Beauty and the Beach (26 page)

“Shut it. I’ve never been the player you are so don’t act all offended. So who’s the lucky girl? Anyone I know?”

“Maybe.”

“Why are you dodging? Do I know her or not?”

“You know her. But we’re not actually together, together. The problem is, she’s known me for too long, so…”

“So she knows about your sordid past?”

“Exactly. And she’s holding it against me. She thinks I can’t be trusted to do the long-term thing. And so she doesn’t want to risk it.”

“So who is it? Maybe I can put in a good word?”

“Actually, I’m hoping you will.”

“So, again I’m forced to ask, who is she?”

Adam heard Isaac suck in a breath, hold it, then let it out as he blurted, “Grace.”

Adam’s mouth parted. He shook his head once. “Grace?”

“Grace.”

“My sister, Grace?”

Isaac huffed out a breath. “Yes, your sister, Grace. Who else?”

A smile started to spread across Adam’s face and he barked out a laugh, then sucked in air and started to roar with laughter. About a minute later he wiped tears from his eyes as his laughter finally died down. “Seriously, Isaac. Was that a joke? Were you just trying to cheer me up?”

“Now do you see why I only thought about calling you? Do you see why I didn’t bother?” His tone was disgruntled.

“But Grace? Grace will chew you up and spit you out.”

“I wish,” said Isaac sourly.

“Does she know how you feel?”

“She knows. And she pretty much had the same reaction you did.”

“So why bother? Find another girl.”

Isaac sighed. “I’ll repeat your own words back to you. There isn’t another girl.”

“Wait a minute. Are you the troll under the bridge?”

Isaac sighed. “I see she’s been talking to you.”

“No, to Dad. She didn’t identify you by name. Just, well, never mind. So what are you going to do?”

“I have a few ideas.”

“Any that would help me with Isabelle?”

“I have one. Where’s the necklace?”

“At the bottom of my safe.”

“And no doubt still covered in cat hair? You do know pouting is a very unattractive trait in a grown man, right?”

“I’ll remind you of that when Grace tears you a new one.”

“Why I’m willing to help you, I have no idea. But when I do, I expect some support on the home front. Got me?”

“You help me with Isabelle, and I’ll sing your praises to Grace, and anyone else who will listen.”

“Deal. I’ll hold you to it. Okay, so here’s the thing. Until you get rid of the necklace and the reminder that her family done you wrong--”

Adam snorted.

“You want my help or not?”

“Sorry, carry on.”

“As I was saying. You’ve got to ditch the necklace, because Isabelle probably never wants to see the thing again. And it’s got to look like her sister did you a favor.”

“Her sister did not do me a favor. She ruined everything. And now she hates me.”

“Of course she does. You represent an embarrassing episode in her life. In all their lives. Whether it’s your fault or not, if you embarrass a girl, she’ll never forget it. Anyway, the fortunate thing is that you’re actually sitting on a gold mine. So pulling this off should be a piece of cake.”

“How do you figure?”

“Don’t be dense. What did my father teach us? Jewelry with stories attached are more valuable. Stolen by a loving father who just wanted his daughter to have one memorable night in her poor, pathetic life. Lost after her first kiss ever, found by a cat, and brought to its owner, a darling little tyke who’s dying of an incurable illness and who placed it around the neck of her beloved pet so she could enjoy the sparkle from her sick bed. And last, but not least, found in a tree by the original owner who was heroically rescuing the cat from the tree during a horrible storm. With a story like that, you can pretty much charge what you want for it. You know that, right?”

Adam sighed. “First off, Isabelle’s sister has a fine life. I’d even go out on a limb and say she’s a bit spoiled. And no way was that her first kiss. The tyke is perfectly healthy, and she’s a brat with a capitol B. Plus, I wasn’t particularly heroic, I was just trying to impress Izzy. And it was a sunny day--no storm.”

“Whatever. You sit down and write that story and post it on the website. As soon as you’re done, text me and I’ll send off a note to Mrs. Haskell in Jersey. I’ll even tell her that if she doesn’t act fast, she’ll lose out on the deal. You know how much she loves cats. She’ll buy it by morning. The good news--that the necklace is sold and because of what happened you made a ton of money on the deal--will change everything. Isabelle’s guilt will fade away, and then you can make your move.”

“How do I tell Isabelle?”

“You don’t. That’s the brilliant part of my plan. When the necklace is sold, you tell her sister. Then you ask for her help. Bribe her if you have to. With the necklace out of the way and the sister on your side, you’re home free.”

Adam didn’t say anything for a moment. Then, “You know what? That might actually work.”

“Of course, it will work. And when it does, you’ll owe me big time. Don’t forget it.”

“Thanks, buddy. I won’t.”

~~~

Late afternoon the next day, Adam arrived in the lobby of the Italian restaurant Courtney worked at and asked if she was available. He’d called earlier to find out what time she started her shift, so he knew she was there. The host, an older gentleman, stared at the scar on Adam’s face, before jerking his gaze away and agreeing to get her.

Adam was going to talk to her, whether she wanted to see him or not. She would hear him out. He found himself pacing, and forced himself to stop just as Courtney walked around the corner and halted beside the front desk. From her startled expression he could tell he’d caught her unaware. He half-expected her to run away so he rushed into speech.

“Courtney, please, I really need to talk to you.”

She arched a brow, glancing around at the host coming up behind her. “Follow me.” She headed out the front doors, and he was right behind her. When they were by the side of the building, she turned and faced him, brows raised and arms crossed. “How can I help you?”

Her coloring, so different from Izzy’s, didn’t hide the fact they were sisters. Courtney had the same slender build, and the same heart-shaped face, full lips, and delicate brows. Looking at her made Adam’s chest tight. “How…how is Izzy is doing?”

She smiled, again reminding him of her sister. “You call her Izzy?”

“What?”

“Only family calls her Izzy.”

He shrugged and took a breath. “I have a proposition for you.” He hesitated, then pulled out a folded check and held it up between two fingers.

She gasped, staring at the check. “Oh, my gosh!” She looked at him with wide eyes and a grin spread across her face. “You’re totally going to bribe me to get to my sister, aren’t you?” She giggled. “This is so awesome.” She help up her hand. “Sorry, I interrupted. Go ahead.”

“Um…”

Her hand flew up again. “Wait, before you say anything, I have to know. Why don’t you just ask her out?”

His lips tightened. He shrugged.

Sudden sympathy filled her eyes. “You’re afraid to, aren’t you? You know, she’s had some time to think about everything that’s happened. My sister is a thinker and a planner.” She gestured toward the check. “Maybe you don’t need to bribe me. Maybe you just need to keep trying with her.”

Having this girl read him so easily had his feet shifting. He swallowed. “Why do you say that? Has she said anything? About me, I mean?”

“If she told me something in confidence, I could hardly tell you, now, could I?”

He tried to read her expression.

She sighed impatiently. “Look. I might help. I can see you’re hurting and you really love her.” She gestured toward the check again. “But what about the bribe? I’m dying to know what it’s worth to you!”

He handed her the check and she unfolded it and gasped. She looked up at him wide eyed once more. “It’s for $50,000 and it’s in my name,” she whispered, refolding the check.

“I sold the necklace for $150,000.”

Her mouth parted and she put the hand holding the check to her chest. “I thought it was a $100,000 necklace?”

He straightened. Now that she was off balance, he felt steadier. “The thing about jewelry is that, the better the story behind it, the more it’s worth. So, without mentioning names, I wrote up the story of the dad who borrowed it for his beloved daughter’s prom. Its loss and eventual discovery at the top of a tree around a cat’s neck. And how, in order to get it back, the owner had to make a replica of the necklace for the cat named Queenie. It didn’t hurt that I have a friend in the jewelry business who knew a lady who’d be interested.”

“And you got $50,000 more for that story?” Her tone was incredulous. “I am so going into the wrong field. So, basically without me losing it, you wouldn’t have made this extra money?” She waved the check.

He shook his head. “Nope.”

She blew out a breath and opened the check again. “Hmm. I could really use this for college. I mean, I’ve got a scholarship, and some savings, but this would really set me up for the next four years and I wouldn’t have to ask Dad and Izzy for any help.” She looked up. “Okay, so what exactly do you want in return?” She was smiling, her eyes shining, and Adam felt hopeful.

“I want help getting Izzy back.”

She laughed. “Okay, I’ll think about it.” She folded and pocketed the check in her short apron, then patted it. “And don’t worry, I won’t be cashing this check unless the two of you end up married or something. If I did, my sister would kill me.” She paused. “Actually, she might, anyway. So we’ll just keep this between the two of us, okay?”

He nodded. “We have a deal? You’ll help me?”

She pulled a cell phone out of her back pocket. “Give me your phone number.”

He did and watched as she input the numbers. “I should totally put your number under Sucker, but I’ll be nice, so Adam Wilder it is.” She finished and slid the phone back in her pocket.

“We have a deal?” he asked again.

“I’ll think about it.”

His face slackened. “You’ll just think about it?”

“You’ll be the first to know when I’ve made my decision. But it’s definitely in your favor that you’d be such a soft touch as a brother-in-law.” Her eyes narrowed. “But remember this. It’s not my fault if she would have eventually got back together with you. Are we clear? You can’t come back later and be like, well, I didn’t need to pay you because we probably would have gotten together. You guys get married, I get to cash this.” She patted her pocket. “Deal?”

Relieved and hopeful, he nodded. “And you’ll tell Izzy that the necklace sold for $150,000? That I made money off the deal and it’s all good?”

“I’ll tell her. It will actually mean a lot to her. And to tell you the truth, I’m pretty relieved, too.”

He nodded. “Okay.” He rubbed his hands together and blew out a breath. “Okay, this is good.” He was well aware of how much Izzy loved her sister, and after everything the girls had been through together, no one would know better how to approach her. “I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”

Chapter Fourteen

ISABELLE PICKED UP ANOTHER SHIRT, looked it over, and decided it was a keeper so she folded it and put it neatly in the top drawer. She’d been sorting through her clothes for the last hour, throwing some away, filling a bag to take to the thrift store, and hanging up or folding the items she’d decided to keep.

She had an appointment in the morning to walk through an apartment for rent and, from the pictures posted on the Internet, it looked small, but nice. She had some money saved, so she could afford a few pieces of gently used furniture, and the rent was affordable enough to allow her to save for more. For the first time in a long while, she was feeling excited.

She thought about her room at Adam’s place, and how nice it had been, but quickly shut off that line of thought. It hurt to think of him. She missed him so much. She kept thinking it would get better, not worse, and again she was tempted to return his calls, or answer the next time he called, but she just couldn’t. It almost seemed the longer she was away from him, the more embarrassing and ridiculous her family must seem to him. She just couldn’t face him, not yet.

She heard the front door open in the living room, and, a few minutes later, Courtney came in. “Hi.”

“Hi, yourself.” Isabelle looked at the clock on her nightstand. “What are you doing home? It’s only eight o’clock and I thought you were closing tonight.”

Courtney shrugged. “I was having a hard time focusing and when it slowed down, the manager asked if anyone wanted to leave early. I volunteered and, since I hardly ever ask to leave early, he picked me.”

Noticing the way Courtney was watching her, Isabelle asked, “Are you feeling okay?”

“Mmm hmm. Fine.”

“You ought to join me. You need to sort through your clothes to figure out what you’re taking to school. We can chat while we do it.” It would have the added benefit of helping Isabelle get her mind off of Adam.