Fatal Deception: Part I (4 page)

“All right, I’ll go look for them. Back in a minute, Deidra,” said Marc.

When he left to go inside, Alondra moved to his spot and unknowingly stood just the way he had been standing.

Deidra noticed this. She truly is Daddy’s girl, she thought.

Alondra stared coolly into Deidra’s eyes.

“You miss your mom very much, don’t you?” Deidra asked abruptly.

Alondra was flustered. “What do you know about my mother? Oh, wait—I see! My dad told you, huh? Well, he may be fooled by you, but I’m not. So never ever talk to me about my mother!” Alondra screamed, brushed past her, and nearly knocked her to the ground.

Deidra braced herself against the wall of the house, at that same time Marc and Blair were headed their way. They watched as Alondra stormed toward the garage.

Both pairs of eyes went to Deidra, but Blair rushed to catch up with Alondra. She would have to give that girl a good talking to about disrespecting company.

“Once again, I am so sorry,” Deidra pleaded to Marc. “I was trying to strike up a conversation. I guess I should have taken your advice,” she said. She looked up at him knowing what was going to happen.

“What did you say to her?” he said. His eyes were fixed on the garage where he could hear Blair fussing at Alondra, and watched as Cain left the men setting up, and went into the garage to defuse things.

“I was trying to get her to like me by sympathizing with her,” said Deidra. She began to walk around in circles wringing her hand. Her plans could be in jeopardy if she couldn’t talk her way out of this.

“How?” he turned from the garage as the SUV exited with the two women inside. Alondra was turned completely to the window not looking at anything in particular, and it appeared that Blair’s mouth was going a mile a minute. Cain followed the vehicle out of the garage and watched as it went down the road.

“I tried to make her understand that I knew how much she missed her mother,” Deidra continued. “She seemed so sad staring out like you do.”

Her eyes turned a soft crystal blue as she let him know how much she knew he missed his wife. Marc wanted to scold this woman for the last time, but their eyes linked for a moment, and in that time it seemed as if it was just the two of them, and no one else in the world existed. Somehow, he’d forgotten the previous few moments.

Suddenly, his brother approached. “I’ll tell you, Marc, Alondra really has Blair’s goat, but she sure loves that girl,” he said with a smile. “Maybe we should have kids of our own. She’s really gonna miss Alondra when she goes away to school.” He hadn’t noticed the exchange between the two before him.

Marc broke his gaze and turned to his brother. “You should’ve started on that a long time ago,” Marc kidded.

Cain chuckled and looked to Deidra. “Say, Josh wants to know when you’ll be ready to take pictures.”

Deidra was still staring at Marc. “I’ll go and let them know,” she replied lowly. “I think in front of your ranch house would be a nice start.” She moved past Marc, brushing him gently, but intentionally.

He felt a tingling in places he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

“Nice,” Cain said as he nudged his brother.

Marc didn’t respond. His eyes were set on her as she sauntered over to the other men.

Later, Deidra directed the photo sessions. She knew exactly how she wanted to present the two brothers, comfortably at home on the ranch. She chose places which seemed especially marvelous, many of which exposed the lush green acres and splendid views.

She also took interest in Marc’s motorcycles, and he noticed. Deidra hoped Marc would ask her for a spin. She felt much more at ease now that Alondra wasn’t around glaring at her every movement. She would freely touch Marc from time to time, and took it upon herself to position him for the photographs. Their eyes caught each other’s more than a few times. Cain noticed there was something between the two, and all he could do was hope the best for his brother.

Chapter 6

It had been a busy day for the two women of the house. Blair had only meant to spend a couple of hours away, but since Alondra was so upset, she thought it best to keep her out until the magazine crew had surely gone. They went to a movie and then to a spa, which it seemed to relax them both. It had been a very pleasant day.

Growing up, Alondra was a tomboy. And Blair wanted her to know that that was perfectly fine as long as she never forget to pamper herself. She often treated Alondra to spas for manicures and massages; she wanted to preserve the feminine side of her. This was part of the reason Marc appreciated having Blair in his daughter’s life. She was doing something he wouldn’t have been able to do.

“So now how do you feel?” Blair asked, as they walked to the truck. Alondra had a smile on her face. She enjoyed these outings with her aunt who knew exactly what to do when she was upset.

“You know I feel good,” she replied happily.

Blair nodded in agreement as she unlocked the door and got in. She began to ramble through her purse then and found a piece of paper. “Boy, we have a lot of groceries to get. I think I’ll drop the list off at Sal’s market and have them deliver this time around. Why don’t we grab a bite to eat?” she asked.

Alondra suggested a new café she’d seen and they drove away. Neither noticed the vehicle that had been following them since they arrived in town, and was now behind them.

It had been a long day, and evening began to approach. Deidra wanted to leave before nightfall, so she told the crew to pack up and call it a day. Cain secretly called Blair to let her know.

While the camera crew packed up, Deidra slipped away to get one final look at those motorcycles.

Marc noticed and began to follow. “Do you ride?” he asked.

Deidra was startled as she hadn’t seen or heard him come in. She was usually very aware of her surroundings. “A little,” she replied. “I’m not the expert that you are, I’m sure,” she said.

“Maybe we can go for a spin when this is all over,” he said. He rubbed his hand over one of his bikes staring down at it.

She smiled from what he had just implied. “Is that an offer for a date?” she asked. She wanted to be clear on what he was saying.

Marc’s eyes slowly moved up to meet hers, and stared deeply into them. “Maybe,” he said with a grin before turning to leave the garage.

Deidra stood for a few seconds, and watched him leave. She began to hug herself, laughing. Her plan was going beautifully; better than she could have hoped.

Blair was eating with Alondra when she got the call that they could come home. She told Cain that he and Marc should fend for themselves for dinner before hanging up.

“What did Uncle Cain want?” Alondra asked while her aunt slid the phone back into her purse.

“The magazine folks are packing it in, that’s all,” said Blair.

“Excuse me…” said a voice from the table behind them.

Alondra and Blair turned in response.

“Yes?” said Blair, staring at a woman with dark, auburn hair and light brown eyes who rose from her table and came over to them.

“Hello, my name is Geraldine, but people call me Geri.” She extended her hand to Blair who took it hesitantly. She was still unsure why this woman was making her introductions.

“What can I do for you?” Blair asked.

“I’m your new neighbor,” said Geri. “I moved in several days ago. I saw you come out of the road leading up to your ranch. I went for a hike the first day to get to know my place and saw the young lady racing bikes with a man I presume to be her father. You’re pretty good, girl!” Alondra smiled charily.

“Oh, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Blair, and this is my niece Alondra. I heard someone had brought the Anderson’s place. I’m sorry I haven’t got around to welcoming you. So much is going on at our place, especially today. Why don’t you join us?” Blair asked.

“Don’t mind if I do,” said Geri. She reached over to grab her food, drink, and belongings and Alondra went over to help.

Blair was surprised to see Alondra take to this woman so easily, as she was usually on the defensive.

Chapter 7

“
Well, guess what'?” Cain hung up the phone as Marc entered the house.

“What?” asked Marc.

“The girls are sitting in a restaurant at this very moment, and you know what that means,” said Cain.

“Oh no,” Marc replied. He shook his head and started toward the kitchen. There was no use putting off the inevitable. Cain followed.

Marc opened the refrigerator while Cain came up behind him. They stared into it blankly seeing so many different containers filled with food making it hard to figure out what was what. The two were too busy trying to plan what they were going to eat, to notice they had company.

“Gentlemen,” said Deidra, garnering their attention.

They looked up simultaneously.

“I was coming in to let you know that we’re heading out, but I see that you two are in need of a helping hand, so I’ll send my men on, and then I’ll solve your problem.” She took complete control of the situation.

Marc and Cain watched her disappear through the kitchen door then turned to stare at each other. Each knew what the other was thinking.

“I don’t know, Marc,” Cain finally said.

“Yeah, I know what you mean; Blair and her kitchen…” said Marc.

By that time, Deidra had come back in and pushed them out of the kitchen.

They were just hoping Blair didn’t get back in time to see another woman moving around in her domain. Maybe they could make it seem like they’d invited her to stay. They just sat back, and hoped whatever she was going to do would be quick.

It didn’t take her long to whip something up. The smell emanating from the kitchen made their stomachs jump for joy. They soon forgot the dilemma. She put together some leftovers with fresh sides and prepared the table. The men watched her move around the place like she belonged there.

She set the food on the table, and called them to eat. Everything looked and smelled good. They all sat down and began their meal. They laughed and talked about everything from the business to motorcycles. They were just finishing up when Blair and Alondra walked in. And they weren’t alone.

Blair thought the smell coming from the kitchen was pretty good and wondered what the guys had cooked. She went to the dining room. When she walked in, three pairs of eyes darted over to her.

She looked suspiciously at the table, and how it was set, knowing the guys hadn’t done it, and then her eyes came to rest on Deidra. She suddenly realized Deidra was there alone, without her crew.

Cain jumped out of his seat, and took Blair’s shoulders guiding her into the kitchen to divert a storm. Their voices were subtle at first. Then they grew louder. Marc readjusted himself in his seat. Deidra's eyes fell on her half-eaten food, not wanting to look at Marc just yet. She knew he was uncomfortable.

Just then, they heard a noise at the entrance of the dining area. Their eyes came to rest on Alondra standing with someone else. Marc stared at his daughter, who glared at Deidra and rushed off to the kitchen.

Geri felt a little out of place. Marc’s eyes squinted out of curiosity. He wondered who this newcomer was and rose from his seat to greet her.

“Hello, I’m Marc,” he said. He extended his hand and she rested her hand in his.

“I’m Geraldine,” she said. “But you can call me Geri I met your sister-in-law and daughter in town. I’m your new neighbor. It’s seems like a bad time to come visiting.” She let out a light chuckle.

Marc nodded and smiled. He couldn’t put his finger on it yet, but there was something very familiar about her. And she was incredibly beautiful without trying. Her skin was smooth and sienna; her makeup was very subtle; her eyes were endearing and gentle. She’d quickly taken his breath away.

Upon realizing this, Deidra cut between the two and introduced herself.

“And I’m Deidra,” she said and offered her hand. Geri took it, and thought she felt Deidra put a little pressure into the squeeze.

“It’s nice to meet you both,” said Geri. She drew her hand back and put it in her pocket.

Suddenly, the noise from the kitchen stopped, and Marc, Geri, and Deidra watched the door swing open as Blair stormed out and rushed upstairs with Alondra close behind.

Cain reentered the room. He wanted to apologize to Deidra, but stopped in his tracks. His eyes were fixed on their guest. “Hello,” he said. His voice was a little shaky.

Marc’s eyes rose to look at his brother. He sensed something was the matter.

“Hello, Sir. I’m Geri,” said the new neighbor to Cain. “I moved into the Anderson’s place.”

Cain was frozen in time for several moments. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her and was suddenly speechless. Alondra came down the stairs and noticed this.

“Uncle Cain… I think you need to check on Aunt Blair,” she said. She then cast an evil eye toward Deidra.