Authors: Maureen McMahon
“I never realized you could be so callous,” I said, my voice
low.
He dropped his distant gaze to my face as though noticing me
for the first time. I could see he was still angry. “There’s a lot you don’t
know about me, Suzanna. But perhaps if you’d quit interfering, we’d straighten
some things out around here.”
“Oh, I see. You expect to straighten things out by
browbeating Colin and compromising Alicia’s health, is that it? Well, I’m sorry
but you’ll not do it in my house.” His eyebrows rose in surprise and I added
vehemently, “Yes, my house. And don’t you forget it!”
Our eyes locked in a silent battle of wills. I challenged
his cold blue gaze with my own belligerent stare. Finally, after a tense moment
I thought would never end, he lifted a corner of his mouth in a conciliatory
smile and made a sweeping bow.
“Whatever you say, ma’am!”
I ignored his sarcasm, plunging on while my anger gave me
courage. “I’d like you to explain to me why you didn’t tell me about the
election at the stockholders’ meeting.”
He shifted uncomfortably but met my eyes without flinching. “I
did tell you.”
“You only told me there would be a vote to retain the
current officers. You didn’t tell me there’d be an election for a new
chairperson.”
He shrugged. “I assumed you’d realize the position was
vacant and would have to be filled. If you’d taken time to read—”
“You intentionally used my preoccupation with Jenny’s
accident to get my vote.”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” It was his turn to be angry. “What do
you take me for anyway? Do you think I care so much about the blasted position?
Don’t you think I have enough to do without taking on that responsibility as
well? Or maybe you thought you could do a better job?”
“Maybe I could. At least, it would’ve kept you from getting
your money-grubbing hands on Dad’s business!”
It was anger mixed with grief that brought tears to my eyes,
though above and beyond both emotions I felt an overwhelming sense of betrayal.
Visions of that evening by the lake in his car and the afternoon laughing over
champagne all seemed so farcical now and it hurt.
Had I begun to trust him? Had I even begun to care for him a
little? The very thought brought blood rushing to my cheeks.
Unexpectedly, he put his hands on my shoulders and shook me gently.
“Listen to me, Suzanna.” His voice was low and earnest. “You’re blaming the
wrong man. I’m not after your blasted money or Leo’s business. Even if you can’t
see how I feel about you, you must know I’d have given my life for Leo. Do you
really believe I’d try to swindle him now?”
I couldn’t look at him. I felt suddenly giddy and the room
was stifling. I wished fervently that I could believe him. Some alien animal
attraction urged me to give in and lay my head on his chest and let his arms
surround me but the temptation of it terrified me. I ripped myself away and
fled down the hall to the rear parlor, throwing open the patio doors to burst
out onto the decking surrounding the swimming pool.
I was mortified to find Darla lounging gracefully on one of
the deck chairs with David seated next to her, his long legs stretched
comfortably in front of him, an amused smile playing on his lips. They were
sharing a bottle of wine.
My hands flew automatically to my face where hot tears still
coursed. Without pause, I pushed open the pool gate and, thankful for the
blessed darkness that instantly engulfed me, stumbled off down the gravel path
that wound through the garden. I didn’t stop running until I reached the bluff
overlooking the beach. There I stopped, exhausted, alone and drowning in a
flood of shocked enlightenment.
It was true. I couldn’t deny it. Part of me was in love with
Grant Fenton and worse still, I trusted him and I knew it was a terrible
mistake. I should have faced it long ago but like all the things that worried
me lately, I’d chosen to ignore it. It didn’t happen overnight. It was there
years ago, perhaps even before David. I was too young then and mistook love for
weakness.
Even that evening years ago in the gazebo when Grant found
me with David and flattened David with one blow, mistaking our innocent
wrestling for something more intimate—even then, I loved him for his
overdramatized chivalry. But to squelch my confused feelings, I turned more
fervently to David and spent the subsequent years avoiding all those impulses
that flooded me whenever Grant was near.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force reality into
oblivion but it was no use. I began to descend the wooden steps. It was very
dark. The moon hadn’t yet made its appearance and there were no lights to show
the way. But the whiteness of the sand below and the roar of the crashing waves
guided me and I reached the beach without mishap. Here I paused, letting the
steady, unseasonably warm wind dry my tears and cool my cheeks.
Something about the lake always calmed me. The power that
lay dormant, the patient drift and pull that spoke of decades gone by and of
those yet to come, made my small existence—my trivial woes and worries—pale to
inconsequence. Within a few moments, I felt my tense muscles begin to loosen
and the inner turmoil ebb. I began to think more clearly and allowed my
rational side to speak. I said nothing to Grant. Thankfully, he didn’t know how
I felt. No one knew.
Grant would merely think I was upset about the stockholders’
meeting. Darla and David? Well, it hardly mattered what Darla thought and David
would probably just say I was overstressed. None of them need ever find out
what I now knew—that I felt more than sisterly affection for Grant. This was
probably what he was aiming for all along. I scoffed inwardly at his feigned
sincerity. Oh but he was a good actor! No wonder he was so successful in the
courtroom. He was probably taking lessons from Alicia.
Alicia. I recalled Grant’s ruthless interrogation and
accusations she was taking drugs for some time. Well, it didn’t surprise me.
Everyone knew she drank too much and alcohol was its own form of addiction. I
pitied her. Would she ever recover from her ordeal? How long had Colin known
about her problem?
I began to stroll along the beach. The moon was just
beginning to cap the dunes. It was waxing one-quarter and just the tip of it
showed above the spectral sands. The rhythmic rumble of the surf soothed me and
I removed my shoes so I could feel the chilly wetness beneath my feet. The sand
squeaked like buffed glass with each step.
“Suzanna!”
I jumped with fright. Giles materialized from the darkness
in front of me. He must have been running because he was still dressed in a
loose tracksuit, his hair tousled and his face red from exertion. He was
frowning and seemed agitated.
“Thank God! I was just coming over to Beacon to speak to
you.”
“What is it?” I asked, concerned. “Is something wrong?”
“I must speak to you,” he said, breathing heavily. “I think
you may be in danger.”
“What?” A shiver ran up my spine. He seemed genuinely upset.
“What sort of danger? What do you mean?”
He gripped my forearm in consternation, his fingers biting
into my flesh. “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this. I may be wrong and I
don’t want to alarm you unnecessarily but I overheard something that frightened
me.”
I waited expectantly and he opened his mouth to continue but
his eyes strayed over my shoulder and he shook his head impatiently.
“What’s this? A secret liaison? How are you, Giles?”
I swung around. Grant was striding toward us, his suit pants
rolled up to his knees, his shoes and socks held in one hand and his tie loose
and flapping in the breeze. I would have laughed if I’d been less annoyed.
“What do you want?” I demanded.
“I was worried about you, Suzie. You shouldn’t go running
off in the dark. It’s dangerous.”
“Spare me your concern,” I retorted. “And I’ve asked you not
to call me Suzie.”
Giles shifted uncomfortably and greeted Grant with a stiff
nod.
“It’s a bit late for jogging, don’t you think?” Grant asked.
Giles smiled nervously. “Perhaps. I try to fit it in when I
can.”
“And I suppose you’ll be up at the crack of dawn for your
swim, eh? You fitness buffs are so dedicated.” Grant too, seemed a bit nervous
and I eyed him curiously. He was gazing up and down the beach, almost as though
expecting someone.
“The water is so refreshing first thing in the morning,”
Giles said. “I’ll have to give it up for the winter soon, though. It’s getting
a bit too chilly.”
Grant nodded absently. “Well, old man, I really must get
Suzanna home. I don’t think she’s even had her dinner yet, have you, darling?”
I tossed his hand off my elbow irritably and turned back to
Giles. His eyes communicated a plea. I bit my lip.
“I’d better go,” I said. What Giles wanted to tell me was
for my ears only and I cursed Grant for his inopportune arrival. “How would you
feel about some company tomorrow morning?” I suggested. “I run better on an
empty stomach. Maybe we could jog a ways together.”
He smiled tightly. “That would be perfect. What time?”
“Around seven?”
He nodded. “See you then.”
He saluted Grant, and I turned back the way I’d come. Grant
watched him disappear but I didn’t pause, striding off in the direction of
Beacon so Grant had to run to catch up. He caught my arm and spun me around.
“What’s the idea of coming down here in the dark? Don’t you
know there’s a murderer on the loose?”
I jerked myself free of his grip. “Leave me alone!” I cried,
my rage by now well beyond civility. “Why did you come back anyway? Things were
great around here until you showed up! How will the firm survive without you?”
He fell into step beside me. “Did you ever think that maybe
I was concerned for your safety?”
I snorted. “Don’t try to con me. Do you really think I’m so
gullible? My guess is you’re more concerned with Alicia, although you had me
fooled, the way you were tormenting her up there. Don’t tell me you’re tired of
her already?
“Oh but that’s right! I almost forgot. It’s the grand Miz
Darla LaTrobe now, isn’t it? I have a hard time keeping up. Just don’t pretend
you’re worried about me. The only person you’re really interested in is
yourself.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
I stopped and faced him, my jaw set, my eyes flashing. “I
won’t play your game, Grant.” I spoke with as much control as I could muster. “I
know what you’re trying to do and it won’t work. All I’m asking is that you
stay away from me. If you can manage that for twelve months, we’ll get along
just fine.”
I didn’t give him time to respond but turned and ran across
the beach and up the steps.
When I reached the top, I stopped in surprise. David was
waiting there and for once, his emotions were on open display. Jealousy
radiated from every pore of his body, standing there, legs splayed, hands
clenched. He could have been a primitive god, ready to call down thunder and
lightning from the inky sky. His thick blond hair lifted in the changing wind
and his eyes shifted from the beach below to me. The expression in them was one
I’d never seen before.
Without a word, he strode over, pulled me into his arms and
kissed me with a ferocity that set my head spinning. His arms crushed me to
him. His mouth bruised mine.
I was stunned and didn’t have time to react before he jerked
his head up and stepped back. He was trembling, aghast at his display of
emotion. Given time to think, I might have been angry but his horrified look
aroused my sympathy. After recovering myself, I took a step toward him to offer
what comfort I could.
“No,” he said hoarsely. “Leave me be! I don’t know what came
over me. I guess it was the state you were in when you came running out onto
the patio. Then seeing you down there with him…” He lifted his eyes and his
expression was pleading, hurt. “Suzanna, you aren’t…you aren’t becoming
involved with him, are you?”
I studied him sadly. It was never my intention to hurt him.
In fact, I hadn’t thought of it at all. Now, seeing him like this, afraid and
unsure, I wanted to comfort him, to convince him that he was all I’d ever
wanted. But I knew it would be a lie. So, ignoring his protests, I went to him,
wrapping my arms around his lean waist and laying my cheek against his chest
until I felt his tension subside. After a moment, his arms encircled me,
tenderly this time and I answered his question calmly, knowing he couldn’t see
the lie in my eyes.
“No, David, I’m not involved with him. In fact, at this
moment, I could almost say I despise him.”
I heard movement behind us and lifted my head. Grant mounted
the last step and regarded us coolly from behind veiled lids. I stepped back
from David, feeling ridiculously guilty.
“Oh, please,” Grant said sarcastically. “Don’t stop on my
account. You make such a lovely couple! Just try to be a little discreet, will
you? I don’t want the two of you splashed on the front of
Time
magazine.
It wouldn’t be good for business.”
David stiffened and his eyes glittered. “Listen, Fenton,” he
said, his voice barely controlled. “A piece of paper doesn’t give you the right
to torment Suzanna. If it’s the business you’re worried about, then why don’t
you go back to Chicago and tend to it? Suzanna has enough worries without you
adding to them.”
Grant gazed at David humorlessly, then glanced at me. I was
frightened. I expected a replay of that long-ago day in the gazebo but this
time, I knew it wouldn’t be one-sided. They stood there poised, the tension
between them tangible, as though a challenge had been made and accepted and it
was merely a question of the time and place.
Finally, Grant spoke and his voice was cool. “If I’ve upset
you, Suzie, I’m sorry.” He lifted unreadable eyes to David and added for my
benefit, “But I’d suggest you pick and choose your company very carefully. I
don’t think I need to remind you there are plenty of vultures just waiting for
the chance to pick at Dirkston bones.”