Believe in Me: A Rosewood Novel
Page 41
Like curious Pandora with her box, she’d opened the gaudy pink diary and, recognizing her mother’s handwriting, started reading. Having entered Jordan’s closet simply to borrow a sleeveless ratcatcher for an upcoming horse show, she left the closet with her perception of her mother forever altered. Damningly so.
She’d not only learned that her mother had been having an affair with someone she called “TM,” she’d also learned from entry after entry the depths of her mother’s resentment and dislike for her only child. According to her mother, she was endlessly spoiled and obnoxious, a drain that sucked all the energy out of her.
If Jade was the black hole in her life, this TM was her sun, the frigging life-affirming center of her universe.
It must have utterly destroyed Dad to read those words. And he had read them. Her sister Margot had been the one to stumble upon the diary first, finding it in a drawer in his office desk. Jade knew her dad well enough to realize that he’d have read the journal as obsessively as she, feeling more and more betrayed with each reading.
Jade despised whoever this TM was for getting involved with her mother. And since she now had access to the money her mother had left her, she saw no reason why she shouldn’t use it to hire a private eye. Dad would approve, even if Margot and Jordan didn’t. So the trick would be to make sure they never found out.…
Thank God, the traffic ahead had begun to move. She was actually going to get to shift into first gear and leave these dark thoughts behind.
Jade found a hotel outside of Norfolk. The place was ablaze with lights. No Bates Motel–like features about it. It occurred to her as she drove into the crammed parking lot that it might possibly be a bit too busy and, as she grabbed her duffel bag from the Porsche’s trunk, she hoped there was a free room.
The rain was still coming down in heavy sheets. In the few minutes it took to shoulder her bag, double check that her car was locked, and sprint across the parking lot, she was soaked. Stepping into the lobby, she blinked, disoriented by the bright lights and colors after staring into silvery blackness for so long.
Several guests were huddled around the reception desk, asking questions about breakfast and airport shuttles and what might entertain the kids if it was too wet to go to the beach tomorrow, and God knows what else while she shivered slightly in the chill of the air-conditioning and left wet footprints on the plush maroon carpeting. Finally the last guest ambled happily toward the bank of elevators and she stepped up to the counter. Dropping her duffel bag and placing her ultra-sweet Prada hobo bag (a graduation present from Margot) on top of the wooden counter, she smiled at the black-jacketed man behind the counter.
“May I help you?”
The receptionist was in his mid-thirties and looked like he’d been on duty for a while, in other words, tired and harassed. He also wore a wedding ring. Deciding that he didn’t look the type to hit on her, she gave him a friendly smile. “Yes, please. I’d like a room for the night.”
“Do you have a reservation?”
“No, I’m afraid not.”
He expelled a breath. “I’ll have to check and see whether anything’s available. We’ve had a crazy week, with two conferences going on. One ended yesterday, but we’ve just had a large wedding party arrive today.”
“I really hope you have something. I’ve been on the road all day, driving up from Florida.”
He looked up, his brows raised. “From Florida?”
Jade nodded. “From Ocala. I’m heading to Warburg. The rainstorm started somewhere in North Carolina, and then there was a pretty bad accident about twenty miles south of here. That’s when I realized it might be smart to call it a night. I Googled hotels in the area and yours had the best reviews. I’d like to avoid getting back in the car if at all possible.” Dragging her soaked hair from her face, she gave him another cheerful smile, as if she had no doubt that he’d do everything in his power to help her avoid that as well.
Margot and Jordan would never guess how much she’d picked up from them when it came to the art of sweet-talking. It definitely had its uses. Like now.
“Well, you’re in luck. We do have a room. It has a king-size bed, water views.”
She didn’t give a fig about the view, since she’d be on her way to Rosewood at first light, but a big bed would be heaven after the lumpy twin bunk bed she’d been assigned in Ocala.
“That sounds perfect.” Jade was already reaching into her bag. “Let me give you my credit card. Do you need my driver’s license, too?”
“Yes, and the license plate number of your car, please.”
As Jade waited for him to take down her information, the notes of a Rob Thomas song reached her. Turning her head toward the source, she saw couples wandering into a softly lit area.
“The bar looks nice.”
The clerk nodded, his eyes still fixed on the computer. “It’s got a dance floor, and Ray, our DJ, plays good music. On an evening like this, the guests really appreciate having a night spot they don’t have to drive to. Plenty of Norfolk residents like to come here for a night of dancing. Here you go, Miss Radcliffe.” He handed back her ID and credit cards. “And this is your electronic key. Your room number is 412. Take the elevator to the fourth floor and turn right down the hallway. The room will be on your right. Do you need help with your luggage?”
“No, thanks, I’ve got it.”
He smiled. “Then have a good night.”
“After nearly thirteen hours on the road, I’m going to sleep like a baby.”