Undercover in Glimmer Creek

by Julianna Morris

  Jamie took her shoes off and put her feet in the cool water. While she didn’t want to bother Tessa, maybe she should talk to her. Her cousin was older and had more experience with dating, so she might understand what was bothering Lance.

  She bent over and looked at the rippling currents in the water. She loved Glimmer Creek and didn’t want to leave. Her parents wanted her to go away to college in the fall, so she figured working at Poppy Gold and taking more classes down in Stockton was a compromise. Mom didn’t entirely agree; she kept saying it was only for a while, but four years was forever.

  Dad understood a little better.

  He’d grown up in Glimmer Creek and had convinced Mom to do her residency in family medicine with Dr. Romano, saying if she hated living there, they’d discuss going somewhere else. Twenty years later, they were discussing whether they wanted to buy a house outside the town where they could keep a couple of horses and some chickens.

  Jamie dug a toe into the soft sand of the creek bed. Maybe she should check and see if Lance was okay. He liked to shower and change his clothes before they got together, but what if he wasn’t feeling well? What if he’d gotten heatstroke or something from working outside this afternoon? It was the hottest day they’d had so far.

  Suddenly worried, Jamie got up, only to see Lance coming down the path.

  “Hey,” he said. “Sorry I’m late. I had to make two extra trips for water to give to the apple trees.”

  “That’s okay.” Jamie brushed the hair away from his forehead to see if the bruise was gone; it was hard to tell with his dark tan, but she thought so. “Should we sit down or go for a walk?”

  “Let’s sit.”

  Jamie happily sat down again. She wanted to ask if she was right, that something was bothering him, and about other things, too, like why he didn’t push for more than kissing, but right now it was enough that they were together.

  * * *

  LATE IN THE afternoon Tessa returned home following a visit with Uncle Milt at the ice-cream parlor on the pedestrian shopping street. They’d arranged to meet there so she could casually hand off the video recordings and copies of the threatening letters Rob McKinley had received.

  The letters were disturbing, pieced together from clips from magazines and newspapers, ugly in tone and sounding a little unhinged. How Rob could be so cool about it she didn’t know.

  Back at her apartment in the Victorian Cat, Tessa hastily changed into something appropriate for a wedding. She did her hair in a French braid and headed for the old town square park. The rows of chairs for the guests were already in place, and two industrial-sized misting machines had been set up, blowing water-cooled air over the area.

  While they weren’t the most attractive pieces of equipment, she had a feeling they’d be quite popular with the guests and bridal couple. Nobody had expected such a heat wave in May.

  Satisfied, she went to check the staff’s progress on setting up for the reception. Luckily they had air-conditioning in the concert hall.

  Inside, Aunt Polly turned around as she approached and smiled. “You look lovely, dear. I think the worst part about these things is figuring out what to wear.”

  “I’ve been thinking about that,” Tessa said. “Maybe we should have a standard employee uniform for formal events. Then nobody would have to keep a black skirt or pants and a white top in their wardrobe and we’d all be more easily identified. I’m not sure the sky blue armbands are enough.”

  Yet Tessa’s heart thumped painfully. Her mother had always resisted uniforms for employees other than the maintenance and housekeeping staffs, preferring to rely on a dress code and name tags. When Tessa had first taken over management of Poppy Gold, she’d instituted the armbands, but even that had felt as if she was stomping on Meredith Connor’s legacy.

  “Excellent idea,” Aunt Polly affirmed.

  To Tessa’s annoyance, Gabe’s comment about delegating floated through her head. He was a fine one to talk about delegating; he was a one-man demolition team.

  “Uh, yeah. Do you want to come up with something?” Tessa asked. “Maybe with a Victorian flair, but comfortable and practical?”

  Aunt Polly seemed pleased. “I’ll do several sketches and see where we could have them made. Something might even be available already with the uniform companies, so I’ll check them out, as well. But...uh...how about uniforms the rest of the time? I know my sister didn’t care for them, but you have to do things your own way.”

  Tessa let out a breath. “Sure. Come up with a proposal, and we’ll discuss how extensive to make it.”

  “Sounds good.”

  A chair clattered to the floor from a trolley, and Tessa jumped...mostly from realizing it was Gabe pushing the trolley. She hadn’t recognized him at first; he was wearing black shoes and pants and a long-sleeved white shirt, adorned with the usual sky blue armband. He looked entirely too tall and sexy for comfort.

  She hurried over. “Gabe, what are you doing here?”

  “Maintenance, naturally. One of the guys scheduled for tonight didn’t feel well, and I volunteered to fill in.”

  “Don’t you have other things to do?” she asked pointedly.

  “Not that I can think of. After all, you’re working and I’m lonely.”

  Lord. She didn’t want to pretend they were socializing, but other employees might well wonder why they were spending so much time together. Romance was a reasonable cover story. As for the investigation, Rob had left that morning, so Gabe was probably bored and at loose ends.

  She stepped even closer. “I’m going to play along, but you’re going to stay lonely,” she said in a very, very low tone.

  “Please don’t tell me we’re having our first fight,” Gabe replied, except his voice was loud enough that others in the concert hall might be able to overhear.

  Tessa regarded him blackly. With anyone else she might have suspected it was a twisted joke, but with Gabe McKinley, it was probably just part of the act.

  “Sorry, I have work to do.”

  She headed for the kitchen, only to have him call after her, “Tessa, are you sure it’s going to be too late for me to come over after the reception?”

  She froze.

  Finally she turned and looked back, wanting to tell him that having fun at someone else’s expense wasn’t the same as having a sense of humor.

  “Yes, Gabe, I’m absolutely positive.”

  To her everlasting annoyance, he actually smiled.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  TESSA ROLLED OVER in bed on Saturday morning, luxuriating in the one day a week she allowed herself an extra hour.

  The wedding had gone well, in spite of Gabe’s unexpected presence. He’d helped quite a bit, shifting chairs to expand the dance floor, etc. He’d tried to be unobtrusive, but one of the bridesmaids had tried coaxing him to dance. He must have been tempted—she’d been tall, slender and well-endowed in her low-cut gown. She also hadn’t seemed to be looking for more than a night of fun.

  Whether Gabe had succumbed was another question. At one point Tessa had spotted the other woman slip something into his pocket. A key? An invitation? Either way, it wasn’t her business, though he probably hadn’t because of the investigation.

  Tessa had just closed her eyes again when the doorbell rang. The only person likely to visit this early on a Saturday morning was her father, so she threw a wrap over her nightgown and ran downstairs. Pop got depressed when they had weddings at Poppy Gold, so she’d begun telling him to stay away from the events. She didn’t think it was because he begrudged anyone else their happiness; weddings were just another reminder that the love of his life was gone.

  “Hey, Pop, want some breakfast?” she said as she opened the door.

  Only it wasn’t Liam Connor standing there. It was Gabe McKinley.

&n
bsp; “You shouldn’t answer doors without checking who’s on the other side,” he advised, looking her up and down. “Especially dressed like that.”

  Tessa determinedly kept from blushing. Her light cotton nightdress wasn’t provocative. It was cool and comfortable and far less revealing than swimwear.

  “That’s none of your concern.”

  Gabe stepped past her into the apartment, and she scowled, irritated by the flash of feminine heat he provoked.

  “It’s customary to wait for an invitation. Were you raised in a barnyard?” she asked, shutting the door more firmly than necessary.

  “Nope, but I had a vodka-guzzling mother and work-obsessed father, so I’m afraid the social niceties were left out of my education.” The blunt response seemed typical of him.

  “I don’t think you’re afraid of anything.”

  “Just of my brother getting hurt.”

  “Fair enough. Where did Rob learn his manners?” Tessa asked, heading for the kitchen. She needed coffee to deal with Gabe McKinley, the stronger the better.

  “From one of our grandmothers. Grandma Ada moved back to Los Angeles soon after I enlisted. She’s a true, old-style Bostonian. Quite proper and correct.”

  Tessa ground coffee beans and started them brewing. “My mom’s parents are here in Glimmer Creek, but I still miss my Connor grandparents in San Francisco. Things are so busy I don’t get to see them often enough. Oh, I called my grandfather yesterday to tell him about the problems with TIP,” she added casually.

  Gabe stared. “You did what?”

  “I talked to Granddad, which is something granddaughters do occasionally. But don’t worry—he won’t say anything to my dad about the staircase or the thefts.”

  “Who cares about that? You just told the enemy that TIP has a problem.”

  “No, I told my grandfather. I asked if anyone has approached him or Connor Enterprises with offers of insider information. He doesn’t know of any, but he’ll check with his security staff.”

  Gabe paced the length of the small kitchen with the energy of a caged panther. “This isn’t a fairy tale, Tessa. He’ll use this against TIP. We may as well advertise it in the New York Times.”

  Tessa took eggs and cheese from the refrigerator, realizing Gabe genuinely didn’t understand that decent people vastly outnumbered the bad.

  “Calm down before you have a stroke,” she advised. “I’ll put this in terms you should understand—Granddad won’t say or do anything, if for no other reason than it would devastate Poppy Gold Inns.”

  “Poppy Gold stole both you and your father away from working with him,” Gabe snapped. “I’m sure he doesn’t harbor any fondness for the place.”

  “Nobody stole anything. My father was never happy until he met my mom,” Tessa said, feeling the familiar stab of grief. Would thinking about her mother always hurt this much? “Grandfather deeded Connor’s Folly to my parents because he knew Glimmer Creek was the right place for his son. He also knew I expected to manage Poppy Gold when my parents retired and was glad to have me in San Francisco for however long I could stay. He’s never once done anything to make me feel guilty for leaving.”

  “What about his empire?”

  “Maybe I’ll have a child who wants to run it someday.”

  Gabe’s expression turned even grimmer. “It’s irresponsible to bring children into such a screwed-up world.”

  Tessa began breaking eggs into a bowl, unsure of how to react. She’d heard men spout the same sentiment as if repeating something they’d read and used as a toss-off line to warn a date they weren’t looking for anything permanent. It isn’t right to bring kids into this kind of world, usually delivered in a smug, self-satisfied tone.

  But with Gabe, it was real and personal. He didn’t want children for the exact reason he’d given.

  “The world isn’t going to get better if people stop having kids,” she said finally. “Every child represents hope. They could become a Mother Teresa or brilliant doctor, or just a good person who adds to the decency in the world.”

  “Yeah, well you haven’t seen the things I’ve seen. Hideous, backbreaking poverty. Brutality at the most vicious level. Ruthless killing that doesn’t care about life, much less innocence.” He delivered the words in a clipped, almost emotionless tone, yet the rigidity in his posture spoke volumes. This was a man who’d seen the darkest parts of human nature and was still bleeding inside from them. “There isn’t much hope in any of that.”

  Tessa drew a shaky breath and began beating the eggs. Gabe had reasons for being such a cynic. Pop had also seen dreadful things while serving in the army...some so awful he still had intense dreams about them. It was partly why they tried to assist military men and women and their families.

  The coffee finished brewing, and she poured two cups, wordlessly handing one to Gabe. He stood at the kitchen window, staring into the garden. The Victorian gardens at Poppy Gold were lushly, romantically beautiful—an idyllic delight, enticing butterflies and birds to visit. Yet Tessa wondered if Gabe was seeing something else entirely.

  A pang went through her. Anyone who could have such deep wounds in his soul over the hurts and injustices of the world had to have a larger heart than he’d probably admit to having. Trying not to think about it, she swallowed a mouthful of coffee and put two skillets to heat on the stove. When they were ready, she poured in the egg mixture.

  “I’ll bet all those cats upstairs would love to get outside,” Gabe murmured after a long silence. “Lots of birds to catch. Or do you think Mr. Fezziwig would leave them alone because you asked him to be nice?”

  It was an obvious attempt to get a rise out of her, but Tessa wasn’t biting. “We keep the cats inside because it’s safer and healthier for them, but I’m sure they’d chase birds if given an opportunity.”

  “Then all they have to hunt are dust bunnies.”

  “We have a dedicated housekeeping staff, so I hope the cats don’t have those to hunt, either. However, they have toys in their rooms and lots of company.”

  Tessa added fillings to the omelets before dropping slices of bread in the toaster.

  “Do you want cream or sugar for your coffee?” she asked, noticing he hadn’t drunk any.

  “Neither. I prefer it black.”

  She shrugged and poured milk into her own cup. A few minutes later she cleared her throat. “Come and get it. I’m hungry, even if you aren’t.”

  * * *

  GABE TURNED AND blinked at the golden omelets sitting on the breakfast table. Without fuss, Tessa had produced breakfast for two. With another woman he might have wondered if she was trying to impress him, but Tessa’s low opinion of him wasn’t a secret.

  He liked that.

  He also liked that she wasn’t fussing about being in her nightgown. It was white, feminine and full to the ground. What she probably didn’t know was that despite the floaty thing she wore over it, the fabric was transparent enough to reveal hints of her figure. Curiously, it was just as provocative as a more revealing garment.

  “I didn’t expect you to feed me.”

  She shrugged and spooned jam on her toast. “Are you here to tell me something?”

  “Yes.” Gabe put his cup on the table and sat in a chair. “I told you that I have security contacts. One of them is coming next Friday for a few days. He owns a security business that does a little bit of everything, including private investigations.”

  “So he’s coming to do a reconnaissance.”

  “Exactly. I didn’t want KJ to arrive without your knowledge. I also figured you’d want to tell Milt about him.”

  Tessa hiked an eyebrow. “That sounds very self-righteous for somebody who’s been spying on us.”

  “Are you ever going to let that go?”

  She ate a bit of toast before a
nswering. “Probably not. Is KJ another ex-SEAL?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Married?”

  “Definitely not.”

  “Too bad. He might not stand out so much if he had a wife with him.”

  Gabe ate a bite of omelet. It was tasty, though that didn’t surprise him. Tessa was a pint-size dynamo who seemed capable of anything. Even after almost getting killed, she’d worked a full day and kept things moving at Poppy Gold.

  “I don’t think KJ will stand out, at least not in the way you think,” he said.

  “Now I’m curious.”

  “You’ll figure it out when he gets here,” Gabe told her. It was almost guaranteed that KJ would hit on Tessa.

  They finished breakfast in silence.

  “I suppose you’re working today,” Gabe said when she got up and put their plates in the sink.

  “This morning. Later this afternoon there’s an ice-cream social at the Veterans Memorial Hall, and I’m trying to convince Pop to go.”

  “Why wouldn’t he?”

  Tessa seemed to hesitate. “Remember I told you he met my mother at an ice-cream social? The memories are hard for him, and he gets emotional. So what are you going to do with your weekend?”

  “Something you won’t like—I’m researching the employees at Poppy Gold. I’ve identified several people who seem to be big spenders. You know, fancy cars, big homes or other purchases that suggest hidden income.”

  “I told you—”

  “I know what you told me,” he interrupted, “but it’s the only action I can take right now, and it’s amazing how much information is available on the internet and through gossip.”

  * * *

  TESSA LOOKED AT the clock on her stove. It was past the usual time she got to her office on Saturday morning. Except...maybe it would be better to deal with Gabe now, rather than later.