“I don’t think I’ve ever seen one as tempting as yours.”
“Getting desperate already?” She laughed to let him know she
wasn’t convinced he was remotely sincere, and he didn’t argue with her. But when
he spoke again, the gruff edge to his voice left no question as to how her
near-nudity affected him.
“Turn around.”
It was a challenge, a command. She told herself she’d be crazy
to respond. They’d just gone over all the reasons they had to be careful not to
let their situation get too complicated. But categorizing their relationship as
affectionate friends somehow took the pressure off. It made her feel safe, as if
she could relax a little now that they’d recommitted themselves to the
rules.
“Just for a second,” he coaxed.
He
did
sound desperate. And she
was
tempted. Especially when she considered that
over the course of the next two years they’d probably see each other in various
stages of undress all the time. It wouldn’t be a catastrophe if he caught a
glimpse of her now, would it?
Telling herself to lighten up and do something wild and
exciting for a change, she hesitated. She’d always been too conservative, and
she’d never felt more like a stereotypical librarian than since she’d started
hanging out with Simon.
Innocent. Straitlaced. Inflexible.
Those were the words Simon had used to describe her....
Determined to shake him up a bit, she turned while she had the
nerve.
His expression was worth it. She’d shocked him—just as she’d
intended.
“God,” he whispered as his gaze latched onto her breasts.
She didn’t stick around long enough to find out what he might
say or do next. Suddenly willing to risk having her brother or father catch her
sneaking into the bathroom to change, she put on her sweater, grabbed her bra
and jeans and fled.
* * *
That was a mistake.
It took Simon all of ten minutes to get his heart rate to
return to normal. He should never have baited Gail. He’d mostly been teasing
when he’d thrown out that challenge, had done it to see how she might react. She
was so prim and proper; it was fun just to make her blush.
Never had he expected her to turn and show him her
breasts....
And now he couldn’t get the vision out of his mind.
She’d certainly gotten the last laugh in that encounter.
She knocked softly, then opened the door and poked her head
through. “You coming?”
“Gail…” he started.
She raised her eyebrows. “What?”
She was pretending it had never happened. Considering what
they’d discussed last night, it was probably best if he did, too.
“Never mind,” he said. “I’ll be right there.”
17
F
or all of Whiskey Creek’s old-fashioned
charm, the coffee shop felt current. It listed the menu on a chalkboard, boasted
of selling only fair-trade coffee, used organic beans and offered chai and other
options. Several people sat with laptops at small round tables, taking advantage
of the free Wi-Fi.
“Now
this
feels like home.” Simon
breathed deep, enjoying the comforting scent of fresh-ground coffee as the door
swept shut behind them.
Gail didn’t respond. She was too busy searching the crowd.
She waved to a group sitting in one of two large booths. “There
they are. Over in the corner. Looks like…” She angled her head to see them all.
“Ted, Eve, Callie, Cheyenne, Riley and…oh, boy. Sophia.”
“What’s wrong with Sophia?” Simon asked.
She lowered her voice. “No one likes her.”
“Maybe no one will like me, either.”
“Don’t worry.” She patted his back. “This won’t be as painful
as you’re expecting.”
“Why would I expect it to be painful? Meeting your family was
such fun.”
She nudged him. “Stop with the sarcasm.”
Her friends quickly spotted her.
“Oh, my gosh! Gail’s home!”
“Where?”
“Look…and she’s brought Simon!”
“Here we go,” she murmured. “I hope your acting’s up to
par.”
He wished he hadn’t left his sunglasses behind. He didn’t care
if it was too dark inside the café to bother with them. The world he was living
in since Gail had started this latest PR campaign felt so much more up-close and
in his face. “Hey, I’m a pro, remember?”
By that point, everyone in the coffee shop had turned to stare.
But Simon was used to attracting attention. Pretending not to notice, he waited
for Gail to order, then asked for an espresso. She hurried over to her friends
while he paid, leaving him to approach them on his own, but she’d been right.
Joining the group wasn’t nearly as awkward as he’d initially feared, once the
suddenness of their marriage had been handled and they moved on to other
topics.
Fortunately, these people weren’t as obvious in their
disapproval as Gail’s brother and father had been. A few of them sent Simon
sidelong glances, as if they weren’t sure what to make of his presence, but they
smiled politely if he caught their eye and shifted their attention—to whoever
was speaking or their coffee or fruit and yogurt.
As they chatted about this or that, Simon was more than happy
to kick back and enjoy his espresso. He liked watching Gail, he realized, liked
how animated and expressive she was, especially now that she was in her element.
Of course, he also liked recalling the image of her standing in the bedroom this
morning, wearing nothing but her pajama bottoms as she turned to face him—
“Ted’s an author,” Gail explained, cutting into his
thoughts.
Simon had lost the thread of the conversation. Sitting up, he
cleared his throat and attempted to pretend otherwise. “What kind of books does
he write?”
“Thrillers. Already has two out.”
With that enthusiastic lead-in, Simon expected Ted to ask for
the usual favor. Hundreds of authors sent their work to his production company,
hoping to gain interest in a movie adaption. But to Simon’s relief, the
conversation moved on to another guy, someone by the name of Kyle Houseman, who
wasn’t there. Kyle was going through a nasty divorce. It soon became apparent
that everyone blamed his wife.
Simon guessed he was the only one in the group who felt sorry
for the maligned soon-to-be ex. He knew how being “the problem” felt. He also
knew that a divorce was never as clear-cut as it appeared.
After the talk of Kyle’s divorce, a woman with black hair and a
widow’s peak—Eve Something—spoke up. “What would you guys think if I started a
new marketing campaign for the B and B focusing on those scary stories we used
to pass around as kids?”
“The ones where we claimed the inn was haunted?” This was
Sophia. Simon had noticed that every time she tried to contribute, everyone else
immediately stiffened.
“Last I heard, you wanted to keep a lid on the history of the
place for fear of scaring off patrons,” she said.
Eve shrugged in response but wouldn’t quite meet her gaze.
“That’s true, but…times have changed. I need to try a more aggressive
approach.”
All of these people were attractive, Simon thought. Sophia,
with her wide blue eyes, brown hair and porcelain skin, was probably the
prettiest, but he wasn’t as taken with her looks as he would’ve expected to be.
He returned his attention to Eve of the widow’s peak. “You own A Room with a
View?”
She blushed as if she was surprised he’d get involved in the
conversation. “No. The other B and B—the Gold Nugget Inn. It’s not quite as nice
or as prominently situated.”
“It
is
nice,” Gail chimed in. “But
Simon hasn’t seen it.” She turned to him. “Eve’s parents bought it just after
they were married and fixed it up, so it’s been in her family for years. It’s
around the bend, heading out of town to the north. Cheyenne—” she motioned to
her other friend “—helps run it. I’ll show it to you later.”
Riley entered the conversation. Gail had introduced him as her
contractor friend, so Simon had made a special note of his name. “Do you think
that story we used to tell is true? About the young daughter of the couple who
built the Gold Nugget being murdered in the basement?”
“It is.” Cheyenne contributed this remark. She’d been listening
quietly, seemed to hang on every word, but she came across as the type who
typically kept her thoughts to herself. “When we first moved to town my mother
dragged me and my sister into the cemetery and said if we didn’t take good care
of her while she was sick, the same evil that got little Mary Hatfield would
come after us.”
“That’s so out of line.” This came from Callie, the only member
of the group who seemed unwilling to accept Simon. She’d frowned when they were
introduced and bristled whenever he looked at her. “But knowing her, it doesn’t
surprise me,” she added.
“You were in high school when you moved here,” Gail said to
Cheyenne. “I hope you knew better than to believe her.”
Cheyenne’s somber gray eyes focused on Gail. “I absolutely
believed her. There was no telling what she might do.”
“That was so unnecessary,” Ted put in.
“Exactly,” Eve agreed. “They would’ve taken care of her. Look
at them now that the cancer is back.”
“She’s my mother,” Cheyenne said. “What else can I do? Anyway,
I don’t want to talk about Anita. We were talking about the inn.”
“Tell them what you found at the library, Chey,” Eve
prompted.
“You tell them,” she responded, but Gail joined Eve in prodding
her.
“What’d you find?”
Cheyenne stirred the whipped cream into whatever drink she’d
ordered—hot chocolate?—as she began to speak. “When Eve first mentioned the
idea, I went down to the county library and researched the story. I found an old
newspaper article dated August 1, 1898, that said the girl’s father came upon
her strangled in the basement.”
Ted nodded. “That’s the same story I heard. They never figured
out who did it.”
“I used to be so afraid of seeing Mary’s ghost,” Eve said.
“And you want to use that tragedy for marketing purposes?”
Callie looked horrified. “Don’t you think that’s kind of…morbid?”
Eve shrugged. “It is but, like I said, I’ve got to do
something.”
“That’ll be taking things in a new direction, all right,” Riley
said with a laugh.
It was obvious that Eve didn’t appreciate his attitude.
“Will you change the name, too?” Sophia wanted to know. “All
Hallows Inn would be chilling.”
Slumping in her seat, Eve played with a sugar packet. “I’m
willing to do anything. The place needs updating and repairs, and I don’t have
the money. I don’t want to lose it to the bank. So I’ll have to get creative. If
I make the wear-and-tear part of the theme, I might be able to limp along for
another year or two until I can get on my feet.”
“Makes sense to me.” Gail reached across the table to squeeze
her hand. “When you’re ready, I’ll help you put together a press packet so we
can get the word out.”
Eve smiled her thanks.
“I don’t know....” Riley wasn’t convinced. “Might be too
gimmicky, Eve.”
“I disagree,” Cheyenne piped up. “I think we should do it.”
Everyone seemed surprised that she would argue with him.
“There’s so much interest in the supernatural,” she went on.
“We should hire some good fortune tellers and offer free tarot readings on
check-in, really go with the theme.”
Eve turned her attention to Simon. “What do you think?”
Simon hadn’t expected to be singled out when he was the least
likely to have an opinion. He searched his mind for some useful idea. “Well, if
you want to go in a darker direction…I could come up with some interesting props
from various films that might add an Alfred Hitchcock air to the place.”
She perked up. “That’s a great suggestion! But…won’t real movie
props be expensive?”
“They don’t have to be,” he said. “I happen to know some people
in the industry.” He heard a few chuckles at the understatement. “I’ll see what
I can arrange.”
“That’s
so
nice.” Eve looked at
Gail as if to say she liked him, and Gail smiled, but the atmosphere grew tense
as soon as someone mentioned a guy named Matt.
“Have you seen him yet?” Ted asked Gail.
Everyone fell silent. Clearly, they’d all been dying to ask the
same question.
Gail poured more cream into her coffee even though she didn’t
usually take very much. “No, not yet. We just got in last night.”
“He’s been here a couple days already,” Sophia said. “I saw him
at Just Like Mom’s last night.”
“How does he look?” someone else wondered.
Eve answered. “Better than ever.”
“What about his knee?” Gail asked.
“He’s wearing a brace, but he’s walking on it,” Ted told
her.
Gail added even more cream to her coffee. “Will he ever get to
play again?”
“Hard to say,” Riley replied. “No one knows.”
Simon’s gaze circled the group. Normally he would’ve let this
go, as he had the talk about Kyle Houseman. But there was a definite
undercurrent here, and it seemed to be swirling around Gail. “Matt is…”
Gail seemed eager to answer before anyone else could. “Just
another friend.”
“He plays football for the Packers, when he’s not injured,” Eve
said.
“He’s part of the group?” Simon asked, trying to clarify.
“Not really.” This came from Eve again. “I mean…he’s not one of
the original members. We all graduated the same year. Matt’s three years
older.”
“He’s a
great
guy.” When Callie
said this as if he was the perfect contrast to Simon, Gail made a point of
checking the time.
“Whoa, don’t some of you need to be at work?”
“Yeah, Chey and I are already late,” Eve agreed. “Jane’s there
cooking breakfast, but she’ll need us to help serve.”
Everyone stood. As they cleared the table of plates and cups,
Callie pulled Gail aside, but Simon could hear what she said.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Gail met Simon’s eyes over her friend’s head. “Nothing,
why?”
“I can’t believe you married him. Already! Didn’t you think
we’d want to know you were that serious before seeing it on TV?”
“I told you we were dating.”
“Dating’s a little different, Gail.”
“We didn’t plan it, Callie. We just…decided to do it. It
happened very quickly.”
“I’m sure it did. Let’s hope you don’t end up brokenhearted and
divorced just as quickly.” Callie whirled around to glare at Simon. “Nice of you
to come and meet the family, even if it is too late for us to talk her out of
ruining her life.”
“I didn’t realize we needed to get your approval,” he responded
dryly.
Callie turned back to Gail and said something else that sounded
harsh, but Simon missed it because Riley had approached him. “Hey, sorry about
your injury.” He gestured at the bandage still protecting Simon’s stitches.
“That sucks.”
“I certainly have a new appreciation for how often I use my
right hand.” Simon glanced over to see if he could catch another snippet of the
Callie/Gail exchange, but Callie had left. It was Sophia who was talking to Gail
now.
“What do you two have planned for today?” Riley asked,
maintaining a separate conversation with him.
“We’re hoping to meet up with someone named Kathy and take a
look at some rental property.”
“You’re planning to stay
here?
”
Riley spoke loudly enough that everyone still there turned toward them. “What
about your acting career?”
Simon held up his injured hand. “I’m taking a couple months
off.”
When he saw that he also had Gail’s attention, Riley directed
his next question to her. “You’re leaving Big Hit in the hands of someone
else?”
“I am. My assistant is going to be running the show for a bit.
We were actually hoping to hire you to help Simon build us a house.”
“I’d be happy to do that,” he said. “You know my number. Give
me a call.”
“Sounds like we’ll get to see more of you,” Sophia said to
Simon as Riley moved toward the exit. “That’s great! I was just going to say I’d
love to have the two of you over for dinner sometime, if you’re interested.”
Sophia’s enthusiasm created a stark contrast with Callie’s
anger. Simon couldn’t help responding to it. “Sure. We’ll come to dinner.
When?”
She seemed surprised and relieved at the same time, as if she
hadn’t expected an acceptance. “Day after tomorrow? I mean, I don’t know if my
husband will be home. Skip travels a lot on business. But Alexa will be
there.”
“Alexa is…”
“My daughter.”
Dinner sounded fine to Simon. At least he’d met someone who was
eager to offer him friendship. “Fine. We’ll see you then.”