by Ava Miles
Vander stood and buttoned his jacket, making a show of eyeing his watch. “I have another meeting. You can ask Shelby about the case, but not me. We need to get that straight right now. And no late-night calls or texts either.”
Her mouth pursed, and she threw her white boa over her shoulder again. When a feather landed on her lips, making her cough to clear it, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Fine!” She stood and fluffed her boa, sending more white feathers dancing into the air.
When she stuck out her hand, he shook it. “Deal.”
Rather than release his hand, she pulled him closer. “It was good to see you, Vander.”
He kissed her cheek. “You too, Gail. Behave for once.”
“I’ll go to my grave misbehaving,” Gail said, picking up his bourbon and toasting him. “You know where I live if you change your mind.”
She was as flirtatious as she was tenacious, but she’d never taken it any further, which is why he allowed it.
“Enjoy my bourbon,” he said as he left the parlor.
“Oh, I plan to,” she called out to him.
Jeffries appeared in the foyer as if by magic and opened the front door. Vander took note of the white BMW convertible cruising down the drive, but he didn’t realize it was Shelby until he’d made it down the brick steps. She cut the engine and reached for her purse before swinging out of the car.
Vander tried not to notice the curves hugged by her sage green dress suit decorated with a simple strand of pearls. Her shoes and purse matched—a totally Southern thing that still mystified him after all these years—and were an off-white. That luscious brown hair of hers blew in the breeze, and his fingers twitched with the longing to touch it.
When she saw him, she immediately halted. “Oh!”
He fought a smile at her greeting. “Hello, Shelby. I was just calling on your boss.”
She looked toward the house. “I didn’t want to use her name. Gail has had too many people use her. It was enough that she recommended you.”
Vander was seeing Shelby in a new light after his talk with Gail. There were layers there, and he suddenly wanted to discover them, everything from why she liked order to the kind of ethics that hadn’t allowed her to use Gail’s name. “On that, we agree. Some of the work I’ve done for Gail has been to protect her from just those kinds of people.”
Her nod was perfunctory. “I’d imagine so. I’ll…see you for our meeting later on.”
He’d scheduled them for five-thirty since the rest of his day had already been booked. “I’m looking forward to it,” she added, her voice a bit husky.
He wanted to linger, he realized, but that was exactly why he couldn’t. After giving her a curt nod, he started off to his car.
“Would you like a penny?” she called out to him.
Turning, he watched as she opened her baby blue coin purse and extracted two coins. “What for?”
“The fountain,” she said, holding the coin out. “So you can make a wish. You don’t keep change in your pocket.”
That was an interesting observation, and he found himself walking back toward her. “How did you know that?”
“Men jingle when they carry coins,” she said matter-of-factly. “You don’t.”
Oh, the jokes he could make. “Indeed I don’t.”
Her cheeks pinkened prettily, and he realized she was blushing. He fought the urge to clear his throat. She extended the coin to him again, but he shook his head.
“I don’t make wishes,” he said flatly.
Her mouth parted in surprise. “Ever?”
“Ever.”
She lowered her head and held the coin to her ample breasts for a moment, drawing his eyes somewhere they shouldn’t go. Then she threw the coin in the fountain.
“I’m sorry you don’t believe in making wishes,” she said, studying him closely.
How was he supposed to explain himself to her without giving away too much? The day his mom had told him about his daddy, he’d gone to bed and made a wish that his father would rise from the dead like Jesus had.
Of course, his daddy hadn’t risen, and Vander had wiped away tears at the graveside as the other officers lowered his daddy’s coffin into the ground.
He’d wished a few times more. For his mommy to stop locking him out of her room and not coming out all day. For someone to find the man who had killed his father.
None of his wishes had been granted. And so he’d stopped believing.
“I make my own fate,” he told Shelby, his voice a little harsher than usual.
“Wishes are like prayers,” she said, fingering the coin still in her hand. “There’s an infinite supply. You can never wish too much.”
Anger rocked through him, and he ground his teeth to control it. “Wishing doesn’t make anything happen. Shelby, I need to go now. I’m late for my next meeting. I’ll see you and Sadie later.”
He stalked past her to his black SUV and slammed the door once he was inside. She was watching him, a pretty picture in the sunlight. When she turned back toward the fountain with the frolicking cherubs and threw in the remaining coin, he made himself pull out of the driveway instead of gunning it down the lane as he was tempted to do.
Chapter 6
Shelby watched Vander speed down Gail’s driveway to the gates. Goodness, he’d gotten angry. What had made him so jaded? Shelby wasn’t naïve enough to believe everyone prayed, but she had thought those who didn’t at least wished for things.
Not Vander, apparently.
She headed to the front door, shaking off the image of Vander radiating intensity in the hot morning sun, looking both fierce and delicious in his Italian gray suit. Jeffries answered the door promptly, and they went through their usual comedic interaction.
“Hello, Jeffries,” she said, giving him as regal a nod as she could muster. “Fine weather we’re having.” She used that line often because she’d heard it in British movies.
“Indeed it is, Ms. McGuiness,” he answered, looking as if he might break his rule and smile for once.
Butlers from England apparently never smiled. They were like those guys with the tall black hats who guarded Buckingham Palace. Perhaps they endured the same no-smile training. Such a shame, if you asked her.
“Ms. Hardcrew is in the informal parlor.”
Like normal, Shelby waited for him to show her the way. Just this once, she wished she could ask him if he’d ever thrown a coin into Gail’s fountain. Vander’s attitude about the whole thing had made her wonder how other people felt about wishing.
From the minute she’d thrown her first coin in Gail’s Italian fountain all those years ago the day of her job interview, Jeffries had begrudgingly accepted her eccentricity. Apparently no one had thought to pollute Gail’s precious Italian fountain with coins before, but people had begun to do so after seeing Shelby’s coins at the bottom of the water. Jeffries pretended he didn’t like it one bit, but Gail assured her it was all an act. Her boss, of course, found the tradition charming—so much so, she’d insisted that her butler leave the coins there. Over the last five years, the number of coins had multiplied until they took up more space at the bottom than the handmade blue Italian tiles.
Shelby liked to think of Gail’s fountain as the fountain of infinite wishes. Her luck had changed for the better the moment she’d thrown that first coin into the water, wishing for a successful interview. Five years later, she had a fabulous salary that allowed her to afford the finer things in life, a convertible BMW named Pearl that she loved to hear purr on the road, and the best darn job an accountant could ever hope to find. With an incredible boss to boot.
When she stepped into the parlor, she couldn’t help but smile at Gail. “Do you know how grateful I am to be working for you?” she said spontaneously.
Jeffries cleared his throat behind her, and she spared him a quick glance. Her wish had been granted. There was a slight uptick to his usually stern mouth. He was smiling!
“S
helby McGuiness, you’re going to make me cry,” Gail gushed, and Shelby turned to look at her boss, who wrapped her white boa around her.
“No need for that,” she said, and then Shelby spotted the half-drunk bourbon on the table in front of her boss—a common occurrence despite Gail’s protestation she wasn’t drinking for health reasons. “I was just thinking about wishes and how important they are. If you don’t wish for anything, you can never receive anything.”
“Indeed, miss,” she heard Jeffries mutter behind her before closing the door and leaving them alone.
Saints preserve her, but Jeffries seemed to believe in wishes too!
Only Vander didn’t, and he was still successful, so there had to be some disconnect in her thinking. Well, he could continue to do things his way, wish-less, while she remained committed to hers.
“Shelby, I know why you didn’t tell Vander you worked for me, but Lord Almighty, girl, you should have. He’ll always do his best, but your connection to me gives him an added incentive.”
“Is that why he was here?” Shelby asked, coming over and sitting down on the sofa next to her boss.
Gail gave her a decided wink. “Yes. Plus, I’ll use any excuse to see that man. God knew what he was doing when he created that one.”
Would Amen be an appropriate remark? Shelby bit her tongue.
“Oh!” Gail threw out her hand like she was prone to do when she got stirred up. “I almost forgot. I also told Vander I’m paying for his investigation into your daddy’s whereabouts and the like.”
“What?” Shelby said, blinking. “No, Gail. You don’t need to do that. Really.”
Gail grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “Shelby, you just said how grateful you are to have me in your life. This is my way of saying how grateful I am for all you do. Please don’t fight me. You know you won’t win.”
Since Gail kept a pair of old Southern dueling pistols loaded in her office, Shelby knew she was serious. “It’s hard for me to receive this.”
“Land sakes, girl!” Gail exclaimed. “Think of it as a bonus. You were kind to me when I found out about this health condition. And you listened to me when I said how important it was for you to know your daddy’s medical history. Plus, I know you throw coins into the fountain outside for me all the time. I’m doing this, Shelby McGuiness, so you’d just better accept it.”
Shelby’s mama had also raised her to be gracious, so she finally nodded. “Thank you, Gail. Truly.”
“Good, then it’s all settled.” Gail traced the rim of the bourbon glass. “I might have one last sip. Now, since Vander won’t tell me one eensy-weensy detail about your daddy’s case, I’m supposed to ask you. Of course, you can keep it secret from me if you want.”
Keep secrets from Gail? Shelby didn’t think that was possible. “Why would I keep it from you? If you want to know something, just ask. All I can tell you right now is that the initial search on Vander’s databases produced nothing. We’re meeting later today to discuss our next steps.” Which would mean more time and money. “Gail, are you sure I can’t pay at least half of Vander’s bill?”
Gail gave her the fish eye. “Give it up, girl. No way you’re covering half when I offered to pay in full. You meet with Vander and tell him to use all his resources. Vander will find him or what happened to him, honey. He’s tenacious, that one.”
Under Vander’s cool reserve, Shelby had felt a seething intensity. He’d been angry at the fountain today, not at her. She wondered again what had happened to him. To avoid thinking about him, she forced her mind toward practical matters. “Something’s been bothering me a little.”
“What is it?” her boss immediately asked, throwing off her boa and turning all business.
“Why haven’t I seen any checks to Montgomery Associates on the books?” she asked.
Gail chuckled. “That’s a good question, Shelby. When it came right down to it, I didn’t want anyone to know I’d hired a private investigator to look into or clean up the…eccentricities in my marriages and families. I write Vander personal checks. None of the money comes through my business holdings. People might find out and not like it. Not that I did a check on you. You were as sweet as pie, so I knew I could trust you.”
That made sense to Shelby, although she could have made some of it a tax deduction. “Okay, I just wanted to make sure I hadn’t missed something or you hadn’t—”
“Trusted you?” Gail asked, shaking her head. “Shelby McGuiness, there are few people I trust as much as you. I mean, I trust you enough to see me naked at the mortuary and dress me for my funeral. That’s powerful trust for a vain Southern woman like me.”
That image pretty much made Shelby’s insides shrivel up, but since Gail was prone to dramatic metaphor, she managed a weak smile. “Thank you, Gail.”
“All right,” Gail said, ringing her silver bell for Jeffries. “Let’s talk business over the lunch I had prepared, and you can walk me through the projections on the new restaurant. Then you can dash off to your meeting with Vander. Oh, how I wish I could be there. I never tire of looking at that man.”
Shelby drew out her folders. Gail sure as shooting sounded like she had a thing for Vander. Good heavens, did he have a thing for her boss? Her stomach clenched, and she realized she didn’t like the idea. Okay, that was wrong of her. There was nothing between her and Vander. He could like whomever he wanted. Plus, it was none of her business.
She opened the printouts of Gail’s current budget projections as Jeffries brought in a silver tray with two spinach salads on Gail’s gold-rimmed Bavarian china. They got down to business, and for the next few hours, Shelby forgot all about the search for her daddy and Vander Montgomery.
Of course, the minute she stepped outside into Nashville’s humidity, her current worries were lying in wait for her. She drew out another coin from her purse—a quarter since it was a big wish—smiling a little at the thought of Jeffries’ first smile earlier. She closed her eyes and pressed the coin to her heart. Please, God. Let Vander find out what happened to our daddy. And please don’t let his findings hurt anyone I love.
She threw it in and started to walk away, but before she got more than a few steps she pulled out a simple penny and turned back to the fountain. This time, she threw the coin with all her might.
Please, God. Let Vander believe in wishes again.
Back in her car, Pearl, she cranked up an oldie but goodie by Madonna, singing “Like a Prayer” to distract herself all the way to Vander’s office downtown.
When she arrived in the lobby, Sadie met her with an exuberant hug.
“I have news I think you’ll like,” Shelby told her sister. “Gail wants to pay Vander’s fees. She wants us to find Daddy.”
Tears filled Sadie’s eyes. “That’s the sweetest thing ever. I’ll have to make her something to say thank you.”
“Can you make a quilt with feathers?” Shelby asked with a smile. “Gail was wearing a white boa with her pink dress today. It was so her.”
“I love that woman’s fashion sense, but I’d be too scared to style myself that way. Imagine what some people would think. Especially at church.”
Considering none of the McGuiness women wore white before Memorial Day, Shelby knew what her sister meant. “Let’s head on up upstairs and see what these next steps are.”
When they reached Vander’s office, he greeted them with a smile. His bleak mood from this morning seemed to have drained out of him. A small but tough woman stood beside him as he greeted them.
“This is my colleague, Charlie Madison,” Vander told them as the woman shook their hands. “She’s going to help me with your case.”
Charlie had a heck of a grip and pretty, intense eyes. Shelby wondered why in the world her people had given her such a masculine name. But perhaps they’d known she wasn’t much on girl stuff when she was born. Her face was barely painted, and her clothes were downright simple. Not that she knew what female P.I.s typically wore.
“Nice
to meet you both,” the woman said, and while there was a touch of Southern in her voice, it wasn’t pronounced. She also didn’t say y’all.
Shelby smiled at her to be pleasant, wondering why Vander needed a helper.
“If you don’t mind helping me bring in the drinks, Shelby, I’d appreciate it,” Vander said, drawing her attention back to him.
“Of course,” she said rising, wondering why he was making such a production of it. After all, his receptionist had already asked if they wanted something, and they’d both declined.
“Sadie, what would you like?” he asked.
“Tea,” she responded, giving Shelby a shrug. “With lemon and honey if you have it.”
His lips twitched, but he nodded. “I’ll see what I can find.”
In the kitchen, he made a couple of cups of coffee—likely for himself and Charlie since Shelby had told him she wanted tea as well—while she poured hot water into two tea cups.
“Did Gail mention she offered to foot the bill for my services?” he asked casually as she stirred in the honey he’d produced from one of the cabinets.
“Yes,” she answered, taking her gaze off the cups and looking into his aquamarine eyes. “It was kind of her.”
“It was, indeed,” he said, dumping two sugar packets into the dark roast coffee. “I wanted to make sure she was transparent with you. The last thing I want is to be between Gail and a hard place.”
“She also mentioned you wouldn’t discuss the case with her. I appreciate your professionalism.”
“I’ve known Gail a while now,” he said, leaning back against the counter and sipping his coffee. “Despite her good intentions, she’s the kind of woman who will run all over you if you don’t establish a few boundaries.”
“Gail is nothing but well intended,” Shelby agreed. “Does it make you uncomfortable? When she asked you about the case?”
“I can handle Gail,” he told her. “I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable. This search is already difficult emotionally. You don’t need to be concerned with anything else.”
The regard he had for her feelings gave her a warm glow, but she told herself he was only being kind. “I’ll be fine. I know how to handle Gail in my own way too.”