Starfish Island (7 page)

“I wonder if I do,” Michael responded, staring at her. “But it will have to do for the present. Will you go to dinner with me tonight? Join the Edwards family at the Beach Club?”

“Thank you, but I’ve already accepted an invitation from Ellis Sadler. Same place.”

“Guess I’m out of luck.” He looked briefly angry but then assumed a neutral expression.

She wished Michael had asked first. She wondered what he thought of her. He had, after all, spend quite a lot of time watching her on Caroline’s behalf, according to his own account.

“I’d like your undivided attention,” Cecilia said, breaking the silence. “I have about a half-dozen projects, and I’d like to interest you in at least one.”

“I’m a pushover for an interesting project, especially anything to do with animals. I noticed Grandmother was on the board of the local animal shelter, and I’d like to continue helping out,” Nicole said, hoping a change of subject would dispel the gloom left behind by Greg.

“I hope you’ll like my first suggestion. Michael and I want to throw a party to introduce you to everyone on the island. How about two weeks from now? I’ll check my calendar for a date and let you know. Would you like that?”

“I love parties,” Nicole said. “I hope your other propositions are just as exciting as this one.”

“That’s enough for now, Cecilia.” Michael stood up. “Give Nicole time to get settled. We should go.”

“Okay, Michael.” Cecilia rose. For a moment, she hesitated, and the color in her face deepened. “Nicole, I hope the fact that we witnessed what happened between you and your friend won’t bother you.”

Nicole shook her head. “I told Greg long before I left Santa Fe that I never wanted to see him again. Let’s forget about him. Tell me what I should wear tonight.”

“Dressy-casual. The women tend to dress to impress more than the men.” Cecilia caught Nicole’s hand in hers. “I’m going to love having you for a neighbor. Life is going to be a lot more interesting.”

“I agree with that.” Michael winked at her. “Come on, Cecilia.”

Nicole accompanied them to the entry. Looking at the bare floor reminded her… “I haven’t been able to figure out why this area doesn’t have a rug when the rest of the house is covered with beautiful area rugs.”

“Caroline went out very little in the last few years of her life,” Michael explained. “It amused her to sit in the library and try to figure out from the sound of the footsteps who was coming.”

Nicole listened to the tap, tap of Cecilia’s heels as she headed for the front door and the rubbery sound of Michael’s boat shoes as they walked away.

Nicole returned to the atrium and stopped—she heard footsteps. Were Cecilia and Michael returning for something they’d forgotten?

Voices. Had they met someone on the way out? Please, not Greg. She wouldn’t put it past him to return, and she’d had all she could take this afternoon. Where was Chester? Then she heard a car start up. She crossed the room to the terrace and barely missed colliding with Michael.

He caught her hands and drew her into the library, pressing her up against the wall. “Alone at last. If only for a few minutes.” His whisper came in puffs. “Quick, before Chester comes back. I want to talk to you about the break-in here at the house.”
 

Chapter Five

“DID YOU FIND out anything new?” Nicole demanded.

“Calm down,” Michael said, leaning closer. “I don’t have all the facts—mostly theories. What I need is your help. Here comes Chester, and he looks mad. Be on guard with him. Do you mind if I stay to listen in?”

“He won’t say anything in front of you.”

“True. I’ll just make sure he doesn’t see me.” Michael slipped behind a decorative bamboo screen in the corner.

“I’ve come to remove the tray, Miss Alexander,” Chester announced as he entered the room.

Nicole made an effort to control her emotions in front of him. She glanced at where Michael stood, relieved to see he was completely hidden. “Chester, I’m having dinner out tonight.”

He nodded and left.

Michael slid out from behind the screen, looking annoyed. “I wanted to take you to dinner. “

“I didn’t know that when Ellis invited me to the Beach Club, which I’m apparently a member of. It’s just a friendly dinner.”

“I’ll rescue you from Ellis and introduce you around.” He looked out the open door to make sure no one lurked in the hallway, then closed it softly.

“I’ve been told Chester has an uncanny knack for knowing everything. Is a closed door enough?” she asked.

“He does indeed. I’d be surprised if he didn’t already know about you being followed.” Michael ran his fingers around her lips, staring at them. “Remember,” he said, “walls have ears. I’d bet these walls are hiding plenty of secrets. If it should leak out that I’m onto something, the trail might go cold. I have to go now; Jake’s coming by before dinner.” He withdrew, his eyes clouding over. “We’ll talk later. Save a dance for me.”

“Not bad news?” she asked.

“Just some business problems we need to discuss.”

“Are they serious?” She wondered why she even cared and realized she wanted to know everything about him.

“I hope they won’t be. Don’t worry, my expertise lies in problem-solving,” he said with confidence. “Edwards Inc. stands for more than just making money, and we have a family name to protect. See you tonight.” He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips, his hands wrapped in her hair. “Don’t accept any more dates without checking with me first.”

She laughed, a shiver running down her spine from the feel of his warm lips against hers. “Does the same apply to you?”

He pulled her against his body. “I’ll have my assistant send you a copy of my schedule in the morning,” he whispered against her lips.

Nicole tried to keep her legs steady as she accompanied him to the front door. She listened to the sound of his feet as they walked across the tile. The moment the door closed, Chester appeared out of nowhere.

“May I have a word with you, Miss Alexander?”

She knew trouble loomed; the infamous vein in his temple was throbbing. “Certainly, Chester.” She walked into the library.

He followed and cleared his throat. “I understand you’ve moved into Mrs. Alexander’s rooms. Don’t you think you should have consulted me first?”

Anger reddened Nicole’s cheeks. Her emerald eyes met his squarely. “Just why should I have consulted you, Chester?” she demanded, emphasizing the
I
. “This is my house now. You and your wife work for me and are here to carry out my wishes, not to tell me what to do or how it is to be done. The moment you presume to dictate to me, you both can leave.”

“You can’t discharge us.”

She stared, mesmerized by the vein in his temple, which had rapidly increased its throbbing, and took a deep breath to control a nervous laugh. “Grandmother’s will provided for you and your wife very generously, and I understand that the money is to be made available soon. The two of you can live quite comfortably anywhere you choose.”

“Does that mean we’re fired?” he sputtered.

“As long as you remember that I make all the decisions, I’m sure we can live together in peace.” She would prefer to have the Greys leave now but lacked the courage for that showdown. She didn’t need or want an overbearing butler; she could live in three rooms of this house and be quite happy.

“Is there anything else?” he asked dryly.

“I would like to have a meeting with your wife in the morning here in the library, since she plans the meals and sees to the running of the house. And in the future, do not let anyone into the house without checking with me first.”

“Yes, Miss Alexander,” he said, bowing stiffly, and departed.

Angry as she was at his presumptuous behavior, she’d remembered to listen carefully while he spoke. He didn’t clip off his words in the same way as the voice that had woken her the previous night.

She heard clapping and turned to see Michael leaning against the French door. “Caroline couldn’t have done a better job. She would’ve been proud of you. I saw Chester lurking as I left and doubled back to find out what he was up to and if you needed reinforcement. Clearly you didn’t. That’s the sort of talk that Chester understands. You were calm and cool.”

“Thank you. That’s not my idea of the way to talk to someone working for me, but the Greys, and Chester in particular, forced me to take a stand. I can’t live with Chester dictating my every move. Was he the only reason you came back?”

“I wanted to make sure you understood that we need to have a private talk after dinner. Chester appeared before I could confirm it.”

“I understood. Don’t worry. I’m impatient to hear what you know.”

“Don’t get your hopes up too high. Hold your ground with Chester and you’ll be the winner.” He clasped her hands above her head and shook them, prize-ring style. Slowly his smile disappeared, and he stared into her eyes. He leaned in and placed his head against hers, forehead to forehead, their eyes never parting. He brushed his lips across her cheek and whispered, “And when I said private conversation, I was talking about us, no one else.” He ran his thumb over her parted lips, and she was more than ready to kiss him. Then he shook his head, as if making a decision. “What have I gotten myself into with you? See you later, Nic.” With a gentle swipe of his tongue on her lips, he slipped back out the French doors.

She looked up and saw Chester pass the open door and wondered how much of the conversation he’d overheard. She knew that one day soon there would be a showdown with the butler. From the first time he served her dinner—was it only last night?—she’d known that they were on a collision course. He had appeared to take her ultimatum in stride, but who knew what thoughts simmered between those throbbing temples?

On the way to her room, Nicole remembered some advice she’d been given by her father.
When you’ve decided on a course of action, let nothing stand in your way; one step at a time will carry you to your goal
.

Thinking of her father brought tears to her eyes. She brushed them back.

Something tells me that the battle with Chester will take a series of steps and a good deal of patience.
She entered the bedroom that had once been her grandmother’s and closed the door. With the French doors open, a cool breeze swirled through the room, bringing the smells and sounds of the beach inside. She looked down at the large half-clamshell planter she’d snagged for a song. She’d noticed it on the roadside on her way home earlier that afternoon under a sign reading “Junk 4 Sale.”

She leaned against the door and checked out her other changes. Already, she’d put her personal stamp on the room, with a few personal items on display. She’d placed her favorite pieces of jewelry on an oblong mother-of-pearl tray and a handful of her favorite books on the bedside table. When leaving Santa Fe, she’d repacked her car several times to accommodate a few of her personal possessions that she knew would warm up her surroundings and make everything feel more like home.

She had stopped earlier and splurged on bed linen, and now she dressed the bed in one of her two new sets of Egyptian cotton sheets—one white and the other turquoise—and topped it with a down comforter covered in a white crinkly cotton duvet. She finished the job by piling assorted pillows high on the bed, among them the two starfish pillows she’d managed to find, with blue backgrounds and shells made from knotted thread.

The open doors to the terrace beckoned to her. She stepped outside and leaned against the railing, where she saw that lights flashed and twinkled across the water. Daylight was almost gone, the last rays of light diminishing in the darkening sky. Stars shone overhead.

Her thoughts ran back over her day. Greg’s sudden appearance bothered her, and she wondered if he’d been the one following her the day she arrived. How else could he have found her so quickly? She hadn’t left a forwarding address.

It looks as if I have yet another problem to face.

Before going back in to dress for the evening, she took one last look down the dark beach and wondered exactly where Michael’s home was. She put exploring his end of the island at the top of her list and laughed at herself and muttered, “So teenagerish.” 
 

Chapter Six

AT ALMOST THE same moment that Nicole was wondering about her neighbors, Cecilia Edwards stood in the open French doors of her rambling plantation-style home at the opposite end of Starfish Island. She looked back at the strip of sand that led to Nicole’s house.

“Michael, do you remember how often you, Jake, and I challenged one another to races along the beach?” She was lost in thought. “I never tire of living on the water.”

“Interesting changes around here,” he mused, entering his study, where he sat down in his favorite leather chair.

It was an intimate room with tall, book-laden shelves. There were several chairs and a deep, tufted sofa, the immense desk looking out the sliding pocket doors, just steps from the beach.

Cecilia walked over to stand by the unlit fireplace. “You’re right about Nicole, Michael,” she said, keeping her eyes on him. “She’s young and pretty, and there’s a warmth and charm about her that’s easy to like. I’m happy she’s going to be our new neighbor. What do you suppose Greg Templeton wants? Is it her money? It seems as if you two know each other rather well.”

Michael leaned forward in his chair, elbows on his desk. “I’m sure the fact that she’s come into a big estate and a lot of money holds significant appeal, as his finances have taken a downturn due to bad investments. I wouldn’t put anything past Templeton. I think he’s certainly here to assess that situation and try his damnedest to conquer the lady. Even without a fortune, she’s a very appealing, talented woman. She’s done well for herself and has considerable money of her own.”

Cecilia’s eyes twinkled, and she raised an eyebrow at her brother. “How do you know so much about her? Isn’t this only the second time you’ve met her?”

“The third. Don’t you remember my telling you she almost ran me down?” He laughed.