Not What She Seems (24 page)

“What?” Steven felt his neck and shoulders tighten.

Alex stared at the floor. “I’m sorry, Steven. Something’s come up. They can’t meet today. You’ll just have to stay until Monday.”

“No.” Steven took a calming breath. “I’m not staying. In fact, I’m leaving right now.” He turned on his heel toward his office.

“Wait,” Alex called after him. “If you go, the deal is off. They want you there at the meeting.”

He entered his office, with Alex at his heels.
“Fine.”
He held up his hands in surrender. “Then the deal is off.” He pulled on his coat and grabbed his briefcase.

“What do you mean, the deal is off? This is what you’ve worked so hard for.” Alex frowned.

“No, Alex, this,” he motioned to indicate everything in the building, “is what I’ve worked so hard for. And I’ve got it. Ha! I’ve got it. Don’t you see? I have my cake. Now I want to eat it. If you want to have your cake and never eat it, fine. Go ahead. I’m tired of looking at my cake and never eating it. If eating it means I won’t have it anymore, then okay. At least I’ll have eaten it!” Steven stepped out of his office and turned to face Alex in the hall. “You meet with them on Monday.
If they’ll close the deal without me, then great.
If not, then forget it.” He started walking down the hall, and called out, “I’m going to go eat my cake!”

Alex’s secretary passed by him in the hall, muttering, “Why doesn’t anyone ever tell me when there’s cake?”

Chapter Thirty

The evening sun slipped below the horizon, the snow taking on a beautiful illumination. Emily pulled her knees up under her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs, peering out the large picture window in Vincent’s dining room.

Vincent stood at the refrigerator, studying the contents. “Would you like another soda?”

“No, thank you.” She glanced at Connor in the living room watching television. “It was a good idea to rent those DVD’s. He’s enjoying them.”

He grabbed a Coke and shut the refrigerator door. “No problem.” He came to the table and set the can down beside her. Then he put his hands on her shoulders. “You look tense.”

She felt his strong hands begin to gently massage her muscles. “Oh, thanks, that feels good.” Her muscles relaxed, and she closed her eyes, allowing Vincent to knead her neck and shoulders. The warmth from his hands seemed to melt away her tension. She stretched out her legs under the table, allowing herself to unwind. His moustache brushed against her ear and she froze. What was he doing? Was he going to kiss her? Her eyes snapped open. “Thank you. That was nice.” She shifted away from him. The last thing she wanted to do was encourage Vincent. She definitely didn’t feel that way about him.

He held his hand on her back for a moment before taking a seat next to her at the table. “You’re welcome.” His cool grey eyes penetrated through her.

An uncomfortable silence sat between them. “So,” she said, twisting in her chair, “You and William grew up together, right?” She tried to keep her voice light and conversational.

He stared at her a moment before answering. “Yes, my parents moved onto the Grant estate when I was three years old. My father worked as the groundskeeper while my mother cooked and kept the house for them.” He took a deep drink from his soda.

“That must have been nice, to have someone to play with while your parents worked.” Emily ran her finger along the edge of the table.

Vincent frowned. “Sure, I guess.”

“Why do you say that?”

He gazed out of the window. “I think William felt threatened by me when we were kids.”

Emily waited for him to continue, but he didn’t say anything else. “What did he do?”

Vincent fingered his moustache, almost absently. “He would call me
names,
shove me around, stupid things like that.
Still, I kind of worshipped William.
Followed him around like a puppy. I don’t know why. I remember once when we were about six years old, Will and I were invited to a birthday party. Theodore took us shopping for a gift. After he dropped us off at the front door, Will waited until his father drove away before grabbing the package and shoving me into the mud. He said his dad was the one who bought the present, so it was going to be just from him.”

“That’s terrible.”

He shrugged. “All water under the bridge now.” He took another long drink from his can. “He stopped picking on me so much after my father died.”

“Your mother stayed on working at the Grant estate then?”

“Yes. She worked there for ten years. Then Theodore asked her to run his bed and breakfast for him, so we moved into the old
Rochester
mansion. He paid me to keep his grounds at his estate for him during the summers when I was a teenager, so I was never far from William even after we moved.”

Emily smiled, gazing out over the snow covered shrubs out back. “I didn’t know you knew landscaping. That’s why your yard looks so nice.”

Vincent chuckled. “I suppose so.” He put his hand over hers. “You look tired. Do you want to go lie down for a while? I can put Connor in his pajamas.”

“No, thank you.” She squeezed his hand, and then pulled away.

He searched her face. When he spoke, his voice was deep and soft. “Are you in love with Steven Ashton?”

“What? No, I…” Her cheeks grew hot. “No.” She tried to swallow the lump forming in her throat, but was unsuccessful.

“Somehow, I don’t believe you.” A sad smile flitted across his face before he stood and left her sitting at the table.

******

The sound of water spilling over the large statue and the clinking of champagne glasses filled the spacious room. The bachelors were seated at small but lavishly decorated tables with their families. Steven flashed a smile at his mother.

“It’s nice to see you, dear. I thought I might not see you until Christmas.” Caroline’s smile seemed
forced
.

Steven picked up his napkin and placed it on his lap. “It’s nice to see you too, although I’ll be heading back to Stapleton in the morning.”

His father sized him up with a glance before speaking. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Brenton
leaned to the side while a waiter set his plate down in front of him.

Steven nodded and picked up his fork. He didn’t want to get into it. After his mother found out Emily was in some kind of trouble, she stopped matchmaking and started warning him to stay away. He decided to change the subject. “So, how’s the manufacturing plant you’re building in
Arizona
coming?”

Brenton
shrugged. “It would be going better if we could get past all of these setbacks. I’ve had to fly out there four times since September, trying to get things back on schedule.” His father continued on, and his mother seemed to relax a bit.

After the meal they carted him off to be photographed and paraded about. By the end of the evening, when he felt sufficiently demeaned, he climbed into his limousine and tugged at his bow tie.

Back in his apartment, he kicked off his shoes and threw his jacket on the couch. The thought of Emily staying at Vincent’s house popped into his head and he raked his hand through his hair. Turning on his cell phone, he checked his messages.
None.
He glanced at the clock. Surely Emily would be asleep by now.

He couldn’t calm the restless feeling twitching through him. He put on his workout clothes and went down to the private gym in his building.

******

Emily sat up with a start. She thought she heard a voice outside. Connor stirred beside her, but didn’t wake up.

Shadows crossed the moonlight streaming in the window. Fear ripped through her. She stepped out of bed, inching her way to the window, her heart beating hard against her ribs.

There it is again. Someone’s shouting something.

She stood next to the window, her back pressed against the wall. The shouting sounded closer this time.

What were they saying?

Clutching her nightgown around her neck, she snuck a peek through the sheers. A man passed by her window. He turned and she caught a glimpse of his face in the moonlight.

Richard.

She heard the shouting again, this time she understood it. “Get away from the house!”

Someone was after Richard. For a split second she felt relief, and then she saw the look on Richard’s face. It was a look of pure fury.

Richard picked up a large rock and hurled it toward her window. She threw herself to the floor. Glass shattered and fell around her.

Emily ran to the bed and grabbed Connor.

“Mommy?”

“Hush, baby,
it’s
okay.” Her legs almost gave out. She stumbled into the hallway. A dark shape moved toward her. She screamed.

“It’s okay, it’s just me.” Vincent brushed past her into the bedroom.

Emily sank to the floor, holding Connor close. She heard a gun shot, and her blood froze.
Richard shot Vincent!
She crawled into the bathroom, clutching Connor to her. She closed the door and leaned her back up against it.

She heard more shouting, as Connor struggled against her. “Mommy, you’re holding me too tight.”

“I’m sorry sweetie. Hush, be as quiet as you can, okay?” Her hands shook. Indistinguishable voices came from in the house.

“It’s dark in here,” Connor whined.

“Hush.”

Someone tried to open the door. Emily braced her feet against the wall and the sink.

“Emily? It’s Vincent. Open the door.
It’s
okay, Richard’s gone.”

She tried to move her legs but they were shaking too much. Her throat constricted, and she couldn’t breathe.

Vincent’s muffled voice came through the door again. “Emily, honey, it’s all right. Please open the door.”

Connor pressed his hands on her cheeks. “Mommy, I’m scared.”

Slowly, the shaking subsided and she slid away from the door. Vincent pushed it open.

“Are you okay?” He crouched down and took her hand in his.

She nodded. “Richard… I thought he shot you.” Connor clung to her neck and nuzzled her shoulder.

“No, the other man was firing at Richard, who ran away once he realized he was being shot at.” Vincent squeezed her hand.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “Who shot at Richard?”

“His name is Devin. He’s a retired police officer.”

Her spine tingled. “And he just happened to be outside when Richard was trying to break in?”

Vincent paused for a few moments. When he spoke his voice was soft. “No, he was hired to keep an eye on you.”

Heat rushed to her face. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I thought you might get angry.”

Now it was her turn to be silent. She admitted to herself that she probably would have been. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. Thank you for hiring him.”

Vincent opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, and then closed it again. He smiled. “You’re welcome. The police should be here any minute. While we wait, I should go up to the attic and get some plywood to board up that window.” He squeezed her hand once more before standing up and leaving.

Connor’s soft breathing told her he was asleep on her shoulder.

Chapter Thirty One

Samantha curled up on her couch and wrapped the quilt around her shoulders, closing her eyes. The calico blanket still smelled faintly of cedar and moth balls, like everything else at her grandmother’s house. She sighed, knowing her grandmother wouldn’t have another Christmas after this one. The nursing home visits were becoming harder, with her grandmother calling her
Chelsea
most of the time. That had been her mother’s name.

The last few months of her mother’s life had been a nightmare. She was in and out of hospitals, in so much pain. Death came finally, an act of mercy from God. Then when the life insurance came, William showed his true colors. She narrowed her eyes.
I hope he burns forever for what he did.

A loud knock on the front door startled her. She padded across the hard wood floor in her stocking feet. Two police officers stood on the stoop.

One of them shifted his weight and cleared his throat. “Samantha
Armstead
?”

Fear struck through her, and she clutched the door frame. “Yes?”

“We need you to come with us down to the station. Detective Reed would like to have a few words with you.”

She forced her face to stay blank. “What is this about?”

“He has some questions about your relationship with William Grant.” The officers peered at her, stone-faced.

“All right.”
She slipped on her shoes and coat, grabbed her purse, and headed out the door. She glanced down the street, hoping the neighbors wouldn’t see her getting into the police car. Luckily, it looked like Ruth Anne was not home. Nothing happened on the block without her knowing it.