The Professional

by Rhonda Nelson

Cora’s lined face lit up. “Excellent, my dear. You won’t regret it, I promise.”

  Sophie sincerely doubted that, but refrained from commenting. Though she didn’t relish the idea of being so obviously pimped out, as it were, the ball would actually give her a chance to do a little more investigating. Though she’d spoken to both Rose-Marie and Lila, she hadn’t been able to catch the other two victims—Pearl McIntosh and Nanette Hearst—at home. Pearl had been visiting family in the city and the last time she’d dropped by Nanette’s, she’d been at the salon, getting her weekly set. Neither woman, Sophie was certain, would miss the Fall Ball.

  Neither would Marjorie, for that matter—she’d have to patrol the festivities, make sure none of the rules were being broken—and, while Sophie didn’t suspect the administrator of any wrong-doing, she’d like the opportunity to take a peek into her office, to see how accessible those safe-codes really were. Though she didn’t know at this point where Pearl or Nanette kept their jewelry, both Lila’s and Rose-Marie’s had disappeared from their safes. It was an incriminating common denominator, one that definitely needed investigating. Once the party was in full swing, there was no reason why she couldn’t duck out for a few minutes and do a little poking around.

  Once the alcohol and music really started flowing, none of the seniors would miss her, she was certain. Though she’d deliberately avoided these formal affairs, she’d been to enough of their other parties to know that inhibitions went by the wayside quickly with this lot. Foy and a couple of his cronies had done their own version of The Full Monty at last month’s British Invasion party—which Cora had secretly renamed The Twig and Berries Show—and Hortensia Forsythe hadn’t let the fact that she needed a walker keep her from doing a table dance. She shook her head and chuckled at the thought.

  Come to think of it, Foy’s Grandson was in for an eye-opening experience. No point in only one of them being uncomfortable, Sophie thought, marginally cheered. And, while she definitely dreaded going to this ill-conceived dance, a vain little part of her actually looked forward to looking good in front of him for a change. Because if Cora was going to the trouble to pull all this together on her behalf, then no doubt the dress would be spectacular.

  And what girl didn’t dream of having a Cinderella moment?

  * * *

  JEB DIDN’T KNOW what had surprised Payne more—that he hadn’t gotten any further along on this case than he had, or that he’d had to abandon the cause long enough to come home to retrieve, of all things, his tux.

  “Why on earth would you need a tuxedo at a nursing home?” Guy asked.

  “In the first place, it’s not a nursing home. It’s a retirement village and let me tell you, these people take their retirement seriously,” he said, chuckling darkly. “It’s like Spring Break around that place year round, only better because, unlike most poor teenagers, these folks have the cash to do things up in style. Do you know what they’re planning next month? They’re bringing in a snow machine so that they tube down the south hill of the village,” he said, feeling his eyes widen. “Foy said where Mother Nature couldn’t provide, money and ingenuity could. A snow machine,” he repeated. “To go tubing. Probably while drunk and high. And yesterday they decided to host a ball, which is why I’m here this afternoon picking up my tux. Black tie only, I’m told, or they won’t let me in the door, Foy’s notorious grandson or not.”

  “I’d never thought about getting a snow machine,” McCann said thoughtfully, evidently intrigued. He sent a speculative look at Payne, who also, incredibly, seemed more interested in that little part of Jeb’s speech than anything else. “This Foy has a point. Instead of packing up the kids and heading to Colorado next month, we ought to get a snow machine and set it up near your cabin.”

  “That north slope is all but clear,” Payne said, his gaze thoughtful. “And there’s plenty of room since I built the addition.”

  “We could use the ATVs to bring the kids and tubes back up the hill.”

  “Or install a cable. There’s time, and it shouldn’t be too involved. Jamie could do it, I’m sure.”

  McCann grinned, anticipating their new toy. “We’ll need to clear it with the wives.”

  “Emma won’t mind,” Payne remarked. “She can bring the animals.”

  “I’ll check with Julia and give Jamie a call, to see if he and Emma would be on board with a change of plans.”

  Had he vanished? Jeb wondered, watching the conversation play out in front of him. Granted the snow machine was a cool idea, but this wasn’t exactly the reaction he’d been expecting when he’d mentioned it to them.

  “Sorry,” Payne said, turning back to him. “Didn’t mean to get sidetracked.”

  McCann nodded his goodbye and retreated to his own office, presumably to nail down a snow machine.

  “So, other than needing a tux, how are things going?” his boss asked.

  Naturally, this was the question he’d been dreading, because truthfully things weren’t going at all. Jeb hesitated, then rubbed the back of his neck. “Much as it pains me to admit it, not well,” he finally confessed.

  Jeb had never seen the point in learning how to bullshit. He’d just always figured his time was better spent making sure it wasn’t necessary. On the rare occasions he could have employed the tactic, honesty still prevailed.

  He settled into a chair. “On the surface going in as Foy’s grandson was a good idea, but in practice…it’s not really helping me all that much. I’ve learned family histories, medical histories, heard old stories and new stories and eaten everything that’s been put in front of me for the past two days, but—” He shrugged helplessly “—that doesn’t make them trust me. And the questions I need to ask aren’t coming up in polite conversation.”

  Payne winced. “I see.” He arched a brow. “What about Foy? Can he ask the questions?”

  Jeb snorted. “Foy’s too busy dating and playing cards and getting massages to be of any assistance. I mentioned my dilemma to him last night and his response was, ‘Tough, sonny. That’s your problem, not mine.’”

  Then the old guy had promptly told him to get lost, that he had a date coming over and that he’d turn the porch light off when it was safe for him to come back to the house.

  That damned light didn’t go off until two o’clock this morning. His date—who Jeb strongly suspected got paid by the hour—had left at ten, but Foy’d forgotten the light and had only remembered when he’d needed to get up to “drain the lizard.”

  Sheesh.

  Jeb had used the time to the best of his ability, attempting to break into Marjorie’s office, but the locking mechanism required better tools than he’d had on hand—rectified now, of course—and he hadn’t dared risk ruining the door and leaving evidence behind. He planned on slipping away tonight during the party and giving it another go. On the surface, everything about the director seemed above board and suspicion, but at this point he couldn’t afford to strike a single person off his list.

  “What about the O’Brien woman? Have you gotten a read on her?”

  Not in the way Payne thought, but… “She’s universally adored out there,” Jeb said, which was true. “The residents treat her like an honorary granddaughter. The cook at the diner makes her favorite pie at least once a week, Foy services her bicycle—”

  “Her bicycle?”

  “She uses it to make home visits around the village,” he explained. “It’s easier to negotiate around the scooter traffic.” He sucked in a breath, then released it slowly. “She’s certainly close enough to everyone there to have pulled it off, but my gut says that she’s not our thief. And intuition aside, on the surface I don’t see any motive. She’s successful in her own right. She wouldn’t have needed the money.”

  “That’s assuming the jewelry has been sold,” Payne added. “This could be something else.” He shrugged. “Maybe the thief just wanted the jewelry.”

  “It’s possible.” At this point, anything was possible. But if that wa
s true, why take the high-end stuff? Why not take the costume jewelry? Why not target other valuables? Other people? Though the thefts had definitely been deliberate, something about it all felt odd and haphazard. Off. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it yet, but he couldn’t deny the suspicion all the same.

  Payne was thoughtful for a moment. “If your gut says she’s not involved, then odds are, she’s not. But perhaps she would be willing to help you,” he finally said. “If she’s universally adored, then it only stands to reason that she’s universally trusted as well.”

  Jeb’s pulse gave an involuntary leap. Under ordinary circumstances that would have undoubtedly been an excellent suggestion. Sound, well-reasoned, spot-on. But these were hardly ordinary circumstances, because there was nothing ordinary about the way he reacted to her—hell, even the thought of her, given how his groin was tightening right now. Were that not problem enough, there was the tiny issue of her not wanting to be within one-hundred yards of him.

  Not that she couldn’t be persuaded…

  Strictly speaking, he didn’t want to be attracted to her. But he was.

  She might not want to want him. But she did.

  And that universal adoration in the village was reciprocated. It was obvious that she adored them all, that she’d do anything and everything for them. If he asked for her help, he was certain that she would give it.

  That Payne hadn’t questioned his instincts, had even told him to go with his gut, meant more than Jeb could have ever hoped for. It was proof that he’d made the right decision, evidence that the instinct to leave the military had been spot on.

  He needed to reward that trust with a positive result, and if that meant asking the most extraordinary ordinary woman he’d ever met for her assistance, one that he wanted more desperately with each breath…then so be it.

  5

  UNACCOUNTABLY NERVOUS, Sophie looked into the mirror and gulped.

  Holy crap.

  When Cora had told her that she’d bought her a dress for this evening’s event, Sophie had immediately known two things. One, that it would be exquisite, because Cora’s taste was faultless. Two, that it would be expensive. She’d nearly choked on her own tongue when she’d glanced at the price tag, but Cora had insisted that it was worth it.

  What Sophie hadn’t counted on was a third description, one that was easily the most notable about the beaded, sequined chiffon gown she presently wore.

  It was sexy.

  So sexy, in fact, that it felt a bit like false advertising. This wasn’t her real body, not one she recognized, anyway. Her breasts weren’t this plump, her waist this small, her hips this curved.

  Cora clapped her hands together delightedly. “You look wonderful! Simply wonderful!” she enthused. “My goodness, who knew you were hiding such a lovely figure beneath those shapeless scrubs?”

  “My scrubs are comfortable,” she said, feeling duty-bound to defend her practical, serviceable clothing. She smoothed her finger over the delicate beading, turned this way and that as the sequins caught the light.

  “Maybe so, but they’re criminally unflattering. Of course, it would help if you’d buy the right size. They’re too big and boxy. They give you all the dimension of a kitchen sponge.” She thrust a small purse into her hands and dropped a black, fringed shawl over her shoulders. “Come along, we need to get going.”

  “I need to be able to move,” Sophie told her as Cora quickly herded her out the front door. A gust of cold wind scattered leaves across the porch, making her long for a more substantial coat. “I do a lot of bending and stretching. I’d be miserable in tight clothing.”

  “We’ll take the golf cart tonight and save our feet for dancing,” Cora told her. “And being tight and fitting are two different things, dear. No worries.” She started the cart and backed out of the driveway. “Now that I know your proper size, I’ll have some made for you.”

  “What? No, I—”

  “I knew when I saw that dress it would be the one you’d choose,” Cora said. “The peacock design is especially gorgeous, isn’t it? And those colors look fabulous with your skin.”

  She didn’t know about the colors and her skin—skin was skin, wasn’t it?—but the dress was definitely stunning. It was a black halter-style design with jewel-toned beaded peacock feather embellishments which snaked over the bodice and down over her right hip. The lower half of the gown was accordion-pleated chiffon with a ruffled, flirty hem. The dress feathered around her feet with every step she took and felt good against her legs.

  True to her word, Cora had insisted on doing her hair and make-up. Rather than loading her hair up with a lot of goopy spray, her fairy godmother had rolled it on huge rollers to give it a little extra body, then let it fall loosely around her shoulders. She’d gotten a little more dramatic with the make-up—had insisted the dress deserved it—but, rather than forcing every feature to make a bold statement, she’d focused most of her attention on Sophie’s eyes. “It’s eyes or lips, dear,” she explained. “Never both.”

  Sophie had known a little dart of panic when she’d watched Cora whip out the green eye shadow, but she had to admit that the finished effect was noticeable, but not garish. She should have known not to worry, she thought, darting a glance at her older friend, a wry grin curling her lips.

  Cora might be willing to hastily host a dance to put her on display for Foy’s Grandson—she got the sudden mental image of Cora leading her around a rink with a leash attached to her neck, feeding her chocolate treats every time she did something right, just like a dog show she’d watched recently, and smothered a laugh—and buy her a tasteful but sexy dress, but ultimately she’d draw the line at tacky or inappropriate.

  And it was hard to stay annoyed with her when Cora so clearly thought she was being helpful. So determined to find her a man. Come to think of it, she’d been particularly relentless about it since Gran died. That, and making sure that she was safe. Gran had confided in her about the “family” problems and Cora had insisted on alerting the guard at the front gate after the incident with her animals. It meant a lot.

  Sophie cleared her throat. “Thank you,” she said. “For all of this.” She gestured to the dress, feeling suddenly awkward.

  Cora grinned. “You are more than welcome, dear.” She pulled up to the community center and, ignoring the “No Parking” signs nearest the door, did just that.

  “Cora, Marjorie will—”

  “Some rules beg to be broken, dearest.” She shrugged, unconcerned. “I’ll leave the keys in the ignition and if she’s that upset about it, she can move it herself.” She glanced at the doorway and gasped delightedly. “Doesn’t that look lovely? Joy and Martha have certainly outdone themselves.”

  They had, Sophie thought, following her gaze. Corn stalks wrapped with twinkle lights stood on either side of the door and a swag of Indian corn, mums and black-eyed Susan’s hung in an arch above the entrance. Music and laughter rang from inside, indicating that they were fashionably late, just as Cora had planned.

  “Never go anywhere without making an entrance,” she’d said.

  Though she’d been relatively indulgent of Cora’s mechanizations up to this point, Sophie suddenly found herself very nervous. Her empty stomach fluttered with unease and her hands trembled, betraying her anxiety.

  “You look absolutely beautiful, Sophie,” Cora told her. “You’re going to knock him dead.”

  Him. Jeb. Foy’s Grandson. The man whose bottom lip she wanted to suck. He was inside and they were making an entrance. And she had on green eye shadow and a sexy dress. Oh, sweet heaven. What the hell had she been thinking? She couldn’t do—

  Cora snatched her arm an instant before Sophie would have dug in her heels, dragging her forward. Though the room didn’t stand still when they walked inside, several appreciative glances turned in their direction.

  His, of course, was the one she felt most keenly.

  It slid over her body like a caress, lingering along her
neck, her breasts, the curve of her hip. Though she knew it was insane, she could practically feel that blue heat, felt a rush of color burst beneath her skin everywhere his gaze touched. It was unnerving. Thrilling. Terrifying. Electrifying. If he glanced at her crotch, she’d undoubtedly embarrass herself with an immaculate orgasm, Sophie thought, her sluggish blood pounding through her veins.

  She resisted the almost overwhelming urge to look at him and followed Cora deeper into the room. The tables had been draped with gold and plum colored table clothes and candlelight glittered behind hurricane lamps. Fall flowers and stalks of wheat tied with satin ribbon decorated the food and beverage tables, and the scent of mulled cider hung in the air. The only discordant note was the band, which was currently playing Adam Levine’s “Moves Like Jagger.”

  Badly.

  And none of the participants on the dance floor possessed the skill to move like Mick, but what they lacked in proficiency, they made up for with enthusiasm. Especially Foy, Sophie thought, watching him work a walking stick like a microphone.

  “It’s disturbing, isn’t it?” Jeb said, materializing at her side. She jumped a little and her heart stuttered. How the hell had he done that? “You don’t want to watch, but you can’t look away.”

  She smiled in spite of herself, her pulse racing through her veins as desire and adrenaline flooded her system. “Sort of like a train wreck, you mean.”

  He leaned closer, still seemingly mystified. “And he knows every word. Watch him,” he said, gesturing with his glass at Foy. “He doesn’t miss a single syllable. I don’t know what’s worse—that his hips actually move like that or that he’s more acquainted with popular music than I am.”

  “Look at it this way,” she said. “You know exactly what to get him for Christmas.”

  He chuckled, the sound warm and deep. “Yeah. An iTunes gift card.”

  She shrugged negligently, feigning a nonchalance she didn’t feel. “Or Maroon 5 tickets.”

  A startled laugh broke up in his throat and his mouthwatering shoulders shook with humor. She knew because his shoulder was so close to her head. She’d realized that he was tall, but this close his size was particularly noticeable. At five foot four inches, she was of average height and wasn’t used to feeling short, but next to him she felt positively petite. Even in these heels. She rather liked it.