“Oh, it’ll be nice not havin’ to worry about payin’ the bills for a change, but I’ll be totally happy to have a wonderful man in my life, that loves me. I couldn’t be happier if I was twins, as my daddy used to say.”
“Then I’m happy for you, too.” That wasn’t a total lie. Emily was glad to see Maggie happy, but she hoped Lucas wasn’t setting her up for a fall. She resolved to keep digging.
~*~
His mother and her new boyfriend picked Josh up at the airport on Thursday around noon. She’d been so excited. On the phone, she’d told Josh that she couldn’t wait for her son to meet the man of her dreams.
Josh saw his mom and went to give her a big bear hug and then he politely shook Lucas’s hand.
“I thought you’d be wearin’ your uniform,” his mother said.
He shrugged. “It’s in my bag. I thought I’d go casual today and blend in.”
They went to lunch at the Blue Moon Café, which gave Josh a chance to get to know his mother’s future husband. The visit was pleasant and Josh could see his mom was happier than he’d seen her in a long time.
There had been other men, other boyfriends, but none she had committed to marry. He’d been surprised by the swiftness of their courtship and the rush to the altar, but if marrying this man was going to make her happy, he was going to be pleased for them and do his best to like her new man.
Once lunch was over, Lucas said he needed to get back to work. Josh thought he might drop by Lucas’s office later and have a man-to-man talk with him, without his mother there. In private, he would be able to talk more freely with Lucas.
~*~
Late that afternoon, Lucas sat at the desk in his office going over the Excel spreadsheets he had spent hours designing to keep track of the condo units and the sales. Twenty-nine units sold that first night. He looked at the screen with a satisfied grin.
“Total sales of nine million, four hundred and fifty thousand,” he said as Fiona walked into his office from the front area where she worked.
“So how much in deposits from Tuesday night’s meeting?”
“Let’s see…at twenty-five percent…that would be two million, three hundred sixty-two thousand and five hundred dollars.”
“That’s a lot of money, Lucas.”
“I thought I’d have to hang out in this town and make friends with these people before they’d trust me enough to invest, but I guess we were right in picking Maggie and Sully as our connections.”
“Maybe it’s not Maggie or Sully at all. Maybe it’s just that these people were ripe for a new resort nearby, somewhere new and exciting to spend their time and money.”
“You could be right. I think we can get another forty or so under contract after our trip up the mountain next week, which should be more than double our haul. At least a handful more by the time the wedding rolls around and then we’re out of here.”
“Have you heard from the boss lately?” Fiona asked.
“No, but I’m sure our progress reports are expected. Even though the boss came up with the initial idea, I’m doing most of the work.”
“Hey! What am I? Chopped liver?”
“Sorry, babe, I just meant—”
“I know what you meant, that you’re the top dog and I’m here to back you up, handle all the finances, and watch you romance another woman.” She turned her face away.
“It’s just a role I’m playing. You can’t think I’m actually falling for Maggie.”
“I don’t know what to think,” she snapped, turning back to face him, “but you’re making it look awfully believable. It’s hard for me to watch.”
“Do you think we’d be raking in millions if I didn’t make it look believable?” he shot back. “You think her brother would have invested in this project if he thought for a nanosecond that I was a fraud?” His voice rose with irritation at having to explain this all to her again.
“You’re right,” Fiona said, waving her hands in surrender. “I’m sorry.” She walked around behind him and began to gently massage his shoulders. “I just love you so much.”
“You shouldn’t be doing that. Someone could walk in and see us.”
“I know. I just need to touch you.”
“Keep your eye on the prize. In two weeks, you and I will be sipping mojitos on the beach with millions in the bank, leaving Paradise Valley, and the boss, in the dust.”
Fiona leaned her head down next to Lucas’s.
“Lucas!” Josh hollered from the doorway. He had walked in on them, finding Fiona with her hands on him and the side of her jaw touching Lucas’s sandy brown hair.
Lucas stood up and displaced Fiona’s hands.
“Josh.” Lucas’s mouth went dry and a sheen of sweat covered his face. “It’s not—”
“It’s not what?” Josh cut in, asking through clenched teeth. The vein in his neck was bulging as his hands balled into fists.
Fiona backed away from Lucas, and sidestepped Josh, as she slinked out of the room.
“It’s not what you think.” Lucas’s gaze went beyond Josh to Fiona standing in the outer office as he searched for a believable story. “Fiona and I were going over the numbers from the sales so far. I complained about my shoulders being stiff from sitting at this computer and she offered to massage them. That’s all.”
“That’s not what it looked like to me.” Josh’s eyes narrowed as he stared into Lucas’s face.
“That is what happened.” Lucas’s voice moved from shaky to calm. “You just misunderstood what you saw. I would never cheat on your mother.”
“I want to believe you, but somehow I don’t. I’m going to be watching you. If there’s any funny business going on, I won’t stand by and let it happen. You hurt my mom, you’ll deal with me.”
CHAPTER 9
Friday evening rolled around and Emily made a dash to her favorite bookstore before heading over to Maggie and Lucas’s engagement party. She had parked on Main Street in front of the shop, and as she was reaching for the handle of her car door, she heard someone call out.
“Miss?”
Emily turned to see the woman, maybe mid-sixties, with grayish blonde hair coiffed just above her shoulders. She was driving a late-model silver Mercedes that she had stopped in the middle of the street with her window rolled down. “Can you tell me where I can find the Graystone Building?”
“Sure, it’s just down the block. My office is in that building,” Emily replied. She noticed the woman was smartly dressed in a red suit and an abundance of gold jewelry.
“Oh, I’m looking for my son, Lucas Wakefield. Do you know him?” she asked.
Emily walked closer to the car and motioned to the three cars stacked up behind the Mercedes to squeeze around her. “Yes, I do. And you’re his mother?” Emily was stunned. She hadn’t heard Lucas’s mother was coming to town.
“I am,” she nodded. “Gloria Wakefield.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Wakefield, but Lucas is not at his office right now.”
“Oh no? Where can I find him?” the woman asked sweetly.
A car honked and Emily gestured for the driver to go around the Mercedes, too.
“I’m sure he’s at his engagement party by now,” Emily said, a little surprised the woman didn’t know that. “You are coming to the party, too, aren’t you?”
“Engagement party? Why, yes, of course, I’m going,” Mrs. Wakefield replied. “I just thought we were meeting at his office first and then I’d go with him.”
“I’m headed over there myself. Why don’t you follow me?” Emily offered, thinking the elderly woman must have just gotten mixed up.
“Thank you, dear. That’s so nice of you.”
The party was in full swing when Emily arrived with Gloria Wakefield in tow. Everyone was out in the backyard with tiki torches blazing, conversation and laughter competing with the blaring country music emanating from a large black boom box.
Emily escorted Gloria from the front porch to the ba
ck of the house, and they stepped through the French doors leading to the expansive back deck. The lawn beyond the deck was set up with a ping pong table at one end and a fire pit with patio chairs at the other.
Lucas and Maggie stood on the deck, not far from the French doors, talking to Alex and Isabel.
“Look who I found?” Emily announced, watching Lucas’s face for a reaction. His mouth dropped open, then a wide smile spread across it. Maggie turned to Emily with a quizzical expression.
“You must be Maggie,” the woman said, putting her hand out. “I’m Lucas’s mother.”
At first Maggie looked stunned, but then she opened her arms and hugged the woman warmly. “Lucas, shame on you,” she scolded with a bit of a frown, then her face blossomed into a smile. “Why didn’t you tell me your momma was gonna be here?”
“Um, I, well, I wasn’t sure she could make it,” he mumbled. Emily noticed a flash of a frown and then it was gone. In its place Lucas plastered a polite smile. He stepped toward her, leaned down, and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “I’m glad to see you found the place, Mother.”
“It is so nice to meet you, Mrs. Wakefield,” Maggie declared.
“Please, call me Gloria.”
“All right, Gloria.” Maggie beamed.
Maggie took Gloria’s arm and introduced her future mother-in-law to her friends, just as Fiona walked up to the group.
“Mother,” Lucas said, “this is Fiona, my assistant. She’s helping me with the Whitetail Resort project I told you about.”
“Fiona, so nice to meet you,” Gloria said, shaking Fiona’s hand.
“And this is my brother, Sully,” Maggie introduced. “He’s the mayor of Paradise Valley.”
“Well, this is an honor, Mr. Mayor,” Gloria said, taking his hand in both of hers.
“Thank you, ma’am, but I’m just a regular guy,” Sully replied, dressed down in jeans and a collared shirt. “Tonight, I’m just the brother of the bride.”
“I’m sure you and my Lucas will become great friends,” Gloria gushed.
“Like brothers,” Lucas agreed with a grin.
Sully turned to Lucas. “Say, can we talk privately?”
“All right,” he replied. “If you all will excuse us, we have a little business to discuss.”
“No, Lucas, not tonight,” Maggie pleaded.
“Just a few minutes, hon. We’ll be right back.”
Emily watched as Lucas and Sully stepped off the deck and moved to a private corner of the backyard.
~*~
“What’s up?” Lucas asked.
“I hate to do this to you, but I need that hundred thousand back,” Sully said in a low tone, glancing around.
“Why now? You’ll make twice that when you sell the condos.” Lucas’s gaze darted around, as well.
“I just got a notice today that we’re being audited in the next two weeks. I have to get that money back in the account right away.” His voice revealed his desperation, as did the beads of sweat that formed on his forehead.
“I can’t do that, Sully. Your money is being held in an escrow account. It’s not like I just have it sitting in my office or something,” Lucas replied coolly.
“I know you sold a lot of those condos this week, so I’m sure you have more than enough funds to repay what I gave you. I have to get the money back. If I don’t—I’m ruined. Do you hear me? Ruined!”
“Listen, Sully.” Lucas placed a hand on Sully’s shoulder, turning his back to the party. “I need you to use your influence to push the wealthy citizens of this town toward buying into Whitetail. If they see you pulling out, that will squirrel the whole deal and I’ll lose millions. I can’t let you do that.”
“Lucas, please…”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret, my friend.” Lucas glanced over his shoulder once more. “And I’m only telling you this because I need you out there pushing this resort—”
“Tell me what?”
“There is no resort being built on the mountain,” Lucas revealed.
“What!” Sully gasped at Lucas’s insidious revelation.
Lucas laughed boisterously to cover Sully’s outburst. “Shhh, keep your voice down,” Lucas sternly warned, looking deeply into Sully’s fearful eyes, keeping his hand firmly resting on Sully’s shoulder. “Now you know the truth.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Well, because now that I have you by the short hairs, you will stay in the game and you will use your considerable influence to bring in those investors who are on the fence. You will be on one of the luxury buses I chartered for next week, and you will do your very best to convince all those potential investors to purchase. I’m expecting forty or fifty more to commit out of those two buses full of prospects and put their twenty-five percent down. If you do that, I’ll refund your money at the end of the two weeks, just in time to save you from the auditors.”
Sully looked like someone had punched him in the gut. His eyes were glassy, and he was sweating profusely now, as his breathing appeared labored. No words came.
“Now,” he handed Sully a napkin from the table, “wipe the sweat and that stupid look off your face—we’re going to return to the party and you are going to act like the happy brother of the bride.” Lucas used a warm, even tone, as his hand continued to rest on Sully’s shoulder, squeezing. “Agreed?”
Sully pulled away from Lucas’s grip and he found his voice. “What about Maggie?”
“Maggie doesn’t know anything. If you help me—which you will—she won’t know anything until the day of the wedding when she finds that I’ve left town. I don’t want to hurt her, she’s a sweet gal and very easy on the eyes. She deserves someone far better than me. When she finds out what I’ve done, I’m sure she’ll get over me fast enough.”
With a stoic stare, Sully nodded his understanding.
“We should get back to the party before people start wondering about us.” Lucas turned and walked back to the deck, wearing a satisfied grin, rather pleased with himself.
~*~
“Where’s Sully?” Emily asked Lucas as he stepped up on the deck.
Lucas turned, looking. He cleared his throat. “I think he got a phone call. He must have had to take care of something.”
He breezed past her, avoiding her gaze, and took his place next to Maggie.
Emily had observed their private pow-wow. She was suspicious. Why would Sully have left the party without saying good-bye to his sister? That wasn’t like him.
Turning the music down, Camille’s husband, Jonathan, vigorously jangled a cowbell to gain everyone’s attention as his wife stepped through the French doors, holding a platter full of barbecued chicken.
“Well, now that everyone’s here, let’s get this barbecue started,” Camille exclaimed from the top of the deck. “The food is ready. Grab a plate.”
She placed the platter on the long table she had set up for all the barbecued meats and side dishes she’d prepared. Like a mother hen, she rounded everyone up and encouraged them to fix their plates and dig in. Once the guests served themselves, they sat to eat. A collection of square and round tables, covered with red-and-white-checkered tablecloths, were scattered around the deck and the lawn. The music started up again and so did the chatter.
Camille had done a fabulous job, her friends praised, putting on a spread of ribs and chicken, corn on the cob, potato salad and more.
Lucas sat and ate for a while with Maggie, Gloria, and Emily before excusing himself to spend time with the other guests. Emily watched as he moved from table to table, looking as though he was trying to make sure everyone was having a good time and thanking them for coming.
Emily’s attention was drawn back to her table as Maggie described Emily’s beautiful gazebo to Mrs. Wakefield. Maggie went on to describe the flowers and yards of cascading tulle she planned for the gazebo and the perimeter of the garden. The older woman seemed delighted by the picture of the setting Maggie had painted for he
r. She nodded and smiled in-between bites of her dinner.
When Camille brought the massive Texas Sheet Cake out, many groaned that they were already stuffed.
~*~
Josh had gone in to use the bathroom. As he was drying off his hands the doorknob jiggled and there was a light tap on the door. He called out, “Occupied,” and straightened his shirt before opening the door.
Expecting someone to be right outside the door waiting, his attention turned to muffled conversation coming from the den just beyond the bathroom. The glass atrium door was shut and covered with closed blinds, and a woman was standing close with head leaned in, listening.
He couldn’t make out all that was being said inside the den, but a few phrases came through clearly. “When you and I leave…we’ll split the money between us…cut the boss out.”
Suddenly, the woman spun around to leave, and in her haste to get away, she bumped into Josh who was standing behind her, also listening to the voices.
“Excuse me,” the woman muttered as she scurried past him.
Josh moved closer to the covered glass door.
“I can’t wait,” Josh heard a female voice, followed by a small giggle. Then he recognized Lucas’s voice as he replied something to her. Josh slowly pushed the door open, catching Fiona reaching up to wipe a smear of lipstick off Lucas’s lip with her thumb and observing Lucas smiling down at her.
The pair’s eyes grew wide in surprise as they realized the door was open and Josh stood staring at them, his face twisted into a snarl.
He charged Lucas like an angry bull. Fiona had stepped aside just in time or she would have been caught up in the skirmish, as well. She made herself scarce, leaving Lucas to fend for himself.
Standing toe to toe, Josh pinned Lucas to the wall with his powerful forearm pressing on the man’s throat. After turning the air blue with a few choice expletives, he tore into him about what he just saw. “You’re already cheating on my mother! I won’t have it—you hear me? There’s no way in hell I’m gonna let you marry my mom knowing you were just in here doin’ God knows what with your assistant.”
“You have it all wrong, Josh,” Lucas faltered. “Fiona and I just had to straighten something out—about the promotional trip up the mountain next week.”
The Heart of Lies, A Paradise Valley Mystery: Book Two Page 7