a compass on her phone, but the hike wouldn’t be pleasant. At least she had her cell phone. Luke had a bo
at, though she cringed at the idea of telling him what had happened. He’d be ready to take Ric out.
Sighing, she reached into her purse for her phone and looked at it. No bars. She turned around and stared at the forest. She had no choice but to try to walk out, at least until she got a cell phone signal.
The hotel lobby was quiet when Luke stepped in. Only one woman, dressed in a navy skirt and white blouse, manned the reception desk. No one was at the concierge desk when he passed either, and the scent of lemon wax hung in the air.
Luke approached the front desk to ask the receptionist to ring Claire’s room. When there was no answer, he thanked the clerk and turned toward the restaurant. Maybe he could find someone in her family to see if they’d heard from her. He’d told her he’d call at four so they could make plans for dinner, and she hadn’t answered any of the four times he’d tried. It was five now, well past time when he should have spoken with her. He couldn’t quell his unease.
He stepped into the wide hall, and the elevator doors opened. He’d still been in the lobby when Claire left with a woman earlier, and he saw the same woman coming out of the elevator with a man who looked so much like her they had to be siblings. She wore a brightly colored sundress, and her dark hair was twisted atop her head. The man wore such an arrogant expression that Luke wanted to punch him. He looked dressed for dinner in light-gray slacks and a navy jacket.
“Excuse me.” The man tried to step around him.
Luke blocked his move. “Ric Castillo?”
“That’s right. And you are?”
“Luke Rocco, a friend of Claire’s. I’ve been trying to get ahold of her for over an hour. Do you know where she is?”
“Check her room.”
The woman glanced up at Ric. “She didn’t answer when I knocked either. When did you see her last?”
The Inn at Ocean's Edge Page 14