by Sandra Brown
Elaine got their attention by clapping her hands. “Gather ’round. I insist on everyone having at least one glass of Champagne.” She had filled four flutes and placed them on a cocktail table. “This is an occasion. We’ve made a new friend. Welcome, Drex.”
“Thank you. I’m glad to be here.”
Although he was the outsider, he looked at ease as he carried the tray to the table and set it in the center, then held out a chair for Elaine before seating himself.
“You forgot your hat, Talia.” Jasper came up behind her and placed her wide-brimmed straw hat on her head.
“Thank you. It wouldn’t have taken long for me to miss it.”
“Wise girl,” Elaine said to Drex. “She avoids sun exposure. Too late for me.”
“You acquire a gorgeous tan. I freckle,” Talia said.
“She’s practically a vampire,” Jasper said.
Affronted and embarrassed by his insensitive remark, she looked at the newcomer of the group, who was sitting directly across the table from her. He had slid on a pair of sunglasses, but she could tell that he was looking into her face, as though seeking the referred-to freckles.
What could have become an awkward moment was saved by Elaine, who prompted them to raise their glasses. She made a toast to everyone’s good health then turned her attention to Drex and began plying him with questions.
Jasper spoke quietly to her. “I believe I embarrassed you with the vampire comment. I’m sorry.”
“No harm done.”
He patted her hand, then turned toward the other two and joined their conversation. Talia was content to let it flow around her without being required to either lead it or participate to any great extent. The tedious hours she’d spent in O’Hare, the bumpy flight to Charleston, then the drive home from the airport had left her exhausted. Jasper didn’t wake up when she got into bed, for which she’d been relieved. It was his wont to ask for detailed accounts of her trips.
Over breakfast, she had suggested that she sit out today’s excursion. “You and Elaine go without me. Enjoy yourselves. I’ll be perfectly happy to stay behind and lounge all day.”
“We’ve had this planned for days. Elaine will be disappointed if you don’t come. Besides, I’ve invited a fourth.”
That’s when he’d told her about the man who’d moved into the garage apartment.
“Is it even livable?” she’d asked.
“He seems to think so. But I doubt his standards are very high.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I’ll let you form your own opinion. He’s rough around the edges, but I will credit him with knowing which fork to use for each course, and the two bottles of wine he brought were passable.”
“If you weren’t that taken with him, why did you invite him to come along today?”
“Curiosity.”
Drex Easton was more refined than Jasper had led her to believe, but then Jasper did have very high standards. Gauging by Elaine’s body language, which had her leaning toward the writer across the armrest of her chair, she found him magnetic.
He seemed unfazed by her avid interest, answering her barrage of questions with humor but, Talia noticed, little elaboration. He was self-deprecating and unaffected.
But when he glanced across the table and shot her a smile, Talia wondered if perhaps he was exercising reverse psychology. Maybe his seeming disinterest in making a good first impression was a calculated attempt to make one.
Not so long ago, she would have accepted his open and friendly nature for what it was, rather than to look for duplicity. Jasper was more disinclined to take people at face value. She supposed that tendency of his was wearing off on her.
They finished the remainder of the Champagne, then Jasper pushed back his chair and stood. “Shall we get underway? Or would you rather serve lunch first, Elaine?”
“Let’s go out a way and anchor for lunch.”
Jasper saluted her. “After you, captain.” He bent down and peeped beneath the brim of Talia’s hat. “You don’t mind if I play first mate, do you?”
“I know you can’t wait to get your hands on the wheel. Go.”
He pecked her cheek with his lips. To Drex he said, “Beer and soft drinks are in the fridge in the galley. Help yourself.”
“Thanks. I’m good for now.”
Jasper followed Elaine into the wheelhouse and closed the door behind them. The absence of Elaine’s chatter was immediately noticeable. Drex was the first to remark on it. “Has Elaine ever met a stranger?”
Talia laughed. “Not since I’ve known her.”
“Which is for how long?”
“A few years.”
“How’d you come to meet?”
“She and her husband frequently cruised down here from Delaware. After he died, she decided to move here. She and I met when she joined the country club.”
He gave a look around. “I assumed the yacht belonged to you and Jasper.”
“No, it’s Elaine’s.”
“Does she pilot it herself?”
“Usually only out of the marina.”
“That takes some maneuvering skills.”
“According to her, the late Mr. Conner was an avid boatman. He taught her how to pilot in case there was ever an emergency and she had to take over for him. She’s coaching Jasper. Once we clear the buoys, she lets him have the wheel.”
“He seemed eager to be at the helm.”
“He loves boats and all things aquatic.”
“What about you?”
“I enjoy our outings, but I don’t have a passion for the water.”
“No? What turns you on?”
Possibly she was reading innuendo into the question when none was intended. Otherwise it bordered on being inappropriate. Since they were going to be trapped on a boat together for hours, she chose to make a joke of it rather than an issue.
“Nutella,” she said. “I eat it with a spoon straight from the jar.”
He laughed.
The lighthearted mood had been reestablished. Feeling more comfortable, she settled in her chair, tucking her right foot beneath her hips. She motioned toward his cap. “Did you go to Tennessee?”
“No. A buddy of mine is an alum and gung-ho fan. We went camping last summer, and I came home with his cap mixed up in my stuff. I never gave it back.” He grinned. “It’s ragged. I doubt he’s missed it.”
She smiled, then looked away, distracted by another boat passing them as it entered the marina. She waved to those onboard, and they waved back. But once the boat was past them, she again got the feeling that Drex Easton was studying her, and when she turned back to him, she caught him at it. “What?”
He pointed toward her empty glass. “You passed on a refill of Champagne. Can I go below and get you something else?”
“You shouldn’t be waiting on me. You’re the guest.”
“But you didn’t invite me. Jasper did. You probably would have preferred not having to entertain today. You got in late last night.”
She tilted her head inquisitively.
“I heard your car when you pulled into the driveway.”
“I’m sorry I disturbed you.”
“You didn’t. I wasn’t asleep. I haven’t slept through the night since I moved in.”
“A new place takes some getting used to. Give it a few more nights.”
“I don’t think a few more nights are going to improve the lumpy mattress. The fan Jasper loaned me helped with the heat.”
“He lent you a fan?”
“His generosity knows no bounds.”
She smiled. Then, to her chagrin, she yawned. “Forgive me. The truth is, I didn’t get a full night’s sleep, either, and the Champagne has made me drowsy.”
“Then I’ll shut up and let you doze. Or would you rather I leave you in peace and…relocate?”
When he smiled in a certain way, an attractive dimple appeared in his right cheek behind the piratical scruff. She figured he knew that dimple was attractive and
doubted he would relocate if she took him up on his offer.
“You may stay,” she said.
“Ah, good. I’m drowsy, too. And after two days of moving in, it feels good to sit and do nothing.” He slouched deeper into his chair, pulled the brim of his cap down to the top of his sunglasses, and linked his fingers over his lap. No rings. A sizeable but unadorned wristwatch with a black leather band.
His hands were large and long-fingered, with plump veins crisscrossing the backs of them. His sleeves were rolled up to midway between wrist bone and elbow. Even though he appeared relaxed, she sensed tensile strength in his limbs.
She looked away and followed a solitary cloud drifting between them and the horizon. A minute passed. He didn’t move. The silence between them began to feel ponderous. She searched for something to say. “Drex is an unusual name.”
He flinched and sat up straighter. “Sorry? I was about to nod off.”
“No you weren’t.”
The moment the words were out, she wished she could call them back. Too late now, however. Above his sunglasses, one of his eyebrows arched to form a question mark.
With a trace of challenge in her tone, she said, “You were staring at me. I could see your eyes through your sunglasses.”
He thumped the arm of his chair with his fist. “Damn! Busted.” He shot her that smile again. “I was staring at you.”
“Why?”
“Welllll, if I told the absolute, swear-on-the-Bible truth, Jasper would probably sew me up in a tow sack and pitch me overboard.”
Talia couldn’t help it. She laughed. He was a shameless flirt, and, since he made no secret of it, it was harmless. “Like the Count of Monte Cristo.”
“My favorite book,” he said.
“Oh? Why?”
He thought about it for a moment. “He was committed.”
“To getting revenge.”
He bobbed his chin. “He let nothing stop him, not even imprisonment. He was patient. He did his homework. He pulled off the best undercover guise ever. Got his man.” He paused and then grinned wickedly. “And woman.”
“His enemy’s wife.”
He sat up straight and leaned forward with his forearms crossed on the tabletop. “I called Jasper a lucky bastard when I mistook Elaine for his wife.”
“You no longer think he’s lucky?”
He didn’t answer immediately. Then, “I think he won the Powerball. Twice. At least.”
The dimple had disappeared, and so had the mischievous smile. Of a sudden, the flirting didn’t seem quite so harmless.
Chapter 4
Elaine chose that moment to open the wheelhouse door and poke her head out. “Hold onto your hats and watch to see that those flutes don’t slide off the table. We’ve cleared the marina, and Jasper’s about to give it the throttle.” She ducked back inside. The yacht gathered speed and moved out into open water.
Elaine had interrupted an uncomfortable moment. But Talia thought perhaps she had imagined the intensity in Drex’s tone, because now his teasing grin was back.
“Why was I staring at you? I was contemplating. Here I am a wordsmith, but I’ll be damned if I can think of an adjective that accurately captures the color of your hair. When I saw you coming up the stairs, I thought ‘russet.’”
“Adequate.”
“Adequate but lacking nuance.”
“You need nuance?”
“Yes. Because when you got in the sunlight, I saw that your hair is shot through with strands of gold and copper. So what word would I use to describe it?”
“Why would you need a word? Why would you be describing me? Unless you’re planning to use me as a character in your book.”
“Oh, God no! I think far too highly of you to do that.”
Her laughter was followed by a comfortable silence as they stared out across the chop. He resumed the conversation by asking what had taken her to Chicago.
“I went to assess a hotel.” Reading his puzzled expression, she smiled. “It’s a prototype. New concept. Very minimalist. I tried it on for size.”
“What for?”
“It’s a long story.”
He spread his arms. “I’ve got nowhere to go.”
“Okay, but remember you asked.”
“Fire at will.”
“I was trying out the hotel for my clientele.”
“Clientele?”
“My parents had a travel agency. I started working in the office when I was in high school. When I graduated college, I was made manager, and they semi-retired. Then Dad died, followed by my mother a year and a half later. I was their only child and heir. Shafer Travel, Inc., became mine.”
“That sounded like the expurgated version. Go on.”
“Well, I expanded the business, first by opening an office in Savannah, and then another in Birmingham. Those did well. I paid off the business loan that got those up and running, then took out another loan to open two more offices, one in Dallas, the other in Charlotte.”
“Wow,” he said. “This at a time when most people started booking everything travel-related online.”
“Most people, yes. But when even the best travel agencies began cutting back on personnel and services offered, a market was created for white glove service. My agencies responded, and began catering to clients who didn’t need to, or wish to, shop online for the cheapest airfare or haggle over a room rate.”
“You stopped booking bus tours to see fall foliage?”
“And started booking private jets to see the seven wonders of the world. Word spread about our specialized service.”
“Millionaires talk.”
She smiled. “Before too long, Shafer Travel got the attention of a company that has dozens of agencies nationwide. It didn’t look kindly on the competition mine were giving them.” She raised her shoulders. “They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
“You sold out.”
“Lock, stock, and barrel.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“So if you no longer have the business, why were you trying out the hotel in Chicago?”
“Are you sure you want to hear all this?”
“I don’t know. How much more inept and underachieving am I going to feel when you’re finished?” The dimple reappeared.
She tented her fingers and tapped them against her lips as she regarded him thoughtfully. “I don’t quite trust you.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Your self-denigration. I think you use it to disarm people so they’ll form a lower opinion of you than they should.”
He placed his hand over his heart. “What a relief. Here I thought my inadequacies were real. I’m glad to learn they’re faked.”
She didn’t laugh as he obviously expected her to. Rather, she continued to wonder why he downplayed the shrewdness she detected in the eyes behind the dark lenses. Not that his psychology was of any consequence to her, she reminded herself. She went on with her story, but only because he motioned for her to do so.
“I discovered I wasn’t cut out to retire at the age of thirty-two,” she said. “Inside of a month, I was bored. So when I began getting calls from former clients, complaining about the lack of attention and personal service they were receiving, I agreed to handle their travel arrangements, everything from the time they left their front door until they returned. Down to the most minute detail.”
“You do this for fun? Goodwill?”
“No, for a percentage of how much they spend on the trip.”
“Ah!” He grinned. “I doubt I could afford you.”
“Few can,” she admitted. “That limits the number of clients I cater to. I get to keep my toe in, but only to the extent I want.”
“Still giving the big boys competition?”
“I’m an…irritant. Especially to the company that bought me out.”
He barked a laugh. “I’ll bet. You’re keeping the big spenders under your wing.” He flopped back agai
nst the chair cushion. “For ingenuity alone, I’d give you a five-star rating.”
His flattery made her feel good in a way it probably shouldn’t. She experienced a warmth she wanted to bask in.
“How did you like the minimalist prototype?” he asked.
Glad to be pulled back on track, she said, “There were an overabundance of outlets in which to plug in devices.”
“But?”
“The room was sterile. No personality or character. No—”
“Ambiance?”
“Good word.”
“Whew! Maybe I have promise as a writer after all.”
She gave him an arch look before continuing. “Everything was so high tech, it took me fifteen minutes to figure out how to turn on the lights and keep them on. I’m not particularly fond of baroque or chintz, but I do like a chair that conforms to the human body, one that I can actually sit in.”
“You won’t be recommending the place.”
“No. My clients appreciate having their travel streamlined, and having plenty of electrical outlets for their gadgets, but they also insist on creature comforts.”
“I’m a creature who likes his comforts.”
“Then why did you move into that tiny space with no air-conditioning and a lumpy mattress?”
“I hadn’t suffered enough yet. To be a good writer, one must suffer.”
“Self-flagellation?”
“I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m almost to that point.”
They shared a smile, then he asked, “When you go on these research trips, does Jasper ever go along?”
“Not that often. Only if I’m looking at something a bit more exotic than a hotel for the business traveler.”
“Do you ever go overseas?”
“I go two or three times a year. Jasper, never.”
“Why not? I’d think those would be the trips he’d want to take.”
“He doesn’t like the long flights.”
“I see.”
She sensed there was more to his dismissive comment than the mere two words. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“What?”
“Well, I think Jasper must be the most secure man I’ve ever met to let you go traveling the world on your own and be okay with it.”
“I didn’t ask his permission, so it’s not as though he lets me,” she said coolly. “And I didn’t say he was okay with it.”