by Sue Pethick
She remembered how comforted she’d felt when he came to the cottage, how patiently he’d listened while she told him what was wrong. Were her friends just telling her what they thought she wanted to hear? Or was it possible that there was still something between the two of them after all these years?
As she headed for the front door, a flash of red caught her eye. A brand new Ferrari was sitting in the parking lot, its engine still cooling from the drive in. It was a beautiful car, but she didn’t recognize it as one of the ghost hunters’. She went inside to see who it belonged to.
It didn’t take long to find out. As Emma stepped into the lobby, she saw Clifton standing at the front desk grinning like a schoolboy. Not surprising, really. Her assistant manager was way too impressed by money and the people who flaunted it. She only hoped the Ferrari didn’t belong to another nouveau riche millionaire, come to ask if she wanted to sell her property.
“Looks like we have a new arrival,” she said.
“We do,” said Clifton. “She just checked in.”
“I thought we were full.”
“We are. She’s joining another one of our guests.”
Whatever secret Clifton was holding on to must be good, Emma thought. Was it a movie star, perhaps? The man looked as if he might burst.
“So, tell me. Who is she?”
Clifton glanced down at the guest registry.
“Miss Gwendolyn Ashworth.”
Emma shrugged. The name didn’t ring a bell.
“Is she supposed to be famous or something?”
“She says she’s Mr. Dwyer’s fiancée,” Clifton said, his eyes bright. “Apparently, he’s got himself a sugar mama.”
CHAPTER 17
Repairing the fence had been just the antidote Todd needed to get rid of his bad mood. When he’d left Emma’s cottage, he’d been so angry he didn’t dare say another word lest it be something he’d regret. Lucky for him, though, Jake wasn’t the talkative type, and after an hour of hauling lumber and pulling nails from old pickets, Todd had cooled off enough to gain some perspective. It wasn’t Emma he was mad at, he realized; it was himself. He just had to find a way to channel that anger into finding a solution to his problem.
Todd stepped into the shower and let the hot water course down over his head and shoulders. He’d be sore tomorrow, but for the moment he was grateful for the chance to work off his pique without hurting Emma’s feelings. The fact was, she had every right to be angry with him. If someone had barged in and tried to tell him how to run his business, he’d have thrown them out, regardless of whether their advice was good or not. As soon as he was washed and dressed, he would go find her and apologize.
It wasn’t the need to make amends that had preoccupied him while he and Jake rebuilt the fence, though. He knew his relationship with Gwen was on the wrong track, so why on earth was he going forward with the engagement?
When the two of them were first dating, Todd had been so blown away by the thought of being with her that he’d written off Gwen’s shortcomings—her selfishness, her immaturity, even her criticism of him and his friends—as minor annoyances. At the time, Todd and his partners had been negotiating the sale of their company, and the little time he and Gwen had together seemed too precious to waste on petty arguments. Then, after she moved in with him, it was just easier to throw money at the problem than deal with it directly. Letting her redecorate the house had been good for almost six whole months of peace.
But now that the business was sold, the minor annoyances had become major headaches. Refusing to let Todd borrow “her” car—which was technically his—was bad enough, but even minor disagreements over who owned what could cause a row that lasted for days, and just as their argument over Archie had, the only way anything ever got resolved was for Todd to back down. He couldn’t afford to bury his head in the sand any longer. Unless Todd wanted to live the rest of his life on Gwen’s terms, things would have to change.
He stepped out of the shower and started drying himself off. Once again, Todd thought, he would be wearing the same clothes he’d had on since arriving at the Spirit Inn. Thank goodness Emma had found him some work clothes in the Lost and Found. He wrapped the towel around his waist and opened the bathroom door.
The bedroom was dark. For a moment, Todd wondered if the inn had lost power, but the bathroom fan was still running. As he reached for the switch, he saw movement on the bed and realized that someone was in the room. He grabbed the towel at his waist more firmly and took a step back.
“I think you have the wrong room.”
Todd heard a giggle and the bedside lamp came on. Gwen was stretched out on the bed in her nightdress. She crooked her finger, motioning for him to come closer.
“Hey there, lover boy.”
Todd was too stunned to speak. What on earth was she doing there?
His hesitation in the face of Gwen’s come-on was clearly unexpected. She sat up and reached for the robe that was draped over the end of the bed. Even in the low light, Todd could see that she was pouting. Twenty-four hours ago, it might have prompted an apology. Now it just made him feel cross. He reached over and switched on the light.
“What are you doing here?” he said. “And how did you get in my room?”
“I came to see you. The nice man at the desk gave me a key.”
Clifton. Even when Todd was a kid, the guy was always making trouble for him.
Gwen crossed her arms and thrust out her lower lip, making herself look even more like a petulant child. Had she always acted like this? Todd wondered. How could he have been so blind?
“I borrowed Daddy’s car and left the island on the first ferry this morning to get here,” she said. “If you ask me, this is a pretty lousy way to treat your fiancée.”
My fiancée?
Todd felt a chill. She must have found the ring. But how?
The suitcases! After he put the ring into the zippered pouch, he’d left the room to get his clothes. When he returned, his suitcase had been moved a few inches, but he just figured Gwen had disturbed it when she took down her own. The combination was written inside the lid and he’d already entered it on his iPhone; it never occurred to him to double-check it before closing the case. Besides, the two of them were nearly identical. Why would Gwen insist upon taking one suitcase rather than the other?
Because, he thought, one was “his” and one was “hers,” and if there was anything he knew about Gwendolyn Ashworth, it was that she never shared her things, not even with Todd.
What was he going to do?
“I’m sorry,” he said. “You just surprised me, that’s all.”
“Serves you right,” she said. “After the surprise you gave me.”
She stuck out her left hand and fluttered her fingers; the engagement ring shone like a spotlight.
“And it’s a perfect fit, too.”
Todd felt his stomach sink. He’d just congratulated himself for not popping the question this weekend, and meanwhile, Gwen had been doing it for him.
“Don’t feel you have to give me an answer right away,” he said. “I want both of us to be sure it’s right before we decide.”
“Don’t be silly,” she said, admiring the ring. “This is exactly what I’ve been waiting for.”
“Oh. Well, that’s good.”
How was he going to explain this to Emma?
Gwen looked around the room, apparently realizing that her girl-on-the-bed routine hadn’t yielded the results she’d been hoping for. She slipped her arms into the robe and wrapped it around herself, cinching the belt with a petulant tug. In his present state of mind, Todd found her performance more irritating than amusing. He grabbed his clothes and retreated to the bathroom.
“I’ll be out in a minute,” he said.
Todd shut the door and stared in the mirror at his own pale face. How was he going to tell Gwen that he hadn’t meant for her to find the ring? His comment that she should take her time deciding whether or not to marry him h
ad been quickly brushed away; it wouldn’t be easy to bring up the subject again. If she thought he was calling off the engagement, there was no telling what she might do. Gwen’s temper was legendary.
And what about Emma? Had she been there when Clifton gave Gwen the key? He doubted it. Handing a registered guest’s key to a stranger was highly unusual, if not downright illegal; Emma would never have allowed it. And yet, in spite of the risks, that was exactly what Clifton had done. Todd had a sinking feeling that the old guy had known exactly what he was doing.
As he got dressed, Todd tried to figure out how he could talk to Emma. He wished he’d taken the time to apologize to her before going back to his hotel room. It would have been a lot easier to explain the situation with Gwen if he knew she wasn’t still angry with him for being a jerk. The last thing he wanted was for her to think that any of this was his idea.
When Todd stepped back into the bedroom, he found Gwen fully dressed, sitting on the chair beside the bed.
“I’m hungry,” she said. “How about dinner?”
Todd hesitated. Now that they both knew she had the ring, he’d been hoping Gwen would go back to the island, but maybe this would work, too. While she got ready to go out, he could go find Emma and explain what had happened.
“Sounds good,” he said. “There’s a lecture I was thinking of going to later. If you’d like, maybe you can come with me.”
It was only fair, he told himself. Once the lecture was over, he’d decide what to do next.
She slid out of the chair and headed for the bathroom.
“I’m going to freshen up a bit. Daddy’s car was a monster to drive up here. Why don’t you go put our names in at the restaurant and I’ll meet you there in a few?”
“Good idea.”
This was perfect, he thought. He’d drop by Emma’s office on the way, tell her what was going on, and fill her in on the details later. He opened the door.
“Um, you’re not seriously thinking of going like that, are you?”
Todd glanced down at his clothes. Gwen was right. The restaurant was a pretty swanky place—too nice for a T-shirt and jeans.
“I would, but I can’t open my suitcase,” he said. “I forgot to write down the combination.”
Gwen rolled her eyes.
“Hang on,” she said, taking out her phone. “I’ve got it.”
When Todd had changed, he looked at himself in the mirror. The shirt was a bit wrinkled, but his sweater hid most of it and the slacks didn’t look too bad. Gwen straightened his collar and nodded her approval. He grabbed his keys and put them in his pocket.
“By the way,” she said, “what’s the lecture about?”
“Ghosts.”
“Ghosts?” Gwen blanched. “As in dead people?”
“Yeah.” Todd opened the door and smiled. “Didn’t you know? This place is haunted.”
CHAPTER 18
Emma walked into her office and shut the door feeling angrier and more hurt than she’d thought possible. Angry at Clifton for giving a guest’s key to a stranger just to prove he was right about Todd, and hurt because Todd had let her believe she still meant something to him. She collapsed in her chair and stared at the desk, as heedless of her surroundings as a blind man.
She had been blind, Emma told herself. Blinded by her loneliness, blinded by longing and desire and a foolish belief that she knew anything about Todd Dwyer. Why had he come there in the first place? Was seeing her again just a way for Todd to tie up loose ends before he settled down? Archie’s running away when he did had certainly been convenient. What better way to convince Emma to let down her guard than for her old sweetheart to show up looking for his little lost dog? She closed her eyes and a tear crept down her cheek.
What a fool I am.
It was Clifton’s comment that Gwendolyn Ashworth was Todd’s “sugar mama” that hurt the most. The idea that he might be a kept man simply didn’t fit with the Todd Dwyer she’d thought she knew. In spite of her disappointment, Emma refused to believe that the boy she once loved had changed so completely. Emma decided to do some detective work. She turned to her computer and typed in the name “Gwendolyn Ashworth.” If the woman in Todd’s room was who and what Clifton claimed, then Google would tell her.
But as the search results came up, Emma’s heart sank. Gwendolyn Ashworth was not only rich; she and her wealthy parents, Tyler and “Tippi” Ashworth, were well known in Seattle’s social circles. Emma clicked on a link to the Flash + Talk section of Seattle magazine and found an article about a charity dinner supporting the local art museum, accompanied by a full-color photo of Gwendolyn Ashworth. Smiling for the camera, draped in jewels, she was clutching the arm of a tuxedo-clad man who looked very much like Todd.
No, Emma corrected herself, a man who was Todd. She felt sick.
Clifton was right. As unlikely as it seemed, Todd had caught the fancy of a rich girl and used that connection to work his way into the city’s social scene. She felt bile rise in her throat and swallowed hard as she studied the man in the photo. Even as the proof of his dishonesty was staring her in the face, she refused to believe it.
Emma scrolled down the page, looking for the caption. The letters on the screen swam as she saw Todd’s name. Seeing it in black and white felt like a stab wound to her heart. But it was the rest of the caption that left her reeling, so stunned she had to grab the desk to keep from falling out of her chair.
“Gwendolyn Ashworth arrives at the reception,” the caption read, “accompanied by Mr. Todd Dwyer, Silicon Forest’s newest multimillionaire.”
Emma didn’t know how long she’d been staring at the screen when she heard the knock at her door. She quickly shut down her computer and wiped her hands down her face, hoping to rid it of any traces of the shock she’d just been given.
“Come in.”
The door opened and her housekeeper, Lupita, poked her head inside.
“Sorry to bother you,” she said. “I need the key to the cottage.”
“Oh! Sorry, Lupe. I forgot it was wash day.”
Having the housekeepers take care of her dirty linens was one of the perks of being the inn’s manager, but it necessitated their having a key and Jake had just changed the lock on her front door. Emma fished the shiny new key out of her top drawer.
“I didn’t strip the bed yet.”
“That’s all right,” Lupita said. “I’ll take care of it.”
When the door closed, Emma went back to her computer and did another search. Not for Gwendolyn Ashworth this time, but for Todd Dwyer. The results were staggering.
According to Wikipedia, Todd wasn’t just rich; he was some kind of computer genius. He’d also written a game app for smart phones called Pop Up Pups, which was making millions more for a man who “eschewed publicity” and “guarded his privacy like a monk.”
Emma clicked back to the picture of Todd and Gwendolyn. He didn’t look like any monk she’d ever heard of.
She turned off the computer and sat back, thinking about everything he’d told her in light of this new information. When Todd had said he was “between jobs” and “working part-time at home” she assumed he was unemployed, or nearly so. He hadn’t been lying, exactly, but he’d certainly been evasive. And what about not having any clothes to wear and driving a broken-down old Jeep? If the folks at Wikipedia were right, Todd should have been wearing GQ duds and driving a fancy car. Maybe that Ferrari in the parking lot was actually his. Once again, Emma found herself wondering what it was that had brought Todd to the inn.
There was another knock on the door. Lupita, she thought, returning Emma’s key.
“Come in, Lupe,” she said. “Thank you for—”
It was Todd. Showered and changed, wearing a cashmere sweater and wool slacks, he looked less like a construction worker and more like the successful Internet entrepreneur that he was.
Dear God, did I really tell him I knew more about business than he did?
He stepped into the room an
d closed the door.
“I’d say you’re welcome, but I’m not sure what I’m being thanked for.”
“Please leave,” she said, feeling her face grow hot.
“In a minute,” Todd told her. “I have something to tell you first.”
“I already know about your fiancée, if that’s what you’re going to tell me.”
The look on Todd’s face was so pained that for an instant, Emma almost felt sorry for him.
Don’t let him fool you. It’s only an act.
“I’ll get to that in a moment,” he said. “First, I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have tried to tell you how to run your business this morning. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, well, I guess it just proves what an idiot I am,” she said. “I don’t even know good advice when I hear it.”
Todd shook his head. “Whether it was good advice or not, it wasn’t what you needed. You poured your heart out to a friend and got treated like a business student. I should have told you at the time that I was wrong, but I was upset. I needed some time to cool off.”
In spite of herself, Emma could feel her resistance weakening. Todd seemed sincere, and the fact was, he hadn’t told her anything back at the cottage that she didn’t already know. If Gwendolyn hadn’t shown up when she did, Emma might have been apologizing to him.
But Gwendolyn had shown up, and Todd’s apology was nothing more than a feint to keep Emma from discovering the real reason he’d come to the Spirit Inn.
Of course, she thought, her anger reviving. Why hadn’t she thought of it before?
“The thing about Gwen is, she’s not really my fiancée,” Todd said. “I’d been planning to propose to her this weekend, but I changed my mind.”
Emma smirked. “And you let her keep the ring? Wow, that’s some consolation prize.”
He looked at her fiercely. “This isn’t easy for me. I came here as a friend to try to explain what’s been going on.”
She stood and leaned across her desk.
“No, you’ve been lying to me since you got here, and now that I’ve got an inkling of what’s really going on, you’re trying to throw me off the scent.”