Starlight Bridge

by Debbie Mason

  “I’m with the Coast Guard, ma’am. My brother here is the firefighter. His hose isn’t that big though.”

  Liam shot him a dirty look, and Griffin grinned.

  “Size isn’t all that—” the older woman began, sighing when a younger version of herself hurried over.

  “Mother, leave the men alone. Sorry,” the woman apologized, dragging her mother away.

  Griffin watched as the two women were swallowed up by the hordes of attendees swarming the tables lining either side of the ballroom, thinking their cover was probably blown. After five hours of mingling with the mostly female crowd, he and his brother had found a quiet corner at the back of the ballroom beside the raised platform, staying in the shadows of the red velvet curtains that were serving as a makeshift backstage. Quiet being a relative term when you put more than a hundred women in a room, even one as big as this.

  Liam forced a smile for the group of women now finger-waving at them from the table for A Spoonful of Sugar, the town’s local candy shop. “Thanks for the shot about my hose. You can knock it off now. I apologized to Ava,” his brother said out of the side of his mouth.

  Griffin returned the women’s finger-waves with a resigned smile. “It was too good to pass up. Besides, you owe Ava more than an apology. She saved your asses, baby brother. She spent half the night making the samples for today.”

  Which meant the late-night phone conversation he’d been fantasizing about hadn’t transpired. It had lasted all of five minutes and was disappointingly PG-rated. Maybe that was a good thing. Sexy talk time would have been fun, but it undoubtedly would have left him frustrated and desperate for the real deal. It’d been okay when they were married and separated by hundreds of miles. It wouldn’t be the same now.

  But he wouldn’t risk Lexi and his baby’s well-being by upsetting the mother of his child. Once Lexi got to know Ava, she’d recognize her for the kind, loving, bighearted woman she was and not the coldhearted bitch that Lex thought her to be. Ava didn’t have a mean bone in her gorgeous, curvy body, and Lexi was a good judge of character. All she needed was to spend some time around Ava.

  “Yeah, and thanks to her, we’re spending our Saturday being pinched and patted down by a bunch of…”

  Griffin crossed his arms, and Liam rolled his eyes. “All right, I’ll concede that it was a good idea, and while Ava didn’t literally save our asses, because I guarantee mine is bruised, she figuratively did. We owe her big-time, and we’ve all been trying to make it up to her. Well, most of us are anyway. The thing is, big brother, you’re making a bigger deal of it than Ava.”

  “It was a big deal. You didn’t see her yesterday, Liam. She was hurt. And you didn’t see her working till three-thirty in the morning to help out Helga and the manor, only to have all of you turn around and accuse her of—”

  His brother raised his hand. “We didn’t. Gaston did. And he didn’t leave Sophie much choice. It was just hours before they opened the doors, and he threatened to hold the hors d’oeuvres he’d made hostage. So Sophie did what she had to do to appease him.”

  “And to hell with Ava. Nice.”

  His normally easygoing brother stiffened, and his expression hardened. “Watch it. Soph’s been dealing with more than what’s going on at the manor. She doesn’t need you giving her grief over this too.”

  “What’s going on with Sophie?” He may be unhappy with how she handled the situation with Ava, but he liked his sister-in-law. She was good for his brother and made him happy.

  “I’ll tell you about it later,” Liam said as Sophie made her way through the crowd toward them wearing a red dress. “But if it makes you feel better, Soph is meeting with George Monday morning to see if there’s a way to break the contract without Gaston suing us.”

  “I can be pretty persuasive. Why don’t you let me take a shot? Save on George’s legal fees.”

  His brother snorted. “Yeah, right. Your idea of persuasion would get us sued for sure.” He smiled at his wife. “Hey, beautiful, everything okay?”

  “Everything’s fine.” She kissed Liam’s cheek, then glanced around. “Where’s Mia?”

  Liam frowned. “I thought she was with you at Grams and Rosa’s workshop.”

  “She was until their How to Live Happily Ever After lecture became How to Keep Yourself Happy Without a Man. When I overheard Nonna asking Mrs. Fitzgerald where the box of toys was for the demonstration, I told Mia to come find you and help you serve the samples.” She looked from her husband’s half-full platter to Griffin’s empty one. “It looks like you could use some help. Maybe you should take some pointers from your brother.”

  “Hey, it’s not my fault. The women love me. They just aren’t crazy about pickled beet deviled eggs.”

  While his brother and Sophie were talking, Griffin was scanning the crowd for his niece. “There she is.” He pointed to where Mia stood on her tiptoes at the candy table, reaching past several giggling women. She wore a red ruffled dress with her long, chestnut-brown hair pulled up in two ponytails. The kid was adorable and reminded Griffin of his sister Riley.

  “Oh no,” Sophie said, and rushed off in their daughter’s direction.

  “Come on, Soph,” Liam called after his wife. “A little sugar once in a while won’t hurt…” His brother’s jaw dropped when Mia turned around and waved a cellophane-wrapped pink sucker at her mother. “Tell me that’s not what I think it is.”

  “I’m not sure what you think it is. But it looks like a pink penis to me,” Griffin laughed.

  Sully, wearing his dress blues, walked toward them, his face a picture of consternation. “Uh, seeing a little girl with a penis sucker is bad enough, but the way that older woman is looking at us while she’s licking hers is giving me the creeps.”

  “What the hell is Zoe thinking?” his brother asked, referring to the owner of A Spoonful of Sugar. Though he looked relieved when Sophie finally managed to get their daughter to exchange her penis sucker for a heart sucker.

  “That she’s in the business of making money and, from the looks of it, those suckers are gonna sell,” Griffin said.

  “Maybe you should give them away with your eggs,” Sully suggested to Liam, and fist-bumped Griffin. “The Guard’s beating out the firefighters. Liam and two of his buddies still have samples to get rid of.”

  “It’s not a competition, you know,” his brother said.

  “Yeah, it is. Guard’s handing out Ava’s hors d’oeuvres, and you guys are passing around Gaston’s. She’s winning,” Griffin said.

  “No, the manor’s winning because…Oh, Jesus, here he comes. Take some of my deviled eggs or I’ll never hear the end of it,” Liam said when Gaston entered the ballroom wearing red pants and shoes with his white chef coat and hat.

  “They’re purple,” Griffin said, eyeing the egg. He took a tentative bite.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, zee crab cakes with zee remoulade have arrived,” Gaston announced, posing with the tray in the air.

  “Ava better hurry up with those samples or Gaston will win by default,” Sully said.

  Griffin hadn’t seen her all day. She’d been working out of Rosa’s kitchen, sending the food back with her aunt and Dorothy. “She lost her runners. Rosa and Dorothy are at the workshop.”

  “I saw her fifteen minutes ago,” Sully said. “Arianna was trying to convince her to wear one of Tie the Knot’s dresses…” His eyes went wide. “Ah, wow, looks like Arianna succeeded.”

  Popping the rest of the egg in his mouth, Griffin turned…and choked. Ava stood at the entrance wearing a scarlet dress with a deep V neckline that gave a tantalizing glimpse of creamy skin and cleavage and showed off her narrow waist and rounded hips, her long, shapely legs enhanced by a pair of sky-high black heels.

  Griffin was having a hard time catching his breath and he didn’t think it had anything to do with the egg caught in his throat. He swallowed hard. “Jesus, God,” was all he managed to groan.

  His brother grinned.

&
nbsp; Sully gave him a commiserating pat on the back and said, “Looks like the battle of the chefs is on.”

  As Ava and Gaston worked opposite sides of the room, they’d glance over their shoulders every few seconds as though gauging the reactions of the women tasting their competitor’s samples.

  “I have a feeling they’re both going to lose,” Liam said, lifting his chin to where his brother-in-law Marco strolled into the ballroom wearing his turnout gear, his jacket opened to reveal he was shirtless and, if Griffin wasn’t mistaken, well oiled.

  Marco grinned at the room at large and held up two trays. “Ladies, the Italian Stallion has arrived. Come get me and my pizza.”

  Ava laughed, shaking her head at her cousin. Then, as though she sensed Griffin watching her, she looked his way. She nudged her head in Marco’s direction and rolled her eyes, sharing a joke like they used to all those years ago. He didn’t feel like laughing. Ava and Gaston weren’t the only ones who had lost the battle. Griffin had lost his too. There was no way he could stay away from her until April.

  Gaston had disappeared behind the red velvet curtain at the back of the ballroom as though someone had hooked a shepherd’s crook around his neck and yanked him offstage like they used to do in the good old days of vaudeville.

  Colleen glanced at Ava and Griffin as she made her way to the curtains. She didn’t know what nonsense Griffin had gotten in his head to put off Ava for months. He’d never been a foolish boy, but for the life of her, she couldn’t come up with another reason to explain his behavior. It was obvious he still loved Ava. From the heated glances flying across the ballroom between them, she didn’t expect him to hold out much longer. A good thing since they had an enemy in their midst. Two, she corrected when she walked through the curtain.

  “What are you doing? I’m paying you to ruin Greystone’s reputation, not enhance it! Everyone’s raving about the food,” Paige Townsend said in a furious whisper, her face red against her blond hair.

  “Really?” He preened. “What exactly are they saying? Did you happen to hear what Basil Brisiel thought? He’s the tall, elegant man wearing the double-breasted navy blazer and jeans.”

  Paige looked like she wanted to throttle him. “I have no idea who this Basil Brisiel person is or why you’re even talking about him.” She held up her phone. “The Gallaghers wouldn’t let me through the front gate. I have spies sending me updates, you idiot. Now explain yourself or you’re fired.”

  He gave her a cocky smile. “You can’t fire me. You have no one else who can do this job. And let’s not forget that I know a little something about you.”

  “You don’t know anything—”

  He tapped his cheek and batted his eyes. “Let me see, it had something to do with a fire…” He dropped the act and gave Paige a don’t-mess-with-me look. “A fire that just happened to burn down the carriage house on the estate and nearly claimed the lives of Sophie, Mia, and Dana.”

  Colleen gasped. It didn’t give her pleasure to know that her suspicions had been correct. Truth be told, it worried her. Paige didn’t care who she hurt to get her way, and Colleen was beginning to think that Gaston St. John was just as dangerous.

  “It was an accident. I didn’t think it would catch fire that quickly, and I had no idea Dana had moved out of the manor or that Sophie and Mia were there at the time. They usually stayed at the house on Breakwater Way. Anyway, the case is closed. They ruled that faulty wiring was the cause. Who knows, I may have saved them from something really terrible happening.”

  “A little evidence shows up and they might reopen—”

  “You’re threatening me? You’d have nothing without me. I’m the one who stood by you all those years ago and bailed you out last month. So stop with the threats or I will stop paying, and you, Gaston St. John, need the money.” She sneered in a way that told Colleen that was not the man’s name and, given her earlier comment, the two had a past. They were connected somehow. But for the life of her, Colleen couldn’t place him.

  Paige continued. “You better tell me that this is all part of your plan or I’ll start looking for—”

  “All right, all right.” He screwed up his face. “I had a plan, and Ava DiRossi ruined it. As much as it pains me to admit, the Italian she-devil can cook. She was making me look bad in front of Basil, and I just couldn’t have it. I had to up my game, and every time I upped mine, she upped hers.”

  “Who. Is. Basil?” Paige said from between clenched teeth.

  He clasped his hands to his chest. “A living food god. He’s the Midas of the restaurant industry. Every, and I mean every, restaurant he’s been involved with has three Michelin stars. Three.” He shook three fingers in Paige’s face. “Do you know what a feat that is? And he’s here, Paigey. Right here with his Food Network producer fiancée.”

  “They’re actually thinking of booking their wedding at the manor?”

  “Oh my God, you’re right. I could be catering the King and Queen of the Food Network’s wedding. It’ll make my career. I’ll be a star,” he said, looking like he might faint.

  Paige grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. “They can’t have their wedding here, you idiot. That’ll make Greystone a star as much as it would you.” She let him go, her fingers flying over the keys on her phone at the speed of light. “Please, please, tell me they’re looking at…” There was a ping from her phone. “Oh thank God,” she said, sagging in relief. “They were at the bridal fair in Bridgeport too. From what my source says, your friend Basil wants to book their wedding with them, but his fiancée likes the old-world charm of Greystone. The idiot. We need to come up with a way to make them choose the Bridgeport Marquis while publicly destroying Greystone’s reputation at the same time.”

  As she rubbed her temples, another message pinged on her phone. She glanced at the screen and her mouth compressed, a flush working its way up her neck to her face. “The Harmony Harbor Gazette has just proclaimed Greystone the winner of the bridal fair wars.”

  “Isn’t a little early to announce a winner? It’s not over until tomorrow. And I thought Byron Harte was in your pocket.”

  “So did I. But ever since…” She lifted a shoulder. “It doesn’t matter. The bridal fair in Bridgeport opened Thursday and ends today.” She closed her eyes, tapping her finger on her lips. “There has to be…” Her eyes popped open. “I’ve got it. Instead of a bridal fair war, we’ll have a food war between the manor and the Marquis. Basil will be the judge, and the winning hotel, which will be the Bridgeport Marquis of course, will host their wedding and comp them for all the publicity they’ve received. We should be able to get some coverage from the local stations in New England, morning shows and the like.” She laughed. “Greystone will be ruined.”

  Colleen wanted to wrap her hands around Paige’s overlong neck.

  Gaston was staring at the real estate agent, looking like he wanted to do the same. “Are you mad? I’ll be ruined.”

  “Not if you blame someone else, you won’t,” Paige said with a smirk.

  Swaying from side to side, Gaston moved his hand in a downward motion. “Ava DiRossi, you’re going down.”

  Guilt ridden, Colleen watched Paige slip out a side door. Gaston straightened his chef’s hat and then pushed aside the red-velvet curtain to walk back through the ballroom. Because of something Colleen had done in the past, Gaston, or whoever he was, would do whatever was necessary to bring Greystone down—Greystone and Ava.

  Colleen had already caused Ava enough pain. First by keeping her secret from Griffin, and then by smashing the pastries in the cooler after Gaston had meddled with them. Her actions may have saved the bridal fair’s attendees from food poisoning, but Ava had paid the price. Colleen wouldn’t allow someone else to suffer because of her interference—not again.

  The good Lord should have taken her back in November. She was making a hash of things here, she thought dejectedly. She sat slumped on the slate floor, unable to even bury her face in her hands and have
a good cry like she wanted to.

  Meow.

  She lifted her head to see Simon looking at her. He might only be a cat, but there was something regal about his bearing as he sat in front of her. His piercing blue gaze held hers, and he lifted his chin. He did it again with a slow stretch of his neck.

  Colleen half sobbed, half snorted. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were telling me to keep my chin up.”

  His ears twitched, and if a cat could smile, that’s what Simon appeared to do.

  “I appreciate you trying to cheer me up, Tomcat, but they’d be better off without me.” Apparently Simon took offense to the remark and sauntered off, leaving her alone. Colleen was feeling very alone these days.

  She supposed if there was a bright spot in all of this, it was that Griffin would be there to watch out for Ava, and there was very little her great-grandson missed. And Ava, along with Sophie, Liam, Kitty, Jasper, and Dana, would do their best to protect the manor.

  Maybe if she just closed her eyes, she’d…

  “Hi, GG.”

  Colleen opened her eyes to see Mia. The little girl sat down beside her, straightening her pretty red dress before crossing her legs at the ankles. She smiled at Colleen. “I can still see you, you know. Not as good as before, but I can’t let Mommy and Daddy know.”

  Simon hopped onto Mia’s lap, looking very much like the cat who’d swallowed the canary. “You’re a smart one, I’ll give you that,” Colleen said to him, and smiled at Mia, who was nattering on about the bridal fair now. Colleen was content just to sit and listen to her sweet voice.

  She paid closer attention to what Mia was saying when a familiar name came up. “Mommy shouldn’t have hired that new chef. He’s mean to Auntie Ava and Helga. You should make him leave, GG. Scare him. I’m not scared of you because you’re my GG, and I love you. But a lot of people are afraid of ghosts. Will you do that? Will you scare him away?”

  It was a good idea. The lad looked the type to scare easily. Colleen nodded and smiled. “I’ll scare the living bejaysus out of him, poppet.” She supposed it was a good thing Mia could only see her and not hear her.