When the Heart Lies (15 page)

“Ready to meet the real Kinsley, Jackson?”

“I guess I’ll have to be, won’t I.”

You could tell a lot about a woman from the way she decorated her home. There were also multitudes of secrets hidden inside. He hoped some of those secrets might enlighten him on the other issues Xavier and Kinsley had been so vague about. Those issues, he was sure, had something to do with why Kinsley left home in the first place.

He looked over at Olivia. “Take my lead.”

They headed up the long stone path leading to the house and exchanged a glance before ringing the doorbell. Before his hand reached the bell, the heavy wooden door burst open with Nick in mid-sentence.

“Hey, Jackson. Olivia. Right on time. I called Mia. She should be over soon. C’mon in.”

As they entered the foyer, Jackson stopped in his tracks—deer in the headlights stopped. Directly before him, framed by the winding staircase and lit by a crystal chandelier, hung a nearly life-sized, black-and-white portrait of Kinsley. She was lying on her side in clouds of
white linen, gazing down at Max in her arms. He was covering her nakedness. Nick lay behind Kinsley with his hand on her shoulder, similarly covered by her. He was gazing down upon the two of them.

Olivia, still staring at the portrait said, “Holy crap, it’s fabulous.” She turned to Jackson.

His neck craned back for a better view. Open-mouthed and gawking, he stood entranced. Seeing Kinsley like that with Nick and her son shook him into reality. Kinsley was a married woman, a mother, and in a mess he had no business being in. Xavier’s voice chided—“It isn’t a good idea.” He needed to get this case over with and move on.

Olivia nudged him. “What the hell’s wrong with you?” she whispered.

His facial expression fell flat as he gulped before speaking. “Yeah, remarkable.”

Nick laughed. “We’ve gotten similar reactions before. Not always sure whether they’re good or bad. My mother thinks the portrait is vulgar. What can I get you two?”

“Tequila’s good,” Olivia said. “This place is great Nick. I’ll have to talk you into a tour.” She covertly popped her tongue out at Jackson.

He grinned and took a look around. “I’ll take a beer.” The expansive informal living room and bar was a mixture of traditional and contemporary. The room didn’t send the message of tremendous wealth. Instead, the home rendered more of a cozy family atmosphere.

“Import or domestic, Jackson?”

“Either.”

Nick handed him a Sam Adams, and Olivia her tequila. “Let me show you the house. If Kinsley were here, she’d start in the kitchen, her second favorite room. She’s a phenomenal cook, and we entertain a lot, so we decided to go gourmet.

The Tuscan colors gave the room a warm and cozy atmosphere, and the windows looking out onto the deck stretched around the entire back of the house. A few boats were on the docks. They must have a huge yard because the water appeared to be quite far away.

Nick escorted them from the kitchen and they toured around the main floor. Jackson took a second glance when Nick led them past the back stairway leading up to the bedrooms. A tour was just what he needed.

Nick then led them up the main staircase, walking backward and talking as he went. Still backward, he showed them a couple of guest rooms. They were nice, but nothing out of the ordinary. They moved on to Max’s room. It had storybook themes, white furniture, and as expected, was filled with stuffed animals, toys, and books.

Olivia tapped the little rocking horse. “Aw, sweet.”

Nick motioned them into the study. He laughed and braced his hands against the sides of the doorframe accentuating the importance of the room. “This is her study. She gives me a very
small area over in the corner if I have to do something important. Otherwise, I’m not allowed in here. She likes to think of herself as a writer.” He laughed again.

Jackson eyed the room wondering what Kinsley had ever seen in a guy like Nick. Finally, they moved on to the master bedroom; it would give him more information than any other room. People kept their secrets in the bedroom. Nick opened the door and led them in. In front of them was a king-size brass canopy bed with gathered gauze draped perfectly in each corner. White shutters covered the bottom half of the large windows facing the water, and an assortment of pale blues and subdued browns gave the room a seaside feel.

Olivia called out from the bathroom, “Jackson, you’ve got to see this.”

Similar to the bedroom, the bath brought to mind an ocean retreat. A large Jacuzzi soaking tub sat in the middle of the room under a glass dome filtering in moonlight, and the glassed in shower beyond the tub could easily accommodate four. He scanned the room and nodded as he imagined Kinsley lying against his chest, nipple deep in hot soapy water and sipping wine beneath the moonlight. “Nice. Very nice.” A chuckle slipped out when the thought of what a girl he was being entered his head.

Olivia gave him a queer expression. “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing. Let’s get out of here.” He pushed past her into the bedroom. He needed air.

The doorbell rang, and they headed downstairs. Nick took the steps fast and hollered as he hurried toward the back of the house. “C’mon in Mia. We’re in the family room.” He went to her, pulled her close, and kissed her cheek. “Olivia, Jackson, this is Mia.”

They exchanged pleasantries and made themselves comfortable.

“The usual, Mia?” Nick asked.

“Usual’s good.” She smiled at Jackson, taking no notice of Olivia.

“Xavier roped Nick into entertaining us,” Jackson said, flashing a striking smile in return.

“Not at all. Don’t listen to him, Mia. I’m enjoying myself.” Nick headed to the bar, prepared Mia’s martini, and put some ice in a bucket. He threw a couple of beers into the bucket, grabbed the bottles of Scotch and tequila, and returned, in effect bringing the bar to them. “Jackson, Olivia, ready for refills?”

They talked a few more minutes, welcoming Mia and becoming acquainted. Eventually, the conversations divided between him and Nick and Olivia and Mia. The drinks flowed rapidly. He and Nick handled their booze like pros, but the girls were getting a little loud and laughing at everything they had to say to each other.

After about an hour, he got Nick alone. “Hey, Nick, why don’t you show me that great deck?”

“Sure, great night to be outside.” Nick headed toward the French style deck doors. Mia and Olivia danced to some classic rock, and as he hoped, Nick didn’t bother asking them to join in.

Not only did the porch stretch the length of the house, it was quite deep. Jackson leaned his forearms onto the railing with clasped hands and scanned the view. A light breeze blew, lifting the jagged wisps of hair that fell just above his eyes. “This is remarkable.”

“Yeah, this place is fantastic,” Nick said as he surveyed the property.

“You said earlier Kinsley left. Will she be back?”

Nick’s facial expression tensed as he turned from him and looked out onto the water. “I wasn’t thinking. We’re separated.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”

Nick leaned back and held the railing to keep from falling backward. “She’s been gone a few months. Took off to Florida to live with a guy she barely knows.” His eyes lowered. It was a while before he looked out onto the lake, silent again. “She’ll be back.”

Not if I have any say in the matter.
“What’s she like?”

“She’s great. A little needy though—the family thing; she’s always wanting more of me. There’s a certain aspect to this lifestyle she just doesn’t get. You follow?”

“I’m not sure I do.”

“I made a few slip-ups here and there. One
nighters mostly. None meant anything. Mia on the other hand. Now that’s a sticky situation. If Kinsley found out about her? I love Kinsley. I do. But her running off the way she did doesn’t go over well with me.”

“I bet.” He had to say something, or his mouth would have hung in awe.

“The situation is starting to get embarrassing. Stuff like this doesn’t happen in our circle, and it’s getting hard to cover for her. I’d like things to work out. Who wants their family separated? But I’ve had about enough of her childish behavior.”

“Ever thought of going after her?”

Nick’s brows drew together and his jaw set. He leaned forward propping one foot on the railing, as his stiff arms distanced his body from it. “Sure, but going after her wouldn’t work. She wanted me to come back before she left. When I didn’t, she took off. I thought she’d be more patient. I should’ve come back. She hasn’t contacted anyone here in three months. I was just being selfish, and I wanted to teach her a lesson. A woman doesn’t ask her husband to leave. She did. So now, she needs to come back on her own. Otherwise, she’ll be the one calling the shots, and that isn’t going to happen.” He stayed quiet a few minutes. “We’ve had issues, but
they usually pass. Well, at least I thought they did. I thought that once before, too, though. Big mistake—she took a bottle of pills right in front of me. I couldn’t believe she’d do that to me.”

Jackson didn’t say anything, but his mouth did hang open a bit this time. Did Nick really just say she did it to him?

“I didn’t talk to her for months. I forgave her though. She’s a good mother and wife. Until she decided to leave. Not to mention, she’s a great—well.” He smirked, his head slanting, and eyes following along to meet Jackson’s. His smirk faded to a reminiscent smile. “A man doesn’t just throw that away. Just like a women doesn’t give up millions by not looking the other way, if you get what I mean. She has everything she wants with me.”

Except a husband who loves her.
More than ever, he wanted to love her and tell her whatever she thought she needed from Nick, he could give her. But at this particular moment, all he desired to do was wipe the smirk off the face of this man who called himself her husband. “Everything she wants, huh.” He clamped his mouth shut before he said something he’d regret.

The music increased in volume. Olivia came out onto the deck and Mia followed. They seemed to be making fast friends. Jackson was leaning against the railing when Olivia came up against him like lightning. He had to steady himself. She was loaded by this point. Mia, who was standing in front of Nick and peering up at him seductively while sliding her hand up and down the buttons of his shirt, didn’t seem to be far behind. What the hell kind of corner was Kinsley in that would make her want to come back to this?

A slow song came on, and Olivia tugged him away from the railing wobbling slightly as she did. “Dance with me.”

He seized her around the waist and pulled her back into his arms to steady her. They started to dance. Casually, he leaned in pretending to kiss her and whispered into her ear. “Get any information?”

“Lots, the girl’s a spiller.”

“Him, too. What’d ya get?”

“Aw Jackson, later. Don’t make this all about work. Besides, it was girl talk. Nothing important.”

She  slid her hand up his chest and around the back of his neck, pulling his lips to hers. He hesitated, but kissed her closed mouth for show. The music moved on to a faster beat. All of them seemed ready to move on.

With his arm still draped over Mia’s shoulder, Nick turned to Jackson and Olivia. “Jackson, it’s getting late, almost two. Kinda crazy to go back to the hotel now. Stay here. We have plenty of room.”

Things played out perfectly for him and Olivia. “Thanks, that’d be great.” He looked at Olivia. “Okay with you, Olivia?”

Smiling, she bounced on her toes a bit appearing more than pleased. “Sure.”

The three of them traipsed up the stairs behind Nick.

“Mia, you can take the second guest bedroom. Jackson, Olivia, go ahead and take this one. Kinsley keeps some extra toothbrushes and anything you might need in the bathrooms.”

“Thanks,” Jackson said, feeling a little odd he was being all but tucked in by Kinsley’s husband and sharing a room in her home with Olivia. Everything about the night was strange. How would Kinsley react when she found out he’d been here, poking into her life and riffling through her things?

Olivia grabbed his hand, hauling him in the direction of the bedroom as he spoke. The door closed behind them, and she pushed him back against it, kissing him while working on stripping him bare. When her hands landed on his fly, he grabbed her shoulders and turned, reversing their position. In an instant, he seized her wrists with one hand and lifted them above her head, pressing them and her against the door with his body. He maintained the pressure that held her while looking at her intently.

“Knock this shit off Olivia; I’m not interested. I’ll take the floor.” He released her with a little more force than he’d meant to. Angrily, he snatched a pillow and a small throw from the bottom of the bed and tossed them onto the plush carpet.

She began to protest. When her open mouth clamped shut, he was relieved, and settled himself on the floor as comfortably as he could. She did the same on the bed, passing out within minutes. He waited about an hour before venturing out to scour around.

Darkness and silence met him when he peered around the doorway. He turned on the small flashlight he brought along. Noticing the master bedroom door was open, he headed in. The room was empty. The whole house had the appearance that Kinsley still lived there. Jewelry on the dressing table, cosmetics in the bathroom. He picked up a bottle of perfume and sucked in an extended breath, taking note of the fragrance: Estée Lauder’s
Beautiful
. When he opened the walk-in closet, her clothes were still hanging, along with shoes, handbags, and some decorative boxes. He took one down. There was nothing in the box but some memorabilia. The same with the others. In the bureau drawers, he came across some nice lingerie and slid the fabric between his fingers, sizing it up. In a hurry, he stopped short of imagining her wearing the slinky black teddy he caressed and closed the drawer to get it out of sight.