“Terrific,” he said, putting the box on the floor and taking in the walls filled with Isabelle’s art work, the antique desks and chairs. He walked over to the coffee table, where Katia had made an arrangement of tiny hay bales and gourds. On the floor near the windows she’d arranged an assortment of pumpkins. “I like this,” he said with a wide grin.
“Thanks,” Katia replied. “I would have brought up some cornstalks, but I thought that might be overkill.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Jack said. “The kid in me would have liked it, but I’m not sure our clients would.”
Luke chuckled. “This is Indian Lake. They’d love it—believe me.” He turned to Katia. “Well, I guess that’s it for today. The door is up and once your carpet is in, you should be good to go. Give me a shout if you need anything else.” Luke walked over to Jack and shook his hand again. “Listen, I know this is only your first few minutes in town, but I’d like to extend an invitation from my wife, Sarah, and me for dinner over the weekend. Sarah and Mrs. Beabots have turned Sunday dinner into an occasion.” Luke glanced over at Katia. “They’ve even roped Katia into cooking. She makes a mean chicken potpie.”
“I know Katia is a very good cook. I would appreciate that very much, Luke. I’ll look forward to it.”
“Five o’clock Sunday, then,” Luke said, going back to his toolbox and putting the last of his tools away. “We live next door to Katia, so we’re not hard to find. I hope you like kids and big dogs.”
“Guard dog or hunting dog?”
“Terminally friendly dog. Golden retriever. I haven’t taken him hunting. He’s too exhausting just playing with my kids.”
“Sounds great. What can I bring? I have an incredible cabernet. Actually, it’s from the vineyard here.”
“Crenshaw’s?”
“The same,” Jack replied. “I guess everyone knows about their wine, huh?”
“If they don’t, they should,” Luke said as he went to the door. “See you both later.” He waved and left.
“Nice guy.” Jack said. He walked over to his office and inspected the work more closely. “And very, very good at his trade.”
“I think so,” Katia said. “Where are the movers?”
“Oh!” Jack slapped his forehead and yanked his cell phone from his pants’ pocket. “They’ve gotten lost twice. They were great in the city whenever I needed them, but among the cornfields they’re as fish-out-of-water as I am.”
Jack gave the driver more explicit instructions and ended the call. “Ten minutes, max.”
“Good. Want some coffee? I just started a pot. Come. I’ll show you the break room.”
Katia poured Jack a tall mug of coffee and offered him one of Maddie Strong’s coconut-and-pineapple cupcakes. From the way he rolled his eyes, devoured the cupcake and then went after a second, she knew she’d made good choices for initiating him to Indian Lake. She could kiss Luke for his spur-of-the-moment dinner invitation. That couldn’t have been more perfect if she’d planned it.
Before Jack had finished his coffee, his cell phone rang, and the movers announced their arrival.
For the next two hours, they unloaded all the office furniture, cartons of computer equipment, the phone system and nearly a hundred boxes of client files.
“I had no idea we had this much!” Katia moaned as she realized they would need to buy a second bank of filing cabinets.
“Frankly, neither did I. Barry and I agreed that all the physical paper should be in one location and not split between his house and this office. If he needs anything, we can fax it.”
“By the way, where is the fax machine?”
“It was the first thing they loaded. It’ll be the last off. Let’s sit and strategize while the movers finish up. Did you hire the receptionist?”
“Melanie starts tomorrow. I thought you and I should try to get things relatively under control before she starts. The phone company will be here later today to get our phones and internet hooked up.”
“Excellent. As soon as the guys finish here, we’ll head out to the lake to unload my stuff into my condo.”
“Oh, I forgot to ask, have you seen it yet?”
“No. I came straight here. But I got a text from Cate Sullivan that she’s going to meet me there...” He checked his watch. “In twenty minutes.”
Just then, they heard a voice in the doorway. “Hello, there,” Austin called across the loft.
Katia whirled around. “Austin?”
“Can I come in? Are you open for business?” He walked toward her with the sleek gait that had always been part of his allure. Half was due to his athleticism and prowess on the tennis court, and the other half was confidence.
Jack rose from his chair. “Who’s this?” he whispered to Katia.
“Our first client.” She rose and smiled softly at Austin, but before she could introduce the two men, Jack held out his hand. “I’m Jack Carter, and you must be Austin McCreary.”
“I am,” Austin replied, shaking Jack’s hand. He peeked around Jack’s shoulder to lock eyes with Katia. “I had no idea I’d be interrupting all this activity. I came by to give you my check.”
“Of course!” Katia said. “Austin, you didn’t need to do that. I could have stopped by the house.”
“I had some banking down the block.” He looked around at the piles of moving boxes. “I was going to ask if you’d like to go to lunch, but clearly you have your work cut out for you today. I should have called first.”
Katia walked up to the men and stood next to Jack. “You can say that again. I had no idea Jack was moving this much stuff. We’ll be unpacking through Sunday.”
“We’d better not be. I just got my first Sunday-dinner invitation,” Jack said.
Katia turned to Austin. “That’s right. Jack’s only been here ten minutes, and he’s going to dinner at Sarah and Luke’s on Sunday. I’m sure Mrs. Beabots will bake her sugar pie. I’ll make bruschetta.”
Austin chuckled. “Well, I can’t think of better people to introduce you to the town than Sarah and Mrs. Beabots. She’s the town icon, you know.”
“Didn’t know that,” Jack replied, shoving his hands into his jeans’ pockets.
“Mrs. B is the best cook in town. I envy you that dinner,” Austin said with a faint note of sadness that Katia thought only she could detect.
Jack smiled broadly. “I should be the one taking you out to dinner as thanks for your business, Austin. And I mean that. As soon as I get settled, with a bed to sleep in, how about I give you call and we do just that?”
“Great,” Austin replied.
“Austin, do you want a receipt for the check? I have a receipt book around here somewhere...” Katia began, heading over to her cluttered desk.
“Don’t bother. I’ll have the cancelled check. I’m fine. Pleased, in fact.” Austin met Katia’s gaze, his eyes filled with more than just gratitude.
Jack stepped closer to Katia and laid a hand on her shoulder. “You couldn’t have done any better than to do business with Katia, Austin. She’s one of our finest agents. I went over her paperwork and the proposal, and I thought it was flawless.”
Jack did not remove his hand instantly, as he usually did, and Katia saw a cloud descend over Austin’s clear blue eyes. Something was wrong.
“I worked very hard to put together a comprehensive package for Austin,” she said to Jack. When she turned back to Austin, his face had gone blank.
“You sure did,” Jack said, smiling broadly. “Frankly, Austin, I don’t know what I’d do without Katia. She’s practically my right hand. Without her help, my move here would have been a disaster. I guess that comes from working together so well over the years.”
Katia smiled up at Jack, feeling the glow of appreciation. Her eyes slid back to Austin, and there was no mistaking the flash of jealousy in his eyes and the tight set of his mouth.
Finally, Jack dropped his arm. “As for your policy, Austin, I doubt I could have done better myself.”
<
br /> Austin tore his eyes from Katia and gave Jack a perfunctory smile as he extended his hand. “Again, nice to meet you, Jack. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around town as well as doing business with you.” He looked at Katia again. “I have to get back to the plant. You two apparently need your time together. Have a good day.” Without a smile or another word, he turned and headed down the stairs.
Katia sensed that Austin had gotten the wrong impression about her and Jack, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it right now. If she ran after him to explain things, Austin might believe that she was feeling guilty and trying to cover up something romantic between her and Jack. And what if Austin wasn’t jealous at all? What if she’d read him wrong?
Then there was the matter of Jack. She didn’t want him to think there was anything other than a business deal between her and Austin. She was only just beginning to understand the emotions that were resurfacing in her. As much as she wanted to trap them in a net and reel them in, she couldn’t. She feared that one of these days, they would escape, and she would lose everything. She’d lose the respect she had earned from Jack and possibly the tenuous relationship she was building with Austin, which she wanted more than she’d realized. She felt as if she was walking a tightrope.
Jack watched Austin leave, then he turned to Katia. “I like him.”
“Sure you do.” She tilted her chin up. “He just agreed to a nearly six-figure deal with us.”
Jack walked over to the window and surveyed the town. Katia followed him.
There were still golden leaves clinging to the trees, but a good rainstorm would wash the last holdouts away. The planters were overflowing with potato vines, black-eyed Susans, pink petunias and African grasses. No killing frost had yet come to blight their beauty. Down on the sidewalk a group of office workers dressed in Halloween costumes was crossing the street on their way to an early lunch. The courthouse windows were decorated with paper leaves and witches flying across a harvest moon. It was a cool day, but two convertibles pulled up to the stoplight with their tops down, the drivers dressed in warm jackets and enjoying the sunshine.
Jack turned to Katia with a grin. “This is so charming. I wasn’t expecting that. It kind of reminds me of my childhood. Do the kids still trick-or-treat here?”
“Like you wouldn’t believe. Mrs. Beabots says she expects over a thousand tonight. I told her I would help with passing out the candy. She made gingersnap cookies for us to munch on between ghosts and goblins.”
“Wow, I want to come!”
She frowned. “You’ll be unpacking your condo. Which—” She looked at her watch. “Your movers should be about ready to drive over there.”
“Right! Cate Sullivan is going to meet me there with the keys,” Jack replied brightly. “Let me see if there’s anything left to bring up here. Once I get everything set up there, I can come back and help you in the office.”
“Jack, just take care of the condo. We’ll deal with this tomorrow. I’ll get as much done as I can. See you in the morning.”
“Great!” Jack said, slipping out the door.
Katia watched as Jack spoke to the movers. They climbed into their truck and he got into his car. They pulled away from the curb and headed north toward the lake.
As soon as Jack was out of sight, she picked up her cell phone and punched out Austin’s cell number, which she’d gleaned from his insurance paperwork. He didn’t pick up.
She left a message for him to call her back when he had time. She purposefully kept her tone light, reminding him that they needed to plan the decorations for the Candlelight Tour.
Katia didn’t understand why Austin had reacted the way he did, but she knew one thing for certain. What she’d seen in Austin’s eyes was jealousy.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
HALLOWEEN NIGHT BROUGHT an onslaught of children and preteens to Mrs. Beabots’s front door, and Katia was exhausted just from handing out mini candy bars and bubble gum. Mrs. Beabots had made hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks and homemade doughnuts for Timmy, Annie, Luke and Sarah, who’d stopped by on their way up Maple Avenue. The children were anxious to get on with their “rounds,” and though Sarah’s housekeeper, Miss Milse, was on candy duty next door, the family didn’t stay long.
It was nearly ten o’clock before the steady stream of children tapered off and the treats ran out.
Katia locked the front door and turned off the porch light, the signal to all trick-or-treaters that the candy was gone.
After wishing Mrs. Beabots a good night, Katia went upstairs to her apartment. She checked her cell phone before plugging it into the charger. She had three messages from Jack and one from Melanie, who said she’d meet Katia at the office at seven-thirty the next morning.
There were no calls from Austin.
Katia put on her pajamas and turned out the light. She’d only just crawled into bed when her phone buzzed. She whipped the covers back and grabbed her phone from the dresser.
“Jack,” she said, answering the call. “What’s up?”
“I have no food. I mean none. I refuse to buy a breakfast burrito at a drive-through. And I can’t find my juicer. I know I packed it.” His words were laced with frustration.
“I’ve got fruit here. I can stop at the grocery—”
“No. No, I don’t want you to do a thing. I just realized I don’t know where the nearest grocery store is.”
Chuckling, she gave him directions from his condo to the supermarket. “I made up a little map of all the stores and other places you’ll need to know in town. You took off so quickly earlier that I forgot to give it to you. I also think we should plan a reception to introduce you and the company to Indian Lake.”
“Superb idea. How soon can we put that together?”
“I’ll work with Melanie on it. I want it before Thanksgiving. No more than two or three weeks.”
“Great. Okay, I’ll see you in the morning.”
Katia hung up and checked her incoming calls again. There were no voice mails and no missed calls. Austin, what is going on?
She went to the window and peered out at the lamplight shining through the sparse amber leaves. She saw a couple walking down the street with a dog. By now, the neighborhood children would all be in bed, most likely with sugar rushes keeping them wide awake.
She peered down the block, but she couldn’t see Austin’s house from her vantage point. Her mind flashed back to Austin standing in her new office, looking at Jack with his hand on her shoulder. Austin thought they were a couple.
Because she’d betrayed him once, he would expect it again. She’d just laid solid ground for the two of them to stand on, and Jack’s possessive gesture had undone her work in one fell swoop. She needed to explain to Austin that she and Jack were business associates and good friends—nothing more.
She looked down at her phone again, then tossed it onto the bed. This was a conversation she needed to have in person.
Katia went to the closet, took out a pair of black jeans, a cuddly rose mohair sweater and a long black peacoat. She shoved the phone into her pocket while simultaneously sticking her bare feet into a pair of flats.
Stealthily, she made her way down the stairs and let herself out the back door.
Katia walked to Austin’s house, shuffling through piles of fallen leaves on the sidewalk. She stood across the street from his mansion and scanned all the windows. The only light burning was the one in his bedroom. She took out her phone and called his cell.
Just as she expected, she got his voice mail.
“Austin. I’m outside your house, across the street. I can see your window, and I know you’re still up because your light is on. I need to talk to you. I think you have the wrong impression about me and Jack. Please call me back and stop playing this stupid game.”
She punched the end-call button and waited.
In a few moments, Austin’s silhouette appeared in the window, backlit by the bedroom lamp. His broad shoulders nearly filled
the width of the pane. Then her phone rang. She answered it and kept her eyes on him.
“I was reading,” Austin said.
“Liar. I bet you were on the internet looking at cars.”
“Actually, I was talking to my friend Joe in Phoenix, finalizing my annual Christmas trip out there. We buy cars together sometimes. Do a little business,” he said.
“Oh. Sorry. I thought you were trying to avoid me.”
“Truthfully, I was. So...Jack. I suppose you’re standing across the street to tell me Jack isn’t your boyfriend.”
“No, Austin. He’s my boss. I like him, and I care about him and the survival of his business. He’s my friend, but that’s all.”
There was a long pause on his end. “I just assumed—”
“You were wrong, Austin. You jump to conclusions too often. You always have. Anyway, that’s what I wanted to tell you.”
“Then, I take it you weren’t planning to break into my house again?”
“Not tonight.” She chuckled, glad the tension between them was gone. “By the way, did you change the locks now that you know I have a key?”
“No.”
“Really?” She was surprised. She’d figured he or Daisy would have made certain she couldn’t barge in again. What did that say?
“I’ve been too busy. I should get that done.”
Austin placed his right hand against the windowpane, as if reaching out to touch her. It was a simple, unconscious movement on his part, she thought, but it spoke volumes to her. The Austin she remembered, the lonely, isolated young boy who had sought her out when everyone was too busy for him... He was doing it again.
Katia’s heart softened, but then she felt the ground turn to quicksand. She’d signed Austin as a client. She told herself she didn’t want anything more from him. Friendship, like the one she had with Jack, was all that was acceptable. But if that was truly all she wanted, what in the world was she doing standing here, in the cold, outside Austin’s house? Explaining her connection with Jack wasn’t part of her job, but it was in her best interest, professionally, to clear up Austin’s misunderstanding. Still, was she here as his insurance agent, or was her heart making all the decisions?
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