‘Because you deserve it.’
‘I don’t.’
‘Yes, you do. You’re more experienced than I am, and you’ve stepped in time after time when I’ve been stumped.’ Kelsey grinned. ‘I try to make up for it by working more hours, but you outrun me on that front too. It’s not fair that I own fifty-five percent of the company and you own forty-five. You should have a controlling interest.’
Stuart shook his head. ‘That doesn’t bother me at all.’
But if he had got the inheritance he deserved, Kelsey thought, by now he would have been the sole owner of a business. He wouldn’t have needed a partner at all, particularly one who was younger and less experienced and owned a larger share of the business. ‘Stuart …’
His mood changed as quickly as if a switch had been flipped. ‘I wanted to show you a good time, Kelsey, and all I’ve done is go on about my own embarrassing life. Let’s have some more Sangria.’
Kelsey felt as if she should say something else about the experience that had scarred him, but he obviously didn’t want to talk about it anymore. She wouldn’t make him regret what he’d revealed or think he’d ruined her lunch.
She smiled radiantly at him. ‘I’m having a great time, Stuart. That’s why I’ve ordered the Ultimate Brownie Sundae!’
For the next fifteen minutes, while Stuart drank his Sangria and Kelsey dived into her sliced brownie and ice cream drizzled with chocolate and caramel, they talked only about where Stuart would be taking Eve for dinner on Friday and whether or not Giles Miller’s ailing mother gave him time to pursue a love life. Another large cabin cruiser passed by, the passengers waving. When Stuart raised his arm to wave, the cuff of his shirt pulled up and Kelsey saw a large bandage just above his wrist.
‘Stuart, what happened?’ she asked, staring at the bandage.
‘My car overheated the other day. I foolishly lifted the hood and the radiator spewed steaming water on my arm.’ He grimaced. ‘That steam hurt like hell – I had to go to the emergency room. The doctor acted completely annoyed with me, told me I’m definitely not a mechanic and not to tinker under the hood of a car again. I learned my lesson.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry!’ Kelsey exclaimed, although she thought Stuart’s explanation sounded rehearsed. She couldn’t stop her mind from flashing back to the barn fire. ‘When did you burn your arm?’
‘Uh, Saturday.’ He quickly pulled down his cuff. ‘It was before your grandfather’s funeral. I asked Eve not to mention it to you.’ He gave her a bright, not-quite-sincere smile. ‘It’s fine, really Kelsey.’
‘Good.’
He smiled again. ‘We’ve been gone nearly two hours. We’d better get back to MG Interiors before there’s a mutiny.’
As they walked through the restaurant on their way out, Kelsey spotted the distinctive perfect profile of a man with blonde hair and a golden tan. Although he kept his gaze firmly on his food, Kelsey didn’t need a second look to recognize Declan Adair.
Eve sighed as the credits rolled on Pride and Prejudice. ‘I never get tired of this movie.’
‘I don’t, either,’ Kelsey said, getting up to remove the DVD from the player. ‘I wonder how many movie versions have been made from the book?’
‘We could look it up on the Internet.’
‘I don’t want to waste time on research.’ Kelsey looked at Eve, who sat in the white leather recliner. ‘It’s so nice of you to sit here with me all evening watching movies.’
‘We’ve always watched movies I love. Like you, I could see them over and over.’
‘That’s good because I thought we could see Julie and Julia after this.’
‘Great. I never get tired of seeing Meryl Streep as Julia Child.’
Kelsey looked away from the case where she stored her DVD collection. ‘I should be brave enough to forget about someone who just stood in my alley smoking a cigarette.’
‘You are brave enough! I asked you if we could have a movie night. We haven’t had one for almost three months.’
‘Still, I’m sure Stuart would like you to be with him tonight – and you’d probably rather be with him.’
After a beat, Eve said, ‘Oh, I’m not too sure about that.’
Kelsey turned to face Eve, whose smile couldn’t hide a trace of worry. ‘Did you two have a fight?’
‘Not a fight.’
‘An argument.’
‘Not that, either.’
‘Oh. Well, I should stop guessing. It’s none of my business. I’m sorry for being nosy.’
‘I set you up to be nosy by saying I wasn’t too sure I wanted to be with Stuart tonight.’
Kelsey sat down on the floor beside the DVD case and faced her friend. ‘Then there’s something you want to tell me.’
‘It’s probably nothing.’
‘Then it won’t hurt to tell me what it is. Come on, Eve. I know when you need to talk.’
Eve sighed. ‘Stuart’s acting different. When I asked about how he got the burn on his arm, he nearly bit my head off. And someone keeps calling him. He usually goes into another room to talk and afterward he seems tense and troubled. Last night I didn’t know he was on the house phone in the bedroom when I picked up the living-room extension to call you. I heard Stuart saying, “Ted, I don’t know how—” Then an older man interrupted with, “You owe this to me! If you don’t go along, you know there will be consequences …” Suddenly Stuart said, “Eve, get off the phone! Right now!” A few minutes later, he came into the room furious and demanded to know how much I’d heard. I’ve never seen him like that, Kelsey, and I left. We’ve barely spoken since then and I’m not going to spend another night at his place until this is settled.’ She looked at Kelsey beseechingly. ‘If you have any idea what this is about, will you please tell me?’
Ted, Kelsey thought. Teddy Blakemore, the man Grandfather mistook Stuart for the morning of Lori’s funeral. The man who was in prison, who Stuart used to be close to. ‘I don’t know anyone named Ted,’ she said, realizing that Eve didn’t remember the name. And she wasn’t lying – she didn’t know anyone named Ted. But Stuart had talked about Teddy Blakemore when they had lunch. The man was on Stuart’s mind enough for him to open up to her about his past. Why? And why was he threatening Stuart?
‘Stuart has been under a lot of strain the last few weeks. He’s had to take over responsibility for MG Interiors. And he did care about Grandfather. They’d known each other a long time.’
Eve stared at her. ‘Why do I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me?’
‘Eve, I swear I don’t know what’s going on with Stuart. I’m just guessing. Did you tell him you’re going to stay at your apartment for a while?’
‘Yes. He apologized for getting mad at me but he didn’t ask me to stay.’
Kelsey got up, went to Eve and hugged her. ‘I’m sure he’s very sorry. And I know he loves you. He probably didn’t ask you to stay because he’s going through something and he’s afraid of blowing up at you again.’ She pulled back and looked into Eve’s eyes. ‘All relationships have their rocky times. It will pass. I’m sure of it.’
Eve looked on the verge of tears. ‘I hope so. I really do love him, Kelsey. I hadn’t even admitted to myself how much I loved him until this happened.’
‘I wish I had some wise words to give you. All I can advise is to be patient. I think you’re doing the right thing by going back to your apartment. Stuart’s a private person …’ She grinned. ‘Just like you. He needs to work out whatever is bothering him on his own, and then he’ll be the Stuart you love again. Don’t worry.’
‘Is that an order?’
‘Absolutely. Here’s what you should be worrying about – we’ve eaten all our treats for the evening and I forgot to go to the store today.’
‘That’s all right,’ Eve said. ‘We don’t need snacks.’
‘We don’t need them, but we want them. It’s a tradition. Let’s go to a convenience store and stock up. It’ll take less than half
an hour.’
Minutes later, they settled into Eve’s white Kia Optima. ‘You haven’t been going out alone at night, have you?’ Eve asked.
‘Not after that guy stood under my window smoking and singing.’
‘You did tell Pike about it, didn’t you?’
‘Yes. I’ll admit that he didn’t react too badly when I mentioned “Gimme Shelter.” I don’t think he believed I imagined the serenade with that particular song, but then he’s good at hiding his emotions. At least he didn’t blow me off by saying he’d check into it. After all, how could he check into it? But he advised me to stay tucked away in my apartment with the door locked after sundown. Now all I can think of is places I want to go after dark.’
Eve laughed. ‘Just tell someone they can’t do something—’
‘And that’s exactly what they want to do.’ Kelsey looked around the street, which was aglow with lights, and pointed. ‘Right up there on the right is a convenience store. They’ll have what we want.’
‘And more,’ Eve said.
They prowled up and down the brightly lit aisles, carrying a plastic shopping basket and picking up bags of pretzels and potato chips. Eve grabbed a can of cashew nuts. ‘I love these. I haven’t had any for months!’
‘Then by all means add them to the basket. Do we need anything else?’
‘Coke. Soft drinks are at the end of the aisle.’
As they stood perusing the array of soft drinks, Kelsey sensed someone watching her. She looked up to see Megan Reid standing a few feet away, staring at her. The girl was wearing tight jeans and her long black hair hung loose and shiny. She looked beautiful, fresh-faced and very young. ‘Hi, Kelsey,’ she said almost timidly.
‘Megan. How nice to see you.’
Almost immediately Brad walked toward Megan, although he was looking at the label on a jar of cheese sauce. ‘Hey, babe, do you like cheese dip with jalapeño peppers? It goes great with—’ He broke off, his gaze meeting Kelsey’s. ‘Oh. Hi, Kelsey. Uh, small world, isn’t it?’ He looked at Eve, who’d come up behind Kelsey. ‘Hi, Eve.’
‘Hello, Brad.’ Kelsey saw Eve’s glance flick to Megan then back to Brad. ‘I guess everyone’s hungry tonight.’
Brad and Megan laughed heartily as if Eve had said something hilarious. Kelsey saw Megan’s hand reach slowly for Brad’s before she self-consciously jerked it back. Brad clutched his jar of cheese. They were both nervous. ‘Are you two off to a bar next?’ he asked.
‘No. We wouldn’t be taking all of this food to a bar,’ Kelsey said dryly, and he flushed. ‘It’s movie night at my apartment.’
‘Oh! Oh, yeah! I remember how you like to watch movies at home!’ Brad boomed. He nudged Megan. ‘She watches them over and over.’
Megan’s pale complexion colored and she looked like she wanted to kick him. Kelsey would have laughed if she hadn’t been so uncomfortable. ‘I’m a good-time girl, Megan,’ she said lightly. ‘Give me an old movie and a bag of potato chips and I’m happy.’
Megan smiled with polite embarrassment. Eve took Kelsey’s arm and pulled her gently toward the front of the store. ‘I think we have everything we need. It was nice seeing both of you.’
Outside in the car, Kelsey and Eve broke into laughter. ‘Could that have been any more awkward?’ Eve asked.
‘Only if I’d told Megan to say hello to her father for me. At least we now know for certain that Brad and Megan are a thing. Her father would have a fit if he knew.’
Then Kelsey’s laughter died. ‘Brad likes to be a bad boy – to get away with things – but this time he’s taking a huge risk. If it got out that he was dating Megan Reid, it could end his career.’
ELEVEN
‘Hi, Dad,’ Kelsey said, still looking at the diagram of a master bedroom on her laptop. ‘To what do I owe the honor of a morning call?’
‘Morning? It’s ten-thirty.’
‘At MG Interiors we consider any time before noon as morning.’ She paused, tensing. ‘Is something wrong?’
‘Not with our family. I wanted to talk to you about the pictures you sent me last night.’
‘The pictures?’
‘From your phone.’
‘Dad, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t send you any pictures. Pictures of what?’
‘You didn’t … Oh.’
‘Dad, you’re scaring me. What pictures?’
‘Honey, around ten o’clock last night on my phone I got three pictures of Brad Fairbourne and Megan Reid. In one, Brad and Megan are standing on a porch. A bracket light was turned on and apparently a dusk-to-dawn light in the yard, so I could tell it was Brad’s house. In the second picture, they were standing in front of the picture window of the living room. They had their arms around each other and she was looking up at him. In the third picture, they were kissing. Passionately.
‘Megan is supposed to be staying with a girlfriend this week. But when Elaine calls Megan, she doesn’t answer, and she doesn’t return the calls,’ Truman said. ‘I talked to John yesterday and he was worried. Elaine was planning to go to the friend’s house today. Then last night I got these pictures and knew she was with Brad. John suspected they were seeing each other, but Megan has always laughed and told him he was being silly. Megan’s been acting strange for weeks. I wondered if you sent the pictures to me rather than directly to John because you didn’t know if he should see them. I thought you were leaving the decision to me. I could have just called him and told him Megan’s whereabouts – but I wanted them to have proof so that Megan couldn’t lie her way out again, so I called John first and then sent him the pictures.’
‘What did John say?’
‘He was livid. He was going to Brad’s last night and was prepared to drag Megan out if she wouldn’t come voluntarily. As for Brad’s place at the law firm …’
‘He’ll be fired?’
‘John will have to talk to the other two senior partners, but you know Brad was on thin ice because of his poor work anyway. I’m sure he’ll get his walking papers today.’
‘Oh, lord. Getting involved with Megan was so stupid of Brad. She’s beautiful, of course, but she’s barely eighteen and John is so protective of her.’
‘Considering the way Brad has acted since you broke up with him, he certainly wouldn’t be a good choice for anyone, no matter what their age. He’s really unstable, Kelsey. I dread to think what he might be capable of right now. He needs counseling. I’ve told Olivia several times, but she nearly takes off my head.’
‘I’m surprised you mentioned it to her.’
‘Why wouldn’t I?’
‘For fear of offending her.’
‘I don’t worry about offending Olivia Fairbourne. If she gets mad at me, she just does. Milton was a close friend of mine. Olivia was his wife and your mother’s friend so I’ve bent over backward to be nice to her. I know Lori thought we were having a love affair, but that was absurd. I hope Olivia makes a happy life for herself, but I certainly don’t care if she’s angry with me for telling the truth about her son.’
Kelsey felt as if her heart did a joyful little flip at that information.
‘But I wonder where the pictures came from if you didn’t send them?’
‘It’s hard to tell,’ Kelsey said vaguely, not wanting to discuss her and Eve meeting Brad and Megan in the convenience store. She didn’t want to drag Eve into the situation. ‘Someone did John and Elaine a favor, but it’s a little unsettling that someone was spying on Brad.’
‘Even if he’s spied on you?’
‘I don’t think he’s done that for a while. I’m not defending him. I don’t ever want to see him again, but still …’
‘You have your mother’s kind and forgiving heart,’ Truman said affectionately. ‘John gave me a quick call this morning. At least Megan is home now, although she’s furious. But John is even more furious. I wouldn’t want to be in Bradley Fairbourne’s position right now.’
Kelsey and Eve decided to have lunch
delivered to the business. They both had busy days and neither was in the mood to eat in a restaurant. Two hours after Kelsey spoke to her father, she and Eve were unwrapping chicken gyros at Kelsey’s desk.
‘Oh, I forgot to order mine without onions,’ Eve said after her first bite. ‘I’m glad I don’t have any meetings with clients this afternoon.’
‘Oh, don’t worry about the onions.’ She paused, taking a sip of 7UP. ‘Eve, Dad called me a while ago,’ Kelsey began. ‘He said that last night around ten o’clock he got pictures on his smartphone of Brad and Megan. There were three – one on Brad’s front porch and two inside the house in front of a window. They were kissing. Apparently Megan has been telling her parents she’s staying with a girlfriend.’
Eve looked at her blankly. ‘Pictures of Brad and Megan? Who sent them?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Well, it wasn’t me. I didn’t leave your apartment until almost eleven. Besides, I’m not stalking Brad Fairbourne, much less sending pictures of him and his girlfriend to your father!’
‘I know you didn’t take the pictures,’ Kelsey said calmly. ‘I just wanted to tell you what’s happened.’
‘But how strange!’ Eve mused. ‘We’d seen them in the convenience store not long before someone took the pictures of them.’
‘It’s odd all right. I didn’t tell Dad about us seeing them. Anyway, last night he called John and sent the pictures to him. John blew up. He was going after Megan last night.’
Eve cringed slightly. ‘Oh, God. I don’t know John Reid well but I’ve always gotten the feeling that he has one hell of a temper under that dignified exterior.’
‘He does. Though I have to say Megan needs a dose of it. I know that John can be overprotective, but she turned eighteen a couple of months ago and she’s always had a wild streak. She’s been leaving home for days at a time, not answering her parents’ phone calls and not letting them know where she is or if she’s all right. You saw her drunk in The Silver Dollar. John and Elaine are great people. They don’t deserve the anxiety she’s causing them.’
‘What effect do you think this will have on Brad’s job?’
Just a Breath Away Page 17