Beauty and the Beach (6 page)

“It’s called the Rose Room.” Again, Adam’s voice was gruff. “My friends won’t ever stay in this one. They say it’s too girly. But you’re a girl, so I thought…” He shrugged. “Do you like it?”

Isabelle breathed in. “It’s amazing.” She walked into the little nook with its armchair, light to read by, and view of the ocean. “I don’t know what to say. It’s fantastic.” She finally looked at Adam. “I love it.”

Adam rubbed the back of his neck. “The guy who built this place, built it for his young bride. Apparently she loves to decorate, and after she finished this place, she was ready for something new.”

“Everyone in town calls it The Castle.”

Adam sighed. “I know.”

“But I’ve never known anyone personally who’s ever been inside.” Isabelle turned and smiled at him. “I’ve always shared a bedroom with my sister, Courtney.” She set her bag down on the chair. “And when I went away to college, I lived in a big house with a ton of girls. It was fun, but I shared a room with two other girls.” She looked at him shyly. “This might only be for a few hours, but this is the first time I’ve ever had a bedroom to myself.”

Adam stared at her for a little too long, and Isabelle was suddenly embarrassed for sharing too much. She looked down at the plush carpet. “Anyway, it’s great. Thanks.”

“Sure.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll let you get your things put away. I’ll see you later?”

Isabelle nodded. “Thanks.”

He moved away.

“Mr. Wilder. Wait. I’m not exactly sure what to do. I mean, if you could just give me a little clarification about what my duties will be?”

“Call me Adam. You’re not going to convince my neighbors you’re my new girlfriend by calling me Mr. Wilder.”

Isabelle could feel herself blushing, but was glad to be a little less formal. “And I’m Isabelle.”

“Your dad called you Izzy.”

“Yes. That’s fine, too. So, what exactly will my duties be?”

Adam’s shoulders hunched, his body language visibly uncomfortable. “If you could make some refreshments for tonight, that would be great. I have four guys coming from my unit for a couple of hours. We meet once a week to play poker, usually at my place since it seems to be the most convenient. You’ll probably have to go shopping. Or, if that isn’t enough notice, you could just order in a few pizzas. That’s what we usually do if I don’t feel like cooking. It’s up to you.”

“I’ll make something,” she was quick to insert, relieved to have something to do.

“Sounds good.” He pulled out his wallet and handed her some money. It was more than she usually had for two weeks worth of shopping. She had to wonder if he was testing her honesty.

“I’ll bring back the change with a receipt.”

He looked uncomfortable again as he nodded at her. “Fine.”

She took a step forward. “I just want to thank you again. For giving my father a chance. He really is a good man. He just did something very…uncharacteristic. But I’m sure they’ll find the necklace today.”

His lips twisted into a grimace. “I hope that’s true. I don’t want to press charges. I really don’t.”

Isabelle swallowed. She nodded once.

He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something more, but then he turned away without another word.

She watched him go. He’d seemed uncomfortable with her gratitude and with listing her duties. He couldn’t seem to get away from her fast enough. But if Adam Wilder hadn’t been so nice about the whole thing, her father would no doubt be talking to the police right now, and she’d be trying to hire a lawyer and find some way to make bail. She was grateful.

So, while she waited for news from her father, she’d do whatever she could to make herself useful. And if it made Adam uncomfortable to order her around, she’d just figure out what to do on her own.

~~~

Determined to prove her worth, Isabelle grabbed her purse and headed down to the kitchen. She was relieved Adam was nowhere to be seen.

The kitchen, like the rest of the house, was beautiful. Rectangular canary–yellow tiles covered one wall, while the rest of the kitchen was painted white with black accents. Wooden panels hid the refrigerator, and cherrywood cupboards featured pretty silver handles. A vase full of yellow flowers sat on the light-colored granite countertop. One arched entry led to a breakfast nook, and another to the dining room.

Outside the kitchen windows, she could see a swimming pool and a barbecue area. She thought about the view outside her kitchen window at home--a pretty hummingbird feeder and more apartments--and was amazed at how other people lived.

She turned away and started searching cupboards, pantry, and refrigerator. Other than the basics, Isabelle didn’t normally cook with most of the ingredients she found: artichokes, cooking wines, jars of peppers, and unrecognizable spices weren’t in her repertoire. She decided she’d better stick with what she knew.

She didn’t know what Adam or his friends would like, but Adam had mentioned pizza, and that was pretty basic. So, while she was no gourmet chef, and had always had to live on a very strict food budget, based on what she’d heard about guys, they were pretty easy to please in the food department. Anything she made would probably be okay.

She checked the phone to see if it was on, and if Dad had called. It was, and he hadn’t. She considered sending a text message to Courtney, but decided against it. She knew they were searching, and they didn’t need her looking over their shoulder. She didn’t want to add to the stress.

She picked up the pen, poised it above the notebook, and couldn’t think of a single recipe.

Tears filled her eyes. What about the pressure she was under? Cooking for five strangers when, she had to face it, she really wasn’t much of a cook.

What was she doing there? She wanted her tiny kitchen sink, her little hummingbird feeder, her dad, and her sister. She wiped a tear that fell to her cheek. She wanted to be helping her family, not making hors d’oeuvres for strangers.

If she could, she’d run upstairs, grab her bag, and bolt back home. She took a couple of gulping breaths. She needed to get hold of herself. It would be fine. As soon as the necklace was returned, she’d never have to see Adam again as long as she lived.

She knew it wasn’t fair to him that she felt that way. He was giving them a chance. Probably for her sake, because he liked her. But she was just so embarrassed that her family came out of this looking like lowlifes.

She’d really liked him. Was it just yesterday she’d looked forward to dating him? Had envisioned him picking her up at her own place in town? Had considered kissing him goodnight at her front door?

She sighed. That was all over now. At least with him. Her family would get through this and Adam would never be part of her life.

In the meantime, she had some shopping to do. She’d go to the store, look for inspiration, and probably end up making some of her usual recipes and hope for the best. They were just guys after all. Military guys playing poker. Surely they weren’t picky. No doubt they’d just be glad to have food, of any kind, that someone else had prepared.

She grabbed her purse and headed for the door, determined to figure something out.

~~~

As always, Isabelle was careful with what she purchased and, when she found items on sale, adjusted the menu. She didn’t want Adam to think she was careless with his money. Especially in light of the fact that at the moment her family was tremendously in his debt.

As she headed down another aisle, her phone rang. She scrambled for it, hoping against hope it was her father. It wasn’t. It was Pete Anderson, her boss at the VA. She wondered if he needed her to come into work today and hoped he could find someone else. She considered not answering, then decided she couldn’t do that to him. If he needed to find someone, he should know she was unavailable. “Hello?”

“Isabelle?”

“Hi, Pete. What’s up?”

“I have some good news for you. Do you know who Felicity Sullivan is?”

“The brunette in orthopedics?”

“Yes, that’s her. Her husband has just been transferred to Texas, so she’ll be moving and will have to give up her part-time job. If you want her hours, the job is yours. It’ll mean working both regular appointments and orthopedics, but if you’re up to it, I’d like to offer you the position.”

Everything inside Isabelle froze as she came to a halt in the grocery store. She closed her eyes and tried to think of a way to save the job her boss was offering.

Surely her father would find the necklace quickly. But there was no way she could know that. He hadn’t called so far. And the more time that passed, the less hopeful she became.

She’d told Adam she was off by noon every day and she’d be free to work for him. But she’d been moving toward the goal of full-time employment for so long. And now that the opportunity was here she was going to have to turn it down? She felt sick to her stomach.

“Isabelle? Are you there?”

Isabelle pressed a shaking hand to her chest. “I’m here. I’m just stunned.” Her insides quivered as she realized she couldn’t take the job. She took a deep breath and said what needed to be said. “I wish with all my heart I could accept your offer,” she said in a stilted tone. “But I just took another part-time position and I’m now committed to it for the foreseeable future.”

“With another hospital?” His tone was sharp.

“No.” She was at a loss for what to say.

“Well, with whom?” It was a reasonable question, but she didn’t know how to answer it, she certainly didn’t want it getting out that her father had essentially stolen a priceless necklace. “I took a job as a personal assistant. And when I took it, I had to commit to it.”

“For how long?”

“It’s sort of open-ended. It’s for as long as I’m needed.”

“You can’t have worked there for very long. Just yesterday you seemed excited about the prospect of going full time here. Surely you could tell your new employer you’ve had a better offer?”

This was just killing her. “I wish I could. I gave my word.”

Now it was Pete’s turn to sigh. “I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry, but I can’t hold the job for you. We’ll need someone immediately.”

Isabelle felt tears rush to her eyes. “I understand. Once this new job I’ve taken is finished, I hope you’ll consider me in the future?”

“We’ll see.” Pete’s voice was noticeably cooler.

Isabelle swallowed. “Okay. Thank you for thinking of me first. I really appreciate it.” After she’d hung up, she let the tears fall. Less than twenty-four hours ago, everything had seemed to be going so well. And now this? She started pushing the cart down another aisle and tried to concentrate on the food she needed to buy. She looked at the items on the shelf, but couldn’t see them for the tears blurring her vision.

Maybe when it was all said and done, and her father was no longer in danger of going to jail, she could confide in her boss. Maybe he’d take pity on her and she could get back into his good graces. She hoped so. She really did.

Chapter Four

AS ISABELLE FINISHED THE SHOPPING, her phone rang again. She snatched it up to see that it was Becky, one of her college roommates. She considered not answering, as Becky was like a barracuda for getting information out of anyone, but the chance to hear a friendly voice overrode her caution. She didn’t have to tell Becky about her crazy, messed up life, and she could really use a friend right about now.

So she answered. “Hi, Becky.”

Becky laughed. “I love that you called me that. It makes me feel normal again, you know?”

“Uh, what do you mean? Your name is Becky.”

Becky sighed. “I wish. Only my close friends call me that now. In public, I’m always Miss Washington State, Rebecca White. Or the reigning Miss Washington, Rebecca White. The Apple Heiress won’t have it any other way.”

“The Apple Heiress?”

“Yes. You remember my stepmom? Well, she finally inherited the millions her dad left her and apparently she thinks that gives her the right to direct my life. I think she keeps a running tab of what she’s spent on my little career so she can control me somehow. I can’t wait for nationals to be over. I’m not allowed to do anything anymore. My life completely sucks. I long for uncomplicated. Every time she introduces me as The Reigning Miss Washington, I call her The Reigning Apple Heiress. The only problem is--she seems to like the title, so it sort of backfired.”

“Yes,” said Isabelle. “Money certainly does seem to make the world go ‘round, doesn’t it?” The words ended up coming out more wistful than intended, and she immediately regretted it.

There was a long pause. “Izzy? What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.”

“Izzy. Don’t give me nothing. We roomed together for nine months during a developmentally critical time in our lives. Nine months. You do realize what that means, right? It means we’re practically twins. Besides you’ve had a major impact on my life. I never would’ve entered a beauty pageant if it hadn’t been for you. You made it seem cool, with your awesome good looks and your quiet intelligence, always looking gorgeous and out-studying us all while you did it. Now look at the mess my life is in. It’s practically your fault I’m primed to be the (cough, cough) next Miss America. So give it up. What’s going on? I hear something in your voice and if you don’t spill your guts, then I’m telling The Apple Heiress to stuff it, and I’m on the next plane out.”