Beach Reads Boxed Set

by Marie Force

  Lesson learned.

  Never leave such an important thing to chance, not that it was likely she would be a bridesmaid again any time soon. Despite Enid’s over-the-top social climbing, she was the only close friend Liana had—and the only person she would have worn this dress for.

  Now where in the world is Mom? Liana scanned the room yet again. When she arrived the night before she had been startled by the change in her mother. A little bit of forgetfulness on her last visit a year ago had blown up into something much more serious. After the wedding Liana planned to have a long chat with her Aunt Edith who was supposed to be keeping an eye on her sister in Liana’s absence.

  Enid reached for her hand. “Come with us to cut the cake,” she said, her dull gray eyes dancing with excitement.

  Poor Enid. Liana shuddered again at the unfortunate wedding dress her cousin had chosen. The thing had to weigh at least forty pounds, and the fine sheen of sweat on Enid’s face was a testament to the effort it took to carry the concoction around. But the dress did cover up a world of sins on Enid’s pear-shaped body. Her equally unattractive groom, Brady Littleton, gazed at his wife with such unabashed love that Liana was struck by a sharp wave of longing. For all her supposed beauty, no one had ever looked at her like that.

  As she got up to follow Enid, Liana took one last visual trip around the tent in search of her mother. She didn’t find her mother, but she did catch a handsome man in a tux checking her out. Thick dark hair, strong jaw, well built, and devastating in the formal attire, his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled and nodded at her.

  “Enid,” she whispered.

  Her cousin turned back, and the huge bustle on the back of her dress caught Liana like a punch to the stomach.

  Protecting her midsection from her cousin’s dress, Liana asked, “Who’s the wallflower in the corner?”

  Enid made no attempt to be discreet as she leaned around Liana’s shoulder. “I don’t see anyone.”

  Liana turned and was disappointed that he was gone. “Oh, well, he was there a minute ago.”

  “Enid,” Brady said. “They’re waiting for us, honey.”

  Still wondering where the heck her mother was, Liana took the arm of Brady’s pimply-faced best man—who had already made several flagrant passes at her—and went to watch Enid and her husband cut their cake.

  Somehow Liana managed to get through the required dance with the best man, who acted as if his three minutes of smashing her toes was the highlight of his life.

  Ugh! Liana was so sick of men panting after her like dogs in heat. If they only knew how boring and predictable they were. Not one of them was different—same old boring lines, same old boring compliments, same old, same old. Just because they had seen her in a few skimpy swimsuits they thought they knew her and worse yet, they thought she owed them something.

  When the dance finally came to an end, Liana broke away from the befuddled best man, determined to locate her missing mother.

  Looking around the crowded tent, she wasn’t watching where she was going and collided with a broad chest and a bow tie.

  He grabbed her arms, which was the only thing that kept her from falling.

  “What the . . .” she muttered, glancing up at the strong, handsome face she had spotted earlier. “Oh. It’s you.”

  With the amused lift of a dark eyebrow he went from handsome straight to rakish. “Have we met?”

  “No, but I saw you looking at me before.”

  “I would think you’d be used to that.”

  “Would you please excuse me?” She tugged her arms free of his hold.

  “Is there something I can help you with?”

  Another line, Liana thought with exasperation until she looked up to find genuine concern on his flawless face. She wondered if he had ever modeled. “I can’t find my mother.”

  “When was the last time you saw her?”

  “Right after the wedding party arrived. She waved to me when we were having photos taken on the lawn, but I haven’t seen her since.”

  “You’re sure she’s not in the tent?”

  “I’ve checked every table, but I don’t see her.”

  “What’s her name?”

  “Agnes McDermott. She’s wearing a navy gown and has short gray hair and my eyes.”

  “Violet eyes,” he said, offering his arm. “Come with me. Let’s see what we can do.”

  “Thank you, Mr. . . I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

  “Travis.” He led her from the tent to an office in the clubhouse and gestured for her to have a seat on the sofa.

  “Mr. Travis.”

  He laughed. “No, just Travis. That’s my first name.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m just so worried about her. She hasn’t been herself lately, and I’m worried she might’ve wandered down to the water.”

  Travis sobered and went into management mode. Reaching for the inside pocket of his tuxedo jacket, he withdrew a wireless headset with a built in microphone. “Beck, it’s Travis.”

  As Liana sat on the sofa and tried to get comfortable in the scratchy dress, she watched Travis take charge, intrigued by the authority he projected.

  “We have a missing guest, and her daughter is concerned she may have wandered down to the shore. Can you send some men down there to check? Yes, Agnes McDermott.” He covered the microphone to ask Liana, “How old is she?”

  “Sixty-three.”

  “She’s sixty-three, gray hair, violet eyes, wearing a dark blue evening gown.”

  A moment later, a young woman wearing a headset knocked on the office door. “Travis, I saw the woman you’re looking for about an hour ago. She left in a cab. I recognized her from your description.”

  “Never mind, Beck,” Travis said into the mike.

  Liana rose to her feet. “Where was she going?”

  “I’m not sure, Ms. McDermott. I can call the taxi company and find out if that would help.”

  “That would be great, thanks,” Liana said.

  “Thanks, Niki,” Travis said before he turned back to Liana. “You’re welcome to wait here.”

  “Is this your office?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you the manager?”

  “Something like that.”

  “May I use your phone?”

  “Of course.” Travis lifted the receiver and punched a button to get her an outside line. He handed her the phone and gestured for her to make herself at home behind his desk.

  She dialed a number and chewed on her bottom lip while she waited for someone to answer. Dejected, she set the phone down a minute later. “I thought maybe she went home.”

  Niki came back with a slip of paper. “They dropped her at 242 McCorrie Lane fifty-five minutes ago.”

  “Thank you very much,” Liana said.

  “Do you know that address?” Travis asked.

  Liana nodded. “It’s her house. I wonder why she didn’t answer the phone.”

  “Is there a neighbor or someone you can ask to check on her?”

  She brightened at the suggestion and dialed a number from memory. “Mrs. Zito? This is Liana.” She sighed with exasperation. “Yes, I’m here for the wedding. Two weeks. I know. I wish I got home more often, too. Listen, I need a favor. Can you run next door and check on Mom for me? She left the wedding without telling me. Sure, I can wait.” Holding the phone to the side, she asked, “Am I keeping you from something?”

  “It’s fine,” Travis said with a glance toward the tent. “Take your time.”

  “Oh,” Liana said with a sigh of relief several minutes later. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Zito. Yes, I’ll be over to see you. I have to get back to the wedding now. Okay, bye.” She set the phone down and turned to Travis. “Crisis averted. She was asleep in bed.”

  “Why wouldn’t she tell you she was leaving?”

  “Something’s going on with her. I’m not sure what to make of it.”

  “Well, I’m just glad she’s safe.”


  “Me, too. I’m sorry for the trouble. Thank you so much for your help.”

  “My pleasure. May I?” He held out his arm to escort her back to the wedding.

  Liana looked first to his outstretched arm and then up to meet his dark brown eyes. “Yes, please.” She hooked her hand through his arm. “Do you know what time this thing is supposed to end?”

  “Midnight. Why?”

  “How many more hours is that?”

  He checked his slim Phillippe Patek watch. “More than three.”

  “I’m going to die in this dress before then.”

  Travis laughed. “It does make quite a statement.”

  “Don’t say a word, do you hear me? Not one word.”

  “I’ll do my best to refrain from comment.”

  As they entered the tent, Enid rushed over to them. “Oh, there you are, Liana. I see you’ve met Mr. North, the owner of this beautiful place.”

  Liana glanced up at him. “Owner?”

  “Guilty,” he said with a small smile.

  “I’m so glad you’ve met because I’ve asked him to take you home,” Enid said.

  “You did?” Travis asked, perplexed.

  “Remember the final revision to the contract where I added the addendum about my special guest?”

  “I assigned that to my chief of security, Mr. Beck.”

  “I’d like you to see to it personally.”

  “I can find my own ride home, Enid,” Liana said.

  “No need. I’m sure Mr. North will be happy to take care of it himself.”

  “Of course,” Travis said with a charming smile. “It’s no problem.”

  “In the meantime, why don’t you ask her to dance,” Enid said.

  “Is there anything else I can do for you, Ms. St. Martin?” Travis asked.

  “It’s Mrs. Littleton now, and no, that’ll be all.” She scooted them along to the dance floor with a delighted gleam in her eye.

  “I think I’m being handled,” Liana said, amused by her cousin’s flagrant matchmaking. “She wants everyone to be as happy as she is tonight.”

  “They do seem well suited to each other,” Travis said as he led her around the dance floor while keeping an eye on the goings on in the tent.

  “They’re madly in love,” Liana said, glancing up at him. “You’re released from obligation. I’m sure you have better things to do than baby-sit me.”

  “Actually, it seems my very capable staff has everything under control. We’ve both got a few hours to kill, so why don’t we kill them together?”

  Since that was a line she definitely hadn’t heard before, Liana smiled. “Why not?”

  Chapter Two

  “Isn’t he dreamy?” Enid asked hours later as Liana helped her change from her wedding dress into an equally ghastly going-away outfit. The girl needed some major fashion advice, but Liana had given up on that years ago.

  “Who?” Liana asked. “Brady?”

  “Well, of course Brady’s dreamy.”

  Dreamy wasn’t the word Liana would have used to describe Brady.

  “I meant Travis North,” Enid said with a sigh. “The day I met him I said to Mummy, ‘wouldn’t he be perfect for Liana?’ Mummy totally agreed. He’s so James Bond-the-Pierce-Brosnan-years, isn’t he?”

  “Thus the addendum to the contract,” Liana commented as she zipped Enid into her dress.

  “You didn’t seem to mind dancing with him for the last couple of hours.”

  “Dancing with him kept every other man in the place from badgering me.”

  “Oh, it’s so hard to be you, isn’t it?” Enid joked without a hint of jealousy. “How do you stand it?”

  If you had any idea . . .

  “I knew you’d never bother with him if I didn’t help you along a little,” Enid said with exasperation at the old argument. Despite the disparity in their looks, Enid had had twice as many boyfriends as her much more exotic cousin.

  “I don’t have time to bother with anyone,” Liana said with equal exasperation. “I’m only here for two weeks, and then I’m working in Europe for the rest of the year. What do you picture happening between me and Pierce Brosnan?”

  “White picket fences and very pretty babies,” Enid said without hesitation.

  “You’re high on wedding cake and love! I just met the man, and to pacify you I’m allowing him to drive me home. How do you get picket fences and babies out of that?”

  “All right then, how about some sweaty sex?”

  “Enid!”

  Enid grabbed Liana’s arm. “When was the last time you had sweaty sex?”

  Never. Liana tried to remember the last time she’d had any sex. “I don’t keep track of such things.”

  “If you don’t know, then it’s been too long.”

  “I’m not having sweaty sex or any other kind of sex with Travis North,” Liana said, even though the idea wasn’t exactly repulsive. She shook her head to rid herself of salacious thoughts about the very sexy Mr. North. “I have other things to be focused on over the next two weeks. I thought you and your mother were keeping an eye on my mother.”

  “We were,” Enid said. “We are, but she doesn’t make it easy.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She’s very evasive and secretive. Mummy goes over there at least once a week and everything is always in perfect order, but Auntie Agnes never has much to say to Mummy.”

  “Do you think she has Alzheimer’s?” Liana asked, expressing her deepest fear.

  “I really don’t know, Leelee. I’ve been so busy with the wedding I haven’t spent as much time with her as I should have. I’m sorry about that.”

  Hearing her childhood nickname and seeing the genuine regret on her cousin’s face made Liana go soft with sentiment. “You have nothing to be sorry about. She’s my mother. I need to spend more time with her.” Liana zipped the wedding dress into a garment bag and turned back to Enid. “You look beautiful.”

  “No, I don’t,” Enid said in her typical matter-of-fact way. “You’ve got the market cornered on beautiful. But Brady doesn’t care. He loves me just the way I am. I want you to find that, too, Liana. There’s nothing quite like it in the world.”

  “I’ll have to take your word for it. Come on, your husband’s waiting for you.”

  “He wants to have sweaty sex.”

  Liana laughed. “Enid! Really! Spare me the details.”

  “Maybe I should share the details so you’ll want some of your own.”

  “I’ll pass, but thanks just the same.”

  “Your loss,” Enid said with a breezy wave of her hand. “But if I were you, I’d jump all over that sexy Travis North. Have a little fling while you’re home. What could it hurt?”

  “I’m not the fling type,” Liana reminded her.

  “And that’s your problem. Take my word for it—a sweaty fling is exactly what you need.”

  “Thanks for the advice, Dr. Ruth. Now, let’s go.”

  On the way out the door, Enid stopped Liana with a hand on her arm. “I want you to have what I have with Brady. I know your career is important to you, but don’t be so focused on your work that you forget to have a life. I love you, Leelee. I want you to be happy.”

  Liana hugged her. “I love you, too, and I’m delighted to see you so happy.”

  “Thank you for coming so far to be with me tonight.”

  “There’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be,” Liana said sincerely.

  Enid and Brady ran through a shower of rice to the vintage Rolls Royce Liana’s Uncle Charles had rented to transport his daughter and her new husband to Boston where they would spend the night before leaving on their European honeymoon. After they left, the tent began to empty out.

  Liana was still wiping the tears from her eyes when Travis came up behind her, offering his handkerchief.

  “Thank you.” She dabbed at her eyes in a practiced move that protected her makeup.

  “Are you ready to go home?�
��

  “Don’t you have to supervise the cleanup?”

  “Hell, no. That’s what I’m paying all these fine people to do. I have appointments this week with seven of your cousin’s guests who want to discuss having their events here,” he said with a satisfied grin as he tugged off his bow tie and released the top button of his formal shirt. “My work here is finished.”

  “That’s wonderful. With such a beautiful place I have no doubt you’ll be very successful.”

  “Too bad not all the locals are as generous.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Let me drive you home, and I’ll tell you about it.”

  “Would you mind terribly if we didn’t go right home?”

  He tilted his head to study her. “What do you feel like doing?”

  She shrugged. “I’m just wide awake and full of energy. Must be all the excitement of the wedding.”

  “Do you have a change of clothes with you?”

  “No,” she said with a frown. “I guess I’ll just go home after all.”

  “We could go to my place right over there.” He pointed to the ten-story building at the other end of the sweeping lawn. “I could loan you a T-shirt and a pair of shorts.”

  Her captured her bottom lip between her teeth as she sized him up and tried to gauge his intentions. “Is that a line?” she finally asked.

  He tossed his head back and laughed. “I guess it kind of sounded like one, didn’t it?”

  Wow, that smile is devastating. “Sort of.”

  “Well, let me put your mind at ease. I meant it only as an offer of more comfortable clothes.”

  She contemplated the situation for another moment, remembering Enid said she could trust this Travis North. “In that case, I accept. Thank you.”

  He offered her his arm. “Right this way.”

  Accompanied by a chorus of crickets and the bay rolling gently to the shore, Travis and Liana walked the short distance to the newly constructed condo tower, the tallest building between Newport and Providence. In the elevator, he inserted a key to the penthouse.