A Collateral Attraction: A Romantic Suspense Novel (Fire and Ice Book 1)

by Liz Durano

  Your girl?

  I cast a questioning glance towards Heath, but he ignores me, his attention on Pam, who is staring at me with wide hazel eyes. I shake Harris' hand and then face her. "Hi, Pam. I'm Billie."

  "Wow! You look just like her," she whispers. "Doesn't she look exactly like Blythe, Gramps? An exact copy! Even her hair! And her nails!"

  "She sure wasn't kidding when she said she had a twin sister yesterday, was she?" Harris says before turning to face Heath again. "You just might still catch them before they leave, though there's really no rush. It's not like flight plans are a big secret."

  "Even if they were, it wouldn't have mattered. Ethan's tournament schedule is fixed for the year," Heath says. "He's got one coming up in Santa Barbara in four days, so that's where he's going to be, rain or shine. And I hear that Prince Harry will be there to play for his charity as well, which means Ethan and company have to be accounted for days ahead for security purposes."

  "Good! I figured you'd have an idea about his schedule despite recent developments. In that case, I hope you stay a few days, and we can talk more about what Ethan came here to discuss. It's not a big deal, nothing that can affect anything corporate-wise, but we'll talk more over breakfast," Harris says, glancing at me with a huge grin. "And if this is Billie's first time on the island, it would be a crime to take her away from here so quickly."

  "It's okay. We didn't come here for a vacation," I say.

  "Sorry, I just wanted to see if you were real," Pam says, yawning. “Blythe told me about you last night, and I didn't believe her. I mean, you could be Blythe, and you're just shitting me right now."

  "Well, I'm pretty sure I'm not Blythe," I say, and I can’t help but remember my whole Not-Blythe routine. “I’m Billie.”

  "So are you guys dating then?" Pam asks. "Because that would be so cool! Brothers dating twin sisters! Relationship goals, yeah!"

  "You're too young for those things, Pam," Heath chuckles, "but we're still a bit new."

  I almost laugh out loud. It'll be a cold day in hell before I'd ever date Heath, but then, what do little girls know about love—or forced alliances, for that matter? But before I can say anything, Heath pulls me next to him, grinning, dimples deepening along his cheeks.

  "Don't we make a beautiful couple?"

  Pam squeals excitedly, clapping her hands and bringing her palms against her cheeks as she gazes at us with wide innocent eyes.

  "This is even cuter than cute! I can't wait to tell everyone!"

  To my horror, she whips out a phone from her back pocket and in less time it would have taken me to switch on my flip phone and wait for it to power up, Pam has already taken two pictures of us and starts typing on the display.

  "This will be so cool, Uncle Heath! Wait till my friends see this!”She thrusts her phone towards us so we can see our picture with the caption she'd just typed.

  Look at my handsome uncle and his gorgeous girlfriend! #notblythe #hernameisbillie

  "Kids and social media these days," Harris says, shaking his head though he's grinning proudly.

  "She's not even thirteen!" I blurt out. "How can she be using it already?"

  Pam's smile disappears, and she eyes me suspiciously before turning to look at Heath. "Please tell me she's cool, Uncle Heath because Blythe is totally cool. She even likes One Direction."

  “I guarantee you, Billie is awesome, or I wouldn't be with her," Heath says, smiling and still holding me right next to him.

  "Good," Pam says, returning to look at me. "But if you're worried about parental controls or whatever, Mom helped me set all my social media accounts up, so it's okay. Porn doesn't interest me yet anyway."

  When I open my mouth to say something like—did you just say porn?—Heath's grip tightens, and I shut up, a wide fake smile somehow migrating to my lips to match his own, though inside, imaginary me is punching Heath's smile from his face.

  9

  Charade

  So the charade has begun, though why Heath neglected to tell me that we're supposedly dating each other is something that will have to wait till we get to where we're staying for the night, a separate guest house on Harris' property overlooking the beach.

  With Pam heading back to bed, Harris tells Heath that he'll see us at the main house for breakfast in an hour and that if we want to go down to the beach, all we have to do is follow the path along the side of the villa that leads directly to the water.

  "You could have given me the heads up that I'm your girlfriend," I say as Heath shuts the door. "This was never in the plan, Heath."

  "What would you have told them, Billie? That you're really here to find Blythe and take her home with you because someone's setting her up? Or that you're a business associate, who just happens to be Blythe's sister? Unfortunately, I don’t have time to do business with small souvenir shop owners, though I do have time to date beautiful women from time to time—even fly them halfway around the world when I want to.”

  “Well, now that you just said that, I can’t help but feel special,” I say wryly.

  "I admit that we should have discussed our story back on the plane," he says as I follow him along the foyer leading to the main living area. "But given that it's the only logical thing-“

  "That we're dating?"

  "Yes, that we're dating, it makes sense. Besides, how else can I expect people to believe that you're not here against your will?"

  Whatever I’m about to say to Heath, that I’m not here against my will, disappears the moment I turn the corner of the living room, and I’m faced with the view of the beach against the backdrop of the clear blue sky. I stand in front of what seems like a picture window with the most amazing view I’ve ever seen as the ocean breeze blows through the open balcony in the far end of the room. It's like a dream come true, the walls on either side of us framing my full view of paradise.

  "It's beautiful," I whisper.

  "Knock yourself out," Heath says as he hands me a digital camera and walks towards the couch where the staff left our suitcases. "I didn't know which suitcase had your casual clothes, so I just had both brought down here."

  "You don't even see it," I say, staring at him as he unzips his backpack and pulls out his laptop.

  "I've got work to do, Billie. I'm not here to have fun." He sets his laptop on the dining table, flips it open and switches it on. When he catches me still staring at him, he glances at his watch. "The market's about to open, and there are things-"

  "That's not my point," I say. "I don't care if the markets are about to open for the trading day or that, yes, you do have to work. But you haven't even looked at what's in front of you. It's as if it's not even there."

  Heath turns to look at the view for a few seconds before a pinging sound of his email program prompts him to press a key on his laptop. A split second later, he looks away from his screen and looks at the view in front of him. But like a child forced to watch something he doesn't want to, he exhales, and I'm expecting him to say, happy now?

  "You don't have to look at it, you know, if you don't want to," I say.

  "Just don't get used to it, Billie. This is all temporary," he says just as his phone rings. He answers it immediately, his tone all business.

  As he turns away from me and types on his laptop, it's like I'm not even there anymore. His brow is furrowed as he listens to what Tyler has to say, his eyes narrowing as he goes through some emails.

  I force myself to find something more casual to wear, opening one of the suitcases and rummaging through the stacks of clothes without messing up Alicia’s packing arrangement too much.

  I settle for a two-piece bikini under a crocheted beach cover-up and a wide-brimmed hat that Alicia had had the foresight to include in my wardrobe. I braid my hair, letting it fall over my left shoulder before heading towards the door. Heath is still on the phone when I tell him I'll be back in forty minutes though I doubt he even heard me. I grab a can of spray-on sunscreen and spray it all over myself as soon as I s
tep out of the door. I'm a girl on a mission, and I will get my butt into that clear blue water if it's the only thing I get to do today.

  I don't care if I'm alone on this lonely stretch of beach, hidden away by lush rain forests on either side of me. The water feels cool against my skin, and the view is breathtaking. As I wade deeper, letting the water lap around my ankles at first, then my knees and finally, up to my thighs, I return to the beach, pull off my cover up and my hat. Then I dive in till the water's up to my chest and Heath can get me if he has to, but I'm not getting out of the water now. I only glance back at the beach house once, and I see Heath standing on the balcony watching me.

  By the time I return to the villa an hour later, I'm feeling pretty good about myself till the moment I see Heath waiting for me by the front door with a thick beach towel, which he drapes over my shoulders.

  "Sorry, I'm late. Should I shower first?" I ask, but he shakes his head. "Dress?" He shakes his head again. "I think I need to put some makeup on; I look terrible-"

  "You look beautiful, Billie, with or without makeup. Besides, we're in Saint Lucia, not Miami Beach," he says, and that's when I notice that he's now wearing cargo shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, and flip-flops. I had no idea he had it in him, but I can't help but admit that he looks amazingly...relaxed.

  "So what's the story What do I need to know before we go up there?” I ask him as we take our time walking along the garden path leading to the main house.

  "First of all, Harris Colman is one of the original directors of Kheiron Industries. He started the company along with Father, and he has been on the board off and on for about 35 years. These days, he’s more of an advisor though I’ve heard he’s been grooming his son, Daniel, to take over my job one day.”

  “Doesn’t that worry you? Him being an adviser yet grooming someone else to take over your job?”

  Heath shrugs. “Daniel will never be President of the company, Billie, not with his skillset, which is in Marketing. The Board would never vote him into the position. Not in a million years.”

  “Never say never.”

  “Anyway, don’t be fooled by Harris’ grandfatherly act all the time. He didn't end up as co-chairman next to Father all those years without being as smart and as shrewd as he is."

  “If he’s that smart and shrewd, how did your dad end up losing all that money in bad investments? Wouldn’t Harris have advised him against them?”

  "Father was always a shrewd investor, but as he got older, he stopped being critical of balance sheets. All you had to tell him was that you had a dream, and he'd invest in it like he was making up for past mistakes,” Heath says as he glances up at a parrot flying overhead and landing in one of the branches of a tree. He stops before a row of flowers, giving me time to smell them as he continues speaking. “And don't say anything about the embezzlement, nor about the documents. Pretend you know nothing."

  "Pretend I'm stupid."

  "Don't put words in my mouth, Billie. Stupid and knowing nothing are two different things. Just pretend you don’t know, that’s it, but that’s only because Harris is also old-fashioned, just like Father was. He doesn’t believe women can do a better job as men in the boardroom-“

  “I’m sure the bedroom's a whole different matter, huh?"

  “Maybe it’s a generation thing; I don’t know. But this is what I grew up with, Billie, that when men talked business, women went to the other room and talked about their children, the PTA, or whatever the current fashion trend was. But you don’t have to leave just because we’re talking business.”

  "I'm not letting you discuss anything without me, Heath, not when you could be discussing Blythe and your plans for arresting her. He is a member of the Board, which means he should know about the embezzlement."

  "Yet he hasn't said anything," Heath says slowly, "not to me, not even to Tyler, who is my co-chairman. Now if Harris is waiting for me to say something, then it would make sense if he said it to me now, and that's one reason I'm here. I’m not here just to chase after my brother.”

  “With all this pretending going on, are you sure Blythe is going to be okay?” I ask as we reach the top of the hill. “I'm just afraid that if Harris finds out and decides that the rest of the board should know about this embezzlement, then anything on your end to stall it will seem suspicious."

  "I'll have to see what he knows first."

  "Is he close to Ethan? Is that why Ethan came here? To show Harris what he took from your mother? I mean, were they legal documents?”

  "Ethan is his godson, and as far as the document, I'll tell you later because right now, we've got an audience,” he says, stopping to pluck a few jasmine flowers from a shrub along the path and tucking the blooms in my braid. It’s a simple gesture that does catch Harris’ attention, for if he’d been standing with his back to the balcony, he’s facing us now and watching the show unfold.

  "You're really putting on a show," I tell him. "It's actually not necessary, you know."

  "Can't a man just tuck flowers in his girl's hair?"

  "First, I'm not your girl-"

  "You are, as far as this trip is concerned. And don't worry, there won't be any sex, just like you said earlier," he says. "So stop fighting me for once, Billie."

  "And second," I pause, blushing as I gather my braid and see the fragrant white blooms tucked neatly between the sections, "thank you. Act or no, it's still sweet."

  "You're welcome, love," he says though he narrows his eyes, waiting for me to react to his term of endearment. When I don't react, he smiles. "Nothing to say? Good, guess there's hope for you yet."

  "What do you mean, there's hope-"

  I don't finish my sentence because Heath kisses me. It's a gentle kiss and one that would have shut me up even if that hadn't been his intention anyway. His kiss is soft and warm, almost tentative at first, his teeth catching my lower lip and sucking on it gently. And with his hands cradling my face, it's perfect, especially for a girl like me who hasn't been kissed like this in a long time.

  But with Harris watching us from the balcony, I understand this kiss is not what it seems though I’m surprised that my hands have somehow made their way to his neck, my fingers running lazily through his hair. Then I remember what he said to me in the guest house, and I pull away.

  Just don't get used to it, Billie. This is all temporary.

  10

  Dead To Me

  We have breakfast on the same balcony where Blythe and Ethan had theirs the day before and where Blythe delivered her sisterly message to me via her Instagram post. Harris' hilltop terrace has the breathtaking view of the Pitons, two volcanic spires that make up the Soufriere Volcanic Centre. According to Harris, the designated World Heritage site is the remnant of one, or possibly more, collapsed stratovolcanoes.

  Harris is warm and friendly, and I can see how it's easy to drop one's guard with him, with his easygoing personality and nurturing energy, for it does radiate from him. He wants to know everything about you and seems genuinely interested in what makes you happy and sad, even fearful. But it's his smooth skill with natural conversation that reminds me of Heath’s warning about his grandfatherly act.

  But grandfatherly act or not, he also reminds me of the grandfather I’m named after. Soon I'm laughing at his jokes and feel flattered by the way he doles out the compliments, about how I'm warmer and friendlier than my sister, or that he's figured out how to tell us apart.

  "It's the way you smile, dear," he says. "It's from your heart. You're authentic. I can see that as clear as day. Now I'm not saying Blythe doesn't smile from the heart because she does. Yours is...dare I say…so pure, so unaffected by the world. Now I just want to know where Heath has been hiding you all this time. You’re such a gem, my dear!”

  “Nevada City, which is not part of Nevada, but California. It’s Gold Rush country,” I blurt out, every single word of warning that Heath gave me earlier forgotten. I feel Heath's hand covering mine on the table, a gesture that isn't los
t on Harris, who beams.

  "She's precious, Heath," he says as the staff arrives to clear away the table, leaving us with our cups of coffee and a bowl of fruit. "Now don't let this young man hide you away where no one can see you, Billie. He can be such a recluse at times I'd hate to see your beauty just tucked away-"

  "Harris, don't scare the poor girl. Just because you don’t see me traveling the same social circles as you and Ethan do doesn’t mean I don’t get out at all,” Heath says, and though he's smiling, there's an edge to his voice. Behind us, two of Harris’ security team pretend to look at the view, but I can’t help but think they hear every word.

  "That's because you don't!" Harris says, laughing. “Or at least not where I get to see you as much as I would like to. There's more to life than just the boardroom, Heath, or work for that matter. You do need to live life a bit more, and I know you don't like it when I say such things to you—I'm sure it reminds you of your father—”

  "It does," Heath says, his voice clipped.

  "But I can't help it," Harris says, laughing as he gives me an apologetic look. “Did you know I watched them all grow up—Heath, Ethan, Jessica. They're like my children! They used to play with Daniel and Sylvia up until they all had to go to finishing school. Daniel and Ethan did theirs in England, as did Sylvia and Jessica in Switzerland, and-"

  "I'm sure Billie would rather hear of more exciting things than where we all went to school, Harris," Heath says. "Don't you, Billie?"

  I flash him a smile and shrug. It's the only thing I can do and appear neutral.

  "Anyway, I do hope I get to see you both in Santa Barbara in time for Ethan’s tournament," Harris says, turning to look at me. "Tell him to go to Santa Barbara, my dear. If you've never been to a polo tournament, then this is the place to be. I hear Prince Harry is going to be playing."