Perfect Partners (15 page)

“I just told you what he said.”

Joel waved that aside with an impatient gesture. “Not about what happened fifteen years ago. Tell me what he said to convince you that we shouldn't shut down Copeland Marine. I want to hear the sob story.”

Letty slanted him a repressive glance. “It is a sob story. A true sob story. And I'm sure you're well aware of just what's at stake here. It's clear that if we close Copeland Marine, we'll be shutting down a major portion of the town's economy, just as I suspected.”

“Business is business. What's this crap about touring the yard this afternoon?”

“He offered to show us around, that's all.”

“You going?” Joel asked.

“Of course. Don't you want to come with me?”

“Shit. I guess I'd better. If I don't, Copeland will probably play a few more violins for you.”

Letty's chin came up. “And I just might listen.”

“Listen all you want. You can't stop this thing, Letty. It's too damn late. You can't risk Thornquist Gear just to save Copeland Marine, and that's what trying to keep Copeland afloat would do. It would jeopardize Thornquist. Kill off your own company and you'll put three times as many people out of work as you will here in Echo Cove. That's the bottom line, boss.”

“
Don't call me boss
,” she shouted.

He was startled by her burst of fury. She had been so cool and controlled until now. “Okay, okay. Take it easy, Letty.”

“I am going to take a walk along the waterfront and have a look around Echo Cove before our tour of Copeland Marine. I need some fresh air.” She went over to the closet and found a pair of trousers. Then she turned to glower at him. “If you will excuse me, I would like to change.”

Joel did not trust her mood. “I'll come with you. I can show you around the place.”

“No, thanks. I'll find my own way around town. Don't worry, I won't get lost.”

He squelched an uneasy sense of disappointment. Something told him he was not doing a good job of handling the boss today. Maybe she just needed time to cool down. “All right. Suit yourself.” He walked reluctantly toward the connecting door.

“Joel?”

He stopped at once and turned his head. “Yeah?”

“Diana said you were supposed to rescue her fifteen years ago. From whom did she need rescuing?”

“Diana did not need rescuing,” Joel said. “Believe me, she was the town princess fifteen years ago. She had everything she wanted. The best clothes, a new convertible, admission to an exclusive private college, everything. All she had to do was ask her daddy for something one day and the next day it was hers.”

“Except you. Victor wouldn't let her have you.”

“No.” Joel walked into his own room. He started to close the door.

“Joel?”

“Now what?”

“It's becoming fairly obvious that you're back in Echo Cove because of what happened between you and Diana fifteen years ago. You apparently failed to rescue her then. Are you thinking of doing it now?”

Joel shook his head in disgust. “You aren't getting the picture here, boss. I am no longer in the rescue business.”

Half an hour later Letty stood in Echo Cove's tiny shorefront park and gazed out over the water. The sun was shining, but there were clouds moving toward the land. A brisk breeze was toying with her hair and making her jacket flap.

She felt restless and disheartened for the first time since she had left Indiana. Everything had seemed so clear a few weeks ago when she made the decision to quit her job and move to Seattle. Thornquist Gear and a new life had been waiting for her. She had seized the opportunity with both hands, sensing the rightness of it. It had seemed so easy, so perfect.

She recalled Great-Uncle Charlie telling her once during a rare philosophical moment between fishing trips that there was no such thing as a free lunch.

Letty realized she was only just beginning to understand what an enormous glitch Joel Blackstone was causing in her new life-style.

Nothing went right around Joel. Nothing happened the way it was supposed to happen. Nothing was quite what it seemed.

Except last night, Letty thought wistfully. For a while last night everything had gone perfectly.

How odd for Joel to say he was no longer in the rescue business. Last night he had rescued her from her secret, growing fear that she would never experience the full power of her own body.

Letty told herself with some satisfaction that she had known all along she just needed to meet the right man.

Too bad the right man was so hell-bent on vengeance and destruction.

Letty knew that, for her, the possibility of love was beginning to loom very large.

At two-thirty that afternoon, Victor Copeland led Letty and Joel into his upstairs office. A window on one wall provided a view of the boatyard they had just toured.

In spite of the financial problems of Copeland Marine, the facilities were active. Dozens of men in hard hats and work clothes moved about among the assortment of yachts, cruisers, and fishing boats that had been dry-docked for repair or outfitting.

Coiled lines, winches, and chains were everywhere. The sound of high-powered construction machinery rumbled through the walls. The smell of varnish and tar seemed to seep through the office window.

Copeland's office was littered with blueprints and marine supply catalogs. The old steel desk was stacked with papers and file folders.

“You see what I'm saying, Letty? Copeland Marine is getting the work. My reputation is rock solid. Always has been. We got into a bind a few years ago when the economy took a downturn. I'll admit I was a little overextended at the time because of some modifications I made to the yard.”

“You were ass-deep in debt, Copeland.” Joel stuck his hands in his back pockets and smiled coldly. “The interest rate on the bank loans you had taken out were eating you alive. Another six months and you'd have lost everything. It was plain bad management that got you into that mess.”

Victor ignored him, just as he had during the tour. He looked at Letty. “Like I said, I was a little overextended, and when Thornquist made its offer, I jumped at it. I didn't know I was being set up. But things are working out the way I planned. And if you'll just give me a little extra time I can pull this company out of the red.”

“You've had all the time you're going to get, Copeland.” Joel glanced at Letty. “We've seen enough. Nothing's changed around here in the past fifteen years. Copeland's still running his yard like it was some five-and-dime operation he had going out in his garage. He couldn't save it even if we gave him an extra hundred years.”

Copeland's face turned a violent red. He swung around, confronting Joel for the first time that afternoon. “You shut up, goddamn it. I'm trying to talk to the owner of Thornquist Gear. And that sure as hell ain't you, Blackstone.”

Joel looked steadily at Letty. “There's no point in hanging around here any longer.”

“Now, just a damn minute,” Copeland yelled. “I got a right to tell her how it is. This is business, damn it.”

Letty frowned as she realized the superficial calm that had existed during the tour was fading fast. “Excuse me,” she said briskly. “I would like to see the rest of the offices.”

Victor swung his large head back to her. He glowered. “Huh? What are you talking about?”

She smiled. “If you don't mind. I just want to get a feel for the administrative structure of Copeland Marine.”

“Administrative structure? I am the administrative structure of Copeland Marine. Always have been. This yard is mine.”

“I understand. But you must have some support facilities—an accounting department, a payroll office, secretarial help. That sort of thing,” Letty said gently.

“Well, yeah. Sure.” Victor walked past Joel without looking at him. He opened the door. “This way.”

Letty stepped out into the hall and promptly collided with Keith Escott.

“Excuse me, Ms. Thornquist.” Keith caught her arm to steady her. He had a file folder in his other hand. He frowned in concern. “Didn't mean to run you down. You okay?”

“She's fine,” Joel muttered.

Keith looked at him without expression. “I'm glad to hear it.” He glanced back at Letty. “How did the tour go?”

“It was very interesting,” Letty said quietly. Memories of Diana on her knees in front of Joel filled her with a rush of sympathy for Keith. She wondered if he was aware that his wife had visited Joel in a motel room that morning. She sincerely hoped he never found out. Keith appeared to be a sensitive man. Letty would have hated to see him hurt.

“We're in a hurry here,” Victor said impatiently. “I'll talk to you later, Escott.”

Letty saw Keith's eyes narrow briefly at the peremptory tone but his voice was mild when he spoke.

“I thought you might want to show Ms. Thornquist some of the numbers I came up with when I did a long-range plan for Copeland Marine,” Keith said. He offered Victor the file he had under his arm. “I think she might find it interesting.”

Victor knocked the file out of Keith's hand. It fell to the floor, and the papers slid out. “You and your goddamn long-range planning. Get out of the way, Escott. Go play with your fancy little computer. I said I'd talk to you later. Come on, Letty.”

But Letty was already kneeling down to help Keith gather up the papers. “Here, let me help you.”

“Thanks, I've got them.” Keith stood up and nodded stiffly. “See you later, Letty.”

Joel had watched the entire exchange with a grim expression, but he said nothing.

Letty smiled coolly at Victor. “Shall we continue with the tour?”

“Sure. Might as well get it over with,” Victor said, striding down the hall. “Not that much to see.”

At midnight Letty awoke with the nagging sensation that something was wrong. She lay quietly in bed for a moment, listening for the sound that had awakened her.

It came again and she identified it instantly. It was the rattle of the knob on the connecting door. Joel was trying to get into her room.

The man had real nerve, Letty thought furiously. After the way he had behaved today he actually expected to be allowed to take up where he had left off last night.

She pushed aside the covers, snatched up her glasses from the nightstand, and got out of bed, glad that she had thought to lock the door on her side earlier.

The knob stopped rattling. Letty stood in the middle of the floor, wondering if she should let him know what she thought of his arrogance or if it would be best to pretend she had not heard him try the door.

Before she could make up her mind, she heard other muffled sounds. A closet door opened and closed. A chair squeaked as Joel sat down. There was a short silence, and then it squeaked again as Joel rose. Letty heard him walk across the room and open the outside door. She suddenly realized what was happening.

She dashed across the room and fumbled quickly with the lock on her own outside door. She got it open and stepped barefoot out onto the cold concrete walkway that ran in front of all the rooms on the second floor.

The chilly night air hit her full force, making her cotton gown ripple around her feet. She caught sight of Joel as he finished locking his door and started toward the stairs. She knew he must have heard her door open, but he did not look back. He was dressed in jeans and a gray windbreaker.

“Joel?” Letty hissed.

He finally condescended to stop and look back at her over one shoulder. “What the hell do you want now?”

She scowled at him. His face was grim in the harsh light cast by the outside lamps. He looked like a warrior ready for battle. It was clear all he lacked was a suitable victim. “Where do you think you're going?”

“Out.”

She winced at his tone. “I've told you before, I do not want you running around downtown Echo Cove in the middle of the night. It will look strange, Joel.”

“I'm not going running, Madam President,” he said with awful politeness.

She blinked and pushed her glasses up on her nose. “You're not? Well, where are you going at this hour, for heaven's sake?”

“I'm going to a tavern called the Anchor.” Each word was chipped off a glacier. “It's one block from here. Fifteen years ago it was the place the local men went to escape nagging women and difficult bosses.”

Letty drew herself up angrily. “Really, Joel.”

“Yes, really. I passed the place earlier today, and it looks as if nothing has changed. It still appears to be that kind of place, and I seem to be saddled with a two-in-one arrangement lately—a nagging woman
and
a difficult boss. So I'm going to do what generations of Echo Cove men have done: I'm going down the street to the Anchor. Satisfied?”

Letty stared at him, appalled. “You're going to go hang out in some sleazy tavern? At this hour of the night? Joel, you can't do that.”

“You got a better suggestion?” He raked her nightgown-clad body with a taunting glance.

Letty was furious now. “Joel, you are not going to go out drinking. I absolutely forbid it.”