by Maria Geraci
Ha. Wouldn’t Ben get a kick out of that!
Mimi gave Jenna a meaningful look. “The Chamber of Commerce isn’t the only one ringing my phone off the hook. Larry called me this afternoon and gave me an earful.”
“Oh?” She tried to act indifferent, but the truth was even the mention of Larry’s name made her hackles rise.
“I’m just warning you, as a friend,” Mimi continued. “He’s still pretty upset about last week’s meeting.”
“About your accusation,” Pilar added.
“I thought we shook hands and made up.”
“Larry was completely and totally out of line bringing your personal life into the meeting,” Mimi said.
“And I was out of line as well,” Jenna finished, trying to be agreeable.
Mimi and Pilar gave each other another one of their famous looks, giving Jenna the distinct impression that the two women hadn’t just come into her office to casually chitchat.
“What now?”
“It’s just, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to apologize to him again,” Mimi suggested.
Apologize to Larry? Again? No way. She couldn’t be like Mimi who treated Larry like he was another one of her children. If it worked for Mimi, then fine. Jenna tried to be tactful and always remain professional. Catering to career politicians was a part of her job, but she wasn’t kissing up to anyone.
Pilar leaned forward in her chair. “We’re not trying to be nosy, but we have to know. Is Ben the one who gave you the hickey?”
There was no use denying it, so she nodded.
“As mayor,” Mimi said, “I need to ask, is there a conflict of interest here?”
“You mean, because of Ben? And the vote?” Jenna was stunned. She’d been so consumed with trying to prove Doug Wentworth guilty of something, that she’d lost sight of the fact that sleeping with Ben could be seen as compromising her upcoming vote.
“My entire agenda as city manager is to support the best interests of Whispering Bay. I would never do anything to hurt this city.”
“I never meant to suggest otherwise,” Mimi said kindly. “But as someone who’s been accused of letting her personal life interfere with her job as mayor, I can assure you, it’s not pretty when that happens. Some people always like to think the worst, you know?”
“I admit, Ben and I have seen each other a few times, but if you remember, I voted no on the offer, so he’s not benefitting at all from…whatever relationship we might have.”
“If you say there’s no conflict of interest, then we believe you,” Pilar said. “We’re all on the honor system here.”
Maybe this was a good time to tell them that somewhere floating out in the universe was a tape that showed her trespassing on restricted city property. Oh, and by the way, if you look real close, you’ll see me having wild crazy sex with the very same man you’re worried might be influencing me in the upcoming city council vote.
Oh my God.
Why hadn’t she seen this before? Why hadn’t he seen this?
I did hear some gossip in the legal circles about him and Tiffany hooking up. After he won her case, because it would be totally unethical of him to be boinking her while he was her attorney.
It seemed like ages ago when Pilar had said those words. Jenna wasn’t Ben’s client. She was worse than his client. She was someone with the power to sway a lucrative offer in his favor.
If she voted yes it could be seen that she’d been influenced by their relationship. And if she continued to vote no, then she could be accused of deliberately going the other way to avoid what looked like a breach of ethics.
Either way, she was screwed. There was no way she could vote objectively anymore. Which meant, she had to end her relationship with Ben. At least, for now. Maybe later, once this was all over…
Who was she kidding? He lived in Miami. She lived in Whispering Bay. It was never going to work between them.
Pilar studied her a moment. “What’s wrong? You look like you’re going to be sick.”
“I’m okay,” Jenna said, forcing a smile. “I’m just a little overwhelmed by all the work on my desk.”
“No,” Mimi said, sounding concerned, “your face is red. I think something is wrong with the air conditioning in here. Is it too hot?” she asked Pilar.
“I’m perfectly fine,” Pilar said.
Mimi got up and adjusted the thermostat. “There. I just turned it down a notch.”
“On a cheerier note,” Pilar said, “how did it go with your visit to Whispering Bay’s poster boy for bad behavior?”
“He’s creepily normal. He never once blinked when I brought up the forensics audit, so unfortunately I was way off base there.”
“Too bad,” Mimi said. “Zeke is dying to toss more charges at him. So, this is a little off topic, but you want to hear something weird? Remember how just the other day you were asking me about the video surveillance that We Gotcha does for the city? Looks like they’re about to earn their money.”
Jenna snapped to attention. “Why? What happened?”
“Zeke got a tip from someone who said they saw a couple of cars parked out by the new rec center Saturday night. He went to see Steve Pappas, but Steve says no one from the company had authorization to be out there so he’s demanding that Zeke get the video footage.”
Pilar moaned. “It’s probably some teenagers looking for a place to drink beer and smoke pot. I hope Zeke throws the book at them.”
“Oh, he plans to. Steve is adamant that everyone in town know that his construction sites are completely off limits. Apparently their insurance company is pretty anal about the whole thing. Even I wouldn’t dare step a toe on that site and it’s city property.”
Jenna felt like throwing up. She tried to slow down her breathing.
“FYI,” Mimi said, “we need to look for another surveillance company. We Gotcha, Inc is going out of business.”
“What do you mean they’re going out of business? Isn’t Stuart Malloy selling the company?” The second she said it she realized it would probably sound odd, because how on earth would she know something like that?
“Selling it?” Mimi looked confused. “Not that I’m aware. He told Zeke that the company is getting too big and he wants to spend more time with his family. He’s having his team take down all the cameras, so we need to find another company pronto. But who knows? Maybe he did sell it, and the new owner wants to change up the name and go after their own contracts. If that’s the case, we can always approach them and see if they want to give us a price break.”
Had Gavin succeeded in buying the business? The plan had been to take possession of the company, not dismantle it. None of this made sense.
Mimi and Pilar lingered a while longer, talking about tomorrow’s vote. Jenna pretended to listen, but all she could think about was the fact that at this very second, Zeke Grant could be watching that video. Her professional reputation, everything she’d worked so hard to achieve was all on the line.
She had to get to Ben. He would know what to do. It was the only thing keeping her from jumping out a window. Of course, city hall was only a one-story building, so that wouldn’t solve anything.
The second Mimi and Pilar left her office, she dashed to her car. Ben said that packing up his mom would only take a few hours so he must be home by now. She drove to his rented beach house, ran to the door and knocked.
It seemed like forever before the door swung open. A tall blonde wearing nothing but a bikini and a sheer cover-up stared back at her.
Jenna felt an odd sort of déjà vu. She’d know that body anywhere, especially since she’d Googled it often enough in the last couple of weeks. Tiffany McAdams stood in the doorway to Ben’s house looking as if she owned the place.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Sorry, I was out by the pool. Can I help you?”
Jenna couldn’t help but stare. Weren’t celebrities supposed to look completely different in real life from their photoshopped pictures? Her golden s
kin was flawless, her long hair shiny and straight, and my God, the woman had the tightest abs Jenna had ever seen in real life. And let’s not forget the most celebrated boobs on the planet! The whole thing was beyond depressing.
“You’re Tiffany McAdams,” Jenna blurted. It came out sounding ridiculous because of course Tiffany didn’t need to be told who she was.
Tiffany’s expression, which up to now had been neutral, turned cold as she peered over Jenna’s shoulder. “You’re not with the paparazzi, are you?”
“The—no, I’m a friend of Ben’s. My name is Jenna Pantini,” she croaked out.
“Ben isn’t in right now.”
“You mean he’s still helping his mother pack?”
Tiffany let her guard down and smiled. “Oh! So you really do know Ben. Sorry, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful. Ben says I’m too suspicious, but you never know. Please, come in.”
She ushered Jenna through the door. “I thought I knew all of Ben’s friends, but I’m pretty sure we’ve never met. I would have remembered someone who looked like you. Want a drink? Ben doesn’t keep liquor in the house, but I’m sure you know that, so I always come prepared. I have wine. Red or white. You pick.”
“Nothing for me,” Jenna said. What was Tiffany McAdams doing here? She’d spoken to Ben eight hours ago, and he’d never mentioned anything about Tiffany being at his house. It was like Jenna had been thrust into an episode of The Twilight Zone where she was the main character and everyone else knew what was going on except her.
“Excuse me a minute,” Jenna said, getting out her phone. She dialed Ben, but it immediately went to voice mail so she left a message to call her back as soon as possible.
Tiffany topped off her wine. “Have a seat.” She sat on the couch and patted the space next to her. “You look like you just got off work. Sit and relax and we can dish the dirt on Ben.”
Jenna sat down, too numb to do anything else. “I’m not sure I have anything to dish.”
Tiffany studied her over the rim of her wineglass. “Sure you do. Why don’t we start by telling each other how we each know Ben.”
“Okay. Um, thirteen years ago for one semester Ben and I were study partners at the University of Miami. Then a couple of weeks ago he showed up here to handle a case I’m involved with. So we’ve…reconnected. I’m sorry,” she said, too wired up to sit here making small talk while her career was about to explode, “but Ben said he’d be here tonight. Are you sure he’s still in Hopalinka?”
“I’m afraid so.” There was sympathy in Tiffany’s eyes. It was the look a woman gave to another woman she suspected was about to get her heart smashed open.
“So how exactly do you know Ben?” Jenna asked, pretending she didn’t know the whole story already. But she was curious as to how Tiffany would describe their relationship.
“Ben is my best friend. And he’s also my business partner.”
“Really?” She hated the rising hostility in her voice, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.
Tiffany sniffed. “Yes, really. We live two miles apart from one another in Miami and we either see each other every day or talk on the phone. To be honest, I’ve missed him. So I came up yesterday to surprise him. I spent most of the day in Hopalinka helping move his mother but I had to come back to the house for a conference call. I’m pretty sure the family won’t be back till late tonight, if at all. Thirty-six years is a lot of memories to pack up.”
Jenna felt the room spin.
He’d lied to her. Maybe not lied exactly, but he’d told her the packing would only take a few hours. Obviously, he hadn’t wanted her assistance. Not when he had his “best friend” here to help.
Tiffany softened her voice. “I’m sorry, Jenna. It’s obvious to me that you’re in love with Ben.”
“What? No! You’ve got that all wrong.”
“You should have seen the look on your face when I answered the door.”
“Okay, so I was surprised to see you, but that’s only because he misled me into believing that he’d be here tonight.”
“Are you calling Ben a liar?”
“I never said that exactly.”
“No, you were careful.”
“Obviously not careful enough,” she muttered.
Tiffany looked at her shrewdly. “Maybe I shouldn’t have invited you in.”
“Maybe you’re right.”
“Let me tell you something about Ben. I met him when I was at the lowest point of my life. My husband had just died, literally right in front of my eyes, and the entire world thought I was nothing but a joke. Do you know how many lawyers wanted to take my case? None. He didn’t just fight for me, he became a champion for women everywhere. He’s the best person I know.”
“A champion for women everywhere? Wow. And I’m the one who’s supposed to be in love with Ben? It sounds like you’ve got a pretty bad case of that yourself, lady.”
Tiffany’s face went scarlet. “I admit, there was a time when I had strong feelings for him, but they weren’t reciprocated, and I got over it, and now…never mind. I know Ben’s not a saint, but he’s not the kind of guy who goes around misleading women. So I’m sorry if you misunderstood your relationship with him, but if Ben wanted to see you today, he’d have been here. Or at the very least, he’d have answered his phone.”
“And on that note.” Jenna stood to leave.
Tiffany let out a sigh. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come across like a hard-ass, but you can’t come into Ben’s house and talk shit about him. I just won’t have it.”
How had things disintegrated so quickly? She’d had enough female bonding for the night. “Please don’t tell Ben I came by. Or tell him. I really don’t care.” She grabbed her purse and scurried out the door. If she had a tail, it would be tucked between her legs.
She wasn’t in the car five seconds when she’d called Kate.
“I think I just got in a catfight with Tiffany McAdams.”
“Ooh! Who won?”
“She did.”
“Now that’s depressing. Where are you?”
“I’m in my car. I just left Ben’s, where apparently, Tiffany is staying as his houseguest.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. And it gets worse. She’s just as gorgeous in real life as she is in her photos.”
“Witch.”
“And it gets even worse than that.” She proceeded to fill Kate in on everything that had happened in the last few days.
“Jenna, this is really bad. What are you going to do about that video footage?”
“I’ve thought about breaking into police headquarters and stealing it, but there’s always the chance that I’d get caught and orange isn’t really my color.”
Kate was silent.
“I’m joking, Kate. I have no idea what I’m going to do.” Except she did know. She just didn’t want to think about that right now.
“Is there anything I can do? Should I drive up? I know I can’t fix this but at least I can be there for moral support.”
Tears threatened to spill. She couldn’t start crying or she might never stop. “I love you, you know that? But…no, there’s nothing you can do except what you’re doing now.”
“I love you, too,” Kate said softly. “So, do you think that Ben and Tiffany are a thing?”
Jenna thought it over. “No. I mean, obviously they’re even closer than I thought, and she has this unnatural hero worship going on for him, but he told me they were just friends, and I believe him.”
“So then you and Ben have a shot?”
“No.”
“But—”
“He lied to me, Kate. He didn’t want me to help with his mom’s packing, which is fine, but why tell me something that wasn’t true? And why didn’t he tell me that Tiffany was here visiting? I talked to him this morning and he never said a word.”
“Maybe he was afraid you’d get the wrong idea.”
“Then he doesn’t trust me, and maybe that’s even wors
e than lying.”
* * *
Jenna checked her cell phone but there was still no message from Ben. She swallowed her pride and called again, but it went directly to voice mail, so she hung up. Tiffany was right. Ben didn’t want to talk to her.
The good news (if you could call it good) was that while there wasn’t a message from Ben, there also wasn’t a message from Mimi telling her she’d been fired. She paced her living room floor. Maybe she should have come clean about the tape with Mimi and Pilar this afternoon in her office, but she’d been so certain that Ben would handle things.
What an idiot she’d been to think that she could depend on him. He might be Tiffany’s champion, but he certainly wasn’t hers.
Something about that little speech of Tiffany’s had been bothering her ever since she’d left Ben’s house. So Ben and Tiffany were business partners, huh? Was she a part of the business that Gavin helped him run? And if not, exactly what sort of business did they have?
She pulled out her laptop and Googled Ben’s name. At least a dozen pages came up, most of them having to do with the Martinez and Martinez Law firm, but there were also hits for a company named Roar, Inc. This must be the small company that Ben mentioned owning. But after reading a couple of articles, it was evident there was nothing “small” about Roar. No wonder he had enough money to go around buying video surveillance companies. Despite reading all the articles, however, there was no mention anywhere of Tiffany McAdams.
So she tried something different. This time she typed in both Tiffany and Ben’s name and hit search but instead of hitting the Images button like she’d done in the past, she hit the All button. Jenna sat back, dumbfounded, as page after page came up.