by Wendy Vella
“I can keep saying sorry, but I guess now what we need is action. So how about you and I at least try to be friends, and then maybe the sibling thing will come?”
“I guess, but it’s hard to even think of letting anyone inside when you’ve kept yourself isolated for so long.”
“You and Ava didn’t keep in touch either?”
Charlie shook her head but didn’t elaborate, so Dylan didn’t push.
“Tell me what’s happened, Charlie. I really do want to help you if I can.”
She looked out the window across the water to the strip of island that had always been inhabited by what the locals had called the hippy community.
“I just received a phone call from my boss at the bank. They fired me.”
“Why?”
“Supposedly they have proof that I was filtering money from someone’s account into one I had set up. As I’d only been doing it a month, they are dismissing me instantly, but there will be no charges as the money was recovered.”
“Jesus, Charlie!”
“I didn’t do it, Dylan. I would never do something like that. That job is my life. Without that I have nothing.”
“What about friends?” Dylan needed to ask the question. Surely she had some of them?
“I had no time for friends, my work took up all my time.”
His work had consumed him too.
“But you find time for your art, right?”
“No, and that’s not important. This is.”
“But—”
“I’ve been set up, Dylan,” she interrupted him. “But they won’t even give me a chance to discuss it, or clear my name. My desk has been cleared and I am not welcome back. Mr. Williams said if I challenge this, they will throw the full force of the bank behind their prosecution.”
“You have every right to fight this, especially if you are innocent.”
She cupped her face in her hands, and Dylan felt helpless. Going on instinct, he ran a hand up her back.
“I can’t believe this is happening to me. Why would someone do this?”
“It could be a bank mistake, but unlikely, as they’d have checked all variances before firing you, surely. But if that’s not the case, then someone is setting you up.”
“You believe me?” She sat upright, looking at him.
“Of course. I knew you for the first fourteen years of your life, and you were the most honest person I ever knew, and possibly still are... besides me.”
“B-but you don’t know me.”
“I believe you, Charlie.”
“Th-thank you.” She pressed her fingers to her mouth. “I don’t know what to do, Dylan. I have no job, and won’t be able to work in banking again, as word will spread that I’ve been dismissed. I don’t know who would do this to me.”
“Is there anyone you work with that you trust to call about this? Someone who may have heard something.”
She nodded, then dug around in her handbag for her phone. He then listened as she made a call to someone called Delia. She asked questions, listened, and after a few minutes hung up.
“Delia is my boss’s PA. She said that all the staff received was an email that I had left, not reasons why. But she knew, as she’d overheard.”
“Did she believe it?”
“No.”
“There you go then.”
“But who would do this to me?”
“That I don’t know, but I have a few contacts. Maybe I’ll get them on to doing some digging for you?”
The eyes she turned on him were no longer cool and emotionless.
“They can do that?”
“They can.”
“B-but is it legal?”
“I would never ask someone to break the law on my behalf, Charlie” was all Dylan said. “I need some information from you, and when we get back to the house I’ll make a call.”
“Really? Oh Dylan, I would be so grateful.”
“I don’t know what I can do, but I know a few people who know a few people.”
“You sound like a mob boss.”
“It’s always been something I’ve aspired to.”
“I hear it’s hard to get insurance.”
He snorted. He remembered this about Charlie. She had a dry sense of humor when she let go.
“Is Ava talking to you?”
“Nope. In fact, I think it’s fair to say she hates me,” Dylan said, digging in the side pocket of his door. Coming up with some wet wipes, he handed them to her. “You look like a panda.”
She flipped down his visor and looked at herself in the mirror. The sound she made was like a wounded animal.
“You couldn’t have said something sooner?”
“Sure, but where would the fun be in that?”
“Those women must think me crazy. I barely spoke to them when we went hiking, then again in Maggie’s house. I then told them that not everyone lives their life like an episode of Friends.”
“Why?”
“They were asking about my life in Dallas and I got defensive. Then I have a breakdown over a phone call, and you come and rescue me.”
“It does make you sound crazy.”
She swung her bag at him, hitting him in the chest.
“Ouch. Why did you go hiking with them?”
“I was in the art gallery.” She pointed to a sign that said Artsy Fartsy.
“Nice name.”
“Maggie Winters owns it. Anyway, I was browsing and she started talking. I told her I was going to hike up Roxy, she asked to join me, and I didn’t know how to say no.”
“Because?”
“We were once friends.” Charlie exhaled loudly.
“They all seem like nice people.”
“They are, it’s just that I’m not used to that.”
“That being?”
“Interacting with others. I spend most of my time working, and if I socialize it’s usually through work.”
Her life sounded exactly like his.
“Piper seems nice,” Dylan said, because he wanted to know what his sister thought of her.
“She exudes confidence.”
“In a good way?”
Dylan started the car and headed back to their parents’ house.
Charlie sighed. “I’ve never been like that. She can just walk in a room and have everyone’s attention, and I don’t think she cares very much what people think about her either. She’s just happy with who she is.”
“Has she always been like that?” He was shamelessly questioning his sister about a woman he’d decided he needed to avoid.
“Pretty much, although when I first met her she was a bit more withdrawn.”
“You two close in school?”
“Kind of. I mean we were both Maggie’s friends, so we hung out.”
Dylan made a noise that said he understood. He then heard his sister sniff.
“Wh-what am I going to do, Dylan?”
“We’ll get to the bottom of it.”
Someone had stolen from Charlie, and that was bad, but for the first time in a long while, Dylan felt like he was close to someone, and that someone was one of his sisters.
“You get me that info, then I’ll make a call. We’ll go see Dad, and then go out for a meal or something.”
“I have no job. I need to watch my money.”
“I’ll pay, then you’ll owe me.”
“I just lost my job for something I didn’t do. Have a heart.”
“I’m a Howard, we don’t have those.”
Her laugh was genuine. Dylan then did something else he hadn’t done in ever... he reached across and grabbed his sister’s hand and squeezed it hard.
“It’s going to be okay, Charlie.”
Ava was sitting in the kitchen when they walked in. Her face screwed up in concentration as she stared at the small screen of her phone.
“Hey.”
She didn’t lift her eyes.
“Ava, don’t be rude. Dylan said hello.”
“Hello.” Ava
looked up at Charlie’s words, then back down to her phone.
“Okay, I need you to write down those details for me, Charlie, and I’ll call my friend and see if there’s anything he can find out about what’s going on. Then we’ll go out for a meal. You want to come, Ava?”
“No.”
He saw the curiosity in her eyes. She wanted to know what was going on.
“Yes,” Charlie said. “If I have to suffer through a meal with a brother I don’t know, then so do you.”
“I’m twenty-three, I don’t have to do anything either of you say. Besides, I’m going out with Zander.”
She got out of her chair and stormed from the room.
“She was such a sweet child.”
“And we left her,” Charlie said. “Just like we left each other.”
Dylan watched his other sister walk away from him, but he had the feeling that this time, with this one, it was different. This time he and Charlie had forged a small bond, and it surprised him how much he wanted to build on that.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Piper wasn’t sure why she’d agreed to the double date with Maggie, not that she’d been given a lot of choice in the matter. Her friend could be determined when she was set on something.
“Oh yes, I love hiking the mountains. It’s a favorite pastime of mine.”
Swallowing a snort at Maggie’s words, Piper listened as she talked to one of the men, attempting to impress him with a detailed report about their hike today.
Maybe she was bored? Or was it simply an attempt to forget about Dylan Howard? Whatever the reason, Piper was regretting it now. She’d much rather be home, either in the hot tub, or curled up watching TV with her favorite cookies.
“So tell me about this Coffee Run. I’ve seen the posters up all over town,” Chad, the man across from her, said.
He wasn’t bad to look at—some would even call him handsome—but Piper just wasn’t in the right mood for small talk with a man who thought he was pretty special.
“It’s an annual thing, Chad.” Piper made herself smile. “We get paired up with someone, then run up and down some of the mountain tied to them while carrying a mug of coffee. First down with the most coffee still inside wins.”
Chad had smooth good looks, golden hair, and a nice smile... a little too nice. It had a fake edge to it. Piper knew that wasn’t fair, and actually what she was thinking was he didn’t have a smile like Dylan’s, which pissed her off, because since he’d rolled into town she’d been hard pressed to push him out of her head.
“Sounds quaint.”
Piper thought that sounded condescending but didn’t say anything.
It wasn’t like she hadn’t met a few nice Chads in her time... or Petes, and Johns for that matter. It was just she was... what? Bored? Unsettled? Needing a challenge, and not just on the man front. Piper needed to do something that pushed her.
Life had slowed over the last few years, and lately she’d been thinking about what she could do to fire up her imagination again. There was a house close to Maggs that had come up for sale. It was run-down and needed some serious work, but she didn’t mind hard work. The old Ledger place could be just the project she needed.
“Oh yes, the Coffee Run is so much fun,” Maggs said, smiling at her man, who was falling all over himself to look down her shirt. “If you’re still here you should come along.”
They laughed it off, and Piper had the feeling that “quaint” meant “backward” to these two.
She let her eyes and mind wander as Chad started talking about himself and how important he was. Piper had already looked over the little house, and it had potential. Her mom hadn’t mentioned Mr. Goldhirsh moving in anytime soon, and Jack and Luke had no plans to leave, but they’d find women to settle down with sooner or later, and Piper wanted a place to call her own when that happened.
As yet she hadn’t discussed her idea with anyone in her family, but she would soon if she decided to go ahead with the purchase. Her thoughts shut off briefly as she watched Dylan and Charlotte Howard enter the restaurant. As if sensing her, Dylan looked her way, impaling her with that ice-blue look.
Everything stilled inside Piper, almost as if she was suddenly running in slow motion. It was unnerving to be aware of someone like that. She’d barely spoken to him and wasn’t entirely sure she liked him either. He was so very different from the other men in her life. Emotions were something he kept close to his chest, and his expressions were cold and calm.
Yet he had danced with the seniors and when he’d talked about Ava he’d been genuinely worried. Plus, there was the kiss they shared. That was definitely not cold and unemotional, and today he’d come for Charlie when Maggs called him.
Dragging her eyes away, Piper focused on Chad, who was talking about this PR company as if it was responsible for holding the country together and reducing the national deficit.
“Charlotte.” Maggs waved, and Piper resisted the urge to yank her friend’s hand down and growl at her to shut up.
“Hello, Maggs.”
Piper made herself look up at Charlotte Howard. She looked uncomfortable, and who wouldn’t after what happened earlier today.
Introductions were made, and Dylan shook hands with the men. The Howards wore identical expressions of emptiness. They must be hell to play poker with.
She wondered how deep a person had to dig to expose the true Charlotte and Dylan Howard. Piper had seen glimpses with Dylan, and today with Charlotte, but it hadn’t lasted long. No way was she up to the task, but still, she was curious.
“I was just telling Chad and Dave about the Coffee Run,” Maggs said, sounding chatty and ignoring the tension that was suddenly thick enough to cut.
While her friend talked, Piper picked up her bread roll and ate, which in turn forced her eyes from the Howards.
Dylan wore casual yet expensive clothes. Steel blue sweater, black jeans, and black leather boots. Casual clothes that looked anything but on that body.
“I saw the signs,” Charlotte said when Dylan remained silent.
Piper shot him a look, and his eyes were on her. She looked away again.
“Why don’t you join us?”
No!
“No, but thank you.”
The words were cool, as was the nod accompanying it. Dylan then placed a hand on his sister’s back and walked her away.
Piper exhaled as they left. Luckily they moved out of her sight, which she guessed meant they sat behind her, so she could block them out.
They ate; she made herself smile and laugh and taste the lodge food, which was always good.
Ted Hosking owned the place, and Piper had to admit the interior was something. All natural colors, with polished floors and thick carpets. The lodge had a restaurant, bar, and dance floor. There was a day spa, gym, conference rooms, and pretty much anything you could possibly need.
Winter hadn’t arrived fully yet, so the place wasn’t packed with skiers, but as soon as they had the first big dump it would be busy.
“Shall we go to the bar? I hear the band playing is good,” Maggs suggested. Piper swallowed down her negative reply and got to her feet. One night; surely she could give her friend that much. But Maggs would owe her.
“Great,” Chad said, giving Piper a look that suggested he thought he’d get lucky tonight.
Not happening, buddy.
Piper followed the small group and her gaze found the Howards before she left the dining room. They were in conversation, but Dylan looked up suddenly, and directly at her. He frowned, then returned to his meal without so much as a smile.
Asshole.
The bar was an extension of the entire inside of the lodge with stone hearths and paneled walls that held local artwork. In here part of the roof was glass so in the winter months guests could sit in the warmth and watch snow fall.
“Well hell, if it isn’t a Trainer in the house.”
“Ted.” Piper looked him in the eye. They may not be best friends, but there w
as a healthy dose of wary respect there.
Tall, and built like a linebacker, he was a rough diamond who’d been polished to fit into this world, but there was an edge to him that said if you messed with this man you would come off second-best.
“Let me buy you a drink.”
“No, we got it, but thanks.”
“Yes,” Maggie said at the same time.
Ted gave Piper a smile that suggested he’d won this round, as Chad and Dave were pretty quick to agree to a free drink too.
“Hey, little girl.”
“Oh hey, Fin.” Piper kissed his cheek.
“Hey, Maggs.”
“Hi, Fin.”
Piper loved Fin like a brother. He was close to Joe, and had followed her cousin here for a visit and ended up staying. He was a heartbreaker who knew exactly when to use that killer smile.
“Fin, you coming over for pool night?” Ted asked him.
“Sure, next month right?”
“Yup.”
“It’s a date, but remind me because unlike you I have real work to do.”
Ted smiled that shark smile of his. “Unlike you playing around in the great outdoors, ranger boy, I do the real work.”
Pool night was really an excuse for drinking, pizza eating, and guy talk. Piper’s cousins loved it.
Maggs introduced Chad and Dave. Fin didn’t look happy to meet either of them.
“So what, this is like a double date?” He looked from Piper to Maggs. “And you’re the one who likes hiking, right?” His eyes moved to Dave.
“That’s none of your business, so shut up. You’re embarrassing me,” Maggs hissed.
“I’m not embarrassed,” Piper said. “You know my cousins, right? They’d have got Chad’s net worth by now.”
“True that,” Fin said. “And on that note—”
“How about a dance, Piper?” Chad looked nervous.
“Sure.” She moved to the dance floor with him. Dancing had always been something she enjoyed, and as a kid when things were tough, she’d often escaped into music.
“You move well.” Chad closed the distance between them, placing his hands on her hips. “Want to move with me later?”
“Don’t think so, but thanks. I’m not really a one-night-stand kind of girl.”
He didn’t look happy about that. “I’m leaving tomorrow.”