Deception (21 page)

“No. And it’s not your cross to bear, Jill.”

“Then why can’t I get what he did out of my mind? And why am I feeling so betrayed?”

Afraid to say the wrong thing, Dan treaded softly. “I can’t tell you that what he did doesn’t matter, because it does, or that it shouldn’t change how you feel, because it already has.” When she turned her head the other way, he touched the underside of her chin, forcing her to look at him. “But the father who loved you didn’t change. The man may no longer measure up to your expectations, but he was still a good man in many ways. He did good things for people, Jill, things that mattered, things that made a difference. And you must admit, that as a father, he was beyond reproach.” “I feel like a fool for not seeing what was going on.” “You weren’t meant to see it.”

“That woman Lilly saw, she fits Vivian Mulligan’s description, doesn’t she?”

“The long hair doesn’t unless she cut it since then. But just to be sure, I plan to ask Vivian.”

“And if it’s not her, but someone else?”

“Then we’ll find her.”

“But how? There must be about a million blond, beautiful women between here and Maryland.”

Above, in one of the bedrooms, a door opened and closed. Lilly was coming down. Rising, Dan held out his hand. “Come on, Red. I’m starved. Let’s go see what we can wrestle up for breakfast.”

After Dan had cleared the snow from around both cars, Lilly kissed them both goodbye and left. Within minutes, Dan and Jill were also on their way. Knowing Jill had a lot on her mind, Dan respected her silence. He spun the radio knob, and found a station that played velvet-smooth R&B, which he could tell by the way her shoulders relaxed was still her favorite sound. He turned the volume down low.

Halfway to New York, he took advantage of the slow-moving traffic to turn to her. “How would you like to have Sunday dinner with us?”

The question obviously took her by surprise because she seemed speechless.

Dan laughed. “You look as if I just dropped a bomb on your lap.”

“Well.. you did.”

“They only want to see you, Jill, not eat you alive.”

“I don’t know. I’d feel awkward.”

“Awkward? With my folks?” Dan shook his head. “That’s an oxymoron. Besides,” he added, when Jill didn’t answer, “the invitation comes directly from my mother. And you know how she is. if you say no, she’ll blame me.”

It was only a dinner, Jill thought. And Dan was right, she had never felt awkward with his family. Why should she now? Just because she hadn’t seen them in twelve years. “Tell Angelina I’d love to come for dinner.”

As she spoke those words, she wondered what kind of magic spell Dan had put on her to make her lower her guard this way.

Jill had always found work to be the perfect antidote for stress. Thanks to the Church Hill project, which she had spent most of the day working on after returning from Livingston Manor, last night’s events were no longer intruding on her mind with such alarming frequency.

Stifling a yawn, she glanced at her watch. Seven o’clock. She had just enough time to stop at the video store and make it to Ashley’s apartment for their usual Saturday-night ritual-pizza and a movie. Now that the Summerfield wedding was over, Jill looked forward to spending a few relaxing hours with her friend.

Wearing her black coat with Dan’s whimsical pin on the lapel, Jill walked down the deserted hallway where the executive offices were located. As she turned the corner and neared her uncle’s office, she noticed that the door was closed, which was unusual, and that a light filtered from beneath it. Was he also working late? Or had the cleaning crew simply forgotten to turn off the lights?

Puzzled, she gave a light knock, then, because she hadn’t expected an answer, she swung the door open. And stopped.

Her cousin sat at Cyrus’s desk, her mouth open in shock.

“Olivia, What are you doing here?”

Never one to be tongue-tied for long, Olivia snapped right back. “I could ask you the same question.” “I was passing by and saw the light.” Jill glanced at the letter in her cousin’s hand. “What’s that?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but it’s that memo you wrote the other day regarding expenses.” She held the paper so Jill could see it. “I lost my copy and couldn’t find one on Cecilia’s desk so I tried my father’s office. I knew he’d have a spare copy.”

“What’s the matter, Jill?” Olivia’s tone dripped with sarcasm. “Disappointed? You were hoping to catch me committing some unspeakable crime perhaps?” She tapped a crimson-tipped finger against her bottom lip. “Let’s see now, what could that be? Stealing from petty cash? Or something more serious, like.. photographing B&A’s latest designs so I could sell them to a rival firm?”

“Oh, stop it, Olivia. You’re so damn paranoid

“And you’re so damn perfect.” Olivia dropped the memo into her open briefcase. “Queen Jill, the perfect daughter, the perfect niece, the perfect VP.”

Jill blew out an Irritated sigh. “That’s always what it comes down to, isn’t it? That stupid jealousy of yours.”

Olivia laughed. “Me? Jealous of you? You’re flattering yourself.”

“I don’t think so. You’ve resented me ever since I graduated from college and came to work here on a full-time basis.”

“Oh, and you don’t think I was justified? Especially after all the hype that surrounded your royal arrival?

Having to listen to your daddy’s bragging, as if you were some sort of demigod.”

“No one else at B&A seemed to mind.”

“Would they tell you if they did? And risk Simon’s wrath?” Olivia’s smile was condescending. “Really, cousin, dear, for all your smarts, you can be awfully dense at times.”

There was no point in even trying to argue with Olivia when she was in such a foul mood.

Turning around, Jill marched out of Cyrus’s office. “Good night, Olivia.”

Watching her disappear, Olivia let out a sigh and fell back against her chair. That was close. Too close. But how was she to know that Jill would be working this late on a Saturday? Lucky for her, she’d had the presence of mind to bring that memo with her, in case someone came in unexpectedly.

Using the key she had taken from her father’s key chain earlier, she opened the drawer where the bids were kept, aware that her hand was shaking.

Apex Construction, one of Pete Mulligan’s fiercest rivals, was the low bidder with 5.2 million. The next bid came at 5.5 million. The other three were all in excess of six million dollars.

After making a mental note of the numbers, she put the bids back in the drawer and locked up.

There, she thought with another sigh of relief, it was done. And except for that little scare with Jill a moment ago, it had been painless. Now all she had to do was call Mulligan with the numbers and collect the rest of her money.

Ninety thousand dollars.

Twenty-four hours earlier, the thought of all that cash would have been enough to make her salivate. Today, all she could think of was the way that blade had felt against her skin and the dispassionate expression in the man’s cold blue eyes. She never wanted to experience that kind of terror again.

And the best way to insure she wouldn’t was to end her partnership with Pete Mulligan.

After she collected her money.

At the news that Jill was having Sunday dinner with the Santinis, Ashley’s mouth dropped open. “You’re going where?”

Perched on a stool in Ashley’s tiny kitchen, Jill accepted a glass of Chardonnay from her friend. “Don’t make it sound like a visit with the pope. It’s only a dinner. And the offer came from Angelina, so how could I say no?”

“You couldn’t.” Ashley’s smile was gently teasing. “Scared?”

“Terrified.” Jill stole a lettuce leaf from the big wooden bowl and munched on it. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been around the Santinis. They’re bound to have changed.”

“Good people don’t change, Jill.”

“But what about Dan’s nephews? You know how awful I am with little kids. I never seem to know what to do with them, or what to say.”

Ashley uncapped a bottle of olive oil and drizzled it over the baby greens. “You’re great with Sally.”

“How can you say that? The last time your little niece stayed with me, I set fire to her hair, and the time before that, I lost her in a New Jersey mall.”

“But you found her. And you were awfully quick with that fire extinguisher.”

“I nearly drowned her in all that foam.”

Laughing, Ashley handed her the salad bowl. Toss. And stop worrying so much. You’ll be fine.

The boys are going to love you. All you have to do is be yourself.” Setting a French baguette on a cutting board, she started slicing. “How are things between you and Dan?”

Pretending not to understand the question, Jill widened her eyes. “What things?”

“You know damn well what things. Are there any sparks between you two, any vibes, any… sexual tension?”

“No. I’ve already told you, my relationship with Dan is purely business, so get that silly grin off your face.”

“And I suppose that sexy, outrageously expensive perfume you’ve started wearing again, that same perfume Dan always claimed could reduce him to mush, is purely business as well.”

“Oh, that.” Jill shrugged. “I was ready for a change, that’s all.”

“Bull. I think you’re falling for him again. Hard.”

“You’re dreaming.”

With a smug look, Ashley walked over to her purse, which hung on a peg on the wall, pulled out a twenty-dollar bill from her wallet and slapped it on the counter. “Twenty bucks says I’m not.”

Jill looked from the bill to Ashley. “What are you doing?”

“I’m betting you twenty dollars that any day now you’re going to realize that you and Dan are an even better match than you were thirteen years ago.”

“We were a lousy match thirteen years ago.”

“bet me.”

“No. I hate gambling.”

“Coward.”

That did it. No one called Jill Bennett a coward. Rummaging through her own purse, she found two tens and laid them on top of Ashley’s twenty. “You’re on.”

Twenty-One

The Santinis were just as Jill remembered them—warm, good-humored, inquisitive and noisy. Even noisier now that Dan’s nephews had joined the clan.

Nine-year-old Nick was the oldest and was his father’s spitting image. Frankie, who had just turned seven, looked more like his mother with lighter hair and Maria’s mischievous smile. He also had Dan’s hazel eyes and, though Jill tried hard to overlook this detail, she kept being drawn to the boy.

Much to Jill’s relief, the entire family had welcomed her with open arms and was genuinely thrilled to see her. Whatever reservations Jill had had about accepting Angelina’s invitation had dissipated the moment Angelina had rushed to meet her, greeting her like a long-lost daughter.

The boys were fascinated to learn she designed skyscrapers, especially Frankie, who wanted to know if she had designed the Empire State Building. Nick, who loved to show off his superiority, rolled his eyes.

“What a stupid question to ask, Frankie. Can’t you see she’s not that old.”

* Everyone burst into laughter.

While they waited for desert to be served, Dan entertained his nephews with magic tricks, the same ones that had delighted Jill during their short marriage. He’d learned most of them from his maternal grandfather, Guido, who, at the tender age of thirteen, had left home to join a traveling circus.

Having a big family had always been one of Dan’s most fervent wishes. Unfortunately, Jill hadn’t shared his enthusiasm. There was so much she’d wanted to do in those early days, so many dreams she’d had yet to fulfill. How could she even think of becoming a mother?

Now, at thirty-four, she had realized nearly all her dreams but had no hope of ever getting remarried, much less having children of her own. And maybe that was just as well, she thought not without a touch of regret. Some women were cut out to be mothers, others were not. Jill had always felt she belonged to the latter category.

She watched Nick’s and Frankie’s concentrated attempts to make a pencil float. Those two didn’t intimidate her as much as other children did. In fact’ they had melted her heart the moment she laid eyes on them. Frankie even more so because he reminded her of Dan.

“I’m sorry I didn’t keep in touch after your divorce,” Maria said as Jill helped her bring the desert dishes to the table. “I should have. Brooklyn isn’t that far from Manhattan.”

Because Jill seldom committed to anything that wasn’t work-related, her own reply surprised her. “Maybe we could make up for lost time and get together for lunch once in a while.”

Maria beamed. “I’d like that very much.” Her gaze fell on Jill’s blouse and the angel brooch. “What a pretty pin, Jill. Is that an antique?”

Jill felt herself blush. “Dan said it wasn’t.”

Maria’s eyebrow went up. “Dan?”

“Yes. He saw it in a window and.. well, you know how impulsive he can be sometimes.”

Jill could see that Maria did her best to keep her face neutral. “Yes, I do. And how nice of him to do that.” But Jill could tell by the expression of sheer delight on Maria’s face that the wheels of speculation were already spinning in her fertile mind.

As Jill sat down again, Frankie turned his big hazel eyes on her. “Jill, is it true you used to be married to Uncle Dan?”

The question earned him another stern look from his older brother and a nudge in the ribs. “Frankie. Didn’t Dad tell you not to talk about that?”

Jill laughed, delighted by the boy’s candor. “That’s all right, Nick. I should have realized you’d both be curious.” She threw a quick glance at Dan, who, from the amused gleam in his eyes, was enjoying himself immensely. “It’s true, Frankie. I was married to your uncle once, but that was long before you were born.”

“So that makes you our aunt.”

“Ex-aunt,” Nick corrected.

“Oh.” Frankie looked disappointed.

“But I’m still Dan’s friend, which makes me your friend as well.”

Frankie plunged his fork into a luscious slice of tiramisu. As he chewed, he glanced back at Jill. “Then, maybe, since now you’re our friend, you could take us snowmobiling one day.”

“Frankie!” his father admonished. “You can’t ask something like that. Jill is a busy lady.”