Mrs. Seaver gave Hadley a small wave. “We’ll have lunch and get to know one another. Don’t worry about this one.” She jerked her thumb in my direction. “As for you, Mr. The World is Falling Apart, I don’t know what to tell you. Apparently the shoot is going to fall through. I don’t see how you can fix that.”
She seemed resigned.
“What happens if he can’t perform the shoot?” Galen asked, correctly reading Mrs. Seaver’s mood despite her best efforts to put on a brave face. “You still get your money, right?”
She shook her head, causing my heart to drop. “No. The payment is contingent on him completing the shoot and having all the items I promised at his disposal.”
“Son of a … .” I viciously swore under my breath. That was the last thing I wanted to hear.
“June, how could you make a deal like that?” Galen sounded exasperated. “You should’ve demanded payment up front.”
“The only reason I secured this contract is because I agreed to his terms. The other hotels wouldn’t. It was too much money to pass up.”
“Well, that’s just … great.” Galen rubbed his hand over Hadley’s back as he considered the conundrum. “What are we going to do?”
“There’s nothing you can do,” Mrs. Seaver countered. “It’s hopeless. It’s over … which means I can’t afford this surgery tomorrow and I need to get out of here.” She moved to slide her legs out of the bed, grimacing as she shifted her hip.
“Stop that,” I commanded, pushing her legs back under the covers. “You need this surgery. You’ll be hobbled otherwise. You can’t go without it.”
“If it’s going to bankrupt me, I can most definitely go without it. I’ll just … get a wheelchair or something.” She looked horrified at the thought. “I can make that work.”
Galen opened his mouth to speak but I stopped him by slapping a hand over his gaping maw. I had no idea what he was going to say, but what I had to say was better.
“There’s nothing wrong with a wheelchair,” I offered, my voice low and gentle. “Absolutely nothing. I’m in awe of people who navigate this world in wheelchairs. We’re not there yet. You don’t have to give up your mobility because of this. We’ll figure out a way.”
“And how are you going to do that?” Mrs. Seaver’s voice cracked it was so laden with emotion. “How are we going to fix this?”
That was a good question. I didn’t have an answer. All I could do was look to Galen for help. I was hoping he was ahead of me on this one. Apparently not, though, because all he offered was a palms-out shrug.
“We need specifics about the contract,” Hadley replied, taking everyone by surprise. She sounded determined … and deadly serious.
“What do you mean?” Mrs. Seaver knit her eyebrows, confused. “It’s a standard contract.”
“There’s no such thing as a standard contract.” Hadley was calm. “My father is a lawyer. Can you get me a copy of the contract? If so, I’ll bet we can come up with a loophole.”
“The contract is back at the hotel, in my room.”
“Then that’s where we’ll go,” I said, grabbing Mrs. Seaver’s hand and giving it a hearty squeeze. “We’ll figure this out. But you need to stay here. This surgery is important.”
“I don’t know.”
“You have to,” Galen insisted. “We need you for a little bit longer. You’ve met my girlfriend. She’s out of control. I need your help to rein her in.”
Hadley rolled her eyes. “Forget that. I want you to teach me how to control these two.” Her eyes sparkled. “I bet you have mad skills.”
For the first time since we’d entered, Mrs. Seaver relaxed. “It’s not so hard once you know what you’re dealing with. We’ll talk.”
“Good.”
“That means you’re staying here, right?” Galen pressed.
She nodded but didn’t say anything.
“I want your word on it, Mrs. Seaver,” I prompted. “I’m not leaving this hospital until you promise you’ll stay here and have your surgery. Hadley is right. We’ll find the contract and figure out a way to make sure you get your money. Don’t worry about that.”
“I guess I don’t have much of a choice.” Her smile was rueful. “Thank you all so much. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“You’re never going to have to find out,” Galen insisted. “We’ll be with you forever.”
On that we could always agree.
PAIGE WAS FURIOUS when we returned to the hotel. The look she shot at me was right out of a bad horror movie. Not a real one with blood and guts, mind you. I’m talking about the type you see on Lifetime, the ones with bad acting and screaming psychopaths committing the worst crimes imaginable while never messing up their hair.
“What’s wrong now?” I asked, bracing myself for a meltdown.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she deadpanned. “Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that you left me with a bunch of morons who are screaming … and crying … and demanding piña coladas to make them feel better about their boss’s death. That’s just a wild guess.”
“Wow. You’re awesome with the sarcasm,” Hadley offered. “Did you major in that at college?”
The blistering glare that Paige leveled on Hadley was hot enough that Galen stepped in front of her. I doubted Paige would throw herself over the desk to get to Hadley … but stranger things had happened.
“Why is she even here?” Paige exploded.
“Because we need her,” was Galen’s simple reply.
“I think you mean your little friend needs her.” Paige gestured toward Galen’s groin while making derisive motions with her index finger. “Seriously, that’s another sign she’s an evil witch. If you only think with your penis and not your brain, that means you’re being controlled by a witch.”
“No, that means I’ve seen her naked,” Galen countered. “In fact … .” He trailed off. The way his body went rigid told me he wasn’t coming up with a particularly nasty insult for Paige. Something else was going on.
We both turned to the left at the same time, frowning when St. Pierre strode through the door. It was hot, humid and a storm was brewing, yet he still wore a full suit, complete with vest and obnoxious black shoes that couldn’t possibly have been comfortable given how narrow the toe was.
“Who is that?” Hadley asked, confused.
I ignored the question. “Do you need something specific, Mr. St. Pierre?” I asked, angling my body so I was partially covering Hadley from his view. I didn’t miss the fact that Galen did the same, and she was essentially dwarfed by both of us.
“I stopped by to see how things were going,” he offered. “I heard there might be a problem with the photographer.”
“There’s no problem,” I lied smoothly. I had faith Hadley would find something in the contract to help us. “I don’t know what you heard, but the reports are wrong.”
“Uh-huh.” He didn’t look convinced, his eyes bouncing off Paige and Nick before returning to me. “I’m glad to hear it.” He let loose an oily smile. “I’ll stop by tomorrow to make sure things are still chugging along. We don’t want this photo shoot – which could be a big boon for the island – to fall apart.”
“We won’t let that happen,” Galen promised. He looked to be holding his breath until St. Pierre left the lobby again, and then he exhaled in a whoosh. “That guy gives me the creeps.”
“Who is he?” Hadley asked.
“He’s with the DDA. He’s a bad guy.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that? I’ve wanted to meet someone from the DDA for like … forever.”
Galen merely shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, we need to find the contract, and then I’m taking Hadley home so she can call her father and go through it. That means you’re on your own with the models tonight.”
That sounded like my worst nightmare. “I’m sure we’ll find something to keep them busy.”
“Like your penis?” Paige challen
ged.
“I was thinking of piña coladas. We’ll send them over to Lilac’s bar. They’ll be the hit of the evening … and she’ll know how to keep them under control.”
“If you say so.” Paige rolled her eyes until she was staring at the ceiling. “I still think I should’ve been left in charge.”
“Yeah, well, get over it.” This was quite possibly the longest day I’d ever lived through. It was dragging on … and on … and on. “We need to find a loophole in that contract and save this shoot for Mrs. Seaver.”
Galen clapped me on the shoulder. “That’s exactly what we’re going to do. Don’t give up hope. We’ll figure it out.”
I hoped that was true.
Eight
Hadley and Galen were at the hotel early. I slept in one of the extra rooms because it made sense to be on the premises should something happen. I regretted that decision around 2 a.m. when the models returned and decided to get rowdy. It took the entire staff to put them to bed. Thankfully Nick and Paige weren’t on duty to witness the ordeal.
“You look crabby,” Hadley noted as she sipped coffee and eyed me over the brim of her mug. We’d decided to share breakfast in the dining room so we could go over the details of the contract. “Did you have a rough night?”
“Please.” Galen rolled his eyes. “He had a bunch of models demanding his attention. How rough could that be? If that’s rough, sign me up.”
Hadley slid a pair of slitted blue eyes at her boyfriend. “Oh, really?”
“I meant for him,” Galen offered hurriedly. “I wasn’t talking about for me. That sounds horrible because I already have perfection. He’s still searching, and those women probably have a lot to offer … deep down.”
Hadley’s expression didn’t change and I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.
“Smooth,” I supplied, shaking my head as I sipped my coffee. The caffeine was welcome. “As for the models having a lot to offer, I think you’d be surprised. Just last night I got offered group sex, the opportunity to hold back hair while one of them threw up, and a lot of groping hands.”
Hadley’s frown only deepened. “They groped you? That’s horrible. You should press charges.”
Galen and I snorted in unison.
“It’s not funny,” Hadley pressed. “How would you feel if some guy groped me?”
Galen’s smile fled. “That’s different.”
“How so?”
“Because I said so. If someone gropes you, I want to know about it.” He flicked his eyes to me. “And then we’ll probably need a night excursion to hide a body.”
“Duly noted.” I couldn’t help smiling at Hadley’s annoyance. “It’s different for men and women. In theory, I get why we should be equally offended. The thing is, most guys spend their entire formative teenage years desperately trying to get someone else to grope them so it’s hard to shake that mind frame.”
“Whatever.” Hadley’s expression was full of outright annoyance. “Men are weird. You’re both kind of disgusting. I think I need to start spending more time with women.”
“That’s also a specific mind frame that men enjoy,” Galen added.
“You’re so sick.” Hadley turned her attention to breakfast and enthusiastically dug into her omelet. “I can’t believe I put up with you guys being so gross.”
“I can’t believe it either,” Galen teased, poking her side. “You bear it all so stoically, too. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“If you don’t knock that off, I’m going to throw up,” I complained, grabbing a slice of toast and tearing into it. They seemed amused as I methodically chewed, to the point I could practically hear them giggling to one another telepathically. “Can we talk about something serious?” I barked. “Mrs. Seaver is in real trouble. I mean … real trouble. She could lose the hotel. We need to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“Calm down, Esmerelda,” Galen countered. “We’ve figured out a way to fix things.”
“You have?” That was a relief. “Why didn’t you lead with that?”
“Because it’s more fun to drive you crazy,” he replied without hesitation. “We have to get our jollies somewhere.”
“And I’m done talking to you.” I pasted what I hoped was a friendly smile on my face and focused on Hadley. “What did you find?”
“I sent a copy of the contract to my father.” Hadley took a break to drink her tomato juice, which only served to amp me up more. “He found a loophole right away. He really came through for us.”
Galen remained silent, which I found interesting. Hadley had obviously added the last part for his benefit, because I didn’t care either way.
“Not that I don’t want to know what’s going on between Galen and your father, Hadley, but let’s focus on Mrs. Seaver first and then we’ll tackle whatever thorny psychological issues you guys are dealing with,” I suggested. “How does that sound?”
“Like a good idea,” Galen automatically answered. “And, for the record, I don’t have any issues with Hadley’s father. I’m sure he’s a lovely man.”
“He is,” Hadley reassured me.
“A lovely man who wouldn’t let her grandparents see her and kept her away from this island for the entirety of her life,” he added.
“Ugh.” Hadley smacked her hand against her forehead. “I knew you would bring that up.”
I snapped my fingers between their faces to get their attention. “Listen, I get that you guys have little games you like to play. I’m guessing you play a lot of them over breakfast. That’s all well and good. You can be as kinky and weird as you want to be on your own time, but this is about Mrs. Seaver.”
Hadley looked as if she was about to say something snotty, but then reconsidered. It was obvious it took her a lot of effort.
“Of course,” she said after a beat. “Let’s focus on what Booker wants.”
“That’s not what I said,” I protested.
“It’s too late.” Galen looked unusually happy. “You’re in big trouble now. You’ll have to suck it up.”
“Well, great.” I glared at my plate. “Lay it on me.”
“I’ll lay it on you later,” she replied sweetly. “For now, suffice it to say that we’re fine as long as we find a professional photographer to complete the shoot. The contract doesn’t say anything about Jay having to be the one to take the photographs. It only stipulates a professional photographer.”
She looked pleased with herself – and I was thankful for the loophole – but I still didn’t understand. “Where are we going to find a professional photographer to take his place on such short notice? And how do we even know what shots are supposed to be taken?”
“We’ve got that covered,” Galen replied. “Jay had a notebook with him when he was knocked out. Oh, and he was knocked out. He was struck from behind with that bookend. We’re trying to get prints off it.
“I took the notebook into evidence,” he continued. “We know all the shots he was going to take, and with which models. The shots are the easy part.”
“Okay.” I was willing to play along. “Who do we know that’s a professional photographer?”
“Well, that was a little trickier,” Galen hedged. “I only know one. Hadley called him last night before we went to bed, and he agreed to help. He should be here shortly.”
I was baffled. “Who?”
“Um … you’re not going to like it.”
SHE WAS NUTS.
There was no other way to look at it. Hadley’s grand plan to save Mrs. Seaver’s hotel revolved around a mortician.
“Jareth Kern?” I was incredulous when he appeared in the lobby, wearing one of his patented black suits, the ones that scream “I work with dead people” rather than “I’m a suave business professional.” Even when Galen implored me to hear her out, I was beside myself. “This is the worst idea in the history of ideas.”
“I’m happy to see you, too, Booker,” Jareth drawled, his odd eyes dancing with
amusement. The dude is nice enough, but he gives me the creeps ... and not just because he works with the dead.
“He’s our only shot,” Hadley persisted. “We need a professional photographer. He fits the bill. He’s even a member of several professional groups in case Jay tries to cry foul when he wakes up.”
“He’s still out, by the way,” Galen added. “The doctors say it’s only a matter of time until he comes to. But even then he won’t be able to go straight back to work. He’ll be there at least two days.”
“Well, that’s lovely.” Really, what else was I supposed to say? “Far be it from me to question the almighty think tank that came up with this plan, but have you considered the other problem?”
“We have a list of shots,” Galen reminded me. “We know exactly what he wants. Jareth will make sure to take a lot of them so there are options.”
“Not that problem.” I was seething internally. “I’m talking about the other problem.”
“And what problem would that be?” Hadley asked innocently.
“I believe he’s talking about the fact that Jareth is a vampire,” Paige offered from behind the desk. She’d been watching the show with nothing short of glee. “It’s a bathing suit shoot. He can’t be out in the sun.”
“On the contrary, we’ve already discussed that,” Jareth argued. “As long as I have one of those big umbrellas from the back patio — actually, two would be better — I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll be here to help,” Galen added. “You and I can move the umbrellas when it’s necessary. We’ll just be extra careful.”
“That would be good.” Jareth’s smile was indulgent.
Umbrellas? That sounded complicated. “I don’t want to be the naysayer here. I really don’t.”
“But you will,” Hadley grumbled.
“I’m the practical sort,” I corrected. “What happens if there’s an accident and he goes up in flames in front of the models? I don’t know about anyone else, but I get the feeling that they aren’t aware that a separate world exists from the one they live in.”
“I don’t think they know about paranormals either,” Paige agreed.
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