There were no drugs, no gambling, and no prostitutes, a fact not surprising because the man obviously didn’t need any more women.
There weren’t even any reasonable hobbies other than the expensive mountain bike which Morgan had bought for him years ago. In fact, when it came right down to the bare bones facts, there was not much of anything in his father’s life
except
the women.
When Morgan had tried to gently ask his father some questions, telling him about the forgotten receipt, his father had side-stepped the discussion neatly by saying it was a one-time instance. Even if Morgan hadn’t seen the record of the withdrawals, he would still have known the statement was a lie the minute his father said the words. Being a walking bullshit detector was just one of the many side effects of investigating liars for a living.
Morgan could pretty much recognize a lie no matter who said it.
What he had learned over fifteen years was that everyone lied every day, but some people just lied about bigger things. In his father’s case, Morgan understood that the seven hundred dollars going out of his account every month was equivalent to someone in a business embezzling thirty percent of the profits. Giving up thirty percent of your income every month was not something you did without a damn good reason.
So here Morgan was, spending the first extended time off he’d had in years tailing his elderly father and wondering which of the women was bilking his old man for the cash. One of them had to be behind it. That was the only possible explanation.
Having looked into all the other women this week, especially the one his father appeared to be sexually involved with, he found nothing of concern. But Morgan’s instincts were singing about the restaurant woman.
While she hadn’t readily returned his father’s passionate kiss, she had pulled him inside and hugged him tightly. It was obvious they were on some sort of intimate terms.
She also hadn’t been as easy to research as the others. An accountant kept her records both for the business and her personal life. Anything he might have done would have alerted her to the fact she was being investigated, and Morgan didn’t want to alert her just yet. She might complain to his father, and then his cover would be completely blown before he could find out the truth.
To figure out what was going on with her, Morgan was going to have to get a whole lot closer and do some more discreet in-depth digging. The thought of getting closer to her wasn’t as distasteful as it normally was when Morgan had to act interested to gain access to a person’s life.
One thing was for certain though, if she turned out to be the one receiving the cash, then Morgan was going to front up with her and make her give all the money back. Then after that was settled to his satisfaction, Morgan would decide if charges needed to be pressed against her for scamming his elderly father.
Chapter 2
“If you keep kissing me that way, I’m definitely going to be ruined for all other men,” Thea Carmichael said when Gerald Reed finally let her go. She was startled as always by Gerald’s lips locked to hers for a smacking kiss.
“If you ever find a guy who wants to take my place, let me know and I’ll stop,” Gerald told her. “I’m not slipping you tongue, doll. I save that for Lydia. I’m keeping it PG-13 with you.”
“Get in here,” Thea told him smartly, dragging him inside and tapping him on the back of his mostly bald head. “How am I supposed to get a guy to even date me when you keep kissing me in public like I belong to you? You have enough women, Gerald Reed. I refuse to be one of your harem, even if you are the most perfect man who ever walked the earth.”
“Any guy who sees an old geezer like me as serious competition for a woman like you is definitely not worthy of you, sweetie,” Gerald told her, patting her butt.
“Yeah, Aunt Lydia comes in here all the time talking about what an old geezer you are in bed,” Thea teased, her voice sarcastic. “She brags so much I have to run her off. I haven’t had a real man in my life in years.”
“You’d think she’d be more discreet at her age,” Gerald said, rubbing his chin, secretly pleased that Lydia thought he was good enough to tell Thea about it.
Lydia lit a fire in him, one that hadn’t burned so brightly in many, many years. She was the kind of woman that made a man forget his own name.
“Until she met you, my sixty-eight-year-old aunt was the most discreet woman I’d ever known. Aunt Lydia says you rock her world and she’s too happy to hold it in,” Thea told him, leaning against the bar as Gerald climbed up on a stool.
“You aunt is an inspiring woman,” Gerald said, leaning on the bar and looking sideways at Thea. “So is her niece.”
Thea rolled her eyes but smiled. “If I could clone you, I would. If I didn’t love my aunt, I’d lure you away. Instead, all I can do is feed you lunch and pine away hoping for someone just like you to walk into my life.”
“My son is in town,” Gerald said slyly. “Morgan is forty-four. Still single. Good-looking, even if he does look like his mother more than me–God Rest Her Soul.”
“Is his heart as good as yours? No—I know this already. You know how I know this?” Thea demanded, watching her only waitress set Gerald’s usual half sandwich and cottage cheese in front him and stand on her toes to kiss his cheek.
Amy liked Gerald as much Thea did. In fact, Thea doubted there was a female alive who wouldn’t fall instantly in love with Gerald Reed when he used his well-practiced flirting on her.
“I know this because
if
your son was like you, he would be snapped up already with his own version of Lydia glaring me down if I even so much as looked at him. I don’t think they make men like you anymore,” Thea said, smiling at him.
“Okay. Maybe Morgan is a little bit of a bitter bastard. It’s that damn job of his,” Gerald said, sighing. “I didn’t raise my son to have such a hard heart. It’s a shame that he does.”
“How is Morgan’s leg healing?” Thea asked. Morgan getting shot had been the first thing to shake the man since his wife died.
“Morgan’s fine I guess—considering he couldn’t walk until a month ago,” Gerald said, shrugging and digging into his cottage cheese.
He didn’t like to think of what he had felt when he’d heard Morgan had been shot. His son hadn’t even told him about the accident until he’d asked to come stay for a few months. When you get old, children cut you out of their lives, Gerald had learned. Most of the time he was okay with that. Now and again, it was a huge source of pain.
Gerald took a bite of his sandwich before continuing.
“Morgan is getting around fairly well now. He tells me he transferred his physical therapy to a doctor over near Tlaquepaque center. Looks like he may be staying the whole four months after all. He’s started several renovation projects around the house and pretty much has turned the whole damn place into a mess. I’m letting him do what he wants no matter how irritated I get. He seems to need the distraction, but I hate living in a constant construction zone.”
Thea laughed in sympathy.
“Poor baby. You want to come stay with me while he’s here? I might like having a man around the house again.”
“Sweet offer, but Lydia would skin me if I moved in with anyone but her,” Gerald said, winking. “Besides, you’ll never lose your wididity with me hanging around.”
“My—my what? I see that gleam in your eye, Gerald Reed. Does that mean what I think it does?” Thea asked, appalled laughter rolling from her.
“It refers to widows who grow their virginity back by not having sex for years,” Amy informed her, smiling widely as Gerald swung a knowing, proud smile in her direction.
“I shouldn’t brag, but I had a hell of a lot of fun relieving your Aunt Lydia of hers,” he told Thea, going back to his food as both women snickered, blushed, and finally laughed.
Gerald liked his new bold reputation. Having been a quiet man for most of his life, he was pleased to have shed that timidity in favor of really living. He planned to love the current woman in his life all he could, no matter how many times he helped lower her into a grave. Though it had turned him into a very emotional person, Gerald had come to think of it as the natural order of things at his age.
“Well, if my aunt kicks off before I do, maybe you can relieve me of my wididity as well,” Thea said boldly, teasing Gerald because she knew the man thrived on the attention. “Though I have to tell you I haven’t really missed sex all that much. But I do miss the foot rubs at the end of the day. Angus Carmichael knew how to rub a woman’s feet. No masseuse has ever come close to the talent he had in his hands.”
“Althea, you’re way too young not to miss sex,” Gerald said sternly, shaking a finger at her. “Here. Before I forget.”
He slid a thick white envelope across the counter.
“Put this in Delilah’s account and buy the medicine.”
Thea sighed at the envelope. She knew it had to represent a healthy chunk of Gerald’s money, and it killed her to take it.
“Do you really think this is still helping?” she asked, her eyes softening.
“Yes, I do. I love her, Thea. It’s only money. I have to try everything I can,” Gerald said. “Do this for me, sweetie.”
Thea took the envelope with the same heavy heart she’d taken the other eight Gerald had given her.
“There’s no cure Gerald. Delilah is still slipping away,” she told him, putting a hand over his.
Gerald turned her hand over and linked his fingers with hers.
“I don’t know if I ever told you, but I lost my wife in the space of three months. I spent years wondering what more I could have done. Now I’m going to lose Delilah too and nothing will change that, but at least there is something I can do in meantime. Keep her on the medicine. It keeps her talking to us.”
“Yes, she remembers us sometimes, but her heart Gerald—fine. Okay,” Thea agreed reluctantly, seeing the directness of his gaze. “I promised, and I keep my promises. I still can’t believe she appointed me her guardian.”
“Well, she was your mother-in-law until a few years ago. You’re a good woman, Thea,” Gerald told her, slipping a ten under his plate and sliding from the stool.
“You’re a good man, Gerald Reed. I’m glad my aunt lost her wididity to you,” Thea said, joking so she wouldn’t cry.
“So many wonderful women in the world,” Gerald said, sighing. “I hope I live long enough to relieve them all.”
“Me too,” Thea said softly, sniffling over the envelope full of cash as Gerald Reed walked quietly out the door.
Chapter 3
After dinner that evening, which they had fallen into a pattern of having together, Morgan decided to pump his father for some preliminary information.
“Guess what I saw on the way back from the doctor’s today,” Morgan asked, smoothly fabricating enough story details to keep his father unaware of his spying.
“Okay. I’ll play along. What did you see Morgan?” Gerald asked, resting his hands on the kitchen table, which was about the only surface left in the house not covered with construction dust from Morgan’s projects.
“I saw you kissing a woman,” Morgan said with a grin.
“Which one?” Gerald asked, grinning back.
“
Which one?
How many are there?” Morgan asked, laughing and pretending to be shocked. It was fun to see the smirky, proud smile on his father’s face.
“What did she look like, smartass?” Gerald demanded. “I kiss at least three or four women every day.”
“
Three or four?
” Morgan repeated, truly surprised at that piece of information.
He had counted two today. Had he actually missed some? Oh, the closed door of hospital room. That would be three, but where was the fourth?
“If you’re just going to repeat my answers, this conversation is going to take all night,” Gerald told him. “I’m ready for bed. I’ve got to get up early in the morning.”
“It was in front of a restaurant. The woman was around my age from what I could see—” Morgan began.
“That would Thea—Althea Carmichael,” Gerald said. “Lovely woman. She owns the restaurant; took over after her husband died. She’s older than you. Somewhere around a decade, I’d say.”
“So are you dating her?” Morgan asked, looking away. This was a lot harder than he’d imagined. What if his dad really did like the woman? Then what?
“No. She’s twenty years my junior. Why? You interested?” Gerald demanded.
“I—don’t know,” Morgan said finally. “Maybe. I wouldn’t mind some female company now and again while I’m here. From what you’ve told me, you seem to never have a lack of it. I think I’m jealous.”
The last statement came out with more than a haphazard ring of truth to it and had Morgan frowning.
“That’s because I let myself fall in love, Morgan. You willing to risk that? Thea’s a hell of a woman,” Gerald said, trying to see the agenda motivating his son to ask.
Gerald wasn’t fooled by Morgan’s sudden interest in his life. He could tell his son was up to something. Though he couldn’t tell what yet, his son had always been transparent to him.
“A date isn’t falling in love, Dad. I just thought a little company might be nice,” Morgan said as lightly as he could.