“We’ll offer a reward,” Maurie said, tapping away on Liam’s laptop. “That’ll help draw interest. I’m almost finished making the sign, then we can go put them up.” She stopped, looking worried. “Please tell me you remembered to get more ink for your printer.”
“Yes.”
“Thank goodness. Otherwise, we’d have to make a trip into town before we print these.”
The doorbell rang. “Maybe someone has found her,” Liam said, hurrying to answer it. He opened the door and did a double take. For there stood Cooper, holding Rebel in his arms. Rebel barked once, then bounded out of Cooper’s arms.
Liam was too stupefied to utter a word. Maurie clapped her hands as Rebel made a beeline for her. “Where’ve you been, girl? We’ve been so worried.” Maurie pulled Rebel into her arms and rubbed her head. She looked at Cooper, her eyes shining like he was Superman. “How did you find her?”
Cooper stepped into the living room, coming into Liam’s personal space, so that Liam was forced to step back and let him enter. “I got out of my car, and she trotted right up to greet me. You told me Liam had a Yorkshire Terrier, so I assumed she was his.”
“That’s fantastic,” Maurie gushed. “We’ve been searching for hours. I was just making signs to put up.” She looked at Liam. “Isn’t it great?”
No, there was nothing great about this. The whole thing reeked of foul play. Liam eyed Cooper. “How did you know where I live?”
“As I said that night at Lei Lei’s, I make it a point to find out all I can about the artists I represent.”
Liam frowned. “So, you pulled up, and Rebel came out. That’s odd.”
Maurie gave him a funny look. “It’s not odd. It’s great.”
“We’ve been looking all over for her. Doesn’t it seem a bit coincidental that she reappeared at the exact moment Cooper showed up?” He turned to Cooper. “What’re you doing here?” It was a huge invasion of privacy to have this man standing in his living room. He hoped with all of his heart that Benny could find enough proof to nail him to the wall. It was all Liam could do to keep his composure when the presumptuous snake strolled over and sat down beside Maurie.
“I came looking for Maurie.” Cooper grabbed her hand. “I stopped by your place, and you weren’t home. And I thought … where could she possibly be? It’s no surprise that I found you here.”
Liam caught the faintest thread of resentment in Cooper’s tone, even though he was trying his best to hide it from Maurie. And one thing Liam knew was if that thread got pulled the wrong way, it could unravel his and Maurie’s relationship. If he couldn’t stop Maurie from marrying Cooper, then he would not only lose the love of his life, he would eventually lose his best friend as well.
“I thought we might grab some dinner, then go for a moonlight stroll on the beach,” Cooper added, a tender look in his eyes.
Much to Liam’s dismay, Maurie practically melted into a puddle of mush. “I would love that.” Her phone rang. “I’d better get this.” She looked at Liam, excitement brimming in her emerald eyes. “It’s the owner of the gallery in Beverly Hills. I’ve got a shot at getting us in there.” She swiped her phone to answer. “Hello, this is Maurie … yes … thanks for returning my call.” Rebel dropped a ball by Cooper’s feet and nudged his leg with her nose. Then she jumped playfully and barked, waiting for him to throw the ball. Maurie went wide-eyed and scampered into the kitchen where it was quiet.
Rather than throwing the ball, Cooper moved it aside with his foot, giving Rebel a look of disdain. That one gesture was all the proof Liam needed to know that Cooper had kidnapped Rebel. Then delivered her to the front door. But why?
A frigid silence seized the room as Liam plopped down in the overstuffed chair across from the sofa where Cooper sat. He didn’t attempt to make polite conversation but decided to battle him with silence. Rebel, sensing the tension, circled the room once, then sat down beside Liam’s feet. She, too, began watching Cooper.
Unable to stand the silence any longer, Cooper spoke. “Are you familiar with the J. Paul Getty Art Museum in Los Angeles?”
“Yes.”
More silence.
Cooper stretched his legs and folded his arms over his chest. “There’s a certain painting that hangs there—Venus and Adonis, an oil on canvas by the Italian Renaissance Painter, Titan.”
“You mean Tiziano Vecellio?” Liam said, meeting his gaze full on. If the dude wanted to duel, he’d picked the wrong weapon because art was Liam’s stock and trade.
The smug expression on Cooper’s face caved a fraction. “Yes. Do you know the painting?”
“A little,” he said offhandedly.
“And? What’s your interpretation of it?”
Liam’s knee-jerk reaction was to refuse to answer, but he decided to play along to see where this went. “The goddess Venus tries to persuade her lover Adonis not to go on the hunt, but the lure of the chase is too great for him to resist. He goes and is fatally gored by a wild boar.”
“That’s certainly one interpretation.”
“I’m assuming you’ll eventually get to the point of this little Art History 101 lesson.” It gave Liam momentary satisfaction when he saw Cooper’s jaw twitch.
He sat up and leaned forward, eyes narrowing. “Before Venus began her dalliance with Adonis, she’d taken Ares, the God of War, as her lover. Venus, having a premonition that Adonis is in danger, tries to convince him to stay with her. But as you said, the lure of the chase is too powerful to resist. He goes on the hunt, placing himself in harm’s way, because Ares, in his wrath, is lying in wait. He transforms himself into a boar and kills Adonis. You see, in the end, it was Adonis’s foolish pride that led to his demise. If only he’d had enough sense to stay home, then he would’ve lived.”
Liam’s blood ran cold. He wanted to jump out of the chair and punch the pretty-boy’s face through the sofa. “An interesting interpretation,” he said lightly, squeezing his hand so tightly that his fingernails dug into his flesh.
Cooper’s voice took on a taunting edge. “You’re lucky I found Rebel today. If I were you, I’d keep a close eye on her. It would be a real shame if anything bad happened to her.”
“Get out of my house,” Liam ordered through clenched teeth.
Cooper chuckled. “So the gloves are coming off. It doesn’t have to be this way. We could’ve been friends.” He reached in his pocket, pulled something out, and tossed it at Liam. “I believe these belong to you.”
Liam caught the item by reflex, then gasped when he realized he was holding his own sunglasses.
“Tell Maurie I’m waiting for her in the car.” He walked briskly to the door, then paused. “You know, the saddest part about Titan’s painting is Venus. I keep thinking how devastated she must’ve been when she learned that Adonis was dead. I suspect she had the capacity to love both men. But in the end, there could be only one.” A ruthless expression contorted his face. “You come nosing around in my business again and next time, I won’t miss.” He stepped out, slamming the door behind him.
Chapter 10
From the moment they entered the restaurant, Maurie realized it was a mistake to bring Cooper here. Bubba Gump Shrimp Company was one of Maurie and Liam’s favorite restaurants, mostly because they enjoyed answering the trivia questions the servers asked about the movie Forrest Gump. Over the years, they’d made a game of it, both of them trying to outwit the other. Sometimes, they went so far as to place wagers on who would win. Today, however, Maurie was the only one answering the questions, making her wish Liam was here rather than Cooper. Always polite, Cooper was going through the motions, but she could tell he really didn’t care much for the restaurant, and cared even less for the trivia questions.
The server looked to be in his young twenties. He was excited Maurie had made it through what Liam called the no-brainer questions. He gave her an encouraging smile. “Are you ready for the next round? These will be harder.”
“Lay it on me.” She looked ac
ross the table at Cooper who was scrolling through messages on his phone. What was the fun in this? Even as the thought entered her head, she felt guilty. It wasn’t fair to try and mold Cooper into her and Liam’s world. She forced herself to concentrate on what the server was saying.
“Forrest’s home was located a quarter of a mile from what mile marker?”
“Seventeen.”
“Wow, impressive. Not many people get that. Okay, next one. Who was Forrest named after?”
“General Nathan Bedford Forrest.”
“Yes, that’s correct.” He scratched his head. “You’re good. This is the last one. If you get this one right, you’ll earn a free appetizer. In the opening credits, a feather falls between Forrest’s feet. He places it in a book for safekeeping. What book was it?”
Dang it! She couldn’t remember. It was some sort of children’s book. She wrinkled her forehead. “A book of nursery rhymes?”
The server shook his head. “Nope, sorry. It was Curious George. Don’t feel bad. In the two years I’ve worked here, no one has ever gotten that one.”
Maurie chuckled. “Oh, now I see why you offered me a free appetizer if I answered it.”
He gave her a sheepish grin. “You found me out. Shh, don’t tell anyone.” He put a finger to his lips.
“That was a hard one.” Maurie wondered if Liam would’ve gotten it right. She made a mental note to ask him.
After the server took their food order and walked away from the table, Cooper placed his phone in his pocket. “Sorry about that. I needed to respond to a few messages about work that couldn’t wait.”
“No worries,” she said lightly, glancing at the sailboats in the distance that were drifting in and out of the harbor.
He reached for her hands. “I was thinking about our engagement. I know we said we wanted to wait until December, but I’m thinking it might be a good idea to get married in May.”
Her throat went dry. “This May?”
He nodded.
“That’s really soon.”
“If we scheduled it the end of May, then we’d have about three months to plan. We both want a small wedding, and that should give your family plenty of notice. You could talk to them and purchase the airline tickets now.”
The hesitancy that crept over her was as surprising as it was disturbing. “I thought the plan was to ease into this whole thing. Why the rush?”
He began rubbing his thumb back and forth over the top of her hand. “I guess I’m just eager to start our life together. I’m scheduled to go to Asia in June, and I’d like for you to go with me … as my wife.”
“How long will you be in Asia?”
“At least four months. Maybe five.”
There was no way she could jump up and leave the business … or Liam for that long.
“What do you say?” Excitement brimmed in his eyes as he waited for her to answer.
She couldn’t outright say no, and yet, she couldn’t bring herself to say yes. Everything was so confusing. On the one hand, she wanted to marry Cooper and start a new life, but the pull to Liam was still much greater than she cared to admit. The day he called and told her Rebel was missing, the catch in his voice had tugged at her heartstrings, to the point where she couldn’t think of anything else except rushing to his side. And then Cooper showed up with Rebel, and things got weird. After her phone call with the Beverly Hills gallery owner, Maurie could tell from Liam’s behavior that something was terribly wrong. When she questioned him about it, he claimed it was merely the aftershock of losing Rebel. She didn’t believe that for one minute, especially considering that Cooper had gone to the car to wait for her. Something happened between the two men while she was in the kitchen, but neither of them would tell her what it was. She was irritated and hurt that the two people closest to her were keeping secrets. Another thing bothering her was Liam’s accusations. She’d promised him she wouldn’t say anything to Cooper, but if there was the slightest shred of truth to any of it, then she needed to know.
She’d been counting on having several months to sort through her feelings and doubts, but if they moved the wedding up …
“What do you think?” Cooper prompted.
“Can I have some time to think about it?”
“Of course,” he said, but she could tell from the way his face went slack that he was disappointed. “I was thinking that tomorrow we might go snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. We could leave early in the morning to beat the crowds.”
This was going to get tricky. “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
His face fell. “Why not? Please tell me you’re not working on a Saturday.”
“No, tomorrow’s Liam’s birthday, and I promised him we would spend the day together. It’s a tradition.” She cringed at the dark look that came over Cooper’s face. Navigating between Cooper and Liam was like trying to swim between the wake of two opposing boats without getting swamped in the process. From the very start of her and Cooper’s relationship, she’d made it clear that Liam was a non-negotiable part of her life. And for the most part, Cooper was tolerant. But as time wore on, he was becoming more and more resentful of the time she spent with Liam.
“Liam can go snorkeling with us.”
“I kind of have something else planned.”
“Okay, then I’ll just tag along.”
She shifted in her seat. “Um … I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
A crease appeared between his brows. “Why not?”
She sought for a delicate way to phrase it. “Liam’s feeling a little threatened by our engagement. I think it would be better this time if I go alone.”
His jaw clenched. “I see.”
“Don’t be upset. All of this is so new. I’m trying to find a way to navigate it.”
The server returned with their food. “I have the Shrimper’s Heaven.”
Maurie motioned. “That’s me.”
He placed the plate in front of her. “And the Shrimp Scampi.” He put Cooper’s plate in front of him. “I’ll be back to refill your drinks. Is there anything else I can get for you?”
Cooper just sat there, his lips forming a hard line.
A quiet panic mounted inside Maurie. It quickly escalated to anger. One of them had to be the adult and converse with the server. “Thank you. I think we have everything we need.” She waited until the server left before going on a rampage. “Why are you acting so put out about this?”
Cooper gave her an incredulous look. “Do you really have to ask? How would you feel if I told you I was spending the day with another woman and that you couldn’t come along?”
The cold logic of his words hit her with enough force to nearly take her breath away. She would be livid if she had to share Cooper with anyone else. “Liam’s different. My relationship with him began a long time ago. It has nothing to do with you and me.” Her voice cracked. “Why are you doing this?” There was no way she could give Liam up. She’d just as soon give her right kidney as to live without him.
Cooper blew out a long breath. “I know how close you and Liam are, and I respect your friendship. But you and I are getting married, and our relationship has to take center stage.”
“Yes, of course, I’m well aware of that. Once we’re married, it will." She gave him a pleading look. “I just need you to be understanding about tomorrow. It’s a simple birthday celebration, nothing more.”
His eyes softened. “Okay.” He caught her gaze and held it. “I love you, and I want to be with you always.”
The argument suddenly seemed silly and insignificant. Everything was right between them again. “I want that too.”
He smiled. “Let’s eat before the food gets cold.”
They were about halfway finished with their food when a woman stepped up to the table. Her voice trembled. “M—Mitchell Grant. Is that you?” Her mouth gaped. “This is not possible. You died.”
Cooper shook his head. “I’m sorry, but you must be mistaken. My name’s not Mitchell G
rant.”
The woman looked confused. “It’s you. It has to be.” She looked at Maurie. “I’m from South Carolina. Mitchell Grant was married to my best friend. He died five years ago.”
Maurie looked back and forth between the woman and Cooper, not sure what to think. All of the fears came rushing back with a vengeance, and she wondered again if there might be some truth to Liam’s accusations.
“I’ve never lived in South Carolina, and I’ve certainly never been married before,” Cooper said icily, placing his napkin on the table beside his plate.
“But you look just like him,” the woman said, “the spitting image.” She paused, studying him. “And you’re sure you’ve never been to South Carolina?”
“Absolutely. Now if you’ll excuse us, my fiancée and I would like to finish our lunch.”
The woman just stood there, staring at him. “Oh … okay,” she finally said. She turned to Maurie. “Sorry to interrupt your meal.”
“No problem,” Maurie said, flashing a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry about your friend’s loss.”
The woman nodded. She turned to Cooper, accusation simmering in her eyes. She took a couple of steps back, then turned and left.
“I have absolutely no idea what that was about,” Cooper said with a chuckle, but when he picked up his napkin, his hand was shaking.
Chapter 11
“This is fantastic! We should’ve done this a long time ago. Woo hoo,” Maurie yelled at the top of her lungs. She raised her hands high in the air, loving how the wind whipped around her, flapping at her clothes and hair. “I feel like Kate Winslet in Titanic.”
Love on the Rocks (Hawaii Billionaire Romance) Page 8