The kitchen door swung open, and Shelby tossed the object to Victoria as if it had suddenly turned into a bomb.
Victoria tucked it behind her back just as Emily rushed into the room. “What happened to the tea?”
Shelby crossed the room and retrieved a box, which she handed to Emily. “Sorry. We got busy with the dinner prep.”
Emily stared at them. They were all doing absolutely nothing—except looking guilty. “You people are very strange.”
“And you thought she was the odd one,” Jared commented as the door clicked shut behind her.
Victoria leaned forward, bracing her elbows on the counter. “I’m going to need a nice long stint in Our Lady of Peace when this is all over.”
Shelby angled her head. “Our lady of what?”
“The sanitarium-spa-spiritual retreat I’m going to open when this is all over.”
When the next person through the door was Richard, she didn’t even blink, but simply slid the empty jewelry case into the drawer in front of her. “I’d like to talk to Victoria alone,” he said immediately.
“I need to check on breakfast,” Shelby said, scooting from the room.
It was like Grand Central Station in the kitchen. And yet Victoria was sure Jared wouldn’t be scooting.
“Jared, don’t you have equipment to prepare for the guests?” Richard asked pointedly.
He didn’t move. “It’s all ready to go.”
Victoria knew he wasn’t wild about Richard, but for him to outright defy the man was curious. Surely Jared needed the business? And Richard was probably petty enough to tell his wealthy neighbors how uncooperative Jared had been.
Did she really want to work for a such petty, self-important individual?
It’ll all be worth it when the weekend is over.
Would it? Because then she’d have to work with the man for the rest of her career.
Surely, though, he’d leave mundane tasks like PR campaigns to his managers. He’d only be around to approve—or disapprove, change, revise, possibly transform—all her team’s hard work, in the final stages.
It was no wonder corner offices weren’t easy to come by.
“It’s fine if he stays, Richard. The whole house surely knows by now I’m looking into the theft.”
Richard, no doubt regarding Jared as a viable suspect, was wary when he asked, “Any developments?”
“Nothing concrete. Though I imagine my questions yesterday unnerved some people.” She specifically recalled David hyperventilating.
Richard seemed unimpressed. “I’m not interested in psyching out the thief. I want that necklace back.”
Instead of rolling her eyes—her first instinct—Victoria tried for humor. “Really? You hadn’t mentioned that before now.”
Based on the thunderous expression on Richard’s face, his sense of humor was as underdeveloped as his sense of fair play.
“Don’t get worked up,” Jared said calmly. “Victoria has everything under control.”
“Does she?” Richard raised his eyebrows. “I assume you’ve been interrogated?”
“Last night, and thoroughly,” Jared answered, even as Victoria stepped on his foot to warn him not to give too much away.
Richard’s gaze shifted suspiciously between the two of them. “Uh-huh.”
Praying her face wasn’t turning red with guilt, Victoria moved toward him, sliding her arm through Richard’s as she escorted him to the door. “Go have fun on the water today. I’ve got everything in hand. Rose will have her necklace back by tomorrow.”
“You’re sure?” he asked. “My company’s reputation is on the line.”
“Positive.” Either that or she was going to wash her hands of the whole business, call the cops—officially this time—then figure out how to face her mother with her humiliating failure. “Leave everything to me.”
She all but shoved him out the door.
Alone with her lover, Victoria would rather do just about anything than continue talking about the theft. But neither did she want to talk about last night. Her emotions were too muddled.
“You didn’t tell him about the case,” he said.
“No. I agree with you. He’ll overreact.”
“You’re not even sure that’s the one for the missing necklace. And I wouldn’t advise asking Rose, unless you want the whole house to know about your great find. She can’t keep a secret for five minutes.”
“I’m going to ask Mrs. Keegan. About the case and her gambling son.”
“Victoria, she didn’t—”
Victoria held up her hand to stall his argument. “It has to be done.”
“Why are you so sure she’s guilty?”
“Why are you so sure she’s innocent?”
“Instinct. That sweet lady wouldn’t steal—even for her son.”
Victoria was pretty sure Richard was going to need more than instinct to be convinced. But she didn’t want to fight with Jared over details.
“So if you found out my brother had a gambling problem, you’d question me?” he asked.
“Does he?”
Anger flooded his face. “Richard certainly picked the right investigator.”
She crossed to Jared. “If you’re going to do something, you ought to do it well.”
“More advice from Mama.”
“Yes, actually.” Victoria kissed him lightly. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to interrogate Mrs. K under hot lights. Just ask her a couple of straight questions. Meanwhile, you keep an eye on my suspects. Also, if you could chat up Sal, I’d really appreciate it. Nobody can be as easygoing as he seems. Shelby actually thinks he’s some kind of crook, but I’m wondering if he’s broke and trying to get to Rose for her money.”
A smile teased the corners of Jared’s mouth. “You’ve got that all wrapped up in a neat bow, don’t you?”
“Come on, finding the necklace will be good for both of us.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “You’re getting a lucrative client and a corner office. What do I get?”
“I can come up with a suitable reward.”
“How ’bout a badge?”
She kissed the underside of his jaw. “The reward I was considering doesn’t involve wearing anything at all. Though I’d be happy to draw a star on your chest.”
“That’s a good deal.” He stroked her hair back from her face. “But we’re calling the police if we don’t find the necklace by tomorrow, right?”
She didn’t think telling him that she and her buddies had already called the cops would be wise. Detective Antonio probably wouldn’t make official notes about his background checks. Or want anyone to know they’d dragged him into their adventures again. Or even acknowledge he knew them.
“After the barbecue, I’ll make the call myself,” she promised.
They sealed the pledge with a kiss, one Victoria clung to not because she wanted assurances of Jared’s cooperation, but because she needed his touch.
She didn’t need people.
At least not often.
But she needed him. She was crazy about his voice and laugh, his body, the unspoken communication they often shared, even the way he comforted Rose and defended Mrs. Keegan.
And their lives weren’t remotely alike.
They didn’t want the same things. They didn’t even live in the same city. Actually, she had no idea where he lived. Probably in a trailer in the middle of an isolated forest.
Already familiar. Yet she knew nothing about him.
“Where do you live?” she asked abruptly.
“Officially, in an apartment in the city.”
Her jaw dropped. “Manhattan?”
“I’m not there much.”
Seeing him in a whole different light, she stepped back. “I thought you were a cowboy.”
“I am.” Clearly frustrated, he tunneled his hand through his hair. “The adventure company is based in New York and air travel is easy from the city. I’m really never there.”
A fact that most likely wouldn’t change simply because she was there. She was making way too much out of one night. After the weekend, he’d be off to his next job, and she’d go back to hers.
“Makes sense,” she said. “Though I can’t really picture you in the city.”
He slid his hand across her cheek. “I can’t picture you out of it.”
The goodbye was inevitable. They both knew it. They needed to enjoy each other while they could.
He seemed to come to the same conclusion. “You should start searching and questioning.”
“And you need to get out of this house. Go have underwater fun.”
He slid his arms around her waist. “With you?”
“I’ll be along eventually.”
* * *
DANGLING HIS FEET IN THE water at the boat’s stern, Jared leaned back as he watched his charges bob in the surf on inner tubes.
For the last few hours, they’d loved being pulled behind the boat and jumping the waves. But with the contents of the lunch cooler Shelby had prepared now consumed, they seemed content to float.
He longed for activity. The quiet made him think.
After his night with Victoria, he felt both connected to her and farther away than ever. The relationship couldn’t go anywhere, even if he had the necessary time to devote to one. Their lifestyles were incompatible. He’d known that from the beginning. But the reality of separating from her tomorrow was much worse than he’d anticipated.
Then there was that cursed necklace.
The way she was handling the theft was smart and resourceful, and yet he could see her skirting close to the line where her goals were more important than anything else. While he agreed she had to talk to Mrs. K about her son, he didn’t like the thought of the housekeeper being embarrassed and under suspicion.
Oh, yeah, ’cause you’d never ignore your conscience to get something you wanted, would you?
He’d purposely kept his financial status from Victoria so he could be the regular guy she needed. The deception also assured she was attracted to him, not his bank account. And since his plan had worked, his lie was worse than anything she had dreamed up. His was premeditated, to his direct benefit.
He needed to leap from his high horse, and remember that Victoria hadn’t asked for this responsibility. It wasn’t as if she was getting a kick out of pawing through other people’s suitcases or asking personal questions. Plus, if she found the necklace, they’d all be better off. He’d be happy to spend the rest of their time together having fun that included a lot of sex and no detective work.
Maybe that’s why he felt so lousy and unsettled. The theft had pushed moral buttons he didn’t want to face. That supposed jealousy curse had to be the reason he was so possessive of Victoria, resenting Richard anytime he came within ten feet of her. That was why Jared dreaded their parting. He couldn’t possibly have lasting feelings toward her.
His attention drawn to Sal as he swam toward the ladder, Jared shook off his worries. Extending his hand, he helped the elderly man onto the boat.
“Thanks,” he said, snagging a towel and wiping his face.
Yesterday, Jared had been so distracted by Victoria in her yellow bikini that he hadn’t paid much attention to Rose’s gentleman friend. But today he’d noticed Sal had the physicality of a much younger man.
Jared could only hope he’d retain as much of his physique at sixty-two.
Obviously, being a crook of some kind kept a guy in shape.
With Victoria doing her part to solve the case, Jared supposed he’d better get moving on his.
He plopped down next to the other man on one of the benches. “So, Sal, how’s the jewelry business?”
“Decent, though I’m retired and don’t spend much time at the stores anymore. My two sons run the business now, heaven help them. If they keep fighting over everything, they’ll never save for a place out here.” He stared at the choppy waters around them. “You work all your life for your kids, try to teach them right, then one day you wake up and realize they weren’t listening to a damn word.”
“I’m sorry about your family troubles, sir. Maybe your sons would be happier with only one of them in charge. Not all kids are alike.”
Amusement flickered across Sal’s face. “You got kids?”
“No, I am one. My brother runs our family business.” He swept his hand across the boat. “I get this.”
“How’d you decide who was in charge?”
“A poker game.” Jared grinned. “I let him win.”
“Because you didn’t want the responsibility?”
“Because I knew he wanted it.”
“A compromise would be nice. I appreciate you lifting my spirits. One of my dealers found Rose’s necklace, you see. I spent weeks searching for just the right birthday gift for her.” His eyes turned bleak. “I can’t believe it’s gone.”
How had they missed this? And what, exactly, did it mean? “You gave her the necklace?”
He nodded. “I want to marry her, and I was hoping the right gesture would show her how much I love and understand her. We’ve been widowed long enough. My wife died slowly of cancer, and Rose’s husband… Well, I expect you’ve heard the story. We deserve a little happiness.”
So much for the theory that he was using Rose to get to her money. Any doubt about this man’s character was embarrassing. This theft was turning them all against each other. “Yes, sir, I agree.”
Sal’s face flushed. “Sorry to bend your ear about my problems.”
“It’s fine.”
In a flash, Jared realized he’d eliminated not one, but two suspects. Sal wouldn’t steal the necklace he’d given to Rose to prove his feelings, and Rose wouldn’t use the gift to play drama queen.
Jared wasn’t sure who that left as the thief. Though he had a feeling that when they found the necklace, Sal and Rose would break the history of jealousy and betrayal the gems represented, replacing it with something much more powerful and long-lasting.
Love.
* * *
“I’M SORRY ABOUT ALL THIS, Mrs. Keegan,” Victoria said, handing the housekeeper another tissue. “Can you get your son into counseling?”
“I tried last year.” Tears streaked down her pale, powdered cheeks. “He won’t admit he has a problem, even though he owes money to people all over the city. Any day I expect the hospital to call to tell me he’s been admitted with two broken legs.”
Did the mob still do that kind of thing, or had Mrs. K seen one too many TV shows? “I’m sure it won’t come to that,” Victoria said feebly. She was useless with crying women. Where was Jared when she needed him?
“No matter the trouble he’s in, I wouldn’t take Miss Rose’s necklace.”
“I believe you.” Since Mrs. K had, in fact, burst int
o tears the instant Victoria had shown her the jewelry case, she doubted the woman had the nerve to squeeze fruit at the farmer’s market. “I appreciate you confirming this is the case for the missing necklace. I’d rather not show it to Rose and upset her unnecessarily.”
Sniffling, Mrs. K nodded.
You don’t seem to have a problem upsetting the hired help, though, do you?
Victoria could practically hear the disappointment in Jared’s voice.
She hated upsetting the housekeeper, she really did, but she had to solve the theft and end this. For everybody’s sake.
“Why don’t you go lie down awhile?” Victoria suggested. Maybe Mrs. K deserved a retreat at Our Lady of Peace.
“No.” Her gaze distant, the woman lifted her wobbly chin. “I’d rather get back to work, if you don’t mind.”
Terrific. She’d ruined this relationship, temporary as it was.
“Sure. Go ahead.” I have that secret room and several guest rooms to search. “Thanks for your candor,” Victoria added as she left the kitchen.
“Oh, V, there you are,” Calla said, walking toward her as she headed down the hall. “Why aren’t you out on the water with us?”
Where a half-naked Jared was gamboling about. Furious with herself and the whole damn situation, Victoria made an effort to get ahold of her shame. She’d been given a task. In the spirit of justice, she had a duty to perform. She was going to see it through.
“I have a necklace to find,” she said to Calla, scooting around her friend.
“Where are you going?” Calla asked, hot on her heels.
“To the guest rooms. And I’m not just casually looking under the beds and around the doors this time. Can you pick a suitcase lock?”
“No, and neither can you.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t. But I am.”
“Even if you find it, the evidence won’t be admissible in court.”
Victoria ignored Calla’s legal advice and marched up the stairs. “What court? If I find the necklace, I’m putting it on Rose’s dressing table.”
Breathless on the Beach Page 16