"... She has always had boyfriends, that’s for sure.” Lee stopped abruptly, her face pinking.
You’d probably like to be alone. Sorry.”
Lotus hugged her cousin who was also her best friend. They had gone through grammar school and high school together, and though they had gone to different colleges, it hadn’t changed the friendship between them. “Don’t be silly.”
Lee shot Dash a quick glance after he looked out the window again. “What do you think Jeremy will say about the competition?”
Lotus shrugged. “We dated very casually. I don’t think he’ll be too hurt.” She frowned. “We’ve actually been pulling away from each other for a while now. He travels a great deal for the company, and he’s so absorbed in his work.”
“You and he were friends because of Rob and Todd anyway,” Lee said, her lips pursed.
“You and Will have never cared for Jeremy too much . . .”
“We don’t happen to think he’s treated you that well, breaking dates at the last minute ...” Lee stated.
“That was the job,” Lotus answered automatically, using the excuse she had always used when Jeremy had forgotten dates. “It doesn’t matter.” And she knew it didn’t.
“Are you going to marry the hunk from Massachusetts?”
Lotus laughed, bringing Dash’s head around, his face creasing in smiling warmth when he looked down at her.
“What’s funny, darling?”
“Darling! He calls you darling,” Lee said from the side of her mouth. “God, that’s beautiful. Does he have a twin?”
“Ah . . . J. D., do you have a twin?’’ Lotus checked herself in time, trying to remember not to call him Dash.
Dash turned around, Todd at his side. “No. I have three sisters and a younger brother. I do have cousins, just as you do, who are close to my age.”
“Still scouting around, Lee?” Todd said, amusement in his voice.
“Stop being so smug, Toddie. Just because you have Kate Dilson barking at your heels doesn’t mean you’re an expert on the subject,” Lee told her cousin, kissing him on the cheek when he reddened. “I’m going to get Aunt Ginna going.” She skipped from the room.
“I like Kate.” Lotus patted Todd’s arm. “She has a great forehand.”
“Ah, yes, tennis.” Todd kissed her cheek. “Did you miss playing while you were away, brat? Rafting must have been rough. Is that where you two met?”
Lotus felt uncomfortable with the lie she was living, but she couldn’t tell Todd about the file just yet. She wanted to get a sample of everyone’s handwriting at Sinclair’s. Then, when she had the person in the accounting department who was doing the doctoring of the books, she would involve the family, but until she had concrete knowledge of the person she didn’t want to say anything to them.
“We’re hoping to play tennis before we go to Boston to visit my family,” Dash said, trying to get the subject away from where Lotus had been.
Lotus whirled to face Dash, opening her mouth to ask him when they had discussed that; when she saw the small shake of his head she said nothing. “I think I’ll go and help Mother.” Lotus stalked away, her mind whirling. He had some nerve saying she was going to Boston! As far as she knew he hadn’t even called his family to ask if they would be welcome. Was this the fishing season? What if all his family and their children were out in boats?
Once in the kitchen, she began working with Lee and her mother, preparing the big cauldron of bouillabaisse that would be taken just a quarter of a mile down the road to her uncle’s home.
When Lotus saw Lee carry some dishes out to the waiting truck that would cart the stuff down the road, she faced her mother. “Tell me the truth, Mother. Is Uncle Silas better?”
Ginna Sinclair looked at her daughter, then patted her cheek. “He’s truly improving, love, and in just the last few days. We think he’s getting his old fight back. We had a family meeting about the . . . the discrepancies in the books, and we’ve decided” —she smiled at her daughter—“and we felt sure you would have agreed since you are a stockholder,
that we will pay back the loss in small increments just like a loan.”
“Uncle Silas didn’t do it, Mother.” Lotus sounded anguished. “I think we can prove that.”
“Darling, we couldn’t subject your uncle to another painful investigation.”
“But he’s innocent.”
Her mother patted arm. “We know that, child, but there’s nothing we can do about it at the moment without endangering your uncle’s health. I know you don’t want to do that.”
“No.” Lotus inhaled. “Someone used Uncle Silas.” “We know that just as well as you do, dear, but we also feel that the family has to pay this debt, so we will. You agree, don’t you?”
“Yes, but that doesn’t clear Uncle Silas’s name and we must do that.”
Ginna Sinclair sighed and shook her head.
In minutes the rest of the things were loaded with the bouillabaisse in two big steel pans with tight covers.
Dash appeared at her side as she was about to go upstairs. “Showering again?”
Lotus felt herself redden. “No, but I am going to change into a cotton dress. It has warmed up.” “I always feel warm around you,” he crooned, sending her hightailing up the stairs, his chuckle clinging to her like another skin.
When she came back down the stairs after reapplying her makeup, Dash was still in the foyer. He looked up at her from his vantage point at the oak newel post at the foot of the stairs. “Lovely. I like that cherry red color on you. It makes your hair glisten almost the color of a black patent leather belt.”
“The jacket’s linen,” Lotus said, feeling shy with him. “I was going to wear cotton .. . but. . .” What a foolish thing to say, she chided herself. As though he cares what material you wear! You are a such a fool with him, Lotus Sinclair!
“It looks very cool.” He lifted the black linen jacket from her arm and fitted it around her shoulders, noting that she was wearing higher heels. Now you’re up to my chin . . . almost,” Dash said, leaning down to inhale the fragrance of her, the silken strands of her hair brushing his face.
“It’s a nice evening for a walk. We’ll take the path along the beach and you can see the water.” She looked over her shoulder at him.
Dash took her hand in his, loving the feel of her. God, he wanted to make love to her right in the foyer of her house. “When I was talking to our brother, Todd, he mentioned your uncle.”
'What did he say? Mother says he’s better.” Lotus tightened her fingers around his.
Dash lifted her hand to his lips, kissing each nail. “He made the remark that he felt edgy about getting a private investigator to handle your uncle’s case. Two had turned him down.” Dash grinned down at her. “He told me that he assumed I knew about the incident because if I was close to you, you would have told me. He said you are very close to all your family. I told him that I knew and wanted to help.”
Lotus nodded. She stopped for a moment, facing him. “Do you really think we can change ... I mean . . .
Dash leaned over her. “If you’re asking if I think we can find out who did this to your family,
again I tell you that I think we can.” He stared
down at her anxious face. “We will settle this thing, darling. I promise you.”
“Thank you.”
They started to move forward slowly again. “Have you always lived at home?” Dash voice sounded loud in the cool quiet of evening.
“When I was at college I had an apartment, but it was always good to be home. I like the water . . . swimming, water skiing.”
“I like that too. When we get to my home, I’ll take you out sailing.”
She stopped, her foot sliding off the narrow walk into the deep sand that filled the wide beach leading to the water. She shook her foot, hanging onto his arm. “When did we say we were going to Boston?” Anxiety filled her. She didn’t want to lose Dash. Yet she knew they were movin
g too fast. What if his family disliked her on sight?
“Don’t you think you should meet my family before we marry?”
“We didn’t say we were marrying,” she tried to rally.
“You didn’t. I did.”
“But, Dash, I don’t want to leave my family just now. I want to find out who did this to my uncle. . .
“I can tell you right now it wasn’t your father or your brother, Todd. They—”
Lotus stamped her foot. “Of course it isn’t my brother or my father! I never assumed that it was. The culprit is someone who works at Sinclair’s. I’m sure of it.” She was angry that he had even checked their writing.
“It doesn’t hurt to cover all the bases, love.” Lotus shook her head. “It’s foolish to suspect
my family.” She tried to study the silver mask of his face in the moonlight, but it was closed to her. His eyes were warm but hooded. “I’ll never really know you, will I? There are so many layers to you, so many depths.”
“Ask me anything, darling. If I can’t tell you, I will let you know why. Fair?”
“Yes. Have you ever been married?”
“Yes. I was divorced from my wife after six years of marriage. She obtained the divorce.” “Were you unfaithful to her?”
“I never slept with another woman until my wife asked me to leave our home. She told me that she was filing for divorce. One of the reasons given for the dissolution of the marriage was my infidelity, but I hadn’t been unfaithful to her. I didn’t care at that point what was said. I was glad to be out of it. We had made each other miserable.” “Does she live in Las Vegas?”
"No. She lives in Boston, and she’s remarried twice since then. She still sees one of my sisters and once in a while my mother.”
“I see.”
"No, love, you don’t see. I was never in love with anyone until I met you, but I never knew that until the moment I saw you standing in my office.”
Lotus stood on tiptoe to kiss him and squealed with joy when he swept her high against his chest so that they were mouth to mouth. “I would like to meet your family.”
“Good,” he said against her lips. “First, we’ll settle the problem here. Then you won’t have it on your mind,” he said simply.
All at once she knew with blinding clarity that
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the “problem with her uncle” was almost settled. Dash would see to it!
They arrived at her uncle’s home and were greeted by her uncle and aunt. Lotus hugged the two persons who had been like another set of parents to her.
“Darling, you look well.” Uncle Silas’s mouth twisted in a semblance of a smile.
“And so do you,” Lotus said, relieved, giving her uncle a kiss. She introduced Dash to them, then they moved into the great room of the house where most of the people were gathered. Almost the first person Lotus saw was Jeremy. She felt a stab of guilt as she looked at him and saw the reproachful look he was giving her as he stood with Rob, her brother. “Dash, please forgive me, I have to speak to Jeremy. Alone.”
Dash looked across the room, sizing up the darkhaired, tall but burly man who scowled at him. “All right, but I’ll be close by.”
“Don’t be silly.” She gave a choking laugh. “No one is going to hurt me.”
“I’ll be close,” Dash told her, his face unsmiling. “If you were telling me good-bye, I would want to tear the town apart. So I’ll stay near you.”
“All right.” Lotus left him. She saw that Todd had left his cousin, Will, and was approaching Dash. She walked over to Jeremy and Rob.
Rob nodded at her, then left them.
“I suppose I know what you’re going to say, but it might be better if we went out on the terrace to talk. It’s quieter,” Jeremy said in his cool way.
“Fine.” She passed him as he held the terrace door for her, then faced him as she tried to stay in the leeward corner of the porch. The northern breeze was brisk and had a bite to it in the early May evening. She took a deep breath. “We both know that we enjoyed each other’s company, but we were never to love.”
“Are you now?” Jeremy coughed.
“Yes,” Lotus blurted out, then she sighed. “Oh, yes, I love him.” She tried to smile at her friend. "If we dated for a thousand years, we would only be friends. We both know that.”
“Rob says he comes from a wealthy Massachusetts family. That your mother knows the family.” Lotus gasped. “His family is in fishing. He has made his own money, and even if his family did have money, that wouldn’t have influenced my decision.”
“If you say so.” Jeremy was still cool, but his eves glittered. “I have no intention of leaving the company ... at this time, Lotus.”
“I wouldn’t want you to do that.” As they talked Lotus realized how apart in their thinking she and Jeremy really were. For a split second she wondered if Jeremy would have dated her had she not been a Sinclair. Then she pushed the thought away.
They rejoined the others and Dash was there. He put his hand out to Jeremy. “My name’s J. D. Colby.”
Jeremy’s eyes flickered and narrowed. “I’m Jeremv Leeds. I’ve heard that name somewhere . . .” "Dinner everyone.” Lotus’s mother came up to them and ushered them to the long great room at the front of the house that encompassed a large sitting room and a huge dining room together. While they dined, they could enjoy the cascade of
moonlight and starlight that silvered the waters of Lake Ontario.
“The bouillabaisse is wonderful, Mrs. Sinclair,” Dash said, and nodded to her mother; then he turned to Aunt Lela and smiled: “And I love homemade bread.”
“It’s good to hear laughter in this house again,” Lotus’s cousin, Will, whispered to her as they both listened to the rousing but good-natured argument Rob and Todd were having with their father about the football of today as opposed to his day.
Lotus could still see the shadows on her uncle’s face as he sat at the head of the table in his wheelchair but much of the despair seemed to be gone. It delighted her that the doctors had informed her aunt that he would regain use of his right leg and arm and would be mobile by summer.
After eating, they all moved to the other end of the room so that they could watch the play of the garden lights on the water. Conversation was light as they sipped coffee and tried the dainty finger desserts made by Lotus’s aunt.
When Todd suggested that they play charades, everyone looked at him.
Lotus felt her mouth drop. “It’s been years since we played charades. I think I’ve forgotten how.” “Uncle Silas would like it, wouldn’t you, Uncle?” Todd quizzed his relative. Everyone looked at Uncle Silas. When he nodded, everyone joined in with alacrity.
“Jeremy can be the captain of one team,” Todd said. “I’ll captain the other. Stay with your teams. The captains will gather the titles to be used, but let’s make it as tough as we can. No one-worders. Let’s do quotations and long titles.”
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“It sounds boring.” Lee made a face at her brother, Will, when he told her to shape up.
Lotus agreed with Lee, then she looked at her uncle and picked up a small square of paper to write down her words.
“I like the idea,” Dash drawled, bringing Lotus’s head around.
She stared at the lazy smile he gave her, took note of the gleam of his eyes, then she nodded.
All right.”
Jeremy glared when Todd kept urging him to write down something. Then he looked at Rob.
“Maybe Jer and I don’t feel like this game,” Rob interjected.
"I’m sure both of you want to do it for Uncle Silas.” Todd lowered his voice so that his relative wouldn’t hear. “He said he would like it.”
Jeremy hesitated. “Of course.”
Rob scowled and nodded.
The game began slowly. No one seemed to have the verve, at first, to make it fun. Then little by little as the Sinclairs sensed the challenge and competition, things changed.
"Lotus, s
top winking. Use only the allowed signals.” Rob pointed to his sister.
'I had something in my eyes,” Lotus said loftily, grinning at her uncle before beginning again. “I hoped you stopped the watch on that interruption.”
' Get going.” Rob shook his head at her.
Lotus played right to her uncle, exaggerating her expressions and being very melodramatic in her gestures.
“Gy—an,” Uncle Silas, pronounced, his flaccid mouth seeming to drop the words.
“Giant,” Todd yelled, jumping to his feet. “You
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guessed, Unde. He’s right, isn’t he?” He looked at Rob, who was smiling at his uncle and nodding.
“That was wonderful, sir.” Rob went over and kissed his uncle on the forehead.
Lotus was right on his heels. “I knew you would guess. We’ve always been on the same wavelength.” She hugged her uncle, feeling the weakness of his crablike grasp.
The game rolled into high gear. When it was Dash’s turn to act out one, he looked right at her and grinned, the devil droop in his lids telegraphing to her that he was up to something.
“Don’t you dare do anything outrageous,” Lotus muttered to herself, turning her cousin’s head toward her.
“Did you say something, Lotus?”
“No,” Lotus mumbled, keeping her eyes on Dash.
“All right . . . go . . .” Will said, his eyes on his wristwatch.
Dash began a series of gyrations and turns that were aimed at Lotus.
“Whatever he’s doing . . .” Lee whispered, . . "I wish he’d do it to me.”
“Don’t be silly.” Lotus laughed weakly, her eyes glued to the tall figure just in front of her.
“I think it’s some kind of message,” Lotus’s mother mused out loud.
“Yes.” Aunt Lela had her chin in her hand. “A love message.”
Dash’s hand shot out and he pointed at her aunt and nodded.
“Love something . . . Aunt Lela said in an excited voice, her cheeks pink.
“Love Son?” David Sinclair frowned.
Dash shook his head and gestured more.
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